The city’s scientific potential

What testifies to the scientific potential of Lublin?

Lublin is a place with a firmly established position on the scientific map of Poland, Europe and the world. Thanks to over a hundred years of academic tradition, and more recently, also thanks to the responsible city`s policies, research-driven development disciplines and the cooperation between science, business and administration, it is possible to use this potential also in a wider context: social and economic.

Scientific and research infrastructure

Lublin is the biggest scientific centre in Eastern Poland benefits from its extensive research facilities. They are made up of universities: five public and four private ones. Among them there are institutions specialising in specific scientific disciplines, such as: the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Lublin University of Technology, the Medical University of Lublin, the University College of Enterprise and Administration in Lublin, Higher School of Social Sciences in Lublin and Vincent Pol University in Lublin. In our city are also universities that are characterised by great versatility in the offer of study fields, from humanities to exact sciences: Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin, the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, the University of Economics and Innovation in Lublin.

Specialized units and research institutes also play a big role in shaping the scientific potential of the city. In particular, this concerns the activities in the sphere of biological, agricultural, medical and veterinary sciences of such institutions as, for example: the Polish Academy of Sciences – Branch in Lublin,  the Lublin Science and Technology Park, or Witold Chodźko Institute of Rural Health in Lublin. Lublin institutes, laboratories and university workrooms, equipped with high-class apparatus, modern equipment, are used for the execution of research projects and innovative solutions. They complete the list of arguments in favour of the rich resources of Lublin’s science infrastructure.

Human resources

The knowledge, the competences and the talent of Lublin scientists secure the presence of the city among the most important centres in our country, as well as among foreign centres. Inventors acting here, experimenters and inspirers are appreciated in rankings, awarded with prizes, also invited to international and interdisciplinary research teams. The statements of many of them are quoted in specialized literature, and their opinions are presented in the media. The activity of the Lublin scientific community builds the academic brand of Lublin. This is shown in the World’s Top 2% Scientists Ranking (a prestigious list of scientists from around the world, most often cited by other authors), in which in 2020 there was included 35 scientists representing Maria-Curie Skłodowska University in Lublin, Lublin University of Technology, the Medical University in Lublin and the University of Life Sciences in Lublin. The most outstanding Lublin scientists are awarded annually by the Minister of Education and Science. Only in 2021, these awards were given to:

for significant achievements in the field of scientific activity

• ks. dr hab. Henryk Józef Drawnel – the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin;
• dr hab. Katarzyna Radzik-Maruszak – Maria-Curie Skłodowska University in Lublin;
• dr hab. inż. Tomasz Cholewa – Lublin University of Technology;

for significant achievements in the field of teaching activity

• dr hab. Alicja Snoch-Pawłowska – Maria-Curie Skłodowska University in Lublin;

for significant achievements in the field of implementation activity

• dr hab. Jerzy Wielbo – Maria-Curie Skłodowska University in Lublin.

The internationalization process is very important for Lublin’s science, which results in strengthening research staff potential. World-famous specialists in various fields are invited to cooperate with the universities and to participate in conferences or projects. Among them, there are such personalities as, for example, prof. dr Jean Poesen (Maria-Curie Skłodowska University in Lublin, an expert in the field of soil erosion and gully erosion), prof. dr hab. Keshra Sangwa (Lublin University of Technology, prof. Jan Czochralski’s Prize winner), prof. Georgiy Kasianov  (Maria-Curie Skłodowska University in Lublin, cooperating with the university under the NAWA “Guest Professors” program). The city supports its universities in the process of internationalization. The inspiration in this regard is the cooperation, among others,  in the “Research in Lublin” program, implemented by Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin with the support of  the City of Lublin and in the “Visiting Professors in Lublin” program. For several years, the EUniverCities project has also been carried out – where European city-university tandems regularly meet to exchange experiences or organize thematic workshops.

Universities offer

Apart from the implementation of a broad didactic offer – a constantly expanded list of education courses, adapted to needs of the labour market, the universities in Lublin are strongly engaged in research and development activities. Of course, scientific institutions operating in the city also work well in this regard.

