Silesian University of Technology in the international project EAGER IMPRESS-U
University of Warsaw and Silesian University of Technology play a key role in the prestigious EAGER IMPRESS-U research project (REAPv): “Resilient engineering to strengthen public value and innovation.”
The aim is to analyse and support the transformation of engineering education in countries with weaker scientific and research potential, especially in the conditions of crisis and war. The project, financed by the US NSF agency and in Poland by the NCN (National Science Centre), involves partners from Poland, the Baltic States and Ukraine (including the Lviv Polytechnic National University).
Research focuses on identifying institutional, cultural, and political factors that foster or hinder innovation in higher education. The project will create a typology of transformation of engineering departments, as well as recommendations for reconstruction and resilience strategies in the regions affected by the crisis.
Poland is represented by Prof. Agnieszka Olechnicka (UW), Prof. Marcin Górski (SUT) and Dr Anna Waligóra (SUT). The international coordinator is Prof. Julia Melkers (Arizona State University, USA), an expert in science policy and innovation.
- The project allows us to understand how technical universities can not only survive but become engines of innovation and social reconstruction in the crisis. This knowledge will be crucial for Ukraine and other countries of the region – emphasizes Prof. Agnieszka Olechnicka from the University of Warsaw.
- Resilient engineering is not only technology, but also a new approach to education and knowledge management. Our goal is to create practical models that will help universities to respond to geopolitical and economic challenges – adds Professor Marcin Górski of the Silesian University of Technology.
The project is of strategic importance for the future of engineering education in Central and Eastern Europe and may become a model for the reconstruction of higher education in Ukraine and other countries experiencing war and developing countries.
More information on the website of the National Science Centre.
