Nearly 100 participants gathered at the National Forum entitles “International cooperation of research institutes”, which was held on June 12 at the Institue of Aviation. The aim of the conference was to exchange experiences between the leading research centers in Poland.
The conference was inaugurated by Adam Struzik – the Marshal of the Mazowieckie Voivodeship who, together with prof. Witold Wiśniowski – Director of the Institute of Aviation and Magdalena Nizik – Chairman of the General Electric Company Polska, officially opened the headquarters of the Centre of Innovative Aviation and Space Technologies located at the Institute of Aviation.
The new centre is used both by engineers of the Institute of Aviation and specialists of the General Electric – a strategic partner of the Institute of Aviation. The effects of that international cooperation was presented in the inaugural lecture given by Magdalena Nizik on the occasion of the 15thEngineering Design Center anniversary – a joint venture of the Institute of Aviation and General Electric. As it is stressed by Mrs. Nizik – a cooperation between a institute focused on research with a company setting business goals for itself brings benefits to both parties. These are: access to cutting-edge laboratories and technology, contacts in the science and business world, the possibility of becoming internationally recognized, acquisition of good business practices and creating jobs for people with technical education.
Professor Witold Wiśniowski also referred in his speech to this cooperation. He also stressed the fact of the rapidly growing international cooperation of the Institute of Aviation, that runs in two ways: in terms of business and science collaboration. The science collaboration is based on cooperation with two foreign universities: Ohio State University and University of Brasilia.
As part of the above-mentioned research units agreements they conduct an exchange of academic staff, as well as organize joint symposia and conferences.
The lecture of Agnieszka Durka from Finryan was devoted to another form of international cooperation, mainly to the internationalization of industrial and science clusters in Poland and in the world.
It is a proposal of cooperation primarily directed to small and medium-sized businesses, which often do not have their own research infrastructure. As a part of the participation in the cluster it is also possible to interact with international actors.
The next presenter was the Vice-Chairman of the Main Council of the Research Institutes, Director of the Institute of Non Ferrous Metals – Professor Zbigniew Śmieszek, who told about the projects realized by his Institute for foreign partners.
The participants willingly exchanged their own insights on the established international co-operation of their institutes. In the second part of the meeting papers were delivered by: Agnieszka Gutowska, PhD, Eng. – Institute of Biopolymers and Chemical Fibres, Aleksandra Koteras, PhD, Eng. – Central Mining Institute, Professor Jerzy Józef Sobczak, PhD, Eng. – Foundry Research Institute, Professor Jacek Wańkowicz, PhD, Eng. – Institute of Power Engineering, Professor Marek Banaszkiewicz, PhD, Eng. – Polish Space Agency, Krzysztof Kurek, PhD, Eng. – National Centre for Nuclear Research.
At the end of the Forum a discussion during which the participants exchanged insights and share experiences with international cooperation research institutes was held. Attention was drawn to the need to increase funding for Polish science and to strengthen existing research institutes.
