Innovation Europe > News > Innovation EU Vol2-1 > AGH University of Science and Technology

AGH University of Science and Technology (AGH-UST) is one of the best and most renowned modern Polish universities, with a long and rich tradition spanning 90 years. It is a leading Polish university in modern technologies and belongs to a group of prestigious international educational centres.

Located in the beautiful town of Krakow, AGH University has excellent facilities for 9,000 students. More than 35,000 full-time and extramural students, as well as about 700 doctoral students,study at 15 faculties and the multidisciplinary School of Engineering in Biomedicine. Students study 32 disciplines and more than 170 specialisations.

The research area of AGH University comprises eight groups:

• Information technology
• New materials and technologies
• Environment and climatic change
• Energy and its resources
• Mining
• Electrical and mechanical engineering
• Natural sciences
• Humanities, social and economical sciences.

The Centre for Enterpreneurship AGH University is an independent non-profit unit, aiming to promote professional independence among students, PhD candidates and academics from high schools and universities in the local province. AGH University supports people who wish to start their own business, helping them to minimise the costs of office rental, legal advice and book–keeping so that after the first “incubation” period they should function well in the economic environment, utilising the expertise they gained at the Centre.

International co-operation plays a very important role in academic research. AGH University has concluded over 160 direct co-operation agreements with partners in Europe, the US and Asia. These are aimed at multi-dimensional co-operation in the fields of education and academic research. Each year, in co-operation with foreign partners, AGH University conducts approximately 200 research projects, including those covered by EU Framework Programmes.

Alongside these, AGH University carries out projects approved by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education within the framework of intergovernmental agreements. AGH University also participates in many educational projects supported by programmes such as Erasmus LLP, Leonardo da Vinci, CEEPUS, TEMPUS, the Visegrad Fund, eTEN and the European Social Fund. Currently, AGH University has approximately 160 agreements within the Erasmus LLP
programme, which includes the exchange of students and lecturers. International co-operation is treated as one of the most important elements of the educational and academic development of AGH University, as well as enhancing its international prestige.

AGH University focuses on co-operation with business and industry and has concluded partnership agreements with approximately 200 industrial plants, including large international corporations. AGH University also co-operates with local education departments and secondary schools, with the aim of improving the level of education in schools, as well as promoting the university.

On December 16 2009, the Governing Board of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) announced the results of the contest within the framework of the Knowledge and Innovation Community, whose aim was to create the first Colocation Centres of Knowledge and Innovation. This long-awaited decision is a great success for Polish science.

Apart from the AGH University of Science and Technology, members of our consortium include the Silesian University of Technology, the Central Mining Institute, Tauron, ZAK Kedzierzyn, and many other business partners.

The subject area of the Polish consortium will be “clean coal technologies”. In the approved project, the Consortium forms the Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC). The co-ordinating body of the entire project is the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), one of the eight flagship universities in Germany.

This long-standing (meant to last between seven and 15 years) and prestigious project is a great chance for all partners to achieve high-quality progress. The budget of E120m per year will allow us to introduce completely new standards in the development of scientific research, implementing innovative technologies and searching for alternative, clean sources of energy. In the history of the EU, it is probably the first such complex project embracing the collaboration of partners from science and academic centres, as well as from business and industry.

For more information, contact:

AGH University of Science and Technology
30 Mickiewicza Av.
30-059 Krakow
Tel: +48 12 617 32 57 / +48 12 617 47 83
Website: www.agh.edu.pl/en