Second in-person ISEB visit to Gdańsk Tech | Gdańsk University of Technology

Taking part in person were: Prof. Francisco José Mora Más (former Rector of Universitat Politècnica de Valencia, ISEB Chairman), Marc Zolver (Vice-President for International Affairs, CentraleSupélec – part of Université Paris-Saclay), Prof. Roberto Zanino (Rector's Delegate for PhD Programs and International University Networks, Politecnico di Torino), and Prof. Sławomir Smoleń (Hochschule Bremen). The other ISEB members – Prof. Eugenijus Valatka (Rector, Kaunas University of Technology) and Prof. Mika Hannula (Vice-Rector for Partnerships and Strategic Engagement, University of Turku) – joined the Board meetings online.

Just as during the visit of last December, the Board had interviews with a diversity of IDUB project stakeholders. One category was people active in the industry-university collaboration – represented by Małgorzata Winiarek Gajewska (CEO, NDI Group), Mariusz Machajewski (CEO, EXCENTO limited company – Gdańsk Tech’s special-purpose vehicle), and Robert Bajko and Agnieszka Krawczyk-Kłos (Gdańsk Tech’s Technology Transfer Center). Faculty authorities were represented by the following deans: Prof. Lucyna Nyka, Prof. Mirosław Wołoszyn and Prof. Jacek Stefański, and the following vice-deans: Prof. Barbara Kościelska, Prof. Aneta Łuczkiewicz, Dr Ewa Mazurek-Krasodomska, Prof. Jarosław Guziński, and Prof. Marek Szkodo.

The representation of students and PhD students was also rich: Wiktoria Dudek (first-cycle student, 6^th semester, Architecture – Vice-President Internationalization, Student Government), Maria Lachowicz and Karolina Karcz (first-cycle students, 6^th semester, Technical Physics), Szymon Krawczuk (second-cycle student, 3^rd semester, Engineering & Management of Space Systems – President’s Delegate for Research, Student Government), Leonard Kum Komando (PhD student in Physics), and Hanna Świątek (PhD student in Materials Engineering).

People involved in the development of new concepts in HR management were represented by: Katarzyna Dzięcielewska (Director, HR Center), Dr Agnieszka Lendzion (Vice-Director, HR Center), and Anna Modrzejewska (Head, International Relations Office). And finally, people responsible for managing European programs were: Dr Aleksandra Dubiella-Jackowska (International Research Projects, PMO), Renata Downar-Zapolska (Horizon Europe Contact Point for Northern Poland, PMO), and Dr Justyna Szostak (Erasmus+ Coordinator, Faculty of Applied Physics and Mathematics).

A second part of the visit was devoted to a discussion on the consolidation process of Fahrenheit Universities. Attending the meeting were: Rector and Vice-Rectors of Gdańsk Tech – Krzysztof Wilde, Dariusz Mikielewicz, Sławomir Milewski, and Janusz Nieznański, Vice-Rector of Gdańsk Medical University – Jacek Bigda, Vice-Rector of the University of Gdańsk – Krzysztof Bielawski, and Patryk Żyła – coordinator of the project entitled Supporting University Consolidation Processes.

The last session of discussions was a meeting with the Gdańsk Tech authorities. In addition to the Rector and Vice-Rectors, the meeting was attended by Dr Monika Wieczerzak, Head of the IDUB Project Office. The ISEB members presented and intermediate assessment of the execution of IDUB (based on a self-assessment report by Gdańsk Tech) and shared their impressions and observations from the interviews with stakeholders. The conclusions from the visit will be find their way to the final IDUB assessment by ISEB.

A meaningful part of the visit was also a tour of the European Solidarity Center.