300 projects worth PLN 45 million. The results of IDUB program in 2022. | Gdańsk University of Technology

Support for research projects and initiation of the international cooperation

Ventus-Hydrogenii-Redivivus (VHR) is the new program launched in 2022, offering funding  even up to a million zloty. The objective of the program is to support industrial research conducted at Gdańsk Tech within the area of technologies key to the economy, in particular wind energy sector, hydrogen technologies and circular economy. The activities aimed at  achieving the goal include research work with utilitarian approach, conducted by interfaculty teams, possibly with external partners from the business environment.

As part of the first competition in this program, 24 applications were submitted, and funding was awarded to 10 projects for a total amount of nearly PLN 10 million.

Aurum, Argentum and Cuprum were the programs that enjoyed great popularity among the researchers. The objective of Aurum program is to increase and enrich the research potential of Gdańsk Tech by building new international research teams led by Gdańsk Tech researchers.  Due to the financing received in 2022, four new international teams were created, comprising researchers from significant research centers of Spain, France, USA and Iran (the projects amounted to the total of PLN 1,952,000). Another 14 applications are waiting for evaluation. Over a million zloty was used to create international teams working within the area of urban planning and architecture, as well as social sciences, as part of the Cuprum program. The teams will be created in cooperation with the researchers from the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia and Slovakia.

Argentum program allows to obtain a University grant, intended for financing the costs of conducted research and development of young researchers working within the priority research areas of Gdańsk Tech. From among 88 applications submitted in the competition, 21 obtained the financing amounting to over PLN 5,000,000. The remaining 33 applications will be evaluated in the beginning of 2023. The program grant contributed to i.a. creation of new bioactive glass composition, used for the production of bone implants composites, developing new solutions for oncology clinics and a prototype of an innovative multi-phase generator.

Due to the Copernicium program, the researchers can obtain funding for preparation of application documentation and establishing partnership with international research institutions, in order to apply for prestigious European grants. In 2022, 6 applications were financed for the total amount of PLN 570,000.

Another two programs, Scandium and Neptunium, support the cooperation with research centers within the Baltic Sea region. In 2022, funding was granted to 5 projects for the total amount of PLN 1,240,000. Gdańsk Tech researchers will cooperate with the researchers from Denmark, Germany, Finland, Latvia and Estonia.

Over a million zloty from the Carbonium program was appropriated for establishing the international position of Gdańsk University of Technology as a strong research center, through promotion of its research community and achievements. Eight international research conferences were organized as part of the program (i.a. "Seventeenth International Symposium on Water Management and Hydraulic Engineering" WMHE 2022, Polish Conference on Crystal Growth PCCG-2022, WINDUSTRY: Industrial research in wind Energy).

Innovative education

Among the programs organized as part of IDUB by the Center for Innovative Education, addressed to the academic teachers, „Didactic Innovations” program attracted interest. Thirteen projects implemented in 2022 (for the total amount of PLN 220,000) included i.a. virtual laboratory, summer school, educational game and special education application.

Solutions for students and doctoral students

Six programs within IDUB are dedicated entirely or partially to students and doctoral students. The first program named Actinium, supports particularly gifted students starting first or second-cycle studies at Gdańsk Tech through scholarships. In 2022, eight such scholarships were awarded for the amount of PLN 75,000.  An annual scholarship program for talented students who focus their research interests around the priority research area is also offered by the Radon program. This year, 12 students benefited from the program, and the total amount of scholarships amounted to PLN 144,000.

Doctoral students can also receive scholarships by submitting applications under the Polonium program. Fifty-six people took that opportunity, and 47 applications for a total amount of PLN 1 million 410 thousand were verified positively.

The Plutonium program, on the other hand, supports the activities of student research clubs. Last year, the activities of the clubs received more than PLN 2 million. The following benefited from the program's offer:

• "Konfuzor"
• KOMBO
• "Materials in Medicine"
•  „Forever Young”
• "BioPhoton"
• "Racing Team"

The obtained funds were used i.a. to study the pre-integration of the entire measurement system, consisting of dosimetric gel phantoms, a laser tomograph and scan control software, reconstructing 3D images to compare patient data in radiation oncology clinics, creating vertical plant walls, developing ceramic-polymer bone cement, restoring historic architecture, preparing a research expedition to the Arctic.

