In just 10 months, Olivia Business Centre has implemented four projects in cooperation with Gdańsk universities. Diversified cooperation is to ensure the mutual exchange of experiences between business and the world of science.

The building of the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Gdańsk is located in the vicinity of Olivia Business Centre, on the campus of the university. It was opened in 2000 and was the first most modern facility built in this area. Now, 21 years later, the building is surrounded by some of the most modern academic buildings in the country, so the time is inevitably approaching when the work on its modernization will begin, to meet the modern standards of public buildings. The years of the functioning of this space have also shown the expectations of the academic community towards the common areas. It is these experiences that will be the main driving force behind changes at the faculty.

In recent days, a number of Olivia’s spaces were visited by prof. Ph.D. Wojciech Zalewski, Dean of the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Gdańsk, and vice-deans: prof. Ph.D. Małgorzata Balwicka Szczyrba and prof. Ph.D. Marcin Wiszowaty. The visit was aimed at assessing the possibilities, proposed solutions and expectations that the university sets for the project’s architects.

These are very interesting, modern solutions – says Prof. Ph.D. Marcin Wiszowaty. We believe that thanks to the cooperation between the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Gdańsk and Olivia Business Centre, our students, employees and guests will be able to experience the numerous advantages of modern arrangements of common spaces of our Faculty, so that after the pandemic, they can be used for integration, work, relaxation and meetings – adds Prof. Wiszowadae.

The Faculty of Law wants to develop cooperation with business, because most of the Faculty’s graduates find a job in business, so such cooperation will expand the Faculty’s possibilities and increase the attractiveness of studies in the eyes of students – says Maciej Kotarski from Olivia Business Centre. Olivia, on the other hand, is home to the largest concentration of business in the Tri-City, and at the same time it is not only the closest to the Faculty building, but is also very visible from this building – precisely from the common spaces that Olivia will help to arrange. That is why the deans of the Faculty suggested cooperation with Olivia, including in the revitalization and development of the common spaces concept. I hope that in the future, a business zone for students will be created in the part of the Faculty with a view of Olivia Business Centre, which will be run under the patronage of Olivia – adds Maciej Kotarski.

Design Anatomy , a studio associated with Olivia, designed over 100,000m2 of office space and common areas of the business centre providing enormous knowledge and experience, thanks to which the renovated interiors of the university will be able to meet the highest standards of modern buildings. – In our opinion, the publicly accessible parts of the Faculty have an extraordinary and, at the same time, untapped potential. – says Justyna Biłat, architect from Design Anatomy. We want to create zones with very different purposes, where it will be possible to take a moment’s breath, to meet in a group of students, talk to colleagues, eat lunch, relax over a coffee, organize a brainstorming session or a discussion after the conference. Our team of architects puts people and their needs first, and the main idea of our projects is the general wellbeing of the recipients. The space of the department is rich in natural greenery, and plants have a positive effect on the microclimate of the interior, increase the comfort of use, contribute to reducing stress and increasing job satisfaction, also in the scientific field. – emphasizes Justyna Biłat.

Cooperation in the field of knowledge exchange, practice and competence development is also assured by a letter of intent signed with the Faculty of Philology of the University of Gdańsk. As part of the cooperation, joint consultations of study programs are intended, as well as the participation of Olivia representatives in the Program Councils of the Institutes of the Faculty of Philology, in order to adapt the education program to the expectations of the modern labour market as much as possible. What’s more, Olivia employees will also be able to conduct classes and workshops for students of Philology, and students will be able to do internships among companies residing in the business centre. The cooperation will also cover the recruitment of students to work in one of the largest business centres in the country. Students will also have an insight into the specifics of Olivia’s activities in connection with their scientific research as part of their diploma theses at all levels of education.

Cooperation between business and academia must start at the earliest possible stage. Including students and researchers in the processes of global corporations is possible thanks to such cooperation as with the University of Gdańsk – says Bogusław Wieczorek, plenipotentiary of Olivia’s Management Board for public relations and a member of the Council of the National Centre for Research and Development. Both people studying the letter of the law as well as those working on researching and learning about different cultures and languages will soon be able to use their knowledge in practice. I hope that in the long term it will also mean establishing new economic relations with foreign countries and the possibility of using the best international models in Polish business. – adds Bogusław Wieczorek.

The Association of Physical Culture of the University of Gdańsk has also been operating for almost two years, the aim of which is to develop the physical activity of young people, which was established by the University and Olivia Business Centre. Especially in the time of a pandemic, experts point out that all forms of physical activity have a significant impact on improving the physical and mental condition. It is therefore worth taking actions that promote a healthy lifestyle.

The University of Gdańsk is not the only university with which Olivia Business Centre has close relations. In the spring of 2020, Olivia financed the MediMod diagnostic module built by Vivia Next, which they then donated to the Medical University of Gdańsk. The facility now has the first walk-through diagnostic centre in Poland. MediMod is a self-sufficient, mobile research unit. Its design allows for several zones and a lock for collecting the material inside it, limiting to the necessary minimum the contact between the person taking the swab and the person being examined, ensuring the safety of both medical staff and patients.

Olivia is also a member of the Economic Convention at the Rector of the Gdańsk University of Technology. It is an unusual platform for consulting and expressing opinions and positions between the scientific and economic circles on all matters affecting the economic development of the country and the region. The convention is composed of representatives of leading enterprises representing various sectors of the economy, economic organizations and business institutions invited by the Rector of GUT. It should be emphasized that the Gdańsk University of Technology was ranked highest among Polish technical universities in the competition “Excellence Initiative – Research University”, which provided additional funds in the amount of approximately PLN 200 million. They will be allocated to the further dynamic development of the university, including activities within the newly created Research Centres.

Such diverse fields of cooperation between Olivia Business Centre and the most important Tri-City universities, which are national leaders in their fields, allows the creation of opportunities for students, researchers and entrepreneurs that would not be possible in other situations. Each form of cooperation opens up new development paths for each of the parties involved.