2022 IN PPNT – SUMMARY
2022-12-29
WHAT A YEAR IT WAS! THE ADVENTURE OF THE LAST ALMOST 365 DAYS HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH WORK, CHANGES AND MANY CHALLENGES. WE HAVE TAKEN NEW ACTIONS, BUT FUNCTIONING IN THE POST-PANDEMIC REALITY, WE HAVE BECOME OBSERVERS OF THE DRAMATIC EVENTS RELATED TO THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION’S ATTACK ON UKRAINE. AS A CONSEQUENCE OF THE WAR, THE PPNT COMMUNITY BEGAN PROFILING ACTIVITIES FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE ATTACKED STATE.
In the perspective of science, business and innovation, 2022 was intense. We participated in many conferences, implemented innovative projects, trained ourselves and others, organized study visits, established new relationships and cooperations, we also developed scientifically – writing articles and giving interviews.
JANUARY
2022 began with the publication of the article “Inorganometallics (Transition Metal–Metalloid Complexes) and Catalysis” in the prestigious journal Chemical Reviews. Among the four scientists in the field of inorganic chemistry who are the authors of the above-mentioned article, two of them are associated with PPNT: prof. Bogdan Marciniec – founder of PPNT and prof. Hieronim Maciejewski – President of the UAM Foundation and Director of the Park.
Also in January, in cooperation with SymbioMediaGroup, we created a new product using the method of creation with potential users. The process consisted of four workshops.
FEBRUARY
At the beginning of February, the GreenTech 2.0 project was launched, which enabled clusters to support small and medium-sized enterprises, among others in using their development as well as implementing service innovations. Exactly on February 7, the first meeting of strategic cluster partners from Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Sweden and Polish, represented by the Poznań Science and Technology Park, took place.
MARCH
In March, prof. Hieronim Maciejewski – Director of PPNT, gave an interview for the e-magazine Nasz Region. The topic of the conversation was innovations that make life easier, but above all – they build a modern economy and change the world for the better.
However, March was a time of duration for the PPNT community of Solidarity with Ukraine, which found itself in a state of war. As an institution, we felt obliged to take action. As part of profiled activities, we have taken, among others, such decisions as: immediate payment of funds from the scholarship program: dr. Jan Kulczyk Scholarships for students of UAM – citizens of Ukraine, The “Park Dwarfs” Kindergarten supported families from Ukraine in Naramowice, but also provided places for their children in the Kindergarten. The Imagination Laboratory also joined the action, which got involved in actions enabling the youngest citizens of Ukraine to settle in Poland. On March 19, we organized the spring Polish-Ukrainian integration.
APRIL
With the next month, after almost three years of pandemic, we managed to organize a meeting of the Friends of the Park Club. It is an informal group of our advisors, which include representatives of local authorities, the world of science, the world of business and its environment. The meeting was organized in line with the discussion on innovation ecosystems for green transformation.
But that’s not all! In April, as a result of a meeting of partners: PPNT, Dr. Patryk Lichota, Dr. Agata Slater and Jagoda Szulia, a meeting was initiated: Digitization of Art | ThinkLab “NFT – opportunities and challenges”, within which an informal working group was created: ThinkLab. The topic of the first meeting was non-fungible tokens (NFT).
MAY
A lot happened in PPNT also in May. On 11-12.05, the international conference Impact’22 took place, during which representatives of the world of business, technology, as well as politics and self-government met. Poznań Science and Technology Park was a supporting partner of the event. Impact’22 is one of the most significant and prestigious congresses, and this time the organizers have prepared as many as 19 thematic paths. On the occasion of the conference, Janusz Cieszyński (Secretary of State and Government Plenipotentiary for Cybersecurity) said that the Impact congress is a showcase of dynamically developing Poznań.
On May 31, the first conference of the series “Science and social practice” took place. The opening of this conference was accompanied by the signing of a cooperation agreement between PPNT and the Faculty of Political Science and Journalism of Adam Mickiewicz University. The established cooperation is primarily aimed at the development of scientific research and support for the scientific and didactic card in the commercialization of research results.
JUNE
With the arrival of June, the first edition of the innovative scientific project “For the blue sky” was completed, which was launched by Volkswagen Poznań and the Poznań Science and Technology Park. As part of the project based on the idea of citizen science, 21 schools from Wielkopolska studied the air quality in the region.
On June 15, we inaugurated the cooperation between HPK Polska Zachodnia and the Industry Contact Point for Digital Transformation Łukasiewicz Poznań Institute of Technology. A letter of intent was signed.
