Over 100 rectors and representatives of governments, the academic world, business and international organisations from countries in the Baltic Sea region will meet on 29 June in Gdańsk for the first Baltic Rectors’ Forum - an event that has the potential to become one of the most important forums for academic and strategic cooperation in the region.
The event has been organised by the University of Gdańsk with the support of its strategic partners: ORLEN, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, and the Port of Gdańsk.
For the first time in many years, representatives of the leading universities in the Baltic Sea region, leaders from the energy sector and public administration, as well as experts from the region’s leading universities and world-renowned research centres such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will come together to discuss the future of the region’s energy security and competitiveness
‘The Baltic Sea region is facing profound geopolitical, economic and technological changes. The Baltic Rectors’ Forum was established to provide a platform where the academic community, business and public institutions can jointly address these challenges and identify opportunities for cooperation. We want this initiative to become a permanent forum for dialogue and strategic thinking about the future of our region. The aim of the event is to foster greater integration within the academic community and to strengthen dialogue between academia, business and public administration in the context of the most important development challenges,’ announces prof. Piotr Stepnowski, Rector of the University of Gdańsk, Chair of the Organising Committee and initiator of the Baltic Rectors’ Forum.
‘ORLEN is driving the strengthening of dialogue in the Baltic region to harness its economic potential, particularly in the development of the energy sector. The Baltic is undoubtedly one of Europe’s key centres of economic growth and security - in terms of energy, the region already accounts for over a third of energy consumption in the European Union. I am convinced that this meeting, which will bring together leaders from academia, business and public administration in the region, will yield many new insights and launch projects that will strengthen cooperation in the region, support investment initiatives, and promote measures relating to security of supply and infrastructure,’ says Sławomir Radoń, ORLEN’s Executive Director for Strategy and Innovation.
The forum will bring together representatives of universities and institutions from Poland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Lithuania, Latvia and Ukraine. Participants will include Rectors and representatives of the region’s leading universities, experts in energy, security and climate transition, as well as representatives from public administration and the business sector.
Representatives of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of State Assets have confirmed their participation in the event. Their presence underscores the growing role of cooperation in building the security, competitiveness and resilience of the Baltic Sea region.
One of the highlights of the programme will be a speech by Rüdiger Strempel, Secretary-General of HELCOM, the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission. There is also considerable interest in the diplomatic panel, during which the future of the Baltic Sea region will be discussed from an international diplomatic perspective and 'through the eyes of partners from outside the region'. The panel aims to illustrate how the significance of the Baltic Sea is changing within the global security and economic architecture.
Representatives from ORLEN will also take part in the debates, presenting the perspective of Central Europe’s largest energy group on offshore development, energy security and regional cooperation in the Baltic Sea. The closing session of the Baltic Rectors’ Forum will feature a presentation on the Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership - one of the most important European research and development initiatives carried out under the Horizon Europe programme.
The highlight of the event will be the signing of the Baltic Rectors’ Declaration (Gdańsk Declaration), a document setting out the directions for cooperation between the region’s universities in the coming years.
The Forum is held under the honorary patronage of the most important institutions involved in the development of regional cooperation and maritime, energy and scientific policy.
ORLEN strengthens cooperation between science and business in the Baltic region
ORLEN’s involvement as a strategic partner forms part of the company’s activities in the field of business integration across the Baltic states, aimed at harnessing the potential of the Baltic Sea and strengthening the region’s collective voice within the European Union, following the example of the North Sea and Mediterranean alliances. It is also part of the company’s collaboration with the academic community and its support for educational and research and development initiatives. The company carries out projects combining the potential of universities with industry expertise, supporting the development of innovation in areas such as energy, decarbonisation and new technologies.
Event's programme: 1st Baltic Rectors' Forum
