European City of Science Katowice 2024
A huge opportunity to enhance our potential is to strengthen our cooperation with the six public academic universities operating in the immediate vicinity of the Silesian University of Technology. On the part of our University, we took very concrete steps as early as 2021 by setting up a team in each scientific discipline council that analysed joint projects, publications, cooperation of specific scientists and the infrastructure of individual universities and scientific institutes. On this basis, we prepared a summary report. We did not take a decision towards a federation with any of the analysed entities, but declared the necessity of further work aimed at proposing other forms of consolidation. A breakthrough point was when the seven universities, together with the city of Katowice, applied for and were granted European City of Science 2024 status by EuroScience, whose overarching goal is to permanently strengthen university cooperation. In 2022, we also acquired a project entitled 'Supporting university consolidation processes' under the European-funded PO WER programme. Its aim was to carry out joint conceptual and analytical work to identify optimal forms of university consolidation. The work concerned seven programme areas, and the project itself was divided into three main tasks: Diagnosis of the potential and areas of consolidation; Programming the interaction of universities for the benefit of society; and Development of the concept, form and scope of consolidation. The conclusions of the project indicating the directions of consolidation were approved by the Senates of our HEIs.
I see a huge opportunity in working closely with our Partners in the region and have been very strongly involved in animating it, with the support of many people. The profiles of our activities complement each other exceptionally well, creating together a unique academic ecosystem. In the favourable conditions created by the Government of the Silesian Voivodeship and the Management of the Upper Silesian Metropolis and the authorities of the cities in which we operate, acting together on many levels, we can fulfil our missions much better. We are determined that the European City of Science will leave a lasting mark in the form of accelerating the transformation of our region into a high-tech region, where knowledge-based progress is the greatest value alongside health, and where ambitious people want to study, work and relax. It is imperative that we take advantage of this opportunity for cooperation. Together with a Vice Rector of the University of Silesia, I developed the substantive assumptions of the Research Programme for Silesia, which the Universities solemnly announced in the presence of the Minister of Science in January 2024. On 20 February 2024, together with a delegation from the Silesian University of Technology and the Rectors of the other universities in the Consortium, we promoted our Region and the academic environment in the European Parliament. We also opened the exhibition of the Academic Consortium - Katowice City of Science "Where The Mountains Are Upside Down And Inside Out", which assumed the shape of a visual micro-essay.