A new initiative has been launched at the University of Gdańsk to support the development of academic and social activities. On Wednesday, 1 April 2026, the Foundation for the Development of the University of Gdańsk signed a donation agreement, under which - thanks to the generosity of two researchers from the University of Gdańsk - the ‘Seminarium TuuM’ fund was established.
The donation will go towards a specially created fund, which will finance scholarships for students and academic staff, providing support for the scientific, cultural and sporting activities of the academic community at the University of Gdańsk. The donors are prof. Maria Mendel and prof. Tomasz Szkudlarek - educators, renowned researchers at the University of Gdańsk and long-standing members of the academic community. Grants will be awarded annually from October 2026.
We asked prof. Tomasz Szkudlarek where the idea for setting up the fund came from:
‘We wanted to create a place in the countryside, where we live, that would serve as a venue for meetings, seminars; a sort of residence. We thought about building a summer cottage that could serve as a guesthouse once we retired, so we could still breathe in a bit of that academic life. Unfortunately, we didn’t manage to do that. So we thought we’d organise similar activities in collaboration with the University,’ says prof. Tomasz Szkudlarek. ‘Maria and I come from the social sciences and the humanities - and we feel that in these fields it is harder to secure external funding, for example when you want to organise an international meeting, invite guest speakers or run seminars (…) At present, there are lots of fantastic things happening in the social sciences and humanities that are cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary in nature. This area between the humanities, social sciences, art, the performing arts, cinema and literature is simply an incredibly vibrant field. Meanwhile, it is easier to organise such events outside the university than within it.’
The new fund will finance a wide range of projects - from research projects, through educational and cultural initiatives, to outreach and artistic activities. The key objective of the ‘Seminarium TuuM’ is to generate knowledge that fosters the development of democratic communities and the practice of solidarity in social and academic life. The donors emphasise the importance of cooperation, shared responsibility and concern for the common good, and through their support they wish to contribute to strengthening the ideas of community, solidarity and social engagement.
‘We decided to continue spreading the good we have experienced,’ adds the fund’s main initiator, prof. Maria Mendel. ‘The University of Gdańsk is our cradle, without which we would not exist as we do today, that is, Tomek and Maja. Through our donation, we wish above all to enable the organisation of academic seminars - the Latin word ‘seminarium’ derives from sowing, the scattering of seeds. We have named the entire project ‘Seminarium TuuM’, in Latin: ‘Seminarium Wasze’ - to emphasise the agency of the grant recipients (and the T and M in the name stand for our names, that is, Tomek’s and mine).’
The agreement was signed in the presence of representatives from all parties.
The University of Gdańsk was represented by the Vice-Rector for Research, prof. dr hab. Wiesław Laskowski, the donors by prof. Maria Mendel and prof. Tomasz Szkudlarek, and on behalf of the University of Gdańsk Development Foundation, the document was signed by the Chair of the Board, Marzena Chojnacka, and the Vice-Chair, Krzysztof Podniesiński.
The establishment of the ‘Seminarium TuuM’ fund represents an important step towards further strengthening the University of Gdańsk’s social engagement and creating a space for the development of ideas that combine academic activity with responsibility for the community.
