Summary of the 11th LUMEN Conference 2025

For a decade, university management leaders from all over Poland have been meeting each year at the LUMEN conferences to discuss the most important current issues in higher education and to explore the best solutions in the digital transformation of universities. The same was true at the 11th LUMEN Conference 2025, filled with inspiration and good practices.

This year’s edition took place within the walls of the oldest higher education institution in Poland – the Jagiellonian University in Kraków. Starting with this edition, the LUMEN conference will be organized in cooperation with leading Polish universities and technical universities.

Recordings from the LUMEN conference are available below the text and on our YouTube channel.

FIRST DAY OF THE CONFERENCE AND THE AWARDS GALA

The conference was formally opened by Prof. Łukasz Sułkowski, President of the Management Board of PCG Polska. The gathered guests were also welcomed by the university rectors: Prof. Bogumiła Kaniewska, Rector of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan and Chair of CRASP, and Prof. Piotr Jedynak, Rector of the Jagiellonian University – the host of the event. Words of welcome were also addressed to the audience by Prof. Jerzy Woźnicki, President of the Polish Rectors Foundation, co-organizer of the event, and Piotr Sasin, Country Director and President of CARE International in Poland.

The first day was dedicated to strategic topics. One of the most fundamental areas is financing, which is why we began with a discussion on funding sources for universities in the coming decade. The discussion, moderated by Prof. Jerzy Woźnicki, featured the rectors: Prof. Piotr Jedynak – Rector of the Jagiellonian University, Prof. Jerzy Lis – Rector of the AGH University of Krakow, Prof. Krzysztof Wilde – Rector of Gdansk University of Technology, and Prof. Celina M. Olszak – Rector of the University of Economics in Katowice. The rectors spoke not only about diversified financial strategies but also about strategic planning for the next ten years in a rapidly changing socio-economic and legislative environment.

During the second debate, we looked at the most interesting and groundbreaking digital projects that have transformed the functioning of Polish universities in recent years. Specific implementation examples were presented by: Prof. Bartosz Brożek – Vice-Rector for Development of the Jagiellonian University, Dr. Jarosław Protasiewicz – Director of the National Information Processing Institute, Prof. Katarzyna Szczepańska-Woszczyna – Vice-Rector for Science and Education at WSB University, Prof. Jolanta Tkaczyk – Vice-Rector for Students and Quality of Education at Kozminski University, and Dr. Marcin Wysocki – Chancellor of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan. The panel was moderated by Prof. Łukasz Sułkowski.

The next session, Universities and the Requirements of Industry 4.0, was led by Prof. Robert Musiałkiewicz, Rector of the State Academy of Applied Sciences in Wloclawek and Chair of the Conference of Rectors of Public Vocational Schools. The discussion focused on the role of universities in shaping future competencies and effectively responding to the needs of a modern economy. Speakers included representatives from academia, administration, and business: Dr. Marta Kapusta – Director of the Department of University Organization, Education and Student Affairs at the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Prof. Artur Zimny – Rector of the Academy of Applied Sciences in Konin, Prof. Piotr Zariczny from the Business Support Center in Torun, and Prof. Dominik Antonowicz from Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun.

This day also featured, for the first time, the Digital Transformation Leaders Gala. The competition recognized university projects in the following categories:

Teaching (category partner: Anthology)
Process Management (category partner: WEBCON)
Science (category partner: DSpace)
Nationwide Solution (category partner: CRASP)

All award winners are presented here:

PCG Academia Digital Transformation Leaders Gala 2025

The first day of the conference concluded with a ceremonial Gala honoring the leaders of Polish universities featured in the THE World University Rankings 2026 – the latest edition of the world’s most prestigious and recognizable university ranking. The awards were presented by Rosie Sanniti, Regional Director for Europe at Times Higher Education, together with Prof. Łukasz Sułkowski and Prof. Jerzy Woźnicki.

