PZL-Świdnik, an AgustaWestland company, is pleased to announce that it has signed cooperation agreements with Poland’s top technical universities aimed at establishing close collaboration. The agreements were signed during the conference: An Extraordinary Engineer Required – the cooperation of science and business in educating engineers, which was held at PZL-Swidnik’s headquarters on 25th January. The conference was organized under the honorary patronage of Mr. Krzysztof Hetman, the Marshall of Lubelskie Region.

Five of Poland’s top technical universities with aviation faculties: the Lublin University of Technology, Rzeszów University of Technology, Warsaw University of Technology, Military University of Technology and the Polish Air Force Academy have signed the agreements to cooperate with PZL-Świdnik. The collaboration will include joint research projects and the education of engineers.

The cooperation involves internship and apprenticeship opportunities with PZL-Świdnik, funding scholarships for the best and brightest students, providing ongoing thesis support, the possibility to hold practical classes at PZL-Świdnik’s factory and co- hosting scientific conferences and events.

“We acknowledge the significant contribution that Polish universities have made to the development of the Polish aviation industry and science, which is a result of their knowledge, expertise and research activities. I’m pleased that PZL-Świdnik will be involved in the transfer of practical skills and expertise to Poland’s future engineers, who are critical to the future success of the aviation sector. We expect that the cooperation allows us to have the best students, the best knowledge and the best academic results.” said Nicola Bianco, Managing Director, PZL-Świdnik S.A., during the signing ceremony.

The cooperation agreements were signed during the conference, which brought together participants from local authorities, science and business communities and students. This, the first conference of its kind, focused on the opportunities for the science and business communities to cooperate and make the most of their combined expertise and experience.

The conference programme included presentations by university delegates and a representative of AWParc (AgustaWestland Politecnico Advanced Rotorcraft Center), which is experienced in cooperating with Italian universities. The event included panel discussions, a company tour and a flight demonstration of helicopters produced by PZL-Swidnik.

With over 60 years of experience and having produced over 7400 helicopters, PZL-Świdnik is the only Polish OEM with the capabilities to undertake helicopter research, design, development, system integration, manufacturing, support, training and upgrades. PZL-Świdnik has been an AgustaWestland company since 2010. PZL-Świdnik is a key employer in the Polish aviation sector and one of the major employers in the Lublin region.