Lublin Info Centre
Lublin Universities Association
Resolutions on the constitution of the Association were taken by the end of June by the universities’ Senates. As the Ministry of Science and Higher Education declares the registration of the Association, the application will soon be submitted to the Ministry.
Cooperation within the Lublin Universities Association will include, e.g., exchange of information on human resources and academic resources, joint courses, monitoring the paths of graduates, support for education, commercialization of research, career offices, and development of artistic and sports activities.
As the Rector of UMCS, Prof. Stanislaw Michałowski highlighted, the idea of creating a union is not new. There have been discussions on the subject for years. Our region is still struggling for its position, and through the establishment of the Lublin Universities Association, it can become stronger and more competitive. Rector of UP, Prof. Zygmunt Litwińczuk argued that the cooperation between universities was longstanding but now has been formally sanctioned in certain areas – while preserving the autonomy of each subject.
As the forerunners, the Rectors presented the universities from Krakow, which were the first to establish such a union – InnoTechKrak – two years ago. Lublin’s agreement is the second such initiative in Poland. Integration can have a positive impact on raising funds. As emphasised by Rector of PL, Prof. Piotr Kacejko, cooperation will also bring benefits to students – it can optimise access to specialised equipment and facilities.
[photo: Bartosz Proll, source: UMCS website]
Academic Lublin
Lublin is one of the largest and the most internationalised academic centres in Poland. Education determines the city’s image and is a driving force for Lublin’s economy. It hosts nine universities which educate 65,564 students, including 6,234 international ones.
The variety of faculties and broad scope of research in numerous fields provides vast research and cooperation opportunities. Agreements signed between educational institutions and the business world are aimed at building partnerships in research and development. Such mutual efforts are significant not only in the context of conducted interdisciplinary research projects and the joint usage of specialised infrastructure but mainly in the field of knowledge commercialisation.
Strengthening cooperation between Lublin science and business, as well as the possibility to apply its results in production, has a positive impact on the innovation level and competitiveness of Lublin’s economy, as well as determining the growth rate of such sectors like biotechnology, pharmacy, information technology and BPO/SSC.
