Full photo report of the conference
We joined forces at the initial stage of preparing the conference. Good cooperation in organising the event between the University of Lodz and the Medical University of Lodz is the best proof of networking in practice
– said Honorata Ogieniewska from the Communications and PR Centre of the University of Lodz – the host of the event.
The meeting was opened by Dr hab. Agnieszka Kurczewska, Associate Professor, the University of Lodz Vice-Rector for External Relations and Prof. Lucyna Woźniak, Vice-Rector for Research Strategy and International Relations at the Medical University of Lodz. "Networking is the basis of social development" and "The strength of a modern university is the strength of its relations with the environment" heard the participants.
The conference, which gathered more than 100 participants, uniting mainly the Lodz scientific community and science-related institutions, was full of panels and lectures and focused on the following issues:
- how to cooperate effectively, build relationships and use the potential of joint actions?
- academic networking: how to effectively establish relationships in the dynamic world of science, sharing knowledge and experience?
- how to communicate effectively with the external environment, translating scientific research results into a language understandable to society?
- how to achieve a greater socio-economic impact of scientific research results (criterion III)?
- how to translate the complex language of science into popular science in order to be better understood by society?
The University of Lodz was represented by the above-mentioned Dr hab. Agnieszka Kurczewska, Associate Professor, the University of Lodz Vice-Rector for External Relations, who moderated a panel conversation devoted to institutional cooperation. In the panel we could also hear Dr Karolina Rudnicka, Associate Professor, Ambassador of the University of Lodz Science Hub platform, which introduced the extremely successful cooperation between the University of Lodz and ICHEM. As part of a joint project conducted by the University of Lodz Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection and ICHEM sp. z o. o Research and Production Center of the Technical University of Lodz, the effectiveness of the mixture produced by the company, which inhibits hair loss at the androgenic level, has been tested. Agata Dęga-Nowak and Anna Zdziechowska, representing ICHEM, unanimously stated that, first of all, the cooperation would not have taken place if it wasn’t for the great openness of researchers from the University of Lodz and then the exemplary reporting and timely fulfillment of subsequent goals set in the project. However, "the human factor was the most important" – the audience heard.
The next lecture was prepared by Dr Magdalena Kosiada-Sylburska, Head of the EC1 Science and Technology Centre, who combined her professional life and passion with research work at the University of Lodz in 2018, which culminated in the defence of her industrial doctoral programme in 2023. Her scientific interests focus on engagement consumers in the design of services in cultural institutions and co-creation in the cultural sector. In her speech, she presented joint projects, research and undertakings conducted with scientific institutions and EC1.
In the panel devoted to the issue of networking as a factor of a scientist's success, our university was represented by Prof. Maria Bryszewska, an extremely experienced researcher, since 1998 the Head of the Department of General Biophysics at the University of Lodz Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection.
Professor Bryszewska is currently coordinating 3 research projects in the field of nanotechnology in cooperation with teams from Spain, Latvia, Germany, Slovakia and Belarus: NCN, Beethoven Life 1, NP-HALE, European Commission/NCN M.Era.NET, NanoTENDO, NAWA IAP.
During this discussion, the participants learned, among other things, about the important #NCNtoTLEN campaign, which was born as a grass-roots and spontaneous initiative of the Polish scientific community. Thanks to the unification of the academic world around the problem of insufficient funding for the National Science Centre (NCN) and, consequently, a reduced number of funding as part of grants for scientific research, it was possible to increase funding for the NCN by PLN 200 million from the budget of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. The initiative was presented by Anna Korzekwa-Józefowicz, Representative of the NCN Director for Communication.
An intriguing presentation devoted to the social impact of scientific research (third criterion in evaluation) was delivered by Dr Adam Sitarek from the Faculty of Philosophy and History of the University of Lodz. The researcher presented the best practices for preparing descriptions for criterion III, which still cause many problems for people involved in the process of assessing scientific disciplines. The perspective of the experts assessing the applications turned out to be extremely interesting.
At the end of a day rich in inspiring examples and interesting conclusions, Szymon Bujalski – "Journalist for the Climate", spoke about how to talk about difficult scientific issues so that others want to listen to us.
Abstraction is the luxury of an expert. Concrete language is the only guarantee that the content means the same to everyone.
In order to reach people, you have to reach not only their minds, but above all, their hearts. And the further we move away from the role of expert, the... better.
– Szymon Bujalski
The event, which was an excellent opportunity for networking, establishing cooperation and exchanging experiences, both during speeches and lively conversations held behind the scenes, was summed up by Dr hab. Agnieszka Kurczewska, Associate Professor, the University of Lodz Vice-Rector for External Relations, and Prof. Lucyna Woźniak, Vice-Rector for Research Strategy and International Relations at the Medical University of Lodz.
"We want to continue similar initiatives at least once a year," the scientists concluded.
Photos: Maciej Andrzejewski,
Edit: Honorata Ogieniewska and Michał Gruda (Communications and PR Centre, University of Lodz)