Foundation Act for Pomology Centre Signed
Andrzej Buła, Marshal of the Opole Voivodeship, Professor Marek Masnyk, Rector of the University of Opole, Zbigniew Budziszewski, Chancellor of the UO, and Dariusz Woś, Techbud President signed the foundation act for the construction of the International Research and Development Centre for Agriculture and Food Industry in Opole and Prószków. Next, they embedded the document in a decorative tube in the foundation of the future centre. The ceremony took place at the building site in Oleska Street.
“This is a symbolic moment and I am very happy that we are meeting on the construction site,” said Andrzej Buła, Marshall of the Opole Voivodeship..“This moment was preceded by several years of work on documents, guidelines, indicators, plans, cost estimates, etc. It was arduous, but extremely important and difficult work, because research projects financed from European funds, and the Pomology project is such a project, require gaining business partners, acquiring scientists, and defining the objectives we want to achieve in research work. All this has been achieved thanks to the cooperation of people involved in the project, and the effects are starting to be visible. It is worth mentioning that this project, implemented with agriculture and food industry in mind, is extremely important for the Opole region and I am very grateful that Prof. Marek Masnyk together with his co-workers undertook this project and that together we can create something really important and necessary.
“It is a great satisfaction when the word becomes flesh," said Prof. Masnyk. “We are signing the foundation act almost six years from the day we presented our first ideas concerning the project based on Pomology in Prószków. With time we had to verify the plans for various reasons. However, last year we managed to select a contractor and start implementing the project, and today we are at the construction site of the Opole research laboratory part of the project. Construction works are already underway at Prószków. The Pomology project is thus in the development phase and it is the beginning of the redevelopment of the whole area, which we can see around, and where, in time, a facility for our IT specialists and a student canteen will be built as well.”
One copy of the foundation act was placed in the foundation of the building in Oleska Street, one will hang inside it in the future, and another one will find its place in the Museum of the University of Opole.
Text of the foundation act:
Foundation Act
for the construction of
the International Research and Development Centre for Agriculture and Food Industry on the premises of the former Royal Agricultural Academy at Prószków and in Oleska Street in Opole
It happened on March 24, 2021 in Opole,
in the 28th year of the existence of the University of Opole, when Prof. Marek Masnyk was the rector of the university, Zbigniew Budziszewski was its chancellor, Andrzej Buła was the marshal of Opole Voivodeship, and Dawid Woś was the president of Techbud sp. z o.o.
In order to fulfil the mission of the University of Opole, to ensure its development and the highest possible level of studies and scientific research, a historic decision was made to build the International Research and Development Centre for Agriculture and Food Industry on the premises of the former Royal Agricultural Academy in Prószków and in Oleska Street in Opole.
The project is financed by:
the Marshal's Office of the Opole Voivodeship, under funds from the Regional Operational Programme, and the University of Opole.
May this project, implemented thanks to the great support of local authorities, serve students, scientists and people of the Opole region well.
As human memory is fleeting, it is right to record important events in writing, which we hereby do.
Prof. Marek Masnyk
Zbigniew Budziszewski
Andrzej Buła
Dawid Woś
***
The Pomologia project is carried out together with the municipal authorities of Prószków, where the International Research and Development Centre for Agriculture and Food Industry is being built. The centre is to be established in the so-called pomology, i.e. on the grounds of the former Natural Sciences School Complex in Prószków, which has been neglected for years; the other research part is being built on the UO campus in Oleska Street, where specialist laboratories will also be located.
The undertaking worth PLN 42 million is financed by: Marshal's Office of the Opole Voivodeship, under funds from the Regional Operational Programme, and the University of Opole.
The Pomology project includes, inter alia, laboratories performing paid tests for food industry companies in the area of toxicology, ecotoxicology, soil science, or precision agriculture. It also encompasses experimental fields, nature trails and an area for organising events related to agriculture, for example, fairs.