INSTYTUT SPAWALNICTWA

Polish Welding Centre of Excellence

Summary of the project

The Polish Welding Centre of Excellence (PWCoE) project has had a specific character. The main task of the project was to organize well working structures in Instytut Spawalnictwa (IS) in order to IS would be able to participate in European and Polish projects together with his partners with European Union (EU) and with Polish industry, universities and other research and development (R&D) organizations. In connection with this, any typical scientific researches have not been carried out.

According to the project, the PWCoE should:

become the authority on all aspects of research and development in welding in Poland,
establish new contacts with experts from research organisations and industry,
extend the range and rais the level of the activities in education, examination and certification of welding and NDT personnel,
enter the cooperation with European R&D organizations,
develop knowledge and experience of its research personnel to be able to aid industrial enterprises to participate in national and international projects.

In order to fulfil aims of the project, all tasks described in Work Packages (WP's) have been successfully completed (in some cases on the larger scale than was scheduled). Significant improvement of the IS activities range are results of the PWCoE project completion. PWCoE has reached the position of:

the best known welding centre with great authority in Poland and the best known Polish welding organization abroad,
the biggest centre of welding and NDT personnel education in Poland (450 welding and 750 NDT specialists, apart from welders, were trained in 2005),
partner of the biggest welding organisation in joint research project,
notified body within three European Union Directives,
the organisation that employs highly qualified personnel, including large number of young PhD staff with big research experiences and potential.

The main way of the implementation of the project results will be the IS activity in the transfer of technology. It concerns knowledge and experience gained during numerous courses, trainings and study visits, which supplemented existing know-how. Knowledge includes the advanced materials joining, traditional and new methods in NDT, new welding and allied processes, modern testing methods in model laboratories as well as guidelines for preparation of joint research projects financed from EU funds. In IS well developed system of welding personnel education has been introduced. This system is unified with European and international training systems. Highly qualified lecturers as well as infrastructure including well equipped lecture rooms, laboratories and social rooms are at industry representatives disposal. The PWCoE project resulted in the extension of the education system with very advanced and specialised training courses. Many ways of innovation transfer will be applied, such as experts opinions and technological audits, products and procedures reviews, seminars, workshops financed from different sources, including structural funds. Partners of PWCoE in this activities form is a group of over 7000 enterprises using welding technologies. This group comprise concerns, large enterprises and first of all SME.

PWCoE project has strengthened Instytut Spawalnictwa. IS is better prepared for wide collaboration with industry in Poland as well as research centres in Poland and Europe within transfer of innovation. Great possibilities of collaboration development with these partners shown during project execution, based on qualification and research quality improvement are the most important results of the project. It will positively and permanently influence the IS position as the Polish Welding Centre of Excellence in a welding sector and among European research centres.