It has been almost a year since the successful endeavours for granting Katowice the title of the European City of Science 2024 when seven regional public universities entered a strategic agreement for the realisation of initiatives related to the prestigious title.
The effects of the so-far collaboration and organisation of future actions were discussed during the meeting of representatives of the Academic Consortium Katowice City of Science on 28 October 2022. The representatives were hosted by the University of Silesia.
Issues related to preparing projects implementing the idea of Katowice as the European City of Science were presented during the meeting. One of the ideas was a project for the Green Science Zone as an example of the potential of the consortium. Moreover, participants covered issues related to the City of Science in the context of urban planning. The meeting with representatives of universities forming the Consortium took place in Irena Bajerowa Lecture Hall at the USil Faculty of Humanities.
In the beginning, participants talked about the Consortium’s activity in the past academic year and the idea of the City of Science. Prof. Ryszard Koziołek, the Rector of the University of Silesia, talked about plans related to the events organised within the European City of Science Katowice 2024; Prof. Michał Daszykowski, the Vice-Rector for Research and Finance covered the issues of scientific excellence and a project for joint research for Silesia; whereas Aneta Moczkowska, the Plenipotentiary of the USil Rector for the Science Zone, introduced the ideas for the infrastructure of the City of Science.
The meeting was also an opportunity to present the logotype of the European City of Science 2024 prepared by the designers from the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Katowice. The logo symbolises universities forming the Consortium; it was described by Prof. Grzegorz Hańderek, the Rector of the Academy of Fine Arts and Design, and Anna Kopaczewska, the Plenipotentiary of the Rector for the European City of Science Katowice 2024 Identification.
In order to step up the common efforts, the universities forming the Consortium realise a project on supporting processes of university consolidation. Prof. Tomasz Pietrzykowski, the Vice-Rector for International and Domestic Cooperation introduced the organisational structure, way of working, and the expected results of the collaboration. Within the project, five consolidation areas were selected:
- scientific excellence – organisational leader: Dawid Matuszek, PhD, the Head of the USil Science Department;
- educational excellence – organisational leader: Urszula Miemiec, the Head of the USil Education Department;
- university social responsibility – organisational leader: Radosław Aksamit, the Head of the USil Media Communication Centre;
- Science Zone – organisational leader: Ewelina Budzińska-Góra from the USil Marketing Department;
- analytics and other effects of the synergy – organisational leader: Agnieszka Skołucka, PhD, the USil Chancellor.
Members of the Academic Consortium Katowice City of Science the University of Silesia in Katowice (leader), Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice, the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Katowice, Jerzy Kukuczka Academy of Physical Education in Katowice, the Silesian University of Technology, the Medical University of Silesia, the University of Economics in Katowice, and the City of Katowice (strategic partner of the consortium).
Photo by Tomek Grząślewicz
