Another Step “Towards the Sea.” Gdańsk Tech Focuses on Offshore Wind Energy

Gdańsk Tech, as a leading scientific and research institution in the field of ocean engineering in Poland, responds to market trends by focusing on even better and more effective expansion of knowledge and competencies of its students and researchers.

In addition to the cooperation agreement with the Technical University of Denmark, the Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IMP PAN), and PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna, Gdańsk Tech plans to open an inter-university program in offshore wind energy soon, jointly with its partner academic center in this field – the Maritime University of Gdynia.

The university also successfully conducts postgraduate studies in Offshore Wind Energy at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Ship Technology. Currently, the third edition of these studies is underway, with participants contributing to the workforce of the dynamically developing offshore wind energy sector.

Moreover, Gdańsk Tech will soon initiate the establishment of a scientific and research Center of Offshore Wind Energy PG, which will closely cooperate with the marine industry, among others, by conducting research and commissions for external entities.

Broad framework of cooperation through the agreement

The memorandum signed on May 18th is a further step in the development of the university in the offshore area, which, due to its proximity to the sea and leading Baltic ports in Gdynia and Gdańsk, has a great tradition both in educating successive generations of engineers and specialists, as well as in conducting scientific research and developing innovative marine technologies. The involvement of the Danish side in the agreement results from the fact that Denmark is a leading country in Europe in the use of wind energy and in scientific research in this field.

The cooperation agreement was signed in the Aula of Gdańsk Tech by: Prof. Krzysztof Wilde, Rector of Gdańsk Tech; Peter Hauge Madsen, Director of the Wind Energy Department at the Technical University of Denmark; Prof. Jan Kiciński, Director of IMP PAN; and Wojciech Dąbrowski, President of the Management Board of PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna. The importance of the agreement was emphasized by the presence at the ceremony of the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Denmark to Poland, Ole Toft, and Julian Skelnik, Consul of the Kingdom of Denmark in Gdańsk. The initiators of the agreement were Prof. Wojciech Litwin, Director of the Institute of Ocean Engineering and Ship Technology at Gdańsk Tech, and Prof. Paweł Flaszyński from IMP PAN.

– Signing this agreement is a big step forward for all parties and an opportunity to establish even closer and more effective cooperation – emphasized Prof. Krzysztof Wilde, Rector of Gdańsk Tech. – Taking this next step "toward the sea" we meet market trends and expectations. We intend to meet the challenge and work with all our might for the dynamically developing offshore industry – added the Rector of Gdańsk Tech.

– Cooperation with leading Polish and foreign scientific centers is a chance for all of us for the dynamic development of renewable energy sources in Poland – said Wojciech Dąbrowski, President of the Management Board of PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna. – The exchange of knowledge between us and our partners will also contribute to building future competencies among students who in the coming years will be able to find employment in offshore projects prepared in the Polish part of the Baltic Sea.

Under the agreement, the parties commit to:

• regular mutual visits of professors, researchers, and scientific staff at both universities for scientific and educational purposes,
• increasing the mobility of students and doctoral candidates of both universities, as well as technical and administrative staff,
• knowledge transfer through training programs between the parties,
• cooperation in activities of particular research and development or scientific importance, including exchange of experience regarding the use of complex scientific and technical apparatus,
• organizing promotional initiatives such as seminars, conferences, workshops, lectures, student internships and traineeships, trainings, and study visits,
• development of initiatives aimed at improving management,
• preparation of joint projects to be submitted for funding by the European Commission or other national or transnational organizations,
• activities focused on the transfer and dissemination of knowledge acquired within the framework of this agreement.