Research and development activities

Lublin universities:

Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin	https://www.umcs.pl/en/international-research,1510.htm
The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin	https://www.kul.pl/scientific-studies,24704.html
The Medical University of Lublin	https://www.umlub.pl/en/international-cooperation/internationalcooperation/
Lublin University of Technology	http://en.pollub.pl/en/university/international-relations-office
The University of Life Sciences in Lublin	https://up.lublin.pl/research/
University of Economics and Innovation in Lublin	https://rekrutacja.wsei.lublin.pl/en/

research institutes, research and development units

Polish Academy of Sciences Branch in Lublin	https://www.pan-ol.lublin.pl/en/
The Bohdan Dobrzański Institute of Agrophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences	https://www.ipan.lublin.pl/en/
The Lublin Scientific Society	http://www.ltn.pollub.pl/
The Institute of National Remembrance (IPN)	https://ipn.gov.pl/en
Witold Chodźki Institute of Rural Medicine in Lublin	http://www.imw.lublin.pl/index.php/pl/
Scientific Society of the Catholic University of Lublin	https://tnkul.pl/jezyk,en
Institute of Central Europe	https://ies.lublin.pl/en/
Lublin Science And Technology Park	http://en.lpnt.pl/

The city can pride itself on special achievements in research and development activity. Lublin’s ophthalmological achievements and the invention of an artificial bone by scientists of the Medical University of Lublin, as well as numerous patents confirming innovative solutions created by researchers from Lublin University of Technology, echo loudly. There are also famous research works related to photonic and optical fiber technologies carried out at Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin. The team of this university broke the world record for infrared microscopy resolution and discovered a new molecular imaging method. A scientist from the University of Life Sciences in Lublin proved that insects are a source of many valuable ingredients that can help in the fight against civilization diseases, such as diabetes or hypertension.

Research activity gains practical importance in cooperation with business environment institutions. For the city, of particular importance in this respect is the support for the development of priority economic sectors, i.e.: the automotive and machinery, food processing, logistics, modern business services, IT services, healthcare and experience industry. In the field of Lublin’s key sectors, there are clusters that bring together representatives of the scientific and business community. One of such initiatives is, for example, the dynamically developing “Lublin IT Upland”, which promotes and increases the competitiveness of the Lublin IT industry. Another example of similar cooperation is “Lublin Medicine Cluster”. Its goal is the development of industry, cooperation in the field of good practices and medical science, the exchange of experiences, networking of science and business and the promotion of Lublin medical services.

Commercialization of knowledge is possible thanks to knowledge transfer centres established at the universities. These are special units that support scientific research and implementation of technologies in industry. They promote the achievements of Lublin scientists, help in the implementation of cooperation with entrepreneurs, coordinate commissioned research, and also offer consulting services. The activities of the knowledge transfer centres also include the support in the getting patents and protection rights by scientists.

Knowledge transfer centres:

The Centre for Knowledge and Technology Transfer of UMCS

The Innovation and Technology Transfer Center of LUT

The Technology Transfer Centre of the University of Life Sciences in Lublin

The Knowledge Transfer Centre of the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin

The Knowledge Transfer Centre of the Medical University of Lublin

The Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre of the Lublin Science and Technology Park

The merit of the universities is also the development of young enterprises in Lublin. According to the report “The Polish technical scene. 5 years” of the Startup Poland Foundation, Lublin in 2019 was ranked 4th among the biggest startup ecosystems in the country. These companies implement the results of research and development works of the Lublin university community. Their innovative solutions and ideas, also due to partnership with big companies,  have impact on the development of the city economy. In Lublin, start-ups operate primarily in the field of edutech, robotics and electronics, productivity, CRM and ERP, Internet of Things, as well as AI and machine learning. To a lesser degree, they develop solutions in analytics, business intelligence and research tools, fintech and insurtech, industry 4.0 concepts and marketing technologies.

The example of the cooperation aimed at commercialization of knowledge is, for example, the activity of UMCS and Billennium S.A. As part of this activity was created an innovative research and development project which was aimed at build a system of early diagnosis of brain tumors. An electric bus, durum wheat, a smartphone for farmers, behavioral robotics and the entire biotechnology industry – these are other achievements showing the scale and huge potential of Lublin’s science.

The universities also use their scientific potential in the activities for the inhabitants of Lublin. Initiatives to promote knowledge are addressed directly to them. The universities organize courses, trainings and open lectures, as well as offer consulting services in the field of law and psychology. These initiatives are targeted at various recipients, including children, youth, seniors and foreigners. Publishing activities or the resources of modern university libraries and reading rooms allow sharing of knowledge to an even greater extent. Among the proposals addressed to the inhabitants, one should definitely mention large events such as: the Lublin Science Festival, the Lublin Virtual Science Days, the Lublin University of Inspiration. Thanks to those events, the promotion of the Lublin world of science takes place on an even larger scale, also internationally, and creates the image of Lublin as an innovative and open to knowledge centre.