Rector of Bialystok University of Technology at the Forum of Cohesion and Border Development of the EU

The aim of the Forum of Cohesion and Border Development of the European Union is to develop common responses to the most important challenges faced by the EU’s eastern border regions and to assess the impact of the conflict in Ukraine and the hybrid war on areas located along the EU’s eastern frontier.

The panel “From Technology to Success – How to Attract Talent and Develop Local Innovation” brought together representatives of local administration, academia, and business.

– Our mission is to work for the benefit of the region – emphasised Assoc. Prof. Marta Kosior-Kazberuk, DSc, PhD, Eng., Rector of Bialystok University of Technology. – We educate engineers, and engineers are needed not only in Poland but around the world. Cooperation with the business environment is firmly embedded in our development strategy.

Panel moderator Sebastian Rynkiewicz, President of the Evoluma Cluster, reminded that the Polish Accreditation Committee recognises the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of Bialystok University of Technology as one of the three best mechanical faculties in Poland, alongside AGH University of Science and Technology and Silesian University of Technology.

– Representatives of Bialystok University of Technology are present in various bodies connected with the Evoluma Cluster, the Polish Construction Cluster and the Composite Materials Cluster – noted the Rector of Bialystok University of Technology. – Entrepreneurs, including cluster representatives, sit on programme and industrial councils at our university. I believe this is an important step we implement differently from other universities. Everyone knows our special-purpose company – the Institute of Innovation and Technology – but a year ago we also established, within the university structure, the Technology Transfer Centre to make cooperation with entrepreneurs even easier.

In the discussion, the Rector of Bialystok University of Technology highlighted the importance of interdisciplinarity.

– The Biomedical Engineering study programme could not be run at an appropriately high level without experts from the Medical University of Bialystok, – said Assoc. Prof. Marta Kosior-Kazberuk. – We are aware that together we can achieve more, and when we work together, we are simply more visible. Visitors are often surprised by our potential when they come to the university, even though we have operated in Białystok for 76 years. We have successfully used EU funds to build a research infrastructure that is often superior to that of American universities. They send us their samples for material testing. We can also break down barriers and cooperate with the business environment, especially with organisations such as clusters, as this enables us to promote ourselves jointly at fairs and conferences. It is hard for one university or one institution to be noticed, but through concrete cooperation we become strong partners.

The President of the Evoluma Cluster emphasised the importance of the presence of Bialystok University of Technology students and their inventions from student scientific associations at trade fairs.

– At both national and international trade fairs, Bialystok University of Technology students add great value, and our foreign partners see in them the future and potential for development, – said Sebastian Rynkiewicz.

Henryk Owsiejew, founder of the company Malow, stated that 80 percent of the engineering staff in his innovative factories are graduates of Bialystok University of Technology.

– Our task is to do everything possible not to hinder business and to make university graduates feel it is worth staying here, – said Rafał Rudnicki, Deputy President of the City of Białystok. – That is why we jointly run the “Study in Białystok” campaign – a project implemented with the three public universities in our city, our region, and across Poland, encouraging young people to stay here.

Bialystok University of Technology is a key partner on the scale of the entire north-eastern Poland.

– The discussion panel gathered representatives of entrepreneurs, business organisations, as well as associations uniting many companies, including partners of Bialystok University of Technology, and me as a representative of a higher education institution, – summed up the Rector of Bialystok University of Technology. – These are very important and much-needed discussions that determine new initiatives at the interface of academia, business and capital. Together, we are seeking ways to act even more effectively to build the competitive advantages of universities and enterprises, and thus of the Podlaskie region in Poland and worldwide.

The organisers of the Forum of Cohesion and Border Development of the European Union understand the importance of cybersecurity. In the panel “Digital Shield – How to Protect Ourselves in a World of Growing Cyber Threats,” Paweł Tadejko, PhD, Eng., from the Department of Digital Media and Computer Graphics of the Faculty of Computer Science, Bialystok University of Technology, represented the university.

– For some time, we have been considering launching a study programme in Cybersecurity, – revealed Paweł Tadejko, PhD, Eng. – Building competencies is one of the pillars that can support regional development. Today, the level of awareness and the level of implemented safeguards vary widely, which results both from a lack of awareness and competences, and from costs. Bialystok University of Technology can play a major role in educating competent staff serving our cybersecurity needs.

The Forum was attended by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, high-ranking officials of the European Commission, and guests from 15 European countries – from Finland through Germany to Ukraine.

The Forum concluded with the signing of the Podlaskie Declaration. The signatories appeal for the adoption and implementation of the Pact for the Eastern Border Regions of the European Union as a strategic instrument under the EU cohesion and security policy for 2028–2034, which will provide:

• a special development and security status for border regions,
• dedicated financial and legislative instruments,
• support for strategic investments in security, transport infrastructure, public health, cyber resilience, energy, and agriculture – treated as elements of the cohesion and resilience of the entire Union,
• mechanisms for compensation and economic recovery,
• programmes to retain and develop human capital,
• a permanent European initiative for border regions.

The Forum of Cohesion and Border Development of the European Union in Białystok was a joint initiative of the Podlaskie Voivodeship and the City of Białystok.

Panel “From Technology to Success – How to Attract Talent and Develop Local Innovation”
Participants:

• Assoc. Prof. Marta Kosior-Kazberuk, DSc, PhD, Eng. – Rector of Bialystok University of Technology
• Rafał Rudnicki – Deputy President of the City of Białystok
• Cezary Kaźmierczak – President of the Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers
• Marek Górski – President of the Lewiatan Confederation
• Bernhard Ebner – Regional Development Agency of Lower Austria
• Henryk Owsiejew – Malow Sp. z o.o.

Moderator: Sebastian Rynkiewicz – President of the Evoluma Cluster
 

Panel “Digital Shield – How to Protect Ourselves in a World of Growing Cyber Threats”
Participants:

• Grzegorz Zajączkowski – Digitalisation Leader at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, coordinating digital projects at governmental and international level
• Mariusz Madejczyk – Deputy Director of NASK and Director for New Technologies for Public Policy at NASK
• Kamil Goryń – University of Białystok
• Paweł Tadejko, PhD, Eng. – Department of Digital Media and Computer Graphics, Faculty of Computer Science, Bialystok University of Technology
• Magdalena Grabowska

Moderator: Paweł Prus – President of the Zamenhof Institute

Author: Jerzy Doroszkiewicz