Gdańsk University of Technology to establish cooperation with Babcock International | Gdańsk University of Technology

Among the vast portfolio of cooperation partners, apart from the government and the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, Babcock International also operates outside Britain, in Australia, Asia, Canada, France and the Republic of South Africa. The company offers their clients within marine, land, aviation and nuclear sectors, technical support and training, as well as products and defense equipment - e.g. ships and submarine components.

In March 2022, the Armament Agency selected Babcock as the platform design provider and strategic partner for the implementation of the multi-purpose frigates program named Miecznik. Based on a license granted by Babcock, the PGZ-Miecznik Consortium (Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa S.A. and PGZ Stocznia Wojenna Sp. z o.o.) will build three modern frigates for the Polish Navy. The Miecznik program, however, is not only about shipbuilding, but also, and perhaps most importantly, a Polish-British partnership of a strategic nature in the defense sector, involving expansion of the Polish shipbuilding industry and transfer of knowledge and technology. ​

In 2022, Babcock International opened the Project Management Office of the Polish Armaments Group in Gdynia, which will supervise the Miecznik program. ​

Areas of cooperation

The representatives of Babcock International visited Gdańsk University of Technology with regard to
the Babcock Graduate Scheme – a two-year program to be launched in Poland, enabling gifted university graduates to do internship programs in Babcock offices, including UK and to obtain valuable experience within aviation, land, marine and nuclear sectors. 

- In connection with the Miecznik program, we are planning to invest in acquisition and development of young talents in Poland – the future staff. Since the academic sector plays a key role in this process, we are very much counting on cooperation with universities in Poland, including Gdańsk University of Technology due to its potential and strategic location - said Ewa Kittel-Prejs, Country Director Poland, Babcock International.

Prof. Krzysztof Wilde, Rector of Gdańsk University of Technology: – The young talent development program is an opportunity for students of Gdańsk University of Technology to gain work experience in an international environment in strategic sectors related to defense and development of new technologies. We are eager to establish cooperation in this area.

Especially since, as Babcock International representatives emphasized, their talent development program assumes that trained professionals will join the company's staff mainly in Poland (including the Miecznik program) and thus strengthen the workforce of our country in the defense sector. ​

Prof. Krzysztof Wilde additionally proposed that cooperation between Gdańsk University of Technology and Babcock International should not be limited to recruiting and developing staff, but also include conducting joint research. ​

- I imagine that we could use the research potential of Gdańsk University of Technology – with our research and R&D centers – and the experience of Babcock International and undertake joint scientific research in the area of defense and maritime technologies – said Prof. Krzysztof Wilde.

The parties also discussed involvement of local companies in research projects to strengthen the potential of the region and the offer of the Industrial Doctoral School, which educates doctoral students in cooperation with the entrepreneurs who employ them in the future – in this case, Babcock International. 

Prof. Janusz Nieznański, Vice-Rector for Internationalization and Innovation, expressed great interest in involvement of Gdańsk Tech in the Miecznik program, especially within the scope of passive defense systems for ships.

- We look forward to such cooperation and organizing a seminar in the near future with our specialists and engineers from Gdańsk University of Technology, during which we will share our experiences and perhaps develop new solutions in the areas of mutual interest - said Rob Malinder, Project Manager, Babcock International. ​

The parties finalized the meeting with expressing their willingness to organize future meetings and continue discussions on cooperation.

Meeting participants:

Babcock International: Ewa Kittel-Prejs – Country Director Poland, Alexandra Adie – HR Business Partner, Rob Mallinder -- Project Manager, Babcock Poland and Calum Girdwood – Project Manager, Miecznik Frigate Programme.

Gdańsk University of Techology: Prof. Krzysztof Wilde – Rector, Prof. Janusz Nieznański – Vice-Rector for Internationalization and Innovation, Prof. Mariusz Kaczmarek – Vice-Rector for Education, Prof. Dariusz Mikielewicz – Vice-Rector for Organization and Development and representatives of faculties and research centers: Prof. Mirosław Wołoszyn – Dean of the Faculty of Electrical and Control Engineering , Marcin Jaskólski – Deputy Director of the Nuclear Power Center, Iwona Małecka – Director of the Security and Defense Technologies Centerof at Gdańsk Tech, Prof. Iwona Kochańska – Head of the Department of Signals and Systems at the Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics, Prof. Juliusz Orłowski – Head of the Department of Electrochemistry, Corrosion and Materials Engineering at the Faculty of Chemistry, Prof. Jerzy Kowalski - Vice-Director at the Institute of Naval Architecture at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Ship Technology, and Mohammad Ghaemi from the Institute of Naval Architecture at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Ship Technology. ​