Strengthening the Doctoral School, establishing the Medical College and developing medical technology and leadership in technical sciences are our plans for the coming years. We are starting the new academic year at Wrocław Tech ambitiously and with high hopes.

Prof. Arkadiusz Wójs, for whom this is his second term as rector of Wrocław University of Technology, began his speech with the September flood. As the culminating wave on the Oder approached Wrocław, students, staff, alumni and friends of the university became involved in securing university buildings, moving documents, apparatus and other valuables and filling several thousand sandbags.

- Thanks to our univeristy experts, we also had up-to-date information on the state of rivers, reservoirs, dams, embankments, measurements, models and possible scenarios, as well as on our buildings and installations. These experts are now serving their knowledge in the Lower Silesian localities where real disasters have occurred,’ - said the rector. - ‘The floods caused damage and the losses were also experienced by members of our community or their families. We have already launched a support programme for those in need of help. We also join in the pain of those whose loved ones have lost possessions or possessions of life,’ he added.

A summary of the last four years

Later in the speech, Prof Arkadiusz Wójs summarised the past term. As he emphasised, it began in pandemonium, and the university was also already feeling the effects of its failure in the competition for research university status, although no one had yet anticipated Russia's invasion of Ukraine and all its serious social and economic consequences.

Among the most important achievements in this difficult period, the Rector listed the adoption of a new Statute and Strategy of Wrocław University of Science and Technology, the introduction of a coherent and diverse offer of educational programmes and remuneration for research and teaching staff, the reorganisation of faculties and the launch of the Faculty of Medicine, accession to the European alliance of universities Unite! and the creation of 10 interdisciplinary research centres to ensure that the university's new research priorities are realised.

- We have also obtained the best results of scientific research evaluation in the history of the university in the form of four A+ categories and nine A categories granted to our disciplines, thus extending the scope of academic privileges to all technical disciplines and ranking among the top five Polish universities,' the rector noted. - The growing scientific prestige of Wrocław Tech is also contributed by the winning of the first ERC grant by our scientist, the increasing number of publications in Nature and Science, the admission of more of our professors to the Polish Academy of Sciences and Academia Europaea, and the promotion to third place in Poland in Stanford's World's Top 2% Scientists ranking, he added.

Prof Arkadiusz Wójs highlighted a number of community-building activities, including the appointment of professional Rector Plenipotentiaries, the creation of the University's Equality Policy Team and the Rector's Anti-Discrimination Committee, the introduction of an Equality Plan, including a Gender Equality Plan, and the training of a group of Accessibility Leaders to support people with special needs.

Goals for the new term

Among the greatest challenges facing the university, Prof. Arkadiusz Wójs mentioned, among others, achieving the position of a leading technical university in the country and a renowned European university in all basic areas of activity, taking care of the culture and organisation of work and studies and implementing the concept of an entrepreneurial university. Plans also include the dynamic development of the university Doctoral School.

- Here, I assume at least a doubling of the number of doctoral students, to 2,000, so as to match the European level in terms of the number of students per city size. Ultimately, the share of doctoral students in the academic community of Wrocław Tech and the share of scientific research conducted at the university with the participation of doctoral students should strive to reach standards known from leading European and American polytechnics,’ - said the rector.

Prof. Arkadiusz Wójs also announced the establishment of the Medical College and the development of medical technology, obtaining academic rights in medical sciences, and in the future in other related disciplines. In addition, our university is also to develop social sciences more strongly.

Welcoming new students

The rector's speech was followed by the ceremonial matriculation of students and doctoral students. In the new academic year, more than 6200 people, including 400 foreigners, will begin their studies at Wrocław University of Science and Technology. Representatives of the university's various departments and the university Doctoral School took the oath on their behalf. Currently, nearly 21,000 people are studying at Wrocław Tech

- Matriculation is the aftermath of recruitment, which we also completed at our youngest faculty - the Faculty of Medicine. In total, we have enrolled about 6 thousand students for the first year of studies, and 200 students are beginning their studies at the Doctoral School. I would also add that the Faculty of Medicine, like last year, was the most popular. Almost 16 people applied for one place there,” - Prof. Kamil Staniec, Vice-Rector for Education, said.

Piotr Gabrysch, chairman of the Board of the Student Parliament of the Republic of Poland, stressed that Wrocław University of Science and Technology is a university that constantly develops, inspires and opens new opportunities for students.

Medals for Outstanding Contributions to the Development of Wroclaw University of Technology were presented at the ceremony. They were awarded to Prof. Cezary Madryas, rector of Wroclaw University of Technology for the 2016-2020 term, and Slawomir Piechota, councilor of the Lower Silesian Regional Assembly. In turn, Prof. Yuri Bobalo, rector of Lviv Polytechnic University, will receive his medal on November 15.

Traditionally, Medals of the National Education Commission and Docendo Discimus awards were also presented.

The inaugural lecture, “Inequalities and fairness in complex social networks,” was given by Prof. Fariba Karimi of TU Graz, leader of the research group at the prestigious interdisciplinary Complexity Science Hub in Vienna.

The ceremony was graced by the Academic Choir of Wrocław University of Technology, conducted by Małgorzata Sapiecha-Muzioł.