Business and Science Partnership

ENERGA Group signed a partnership agreement with AGH University of Science and Technology in Cracow. The letter of intent provides for the execution of joint projects within the framework of the Energy Center and training of future AGH graduates in fields consistent with the profile of ENERGA Group's operations.

The document calls for cooperation in projects to develop and implement innovative technology solutions and launch joint research and development projects. This goal is to be achieved through the AGH Energy Center, where scientific knowledge and business will come together. The Center consists of 38 specialized laboratory teams that will research, among others, clean coal technologies, biomass, photovoltaic and nuclear technologies, energy generation from waste and transmission grids. The Center will be an execution unit in the business and development area for energy companies, supporting them in the implementation of projects at the corporate level but also in large sector projects of key importance for the economy.

- This proposal is an alternative for the model followed in the past to carry out innovative undertakings, where the standard course of action was dispersed cooperation with scientific teams, oftentimes initiated by those teams. The challenges of the new financial perspective require that we tackle the key issues necessary to boost competitiveness in the individual sectors and throughout the economy. The leading role in this challenge should be taken by companies such as ENERGA. An important element of the AGH Energy Center's strategy is to lay the foundations for sustained, long-term cooperation with ENERGA – says Professor Wojciech Nowak DSc, Director of the AGH Energy Center.

- I believe that the cooperation between the ENERGA Group and the respectable University of Science and Technology, in which a business and science environment is established, will be key for developing and boosting innovation in the energy industry. We have high expectations for the Energy Center that we created at the University, concerning the implementation of scientific ideas in business practice. As a company, which increasingly uses smart solutions, like the smart grid, we are particularly interested in projects focusing on energy distribution – emphasizes Mirosław Bieliński, President of the ENERGA SA Management Board.

The agreement states that the ENERGA Group's distribution segment will actively participate in joint projects in the field of electricity transmission and distribution.

In addition to the execution of research and development projects and commercialization of research results, the agreement between AGH and the ENERGA Group also calls for cooperation in the form of apprenticeships, internships and training for students, and Group employees conducting workshops and teaching classes on various levels of education.

AGH has signed similar cooperation agreements with companies such as, among others, Siemens, Lotos and KGHM.

AGH is an internationally recognized university conducting research and education activity in physical and formal science underlying a broad range of applied sciences. The university supports all activities that are aimed at creating strong inter-departmental, inter-university and international research teams. By conducting research at a high international level in numerous fields and disciplines of science, it ensures top class education and development for its staff, which is one of the foundations of the university's activities and status.

ENERGA as one of the largest energy groups in Poland is interested in developing modern technologies applicable to generation, distribution and sales of electricity, in particular smart grid technologies, where it holds the leading position in Poland, and renewable energy sources. For many years now, the Group has supported the transfer of knowledge between business and science. It cooperates with leading universities and research centers: Gdansk University of Technology, University of Warmia and Mazury, Gdansk Science and Technology Park, Pomeranian Science and Technology Park Gdynia, Energy Institute in Gdansk and the Institute of
Fluid-Flow Machinery at the Polish Academy of Sciences. Together with the Gdansk University of Technology ENERGA publishes the "Acta Energetica" scientific journal containing research results and implementations of practical solutions in the energy sector. ENERGA promotes the achievements of research scientists working for technical universities and the solutions with practical business applications. Among others, it organizes competitions for the best PhD dissertations. The Group prepares special educational programs for university, primary school and high school students and additionally internships and apprenticeships for university students.