On 25 November 2025, the ceremonial PCG Academia Digital Transformation Leaders Gala 2025 took place at the Auditorium Maximum of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków. The event, held as part of the LUMEN – Leaders in University Management conference, brought together nearly four hundred representatives of the academic community, PCG’s technology partners, and higher education digitalisation experts from Poland and across Europe. 

The Gala was opened by the host – Marcin Witkowski – who welcomed the participants and members of the Competition Chapter, comprised of distinguished representatives of the academic world: Prof. Jerzy Woźnicki, Prof. Arkadiusz Mężyk, Prof. Łukasz Sułkowski, Prof. Dorota Piotrowska, Prof. Marek Kwiek, and Prof. Katarzyna Szczepańska-Woszczyna, as well as representatives of PCG Academia’s global technology partners: LYRASIS, Anthology, and WEBCON. 

After the official opening, the floor was taken by Łukasz Nowak, President of the Management Board of PCG Academia. In his speech, Łukasz Nowak emphasized that the development of IT systems in higher education today requires continuous investment and a partnership-based approach, and that PCG Academia’s mission is to provide Polish universities with access to the world’s best technologies. He reminded attendees that thanks to a long-term cooperation strategy with global IT leaders, PCG Academia delivers to Polish universities solutions used and developed by leading educational institutions worldwide, such as Harvard, Yale, and MIT. 

The Gala served as an expression of appreciation for the universities that have placed their trust in these technologies and achieved impressive results, and also as an opportunity to share best practices within the LUMEN conference. In closing, President Nowak reaffirmed PCG Academia’s unwavering commitment to developing new solutions, providing comprehensive support to Polish universities, and pursuing the ambition of remaining a leading EdTech provider in Poland and Europe. 

Category I: Distance Learning Management 

Partner: Anthology 

The first category focused on projects developing modern models of online education. The category partner was Anthology, represented by David Millington, VP Channel Partnerships EMEA & APAC. The awards went to: 

Kozminski University 

For the exemplary implementation of the Blackboard platform, including Blackboard Ally and Blackboard Illuminate, as well as integration with the student information system and the Inspera exam system. The award on behalf of Kozminski University was accepted by the Vice-Rector for Students and Quality of Education, Prof. Jolanta Tkaczyk. 

Collegium Da Vinci 

For the integrated implementation of the Blackboard and Panopto systems, as well as the creation of over 3,500 engaging e-learning courses.The award on behalf of Collegium Da Vinci was accepted by the Rector of CDV, Prof. Marek Zieliński. 

Medical University of Białystok 

For establishing Blackboard as the primary teaching tool since 2020 and developing a broad offering of courses for more than 9,000 students. The award on behalf of the Medical University of Białystok was accepted by the Deputy Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence, Małgorzata Żynel. 

 

Category II: Process Management 

Partner: WEBCON 

The second part of the Gala was dedicated to universities that have most effectively improved their administrative and business processes using the WEBCON BPS platform. The awards were presented jointly with Łukasz Wróbel, Vice President of the Management Board of WEBCON. 

The laureates were: 

Cracow University of Technology 

For the largest and most comprehensive implementation of WEBCON BPS in the Polish public sector—covering more than 30 applications and fully eliminating paper-based workflows in key processes. The award on behalf of the Cracow University of Technology was accepted by the IT Director, Mariusz Kwinta-Pudełko. 

Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań 

For creating the AMU Employee Portal, used by over 5,500 users to complete all key employee tasks within one automated system. The award on behalf of Adam Mickiewicz University was accepted by the Chancellor, Marcin Wysocki. 

Medical University of Gdańsk 

For an agile collaboration model and the creation of an ecosystem of more than 100 document workflows based on WEBCON BPS, supporting the university’s daily operations. The award on behalf of the university was accepted by the Deputy Chancellor for IT and Telecommunications, Wojciech Kiedrowski. 

 

Category III: Research Information  Management 

Partner: LYRASIS 

The third category recognized institutions implementing modern solutions for open science and advanced research information management. The category partner was the international consortium LYRASIS, represented at the PCG Gala by Michele Mennielli – Director of Global Outreach, LYRASIS. 

The awarded universities were: 

Jagiellonian University 

For one of the largest migrations in Poland to DSpace 7 and full integration with the Sciencecloud platform, strengthening UJ’s position as a leader in open science.
The award on behalf of Jagiellonian University was accepted by the Rector, Prof. Piotr Jedynak. 

Repository link: https://ruj.uj.edu.pl/  

University of Warsaw 

For an expedited, two-month migration to DSpace 7, integration with global scientific systems (Scopus, Web of Science, Handle.net), and implementation of new system entities, now used by over 12,000 users monthly.
The award on behalf of the University of Warsaw was accepted by the Director of the University Library, Dr. Krzysztof Nierzwicki. 

Repository link: https://repozytorium.uw.edu.pl/  

University of Zurich – ZORA 

For migrating the ZORA – Zurich Open Repository Archive, containing over 200,000 publications, from the previously used EPrints engine to the latest version of DSpace, and for creating a central infrastructure supporting Open Science. The award on behalf of the University of Zurich (one of the top universities worldwide) was accepted by Dr. Martin Brändle, Project Lead, and Margit Dellatorre, Open Access Team Lead. 

Repository link: https://www.zora.uzh.ch/  

Special Category – Nationwide SolutionPartner: Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland (CRASP) 

The special award was given to a project of particular significance for the entire country. The category partner was the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland (CRASP), represented by Prof. Piotr Jedynak, Rector of Jagiellonian University. 

PLLuM – Polish Large Language Model 

The project develops the first open language models for the Polish language (8–70 billion parameters). It is carried out by a consortium of leading institutions, including Wrocław University of Science and Technology (leader), National Information Processing Institute, Research and Academic Computer Network – National Research Institute, Institute of Computer Science Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Slavic Studies Polish Academy of Sciences, and University of Łódź. The PLLuM model, developed within the consortium, already supports applications such as mObywatel.  

 

Gala Closing  

The Gala concluded with expressions of gratitude to the laureates, partners, and the Competition Chapter, followed by a commemorative group photo of all award recipients together with the PCG Academia team. The ceremony was not only an opportunity to recognize the best digital projects implemented in higher education institutions but also served as an inspiration for further initiatives aimed at advancing innovation-driven education.