– This is a great day in the history of development of our University and the academic community. It is a great day for the founders of this place, but also for those to whom this place is dedicated: for the economic and business world, for the society. They will benefit from the scientific accomplishments through commercialization of our research findings – said rev. prof. Ryszard Czekalski, PhD hab., Rector of UKSW, clearly emotional and joyful at the opening of the third UKSW campus – the Multidisciplinary Research Center (MCB).
The Center in Dziekanów Leśny near Warsaw was built in two years, a foundation stone was laid in August 2020. The UKSW Rector emphasized that “this place is already live, it is a real platform linking the world of science with the world of the economy”.
– Our University, though still young against the map of academic institutions, has already matured enough to start implementing its research findings in the economy, rev. prof. Ryszard Czekalski, PhD hab., said. He added that the Multidisciplinary Research Center was an expression of the social responsibility of the science world, relating to the formation of the intellectual elite of the country but also to the fact that our research work is intended to serve the people and improve their living standard.
Memorial for Cardinal Wyszyński
Prof. Przemysław Czarnek, Minister of Science and Higher Education who attended the event, expressed his appreciation for the rapid growth of our University in terms of science, research, but also in terms of infrastructure, which is necessary to accelerate the development of science and research. – The Multidisciplinary Research Center is a bridge linking science and business, it is a practical memorial for cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, patron of the University – prof. Czarnek stated.
The Minister added that this is exactly the kind of memorial that we need nowadays. We are living in a time of cultural and social revolution, characterized by overthrowing and slandering authorities, an example of which are the brutal attacks on John Paul II. – Let us build memorials for our authorities – the Minister proposed.
The Multidisciplinary Research Center was ceremonially opened through cutting a ribbon by: Cardinal Kazimierz Nycz, Grand Chancellor of the Church Faculties of UKSW; prof. Przemysław Czarnek, Minister of Science and Higher Education; Adam Struzik, Marshal of Mazowieckie Voivodeship; Paweł Śliwa, Vice-President of the Management Board of PGE in charge of innovation; rev. prof. Stanisław Dziekoński, Rector of UKSW during 2012-2020, and the present Rector of UKSW, rev. prof. Ryszard Czekalski, PhD hab. Cardinal Kazimierz Nycz blessed the new MCB building.
Investing in the future
The Rector of UKSW expressed his gratitude to everyone whose financial support was indispensable for the Center to emerge, primarily to the regional government of Mazowieckie Voivodeship. The project worth ca. 90 million PLN was executed inter alia under the Mazowieckie Voivodeship Regional Operational Programme during 2014-2020 and was partially funded with European Union funding.
– MCB is one of the largest centers supported by the regional government of Mazowieckie Voivodeship, using EU funding – said Adam Struzik, Marshal of Mazowieckie Voivodeship. – The Center is the place of creating research and studies integrated with the development of Masovia and our region. Nearly 80 thousand businesses are registered and operating in Mazowieckie Voivodeship and they all need innovation and new engineering ideas. MCB is our response to this need.
Among the partners of the new UKSW Center, there is PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna, KGHM Polska Miedź S.A, TERMOCENT, and GEOCOM.
Paweł Śliwa, Vice-President of the Board of PGE in charge of innovation, explained that his company was pursuing an operating system testing project jointly with MCB. – More projects are underway, in such fields as cyber security, renewable energy, marine energy, including recycling of offshore wind turbine blades.
Jan Szewczak, Member of the Board of PKN Orlen in charge of finance, emphasized that not all universities can be proud of such research centers. – UKSW is a place for talent formation, where progress and development goes hand in hand with support for traditional values – he added.
Cardinal Kazimierz Nycz asked the founders and staff of the Center to be aware of the ambivalent character of progress. – It is a good thing that MCB will integrate science with the economy. We should try to make sure that all this serves the good of the man – Cardinal Nycz added.
Acknowledgment for cooperation
The Rector of UKSW thanked everyone who contributed to the development of MCB, particularly Jarosław Protasiewicz, D.Eng., Director of the Information Processing Center – State Research Institution, and colonel Alicja Trochimiuk, PhD, Director of the Military Institute of Aviation Medicine in Warsaw, as well as the consortium partners: Wojciech Dąbrowski, Board President of PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna S.A.; Paweł Śliwa, Vice-President of the Board of PGE S.A. in charge of innovation; Tomasz Zdzikot, Acting CEO of KGHM Polska Miedź S.A.; Marek Kitliński, CEO of TERMOCENT; and Waldemar Leśko, CEO of GEOCOM.
Rev. prof. Ryszard Czekalski also expressed his appreciation of those “who were at the foundation of the idea and who started the execution of this project” – rev. prof. Stanisław Dziekoński and prof. Marek Niezgódka, former Director of the Digital Science and Technology Center (predecessor of MCB), as well as rev. Marek Muzyk, present Director of MCB, and Sławomir Wiśniewski, Project Manager.
Transfer of new technologies
The research activities of the Multidisciplinary Research Center of UKSW are based on the implementation of digital solutions to various research areas, such as design and synthesis of new materials with extreme properties, intelligent monitoring of the natural environment, medicine, energy, cyber security, visual simulation, and geomatics. Dedicated laboratories and institutes are headed by experts in various fields of science: physics, mathematics, security, medicine, or natural science. The experts working with MCB are developing an innovative system for transferring new research technologies to the economy and perfecting their competences in the area of digital transformation.
The opening of this innovative center is a sign of the research potential represented by Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University. The Center is successfully pursuing projects assigned to it by the private sector and public administration, responding to contemporary business and community needs.
26 October 2022