The list of awarded universities can be found in the Gala summary:

THE World University Rankings Awards Gala during the LUMEN 2025 Conference

SECOND DAY OF THE CONFERENCE

At LUMEN conferences, we have always examined the current directions of change in Polish higher education. The second day of the event began with an overview of the most important trends in university digitalization this year. The panelists discussed solutions that genuinely influence the transformation of academic processes and the conscious shaping of the digital future of universities. The discussion, moderated by Piotr Masalski, Vice President of PCG Academia, featured: Prof. Tomasz Bajkowski – Vice-Rector for Development at the University of Bialystok, Dariusz Fanslau – Plenipotentiary of the Rector for Finance and Process Optimization at the Cracow University of Technology, Dr. Jacek Sieńko – Vice-Dean for Student Affairs at the Medical University of Warsaw, Maciej Stopierzyński – CEO of DoxyChain, and Łukasz Wróbel – Vice President of WEBCON.

The next panel focused on a single technology: artificial intelligence developed and advanced in Polish academic and research centers. We discussed building AI solutions that take into account the Polish language, data, and context, as well as their ethics, security, and transparency. The panel was led by Dr. Maciej Kawecki, Director of the Innovation Center at WSB Merito University, and the speakers were: Prof. Anita Ciesielska from the University of Lodz, Dominika Grajewska from the Academic Computer Center CYFRONET AGH, Przemysław Jurgiel-Żyła – Management Board Member at Movens Capital, and Dr. Maciej Madziński – Director of the MBA IT Program at Kozminski University.

The following panel was dedicated to effective communication between universities and Generation Z – today’s students and applicants. We explored best practices in modern PR and promotion, building university brands on social media, and engaging students through authentic, two-way communication in the language of younger generations. The panelists sharing their experiences were: Prof. Marta Mendel – Vice-Rector for Internationalization at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Dr. Katarzyna Maniszewska – Vice-Rector for International Cooperation at Collegium Civitas in 2018–2025, Anna Rolczak – Deputy Chancellor of the University of Lodz, Bartosz Stawiarz – Chief Operating Officer at Perspektywy, and Dr. Izabela Zawiska – Chair of the IROs Forum and Head of the International Cooperation Office at the Jagiellonian University. The discussion was moderated by Anna Kiryjow-Radzka, President of the Association for PR and Promotion of Polish Universities “PRom” and PR Specialist at the SGGW Press Office.

To conclude the day, we addressed one of the most challenging issues in remote education – building a genuine sense of presence, engagement, and connection in the virtual space. We learned about practices that make online learning an emotionally engaging experience and help combat technology fatigue and the loss of presence in the educational process. The discussion, moderated by Judyta Kotarba, Head of the Center for Modern Education at Collegium da Vinci, featured: Prof. Joanna Mytnik – Leader of the Modern Education Center at Gdansk University of Technology, Dr. Edyta Sadowska – futurist and lecturer at the National Education Commission University in Kraków, Anna Warda-Ritzen – remote education expert at PCG Academia, and Iwona Wieczorek – Managing Director at e-learning.pl.

The organizers of the 11th LUMEN Conference 2025 were PCG Academia, the Polish Rectors Foundation, and Times Higher Education. The host of the event was the Jagiellonian University in Kraków.

The conference was held under the honorary patronage of the Minister of Science and Higher Education. It also enjoyed the patronage of the Chair of CRASP (Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland), the Conference of Rectors of Public Vocational Universities, the National Information Processing Institute, the Forum of Academic Administration Association, the Foundation for the Development of the Education System, the International Relations Offices Forum, Lewiatan Confederation, and the Association for PR and Promotion of Polish Universities “PRom”. The media patronage was provided by Forum Akademickie.

The partners of LUMEN 2025 included Anthology, Academic Software, Arcus SI, AVC Edukacja, Bugeto, DoxyChain, Hushoffice, Inspera, Panopto, Revas, Samsung, WSB Merito University Warsaw, WEBCON, Wolters Kluwer, and Żabka.

During the conference, presentations were delivered by representatives from Wolters Kluwer Polska, Times Higher Education, Academic Software, Żabka, Revas, Arcus SI, and Samsung.

The conference was hosted by Marcin Witkowski, representing the European Association of Communication Professionals in Higher Education (EUPRIO), and Łukasz Gacek, representing the Jagiellonian University Museum Collegium Maius.