In June, we received information that the European Commission had chosen HPC4Poland as the European Innovation Hub (EDIH). Poznań Science and Technology Park is one of the partners of the HPC4Poland consortium.
JULY
In July, by virtue of the decision of the Minister of Education and Science, we received the B+ scientific category in the discipline of chemical sciences.
A great success was also the receipt of a positive assessment of the application for co-financing under the “Life After Coal” project, of which the Poznań Science and Technology Park is a member of the consortium. The main objective of the program is to shorten the time necessary to achieve the assumed effects of the Strategy for climate neutrality Eastern Wielkopolska 2040, by providing appropriate conditions for its full and quick implementation.
AUGUST
On August 11, PPNT and the Łukasiewicz Research Network – Poznań Institute of Technology signed an agreement aimed at, among other things, joint support for the commercialization of technology. Also in August, on the initiative of the Poznań Science and Technology Park, a meeting of the management of five leading polish technology parks was held. The aim of the event was to exchange experiences and develop ideas aimed at joint action. Apart from PPNT, the meeting was attended by representatives of the Krakow Technology Park, Gdańsk Technology Park, Wrocław Technology Park and Pomeranian Science and Technology Park.
SEPTEMBER
It can be said that September was the time of projects!
On September 18, a family outdoor ecological performance “Co(2) zmieniacie w klimacie?” took place. It was the first such initiative in the New Circus Stream. During the performance, all participants had the opportunity to see if Mother Earth will be saved. The combination of the worlds of science and art created a spectacle of artistic and educational value, and over 200 participants took part in the performance. The main message was to promote ecological attitudes and behavior with care for the environment.
September was the time of implementation of the project “Don’t dance as you play”. The park implemented the project as part of the “Hooks for cyberattacks” program, in cooperation with the Santander Foundation. The implemented project was a nationwide, social and artistic dance marketing campaign, whose main objectives focused on promoting knowledge about safe use of the Internet, raising awareness of the threats that can be encountered in cyberspace and opposition to cyberattacks, fraud and manipulation on the Internet.
However, we did not live by projects alone… On 26-30 September, the 3. Conference “Advacnes in Green Chemistry” AgChem 2022. This year’s edition was carried out at a new scientific level and enabled the presentation of research results and establishing cooperation on the international chemical arena.
OCTOBER
In October, the management of the Park visited the Wrocław Technology Park.
Our representatives also participated in the Fair of Renewable Energy Sources, which took place in Konin. The fair had an international character and was held under the slogan “New Energy in the Region.
NOVEMBER
On November 16, at the PPNT, a workshop entitled “Artificial intelligence in the legislative process. The process of digitization of enterprises”. The event was organized in cooperation with the ProScholars agency and the main goal was to present the subject of artificial intelligence, its ethical guidelines and legal regulations, taking into account the AI Act of the European Union.
Also in November, on 21-23.11, the CERS 2O22 Conference: 8th Central European Conference in Regional Science “Resilience of Cities and Regions in an Uncertain Time” took place. The event was attended by almost 130 speakers, and the organizational course of the conference was supervised by the Conference Organization Office of the PPNT.
In November, the management of the Park participated in a meeting of representatives of Polish technology parks in Krakow. The discussion on the monetization of park services took place at the invitation of the Krakow Technology Park.
DECEMBER
We started the last month of this year with a conference in the Park. On December 1, a nationwide scientific conference from the series “Raw materials and energy markets” was held. The theme of this edition was: “Crisis in the energy sector and social communication”. During the meeting, issues in the area of economic, social, geopolitical, natural, technical and legal issues were discussed. The Park also hosted a conference for companies entitled “Financing innovative projects. New perspective, new opportunities.” Representatives of the most important institutions implementing support programs for companies were invited to participate in the event.
In the pre-Christmas atmosphere, the inauguration of the “Life After Coal” program took place, in which over 30 municipalities, mainly from Eastern Wielkopolska, will take part.” The Poznań Science and Technology Park, as a partner of the project, is focused within the “Life After Coal” on the coordination and implementation of trainings and events, as well as the popularization of the idea of renewable energy sources. PPNT will also be responsible for communication and providing conceptual support in the project. The implementation of the program will start in January, the coming year and will last 9 years.
A LOT HAS HAPPENED, AND WE ARE ENTERING 2023 WITH NEW IDEAS AND PLANS, CONVINCED THAT WITH COOPERATION AND COMMITMENT WE WILL IMPLEMENT FURTHER INITIATIVES AND PROJECTS.
Photo by: Jagoda Haloszka