Silesian University of Technology has established cooperation with Bureau Veritas
Representatives of the French concern, which is a world leader in the field of nuclear energy and industrial inspection, as well as scientists from the Silesian University of Technology discussed the possibilities and areas of cooperation during a scientific seminar organized at the Centre for New Technologies.
Bureau Veritas is a company with nearly two hundred years of tradition, employing about 85 thousand people worldwide. It is a global leader in testing, inspection, and certification in virtually every field of industry, operating in more than 140 countries, supporting the development of energy, infrastructure, and transport. The Silesian University of Technology is the first Polish university to sign a cooperation agreement with the company. Nuclear energy is a particularly important area around which joint action will focus.
– The company participated in the creation, maintenance and supervision of a huge number of nuclear power plants around the world and the Silesian University of Technology has been specializing in this area for a long time, already several decades ago we had the first graduates in nuclear energy – said Prof. Dr Hab. Eng. Marek Pawełczyk, the Rector of the Silesian University of Technology. – Our University has been entrusted with the role of coordinating didactics in this area in cooperation with several Polish and Czech universities, for this we need partners who can provide us with expert knowledge, but also will have an excellent offer for our students who want to study nuclear energy – added the Rector.
- We are convinced that nuclear competencies and nuclear resources are the key in order to get successful new built nuclear projects. That’s why we are investing in training in our own personnel, we are also interested to create partnerships and synergies with universities in order to benefit from their nuclear trainings to be able to address a huge amount of work we have in front of us in Poland - said Stephane Galopin, Director of Nuclear Projects Development at Bureau Veritas.
According to the government program of the Polish nuclear energy, the construction of a nuclear power plant near Lubiatów-Kopalina in the Choczewo commune is to begin in 2028, and the supply of electricity to the grid will start in 2036.
– We perfectly recognize the importance of education in the field of nuclear energy, we conduct second-cycle studies in this field. We are also open to creating specialized courses dedicated to the industry to support the development of personnel in this industry. Cooperation with industrial partners is of great importance for us, we hope that joint actions will be fruitful and will bring benefits to both parties – said Prof. Dr Hab. Eng. Anna Chrobok, Vice-Rector for Student Affairs and Education.
During the scientific seminar, an agreement was solemnly signed, which on behalf of the University was signed by Prof. Dr Hab. Eng. Sebastian Werle, Vice-Rector for Science and International Cooperation, and Witold Dżugan, Vice-President of the Management Board of Bureau Veritas Polska.
- This is a huge success for us, we want to develop cooperation in the area of nuclear energy not only in the field of technology, but also in research on modern materials, corrosion processes, waste management, or membrane technologies. The education of scientific staff and students is equally important for us – said Dr Hab. Eng. Alicja Kazek-Kęsik, Prof. SUT from the Faculty of Chemistry, POB3: “Materials of the Future” coordinator, and the organizer of the seminar. -Today’s meeting is to help in finding common areas of activity and using the strengths of our research teams, - added Professor Kazek-Kęsik.
- Our main goal is to establish both scientific and commercial cooperation. We cooperate with suppliers of nuclear technologies all over the world, and the Silesian University of Technology conducts many interesting research projects focused on the nuclear sector. We are also interested in research on new materials used in the energy and mining sector, which is part of our business areas. Taking into account our contacts, we want to become a bridge between the world of science and business – said Krzysztof Suwiński, director of the industrial department of Bureau Veritas Polska.
During the scientific seminar, which took place within the Priority Research Area 3: “Materials of the Future”, among others, aspects related to nuclear energy, chemistry, materials, corrosion processes, and sorption methods were discussed.
Photo: Jan Szady
