Our university and one of the world's leading companies operating in the nuclear energy sector intend to conduct joint research, organise traineeships for students and PhD students, as well as undertake various educational initiatives such as study trips or specialists’ lectures.

The agreement was signed remotely. First, signatures were affixed by Prof. Dariusz Łydżba, Vice-Rector of Wrocław University of Science and Technology for Cooperation with the Business Environment and Prof. Piotr Szulc, Dean of WUST’s Faculty of Mechanical and Power Engineering, and then the document went to France, where it was signed by Bernard Fontana, CEO of Framatome.

Research, traineeships, and lectures

The agreement stresses that the parties intend to work together to develop curricula for the next generations of nuclear energy professionals. There are also plans for traineeships, placements, and training programmes for students and PhD students from the Faculty of Mechanical and Power Engineering. The cooperation will also include joint research work in the fields of thermal-flow and safety analysis.

– The signing of the agreement enables our students to carry out their diploma theses using the knowledge and experience they’ll gain during their research-oriented trips to Framatome – says Wojciech Zacharczuk, PhD, Eng., coordinator for nuclear energy at the Faculty of Mechanical and Power Engineering. – As part of the cooperation, we’ll also invite the company’s specialists to deliver lectures to our students and employees and to conduct training sessions. Judging by our contacts so far, we know that Framatome is very open to and keen on this type of initiative.

– Our team at Framatome and the professors from the Faculty of Mechanical and Power Engineering at Wrocław, have a shared commitment to preparing students for nuclear energy careers and building the pipeline of talent for the future workforce – stressed Bernard Fontana when signing the document. – This agreement is at the heart of our strategy to enhance skills and recruitment, and strengthen our presence in Central Europe. 

The company and the faculty will also jointly conduct educational activities in the field of nuclear energy to raise public awareness of the technologies used, relevant safety issues, and the importance of nuclear energy in reducing global warming and climate change. It’s also important given the Polish Government's plans to transform the energy sector. In October 2020, the Council of Ministers adopted a resolution to update the "Polish Nuclear Power Programme". The schedule includes the development of two nuclear power plants with a combined capacity of between 6,000 and 9,000 MW. Each plant is to operate three PWR-type, Generation III or III+ pressurised water reactors. According to the plans, the construction of the first reactor is scheduled for 2026 and its launch – in 2033.

MSc, Eng, and postgraduate degree programmes

Framatome is an international leader in the nuclear power sector. With 14,000 employees worldwide, the company has worked on more than 380 nuclear reactors to date. The concern designs, services, and installs components, as well as producing fuel, instrumentation, and control systems for nuclear power plants. It has branches in France, Germany, China, the USA, and Canada. The signing of the official cooperation agreement means an acknowledgement of many years’ joint activities undertaken by the company and WUST’s Faculty of Mechanical and Power Engineering and a declaration of the intent to intensify them.

Nuclear power research has been developed at our university since the mid-1950s, i.e. since the Power Engineering Division (operating within the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering) was transformed into an independent Faculty of Mechanical and Power Engineering. University Professor Andrzej Tatarek, PhD, Eng., Vice-Dean for Student Affairs managed to find one of the oldest faculty documents in which the term "nuclear" appears. – It’s the "Degree Programme Curriculum at the Faculty of Power Engineering of the Wrocław University of Technology", which included a thirty-hour course in "Nuclear Power Plants" in the 10th semester of studies – says the academic.

The faculty’s current teaching offer is closely linked to the demand of the energy sector and the government's nuclear power plant construction programme. Under the first-cycle programme, the department offers two courses: Nuclear Power Engineering (with specialisations in Commercial Power Engineering and Distributed Power Engineering) and Nuclear Reactors (with a specialisation in Thermal Engineering).

Under the second-cycle programme, the range of courses offered is richer. Students who choose the specialisation Modern Energy Technologies have the following courses in their curriculum: Modern Nuclear Reactors, The Fuel Cycle in Nuclear Power Engineering, Thermonuclear Power Engineering and Safety in Nuclear Power Engineering. New to the faculty's offering is the specialisation Nuclear Power Engineering, delivered in English.

The Faculty has also prepared an offer of two-semester postgraduate studies in Nuclear Power Engineering, conducted jointly with the National Centre for Nuclear Research in Świerk.