Representatives of 15 universities associated in the European Research Centre for Information Systems ERCIS will visit the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology at Wrocław University of Science and Technology on 4-6 September, 2023. The meeting is a workshop and networking event.

Our Faculty has been chosen as its host in recognition of our multi-year ERCIS membership. From 4 to 6 September, university representatives participate in joint one-to-one sessions, during which opportunities for mutual cooperation within the network are presented.

– The event is annual and has been held since the establishment of ERCIS in 2004. Our University is represented by the Department of Applied Computer Science, which is an active participant of the Centre. This year, it is the first time we have the opportunity to host representatives of this association. We hope that it will be an opportunity to get to know our guests better and, above all, launch an even closer cooperation. The meeting is focused on four areas: research, education, cooperation with the economic and social environment, but also networking – says Prof. Dariusz Król.

The event began on Monday, and the guests were welcomed in an official ceremony by Prof. Andrzej Kucharski, dean of the Faculty and, among others, by Prof. Jörg Becker from the University of Münster, director of the association. This was followed by a presentation of the universities and their representatives, and the evening ended with a dance performance by Dr. Marcin Głowacki with his partner. On the next day, university departments present themselves during the Presentations of WUST Groups session. All presentations are held under the banner of Research, Education, Practice Collaboration and Network Organization.

Cooperation within ERCIS consists of joint research, scientific projects, exchange of experiences during dedicated meetings and attempts, e.g. to jointly apply for funds. – In the area of education, the activities include using Erasmus funds for the mobility of students, scientists and academic teachers. It is also related to organizing competitions for the best master's thesis. We already have a jury composed of ERCIS members and defined competition rules. The jury collects the works and evaluates them once a year. The award gives an opportunity for further cooperation. The point is to keep the best students in cooperation with the university – adds Prof. Dariusz Król.

The winners will be invited to the most prestigious conferences related to information systems. „There is also cooperation with the industry, because ERCIS members also include business representatives and entrepreneurs. In addition, there is networking, i.e. soft activities where we exchange experiences in all possible areas."

– The network opens many new opportunities. First of all, to creat different project groups. The members of the network are very prestigious universities and we can cooperate with them in various ways. We want the entire Faculty of Information and Communication Technology to take advantage of these opportunities. Plans involve presentations of all eight of our departments, and their representatives will participate in all meetings. It's a benefit for the entire Faculty – emphasizes Prof. Ngoc Thanh Nguyen.

The program of this year's meetings also includes: thematic discussions as part of the World Café Results, lectures within the Current EU Calls EU Opportunities and Operative plans for 2024 series, dedicated presentations of the ERCIS organization, as well as... a meeting at the Racławice Panorama, which will be the culmination of this year's meeting.

The guests include representatives of the following universities: Kaunas University of Technology, TU Dortmund University, Turku School of Economics, Tuscia University, University of Agder, University of Gdańsk, University of Liechtenstein, University of Minho, University of Münster, University of Paderborn, University of Potsdam, University of São Paulo, University of Sevilla, University of St. Gallen or the University of Twente. The meeting is also attended by the directors of the Centre, Prof. Jörg Becker and Prof. Jan vom Brocke from the University of Münster.

Photos from the first two days of the event are available here.