The grand opening of the PAKT Laboratory was attended by many distinguished guests. Janusz Cieszyński, Secretary of State at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, Government Plenipotentiary for Cyber Security, arrived, who strongly emphasised in his speech the importance of modern education and the development of digital competences in our times. There were also representatives of the local authorities of the voivodeship and the city of Łódź: Dr Tobiasz Bocheński - Voivode, Adam Pustelnik - Deputy Mayor, and the authorities of Lodz University of Technology.
Welcoming the invited guests, Professor Paweł Strumiłło, Vice-Rector for University Development, said:
As a leading technical university, we understand the social need to launch pilot modern digital laboratories that will perfectly complement the process of academic education. We also understand the idea of lifelong learning very well, which is why the launch of a lab open to the local community is part of our mission. We are particularly pleased that in this educational space, students - and perhaps our future students - will develop creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship, design collaboration with physical devices.
The new Studio is also intended for teachers.
For them, there will be onsite workshops, online events and a range of practical educational materials. The workshop is well equipped. There are robots to be programmed, 3D printers, scanners and plotters, i.e. equipment to develop digital competences and more. Most importantly - as part of the PAKT, teachers will receive know-how on how to use similar equipment in their lessons,
explains project coordinator Dr Anna Firych-Nowacka from the Institute of Mechatronics and Information Systems at TUL.
The laboratory at Lodz University of Technology will be operated by a team of educators employed to conduct workshops, who will be assisted by academic teachers.
The idea of launching the PAKT fits well with the needs of the Polish economy in the context of the challenges of the 21st century, i.e. creating educational spaces where creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship, cooperation skills and specific technical skills can be developed using technology,
adds the coordinator.
The PAKT workshop, which is located in the Sports Bay building (al. Politechniki 10), will be available to anyone, after applying via the website or signing up on site. Participation in the workshops is free
of charge. The PAKT project is implemented by a consortium consisting of: Digital Poland Projects Centre (leader), Lodz University of Technology, the "Robisz to" Association and the "Cities on the Internet" Association.
As part of the project activities, four Active Technology Usage Workshops - PAKT - are being created in Lodz, Tarnów, Olsztyn and Wroclaw.
The cost of adapting and equipping the studio at Lodz University of Technology was nearly PLN 2 million. The project is being implemented as part of the Digital Poland Operational Programme 2014-2020, Priority Axis III: Digital Competences of Society, co-financed by the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund.
