The Council of the Łukasiewicz Centre has approved the mergers of further institutes of the Łukasiewicz Research Network. Effective from 1 January 2023, they have created Łukasiewicz – Upper Silesian Institute of Technology, Łukasiewicz – Warsaw Institute of Technology and the enlarged Łukasiewicz – Krakow Institute of Technology. Currently, the Łukasiewicz Research Network comprises 22 units, employing more than 7,500 people and having an infrastructure of 440 laboratories and nearly 4,000 pieces of key research equipment.

Piotr Dardziński, President of the Łukasiewicz Research Network, said that merging institutes is a demanding process. „If Polish science is to be respected in Europe, we need strong regional R&D leaders. The emerging institutes in Silesia, Mazovia and Małopolska can play such a role. After those changes, the smallest of the Łukasiewicz institutes employs more than 100 people. The context of the Horizon Europe programmes is also important – over EUR 95 billion for science until 2027. I believe that the newly established institutes have a better chance of receiving funds from this important programme for Poland”, added President Dardziński.

The Łukasiewicz Institute of Welding, the Łukasiewicz Institute of Ferrous Metallurgy and the Łukasiewicz Institute of Electrical Drives and Machines KOMEL have been operating together as the Łukasiewicz Upper Silesian Institute of Technology since 1 January 2023. The new institute will comprise four major research centres.

The Łukasiewicz – Warsaw Institute of Technology was established in the capital city, where teams previously working for the Łukasiewicz – Institute of Mechanisation of Construction and Rock Mining and Łukasiewicz – Institute of Precision Mechanics will conduct their activities from 1 January. The Łukasiewicz – WIT will enable the realisation of interdisciplinary R&D work and the commercialisation of research.

The structures and potential of the Łukasiewicz – Krakow Institute of Technology have been enhanced by the Łukasiewicz – Institute of Medical Technology and Apparatus. This combination is an opportunity to synergise different competences in health (Łukasiewicz – ITAM) and materials and manufacturing technology (Łukasiewicz – KIT).

Adrian Andrzejewski