Meeting of the Council of Experts 27.01.2022

Meeting of the Council of Experts of the Faculty of Economics on 27/01/2022.


On January 27, 2022, the meeting of the Council of Experts took place at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Gdańsk.

The subject of the meeting was related to "New opportunities for commercialization of scientific research in cooperation with enterprises".

Yet traditionally, the meeting was held in a hybrid form, some participants were present at the meeting stationary, while other participants took part in it on-line.

Members of the Council of Experts and Guests were officially welcomed by the Dean of the Faculty of Economics, dr hab. Monika Bąk, prof. UG, providing in its part of the speech the most important current information regarding the functioning of the University. The Dean also referred to the program changes in the scope of the education offer at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Gdańsk, resulting both from the adaptation of study programs, including the creation of the offer of modules for extramural studies, as well as the creation of new specializations corresponding to the needs of the market.

The next part of the meeting, concerning the new opportunities for the commercialization of scientific research in cooperation with enterprises, was started by the  Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Economics for Development and Cooperation with the Social and Economic Environment, dr Magdalena Markiewicz. Dr Markiewicz presented the new issue of "University Gazette" 01/2022 as a reference to the research and development areas of the Faculty of Economics. Just on the day of the meeting of the Council of Experts, the paper and electronic edition of "University Gazette" was published, and this edition was enhanced with an extensive supplement on the Faculty of Economics at the University of Gdańsk.
It was a unique opportunity to present selected issues constituting the research area of Faculty of Economics employees. The latest issue shows various faces of the economy in line with the scientific and didactic interests of the employees of the Faculty (i.e. international economy, European economy, blue economy, green economy, behavioral economy, transport economics and logistics, digital economy). The areas of internationalization, cooperation with the environment and the view from the point of view of students and graduates were also included.

The main part of the meeting was the occasion to present the current scope of projects implemented at the University of Gdańsk and the wide opportunities for the development of cooperation between universities and scientists with business with the participation of the special purpose company Univentum Labs.

The presentation was submitted by dr hab. Wojciech Bizon, prof. UG, President of the Management Board of Univentum Labs. A particularly interesting part was the discussion on the possibilities of obtaining grants for selected industries that fit into the Smart Specializations of Pomerania. Thanks to EU funding programs and Univentum Labs' experience in the implementation of such projects, entrepreneurs can be beneficiaries of these projects, and thus significantly reduce the costs of research and development work carried out in cooperation with the University of Gdańsk, while at the same time handling the funding procedure quickly and efficiently.

Prof. Wojciech Bizon also introduced the concept and results of the first edition of the Univentum Labs Ideas - Young Fahrenheit competition, organized by the UG Univentum Labs special purpose vehicle in cooperation with the UG Technology Transfer Center. The aim of the competition is both to promote interesting research conducted at the University of Gdańsk, and to identify people and teams carrying out R&D work with market potential. There are also project opportunities for scientific clubs that can be engaged in demanding projects.

Dr Andrzej Poszewiecki, Vice-President of the Management Board of the Univentum Labs, presented a wide range of current programs under which Univentum Labs can support cooperation initiatives and the creation of new and innovative projects. The final part of this speech also focused on the cooperation of special purpose vehicles of the universities of the Fahrenheit Association, as well as the complexity of projects, i.e. infrastructure design, technological audit, forecasts related to development.

Traditionally, the meeting was held in an atmosphere of vivid discussion between members of the Council of Experts and academics of the Faculty of Economics. Many questions were directed to the representatives of Univentum Labs.

Mr. Bartłomiej Glinka, President of the Management Board of Omida SA, drew attention to the needs in the field of climate issues, as well as multidimensional competences related to the various industries, e.g. transport or logistics. Prof. Wojciech Bizon presented many examples of cooperation, as well as the method of selecting partners in the project, which is to ensure complementarity and comprehensiveness in the field of cooperation with enterprises.

The President of the Management Board of "Employers of Pomerania", Mr. Tomasz Limon, drew attention to the aspect of supra-university cooperation and the possibility of cooperation between special purpose companies of various universities. In this context, the prospects arising from the establishment of the Fahrenheit University as well as the existing and future possibilities of cooperation were discussed. Dr Magdalena Markiewicz also mentioned the joint scientific seminars held from December 2021, initiated by the deans of economic faculties (WE UG, WZ UG, WZIE PG). Prof. Wojciech Bizon noted that this creates many opportunities to achieve synergies and identify the overall potential of several departments or universities for each individual collaborative project.

Prof. Andrzej Letkiewicz drew attention to the possibility of University of Gdansk employees engagement in the analysis of the economic effects of the projects carried out, e.g. the impact of the technologies introduced on the enterprise.

Mr. Andrzej Ostrowski, Regional Director for Corporate Affairs of ING Bank Śląski shared his observations on the developing market of innovative financial companies, the so-called fintech companies, paying particular attention to the development of a different approach to the analytical evaluation of newly emerging companies, as well as the creation of a lesson learnt portfolio, which allows for a constructive approach to the evaluation of new ventures.

Mr. Michał Stupak from the Management of Port of Gdansk Authority noted the possibility of cooperation in the field of development in areas such as offshore and logistics, as well as the preparation of appropriate staff and building experience in this field. For this reason, it is important to know the mutual expectations of employers and students.

Ms Ina Markiewicz, representing the Port of Gdansk Authority, presented a project of cooperation with students of the University of Gdańsk, based on regular meetings, presenting the practical aspects of the port's operation and the offer of student internships.

Mr. Bartłomiej Glinka, President of the Management Board of Omida SA, asked about the number and profile of candidates for economic studies.

This issue was discussed in the light of the Bologna system, i.e. with the division into first-cycle studies in Polish and English, which are very popular among candidates. The Bologna system allows for the continuation of master's studies in the same or a different field of study than the completed bachelor's studies.

In the context of the developing labor market, a much smaller number of students continue their studies in the second cycle of studies.

Dean of the Faculty of Economics, Prof. Monika Bąk mentioned that in the area of transport and logistics, the offer of the Faculty of Economics will be enriched with a new English-language specialization, Logistics and Mobility, which will be conducted at the second degree of studies from the following academic year. It is based on a wide and thorough experience of the Faculty academics with the involvement of practitioners.

Attention was also paid to interdisciplinary fields of study, such as, for example, Business and Ecological Technology, a field of study run jointly with the Faculty of Chemistry, which prepares students to conduct business in the field of new technologies. Already during their studies, students achieve many successes in various types of competitions in the field of entrepreneurship.

We would like to thank all members of the Council of Experts, Heads of Departments and invited guests for participating in the meeting and invite you to the next meeting, the date of which will be announced soon.

Link to the University Journal with an addendum on the Faculty of Economics:
https://gazeta.ug.edu.pl/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/GU_styczen_2022.pdf

Link to the Univentum Labs website:
Univentum Labs - We connect the world of science and business