Bialystok University of Technology Joins the Global Design Thinking Alliance

13-01-2026

Bialystok University of Technology has joined the prestigious Global Design Thinking Alliance (GDTA). This is a historic step – our university is now the only representative of Poland in the international network, which brings together innovation leaders from 5 continents.

The Global Design Thinking Alliance is an elite network of 39 institutions from 24 countries (including the USA, Germany, and South Africa) that are redefining the way innovation is created. They focus on establishing high international standards in teaching and research in the field of Design Thinking – project-based thinking. Bialystok University of Technology’s membership in the GDTA network is both an honor and a confirmation that our approach to education and human-centered design meets the highest global standards.

The university’s success is built on many years of experience in promoting and implementing the design thinking approach – consistently developed at Bialystok University of Technology for over ten years.

Official acceptance into the alliance is a direct result of the presentation prepared and delivered by Izabela Senderacka, PhD, Vice-Dean for Development and Cooperation at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of Bialystok University of Technology. In November 2025, she presented to the GDTA associate members the university’s and the faculty’s many years of experience in promoting and implementing the design thinking approach.

At the forefront of these initiatives is the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of Bialystok University of Technology, which has modernized and upgraded the engineering education model by:

Integrating the design thinking approach into study programmes as a method supporting the solving of engineering problems based on real user needs.
Introducing team projects from the 1st semester, enabling students to develop soft skills from the start: collaboration, communication, and responsibility for the outcome of joint work.
Solving real engineering problems that respond to the needs of companies or people with disabilities.
Creating modern project-prototyping spaces, such as the Prototyping Lab, CAD & CODE LOFT, and the Future Innovation Lab. These spaces enable workshop-based work and rapid testing of ideas in conditions similar to professional design offices.

As part of GDTA membership, Bialystok University of Technology gains the opportunity to actively participate in international cooperation, exchange best practices, and engage in joint educational and innovation initiatives. The university thus joins the map of institutions shaping the global design thinking scene.

(prepared by Monika Rokicka)