Economic Convention at Gdańsk Tech. New forms of cooperation between business and science. | Gdańsk University of Technology

On 16 September 2021, the second meeting of the Economic Convention at the Rector of Gdańsk Tech took place. After a long break caused by the pandemic, representatives of business and science met to talk about joint ventures and economic and scientific initiatives.

The Economic Convention at the Rector of Gdańsk Tech serves as a platform for the exchange of information, consultations and expressing opinions and attitudes between the scientific community of Gdańsk Tech and the economic environment in all matters affecting the economic development of the country and the region, including prospective needs of employers and the labor market, cooperation of universities with state and local authorities and other entities.

- One of our basic activities as a university is cooperation with the socio-economic environment - said prof. Krzysztof Wilde, rector of Gdańsk Tech, opening the Convention - This business-science relationship, where the scientific thought that arises at our university then transforms into a specific product, needs our joint activities. We have a lot to do in this regard to match American or Western European standards. The intensity of cooperation between entrepreneurs and scientists is important, as well as the development of a specific structure and setting out new ways of joint activity. All the members of this Convention are needed to find this common path of action. We must eliminate the existing barriers, for example communication ones, and build a well-functioning system.

– The pandemic abruptly interrupted the implementation of the assumptions developed at the first meeting of the Convention - said Zbigniew Canowiecki, PhD, chairman of the Convention - That is why today, when resuming its activities, we use the break between successive waves of the pandemic to meet in person in such a group for - I hope - fruitful deliberations and discussions .

The September meeting began with the presentation of the research possibilities of four research centers and two research and implementation centers operating at Gdańsk University of Technology. Coordinators of individual research centers: prof. Jerzy Wtorek (BioTechMed), prof. Jan Wajs (EcoTech), prof. Łukasz Kulas (Center for Digital Technologies) and prof. Piotr Jasiński (Center for Materials of the Future) discussed both research projects and human resources potential, as well as areas of possible cooperation with entrepreneurs. In turn, prof. Zbigniew Korczewski summed up the 3 months of operation of the newly created Center for Wind Technologies, and prof. Kazimierz Darowicki, as the coordinator, presented the Center for Hydrogen Technologies.

Another topic of the meeting was the presentation of the achievements of the Doctoral School operating at Gdańsk University of Technology. Prof. Michał Mrozowski, the head of studies, talked about it. The professor emphasized the multidisciplinary nature of doctoral student education – Few universities in Poland have the right to train doctoral students in such a wide range as Gdańsk University of Technology does, and classes are conducted only in English. Our ambition is for the graduates of the Doctoral School to be people with comprehensive competences, able to work in a project system and in a multinational environment.

Prof. Kazimierz Darowicki told the audience about implementation doctorates and the new model of the university-business cooperation.

– The Implementation Doctoral School at Gdańsk University of Technology is the only unit of this type in Poland. It brings together the most experienced representatives of leading scientific disciplines. It allows doctoral students to educate in accordance with the company's needs, but also to cooperate widely in international research teams – emphasized prof. Darowicki.

The second part of the Convention belonged to the employers. The first to speak was the founder of the cosmetics company Ziaja Ltd. - Zenon Ziaja, and then Andrzej Synowiecki, president of Radmor S.A. The speakers shared not only the success of companies on domestic and foreign markets, but also pointed to the challenges they have to face and the expectations of scientists who, thanks to the commissioned research, could support technological processes in companies.

Presentations of research centers, doctoral schools and companies ended with a discussion during which attempts were made to define common needs and expectations on the part of entrepreneurs and scientists. The main conclusion that emerged was the need for clear and legible communication and definitely more frequent contacts, for example in the form of seminars dedicated to enterprises. During such working meetings organized in smaller groups, university employees will have the opportunity to present specific research that may be of interest to business, while entrepreneurs will be able to discuss their needs in the field of R&D.

In the final part of the meeting, members of the Convention listened to a presentation on building the academic community of Gdańsk Tech, given by Jan Mioduski, President of the Management Board of "Techno-Service" S.A. and information from Janusz Rybicki about the upcoming celebrations of the 100th anniversary of academic sport in Gdańsk.

The next meeting of the Convention is planned for the first quarter of 2022.

Let us recall - in the previous term of office of Gdańsk Tech authorities (from 2016), the platform for cooperation and exchange of views between universities and the economic community was the activity of the Convention of Gdańsk University of Technology, the rector's advisory body, established on the basis of the Act of 27 July 2005 "Law on Higher Education". The Convention undertook initiatives in the field of activities related to the development of the Lower Vistula or Gdańsk post-shipyard areas, the so-called Young City, attended also by representatives of the state administration and local authorities.

The convention operating until 2018 (the new law on higher education and science of 20 July 2018 established a body with different competences - the University Council) actively participated in building mutual relations between the university and the environment and the development of Gdańsk Tech activities for the benefit of the Pomeranian and Pomeranian economy and society. Hence, many people from the economic environment turned to the Gdańsk Tech rector with a proposal to continue the work in a different legal formula. On 15 January 2020, the Senate of Gdańsk University of Technology gave a positive opinion on the establishment of the Economic Convention at the Rector of Gdańsk Tech.