Inauguration of the First Postgraduate Programme in Circular Economy for Local Government Employees
On 24 October 2026, the Faculty of Economics of the University of Gdańsk in Sopot hosted the official inauguration of the first edition of the postgraduate programme “Circular Economy in Local Government Units”.
The programme welcomed 25 participants representing local government institutions from the Pomeranian Voivodeship. The studies are delivered by the University of Gdańsk Circular Economy Competence Centre as part of the LIFE Pom GOZilla.PL project.
The participants and invited guests were welcomed by Dr Magdalena Markiewicz, Head of the Postgraduate Programme. Among those attending the inauguration were Krzysztof Pałkowski, Director of the Department of Environment and Agriculture at the Marshal’s Office of the Pomeranian Voivodeship, Kamila Szmidt, GOZilla Project Manager (Marshal’s Office of the Pomeranian Voivodeship), and Professor Ewa Siedlecka, representing the Faculty of Chemistry and serving as the University of Gdańsk Project Coordinator.
During the first part of the event, Dr Magdalena Markiewicz presented the main objectives of the GOZilla project and reviewed the activities already undertaken by the University of Gdańsk. She discussed the work of the Circular Economy Competence Centre, established in June 2026 to support local governments in developing the knowledge and skills necessary for implementing circular economy solutions. The Centre’s activities to date have included a training needs assessment for local government employees, a dissemination seminar, and a series of five workshops organised in July 2026 in Sopot and Kartuzy.
As part of the needs assessment, researchers conducted an individual survey involving 236 local government employees, collected 40 institutional questionnaires completed by municipal representatives, and carried out 20 in-depth interviews. The findings revealed a strong demand for further competence development in the field of the circular economy. The launch of the new postgraduate programme is one of the responses to the needs identified through this research.
During the ceremony, Professor Ewa Siedlecka wished the participants fruitful discussions, inspiring exchanges of experience, and the acquisition of knowledge and skills that would benefit their future professional activities.
In turn, Krzysztof Pałkowski, Director of the Department of Environment and Agriculture at the Marshal’s Office of the Pomeranian Voivodeship, emphasized the importance of launching the programme for the regional government and highlighted the long-term and systemic nature of the GOZilla project. He also pointed to the challenges associated with waste management in the region and stressed the importance of cooperation among project partners and different levels of public administration in implementing circular economy principles.
Following the official ceremony and a commemorative group photograph, Dr Magdalena Markiewicz presented the detailed study programme and key organisational information. Later that day, the first class, entitled “The Global Environment, Ecosystems and Resources: An Introduction to the Circular Economy”, was delivered by Dr Aleksandra Koszarek-Cyra from the Department of Investment and Real Estate at the Faculty of Management, University of Gdańsk.
The aim of the postgraduate programme “Circular Economy in Local Government Units” is to prepare participants to initiate, design and implement circular economy solutions within local government administration, taking into account legal, organisational, financial and social aspects.
The programme lasts two semesters and comprises 160 contact hours organised into five thematic modules: legal, management, economic, best practices, and social. Participants will gain knowledge in areas such as circular economy regulations, green process management, financing environmental projects, carbon footprint calculation, sustainable public procurement, and effective communication of environmental initiatives.
An important element of the programme will be the analysis of real-life case studies and examples of successful circular economy implementation. The curriculum also includes a study visit, during which participants will learn about the operation of a facility related to circular economy solutions. Classes will be taught by experts from the University of Gdańsk as well as practitioners representing partner institutions.
Most classes will be conducted online, with the exception of the first and final sessions and the study visit. Recruitment for the first edition attracted considerable interest, with 83 applicants, of whom 25 participants were admitted.
The postgraduate programme is implemented within the project “Implementation of the Waste Management Plan for the Pomeranian Voivodeship (PGOWP), taking into account the waste hierarchy and the principles of the circular economy (CE)” – LIFE Pom GOZilla.PL, co-funded by the European Union’s LIFE Programme and the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management.
