The block C building at the faculty of chemistry at Gdańsk University of Technology in Poland’s Pomorskie region has been redeveloped and modernised under an EU-funded project. The work entailed extending and reconstructing facilities such as teaching rooms, research and computer laboratories and libraries. New equipment was installed and the surroundings were improved.
- 24 June 2019
The project was implemented to meet Pomerania’s smart specialisation needs in the field of eco-efficient technologies for the production, transmission, distribution and consumption of energy and fuel, as well as for construction.
The upgraded building houses laboratories for molecular biology, renewable energy sources and for processing energy carriers – substances containing energy that can operate chemical or physical processes or be converted into heat.
In addition, it includes two laboratories for the study of the surfaces of materials: one for research into anti-corrosion technologies; the other for testing the electrochemical type and susceptibility to corrosion of metals and alloys.
A wide range of amenities
Further amenities set up under the project include a 135-seat auditorium , a student workspace, a bar able to accommodate 70 people, kitchen facilities, a cloakroom and an exit onto an open terrace. The building has a lift to ensure accessibility for people with reduced mobility, offices for administrative purposes and public areas such as a hall, toilets and corridors.
All of the infrastructure was designed and equipped to be ready for immediate use. Teaching rooms were furnished with tables and chairs, while the auditorium was fitted with projectors, multimedia and writing boards, a sound system and a control system for lighting. Digestion chambers to facilitate sample analysis were installed in the laboratories.
Smart specialisation and better education
The project was implemented within the framework of the Pomorskie region’s smart specialisation strategy. These strategies involve each region identifying and supporting niche sectors in which it is able to gain a competitive advantage. For Pomorskie, development of environmentally efficient technologies for the production, transmission, distribution and use of energy and fuel is a focus area.
The revamped block C will help meet the university’s staff training needs so it can help achieve Pomorskie’s smart specialisation objectives in this field, while enhancing the spatial and architectural characteristics of the complex.
The project puts the university in a position to improve its educational offer and better meet the needs of companies in the electricity, energy, chemical technology and chemical and fuel processing industries. One way in which this is being done is through a master’s degree programme with a strong practical profile entitled ‘energy carrier engineering and technologies’.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Chemia C - Gdańsk University of Technology” is EUR 2 660 000, with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 1 560 000 through the “Pomorskie Voivodeship” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “Commercialisation of knowledge”.