The Academic Community of Pomerania United for the Metropolis of Knowledge
Today in Gdańsk, the rectors of five public universities in the Pomeranian region, along with the chairpersons of University Councils, signed a joint statement supporting the bill on the metropolitan union in the Pomeranian Voivodeship. The draft bill provides the possibility of allocating additional funds for scientific research, development work, and cooperation with universities – this is a clear, systemic step towards a metropolis based on knowledge, innovation, and collaboration between communities.
Today in Gdańsk, the rectors of five public universities in the Pomeranian region, along with the chairpersons of University Councils, signed a joint statement supporting the bill on the metropolitan union in the Pomeranian Voivodeship. The draft bill provides the possibility of allocating additional funds for scientific research, development work, and cooperation with universities – this is a clear, systemic step towards a metropolis based on knowledge, innovation, and collaboration between communities.
The document was endorsed by the authorities of the Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk Tech, University of Gdańsk, Stanisław Moniuszko Academy of Music in Gdańsk, and the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. This is the first such broad and unequivocal voice of the Pomeranian academic community on the future of the Pomeranian metropolis.
The signed statement emphasized that universities have been supporting the process of metropolitanization of Pomerania for years, as well as the construction of a modern metropolis based on knowledge, innovation, and cooperation among local governments, science, culture, and economy. According to the signatories, the establishment of a metropolitan association may become one of the most important developmental impulses for the region in the coming years.
Special attention was drawn to the unique character of the law on a national scale. For the first time in Polish metropolitan law, the importance of science and higher education as a partner in regional development was so clearly emphasized. The project provides for the possibility of allocating additional funds for scientific research, development work, and cooperation with universities.
The signatories of the statement point out that this solution creates a lasting foundation for utilizing the research potential of Pomeranian universities to address the region’s most important challenges, from health protection and mobility through energy and digital transformation to economic development and public policies based on knowledge and scientific evidence.
"Pomerania has a unique potential to build a modern knowledge metropolis. Cooperation among local governments, universities, cultural institutions, and entrepreneurs can become a model for other regions in Poland and Europe," the joint statement emphasized.
The rectors and chairpersons of University Councils also declared their readiness to actively participate in the construction and development of the Pomeranian metropolis by conducting research, preparing expert analyses, developing innovations, artistic activities, and educating personnel to meet the region’s needs.
The statement signed today constitutes an important signal of unity within the Pomeranian academic community and its commitment to building a metropolis of the future that is modern, competitive, and knowledge-based.