Professor Rafael Popper joined Bialystok University of Technology

Professor Rafael Popper took up the position of visiting professor at the Faculty of Engineering Management of Bialystok University of Technology. He will give lectures on the economics of innovation and strategic management for second-cycle students in management. He will also support activities aimed at the internationalization of Bialystok University of Technology. Today, he met with the Rector of Bialystok University of Technology, Assoc. Prof. Marta Kosior-Kazberuk, DSc, PhD, Eng.

– I would very much like to strengthen the position of Polish universities in the research and innovation ecosystem in Europe and in the world. My choice was Bialystok University of Technology, mainly because of the great cooperation with colleagues from the Faculty of Engineering Management. Together, we prepared a number of application documents for the competitions of the Horizon Europe framework programme of the European Union, which in my opinion is a key step to mark the presence of universities on the map of Europe. I also actively support other types of initiatives aimed at establishing contacts and transferring knowledge. Thanks to the efforts of the interdepartmental team led by Łukasz Nazarko, PhD, we are trying to create strategic alliances between Bialystok University of Technology and leading universities in Europe – said Prof. Rafael Popper.

Prof. Rafael Popper is an outstanding foresight specialist and expert, founder of Futures Diamond, lecturer at the University of Turku and the University of Manchester. He was born in Caracas, Venezuela, and then lived, studied and worked in different countries. He spent several years in Brazil and Italy, and then in Hungary. He lived in the UK for fifteen years, where he obtained British citizenship and completed his doctoral studies at the University of Manchester. In 2016, he moved to Finland, where he took up the position of Scientific Director for Business, Innovation and Forecasting at the renowned Finnish Technical Research Centre VTT, a leading research and technology organization (RTO). In 2022, he took up the challenge of creating and assuming the role of director at the Centre for Foresight and Internationalization (CFI) in Poland. He is currently leading this initiative at the Technology Partners Foundation (TPF) in Warsaw. Professor Popper cooperated with such recognized organizations as: European Commission, European Innovation Council, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, World Bank, The European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), as well as numerous public and private institutions in Europe, Latin America, Africa, Asia, Australia and the Middle East.

In recent years prof. Popper played a key role in supporting the activities of the internationalization of Bialystok University of Technology, by promoting various initiatives, including the establishment of the Team for Foresight and Interdisciplinary Research. He was a driving force in paving the way for our university’s cooperation with the Manchester Institute of Innovation Research (University of Manchester), as well as with the Finland Futures Research Centre (FFRC) at the University of Turku, where he is a professor. This cooperation allowed the University to use the knowledge and resources of leading institutions dealing with foresight.

Professor Popper activates partners from BUT with the possibility of research cooperation under the Horizon Europe programme and other instruments, thus helping to achieve the strategic goal of internationalization of Bialystok University of Technology.

Professor Popper will enrich the master’s degree programme in management, “Smart and Innovative Business” speciality with lectures on innovation and strategic management. Additional classes in foresight and responsible research and innovation (RRI) will provide students and interested practitioners with valuable insight into the fields of future studies and innovation management.

– Professor Popper has a double task at Bialystok University of Technology. As a visiting professor, he is assigned classes with students in the fields of management, financial management and accounting. And already during the first lectures, he showed that he perfectly establishes a bond with this younger generation of the community of our university and uses the language that reaches them. And I, in turn, am very proud of the way our students communicate and interact with the Professor – emphasizes Łukasz Nazarko, PhD, chairman of the Team for Foresight and Interdisciplinary Research at Bialystok University of Technology.

The greatest personal achievements of Prof. Popper is a loving family with his wonderful Polish wife Monika and raising four children: Ricky, Sammy, Leo and Luna. He maintains strong ties with his extended family and cares for an ever-growing network of friends, colleagues, business and research partners in Poland and around the world.

by mr