The objective of the Technetium program is to support the activities of mentors – academic teachers – who take care of particularly talented students engaging in research within the priority research areas. The mentors obtained 20 projects in 2022 for a total of nearly PLN 500,000. Research conducted with the program funds will contribute to monitoring landfill gas emissions, synthesis of photoanode composites based on TiO2 and graphene-like carbon nitride, polymer sorption programs, development of degradable bone substitute.

Science and business

Gdańsk Tech students and doctoral students, as well as employees, who would like to try their hand at business, can benefit from Molybdenum program within the Startup School. In March 2022, the first edition of the training cycle in the first edition of the Startup School entitled "Test your idea" was inaugurated. A total of 28 teams, consisting of 60 people (students and doctoral students) from all faculties of Gdansk University of Technology, took part in the admission for this edition. Recruitment for the second edition of the Startup School started at end of the year. The teams will compete for PLN 50,000 to develop their innovative idea.

The year 2022 was crowned with implementation of the Grants Module allowing submission of internal grant applications electronically, as well as a conference for the IDUB program coordination teams of the largest universities from all over Poland.

Business trips and invitations

Gdańśk Tech researchers can plan short and long-term international internships (Europium and Americium programs) and invite distinguished visiting professors under the Einsteinium program. For this purpose, PLN 1,800,000 was allocated in 2022 for 37 internships in international research centers. The internships take place at, among others: University of Valencia, University of California in the USA, Rome's "La Sapienza" University, Lisbon University in Portugal, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Metropolitan University of Olso and other prestigious research centers.

As part of the Einsteinium program, Gdańsk University of Technology was visited by: Prof. Karl-Erich Lindenschmidt, Henri Vahabi, PhD, Prof. P. Cavaliere, Abhishek Kumar Jha, PhD, Prof. Rajendra Prasad, Prof. Pietro Teatini and Prof. Eugene A. Katz – specialists in the fields of nanocomposite biopolymers, climate change, engineering, environment, molecular biotechnology, computer science and chemistry.

International patent protection

Under the Titanium program, it is possible to obtain funding to cover the costs of activities aimed at obtaining or extending international legal protection for an invention. In 2022, the program supported the filing of one application for international patent protection for PLN 18,000.

Programs supporting publishing activities of university staff

The Nitrogenium and Oxygenium programs are aimed at rewarding and supporting the publication of research results of Gdańsk Tech employees and doctoral students in the world's best scientific journals.

More than 170 Gdańsk Tech students, postgraduates and employees received a bonus for publications in the Nitrogenium program for a total of more than PLN 1,140,000.

In 2022, a total of PLN 1,000,000 was provided from IDUB funds to Gdańsk Tech faculties for financing the cost of publishing Open Access articles in journals and publishing houses (including the so-called Data Journal for Open Research Data).

Internationalization of research staff

Under the IDUB program, a faculty dean can obtain funds to employ international researchers. Over the past 12 months, the deans obtained a total of PLN 4,140,000 to create 11 positions – most of them at the Faculty of Chemistry and the Faculty of Applied Physics and Mathematics.

Programs supporting IDUB – funding for research, teaching infrastructure

Gdańsk Tech Core Edu Facilities and Gdańsk Tech Core Research Facilities programs are programs supporting the IDUB initiative to upgrade the research and teaching infrastructure of Gdansk University of Technology.

Within the framework of the Gdańsk Tech Core Research Facilities program, researchers obtained funds amounting to nearly PLN 5,300,000 for 13 projects and within the framework of the Gdańsk Tech Core Edu Facilities PLN 4,500,000 for 24 projects. The funds will help to equip the Structural Research Laboratory, the Research Laboratory of the Department of Electric Drives and Energy Conversion, Gdańsk Tech TriboLab, the Mechanics of Materials and Structures Laboratory, the Laboratory of Power Electronics, the Geodesy Laboratory, among others: Surveying Equipment Storage, Intelligent Buildings Laboratory.

In total, nearly 300 projects were completed or started in 2022, amounting to nearly PLN 45,000,000.  Some of these projects were described in a series of articles, available here: