When the Łukasiewicz was established in 2019, the main assumption was to create a network of research institutes dealing mostly with technical issues. Thanks to two institutes belonging to the network, the Institute of Sustainable Technologies in Radom and the Institute of Organization and Management in Industry in Warsaw, which deal with foresight on a daily basis, the potential of working with the future was quickly noticed in the whole Łukasiewicz Research Network. As a result, in November 2021, the Centre for Foresight and Internationalization (CFI) was established in Łukasiewicz, headed by Rafael Popper, an expert with over 20 years of international experience in the field of foresight and supporting the development of innovation. He emphasized that it was the enormous potential of Łukasiewicz that was the reason why he decided to move his entire life from Finland to Poland. He is convinced that CFI, through its scientific activities and competence in foresight will help researchers to create the highest quality future-oriented projects.

The goal of CFI is to connect and support researchers and entrepreneurs in finding and using research and innovation opportunities and finding answers to social challenges. In particular, CFI will help researchers build international partnerships and consortia. During the inauguration of CFI, 10 leading international institutions expressed their will to cooperate with Łukasiewicz. They include German ISI Fraunhofer, British University of Manchester, Irish Science Foundation Ireland, Austrian Austria Institute of Technology, Portuguese INESC Brussels HUB & INESC TEC, Finnish VTT Technical Research Center of Finland, Finland Futures Research Center (FFRC), Belgian Knowledge4Innovationt and a representative Cabinet of the Secretary General in the European Parliament and OECD.

The representative of the Cabinet of the Secretary General, Freya Windle-Wehrle, said that in the European Parliament the strategic foresight is put in the centre of planning activities. She pointed the importance of having qualified staff with the best tools to help prepare for what is to come and that CFI is building a strong foundation for sustainable development in a rapidly changing world where the future may seem more uncertain than ever.

But what is most important from the point of view of our project is the fact that the Bialystok University of Technology has also joined the group of academic partners of the Łukasiewicz Research Network and CFI!

President of the Łukasiewicz Research Network, Piotr Dardziński emphasizes: “As Łukasiewicz, we want to act in a perspective and on an international scale, and for this, we need strong partners who will help us translate the results of scientific research into a rational benefit for entrepreneurs and the development of the future. In the area of ​​cooperation between Łukasiewicz and the Białystok University of Technology I see the great potential and look forward to joint R&D projects.”

In addition, the rector of the Białystok University of Technology, Prof. Marta Kosior-Kazberuk of BUT [Polish title: dr hab. inż] pointed that the university puts a strong emphasis on cooperation with the economic environment: “I am glad that the agreement concluded gives us the opportunity to expand our research areas together with researchers of the Łukasiewicz Research Network. I hope that the results achieved jointly will also find real application in individual branches of knowledge. They will be implemented to the benefit of the development of science and will bring measurable benefits.”

Joint projects by Łukasiewicz and BUT will focus in particular on solutions in the field of transport and logistics, construction and environmental sciences, computer science, mechanics, electrical and electronic industries, and the most important for us, the use of foresight methods.