Dr hab. Eng. Maciej Piasecki, University Professor at the Faculty of Computer Science and Telecommunications, received in Kraków an award granted to Wrocław University of Science and Technology in the “Digital Transformation Leaders PCG Academia” competition for the implementation of the PLLuM project. Congratulations!

The competition recognises higher education institutions that make a particular contribution to the development of innovative solutions in the areas of management and academic education. This year, the jury composed of distinguished representatives of the academic community selected winners in four categories: process management, scientific achievement management, distance learning management, and a nationwide solution.

In the latter category, Wrocław University of Science and Technology was awarded for the implementation of the PLLuM project. As part of the project, the first language models for the Polish language are being developed, and by granting the award, the competition jury emphasized its special importance for the entire country.

A large group of several award-winning individuals stands on the stage, holding statuettes, during the PCG Academia gala.

PLLuM (Polish Large Language Model) is a large language model project based on artificial intelligence technology. It enables the processing and generation of texts in the Polish language, and its operation will support the development of digital competences and innovations in public administration and business.

Work on PLLuM began in 2023 on the initiative of scientists from Wrocław University of Science and Technology, who had previously been involved in language technology research within the CLARIN-PL project. As part of that initiative, research infrastructure was created, used mainly in the humanities and social sciences. Over the last five years, researchers have been working on a wide range of databases and natural language processing tools. More about PLLuM can be found here .

Ultimately, the consortium developing PLLuM includes, in addition to Wrocław University of Science and Technology (the leader), OPI PIB, NASK PIB, IPI PAN, the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences, and the University of Łódź. The Ministry of Digital Affairs allocated over PLN 19 million for the further implementation of the project.

The Polish language model is available in many versions, enabling flexible and scalable adaptation to needs – it uses from 8 to 70 billion parameters. It is currently already being used, among others, in services of the mObywatel application.

The awards in the competition were presented during the LUMEN conference – Leaders in University Management. The event brought together nearly four hundred representatives of the academic community, PCG’s technology partners, and experts in the digital transformation of higher education from Poland and Europe. The full list of award winners is available on the organisers’ website.

Source of photos from the ceremony: PCG Academia