Foundation act of STOS GUT Competence Centre

On Thursday, February 18, 2021, at the premises of the campus of the Gdańsk University of Technology, the ceremony of signing and laying the foundation act for the construction of the STOS GUT Competence Centre took place. Works on the construction of this state-of-the-art IT centre are progressing according to schedule, and the investment is to be ready by the middle of next year at the latest.

The signing and laying of the foundation act are one of the most important elements of any construction investment, hence the ceremony at the construction site of the STOS GUT Competence Centre (Smart and Transdisciplinary knOwledge Services) at ul. Traugutta in Gdańsk was attended by representatives of the government, local government authorities, and the university management. Among the guests were, among others, Pomeranian Voivode Dariusz Drelich, Marshal of the Pomeranian Voivodeship Mieczysław Struk and Deputy Mayor of Gdańsk Alan Aleksandrowicz. The host of the ceremony was Professor Krzysztof Wilde, rector of GUT.

“Our academic community is very proud of the facility that is being built here,” said Professor Krzysztof Wilde, rector of GUT. “It will serve future generations of GUT students and scientists in developing their competences, will raise their scientific and research projects to a higher level, as well as serve the society and will be a showcase of the dynamic development of Gdańsk and Pomerania. It will be one of the most modern IT centres in this part of Europe,” he added.

“The importance of this ceremony is reflected in the abbreviation of the project name: “STOS” (‘heap’ in English). This word can be associated with a large yield or set, and in this case it is about a data set,” said Professor Henryk Krawczyk, former rector of GUT and initiator of the construction of STOS Competence Centre. “This type of data, from various fields, will be collected here and used to discover new, useful knowledge. STOS Competence Centre is a modern “gold mine”, open to ambitious and intelligent collectors, and the modern technical and IT infrastructure installed in it will serve to reveal the hidden treasures of knowledge.

Grupa NDI – Budowa Centrum Kompetencji STOS dla Politechniki Gdańskiej from Grupa NDI on Vimeo.

STOS Competence Centre for students, scientists, business and society

The STOS GUT Competence Centre, which with a cost of nearly PLN 156 million is being built on the campus of the university in Traugutta Street, was designed by the Arch Deco architectural studio from Gdynia, and NDI, a Sopot-based company, is responsible for the construction works.

“We are very pleased with the implementation of this investment,” said Małgorzata Winiarek-Gajewska, President of the NDI Group. “We are a company from Pomerania and we have many GUT graduates among our employees. I also belong to this group and for all of us the possibility of implementing a project for our alma mater is a unique distinction and a reason for satisfaction.”

The STOS Competence Centre building will be an intelligent facility equipped with the latest generation technical and network infrastructure. The most important element of the centre will be the “bunker”, i.e., a server room, which is to meet the highest standards of data security and will be equipped, i.a., in a supercomputer.

STOS Competence Centre will be, inter alia, the new headquarters of the Tri-City Academic Computer Network and will create conditions for the implementation of innovative research projects for the academic community in Pomerania. It will also support companies and the socio-economic environment of the university in the implementation of large business projects. In order to meet social needs, it will be used in scientific research in the field of, among others, physics, chemistry, astronomy, biotechnology, and medicine, as well as for implementation research aimed at the commercialisation of science.

Construction of STOS Competence Centre on schedule

Works on the construction site of STOS Competence Centre, despite unfavourable weather conditions, take place in accordance with the adopted schedule.

“We are in the process of constructing the so-called shell of the building,” says Dominik Kardynał, Site Manager from the NDI Group. “We have completed the excavation support, we are also performing sanitary and electrical systems. The lower foundation slab of the “-2” level is also ready as well as the walls and ceilings above the “-1” level, and now we are making the “0” level ceilings. This year winter is not favourable, but we manage to implement almost all the planned works.”

Currently, builders are working on the construction of the deepest part of the building, i.e. underground garages. In the coming weeks, the contractor plans to build the last “0” ceiling above the garage part and will conduct further works planned in the construction schedule.

STOS Competence Centre is created thanks to funds from the EU

The cost of the investment, which will end in the first half of 2022, is PLN 155.7 million, 90.1 million of which was covered by an EU subsidy under the European Regional Development Fund. It was obtained thanks to the involvement of the Pomeranian Voivodeship Marshal’s Office and Marshal Mieczysław Struk as well as the Pomerania Development Agency. The remaining amount is covered almost entirely by the university from its own funds, raised mainly by the TASK GUT IT Centre. The investment was also supported by additional funds from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education (currently: the Ministry of Education and Science).

The total cost of the project will exceed PLN 210 million – this is due to the need to supplement STOS Competence Centre with additional, specialised equipment (including a supercomputer), which the university will successively purchase and install in the facility.

About the STOS Competence Centre:

Dariusz Drelich, Pomeranian Voivode: “The government of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki focuses on innovative economic projects, the implementation of which is possible thanks to the work of scientific staff and appropriate research infrastructure. The Gdańsk University of Technology is a university that provides both human resources and the best tools for science, business and economy. I am pleased to observe the implementation of this university project, which significantly increases its position, rank and competitiveness.”

Mieczysław Struk, Marshal of Pomeranian Voivodeship: “The priority goal of the voivodeship self-government is the harmonious and dynamic development of the entire Pomerania region, and the construction of the STOS Competence Centre at the Gdańsk University of Technology fits in well with this idea. The launch of this investment was a huge challenge for the university, which, however, was successfully met. I am convinced that STOS Competence Centre will bring a lot of new quality to Polish science and will contribute to building the image of Pomerania as a strong scientific and academic centre.”

Alan Aleksandrowicz, Deputy Mayor of Gdańsk: “The greatness of the university is evidenced by its scientific achievements, research and teaching staff, as well as the level of knowledge and competence of students and graduates. In order for all these elements to be constantly developed, an appropriate scientific and research infrastructure is necessary. The STOS Centre will certainly increase the competitiveness and attractiveness of GUT, which will translate into an increased interest in the university and an influx of young and talented people to Gdańsk, who, I hope, will settle in our city.”

Mariusz Miler, Chancellor of the Gdańsk University of Technology: ”The construction of STOS Competence Centre is a reason to be proud both for our academic community, as well as for Gdańsk and Pomerania. The centre will distinguish our university not only on a national but also international scale. Moreover, it is only one of the elements of the investment offensive of the Gdańsk University of Technology. Soon, the construction of the GUT Eco-innovation Centre will begin, which will be the only facility of this type in Poland, and we have subsequent plans for, for example, construction of a modern sports and entertainment hall and other facilities which will support the development of Polish science