University Museums for Independence

The Association of University Museums raises society awareness of the significance of academic heritage as an important indicator of national identity. Museums that make up this institution along with other academic collections exhibit objects that vary in character, origin, or age. In 2019 the Association of University Museums affiliates and cooperates with representatives of 100 facilities from all over Poland. The Association supports all schools which have museums, take care of academic collections, and promote their academic heritage. Within the 2018-2022 period, many of these institutions of higher learning celebrate the 100^th anniversary of their existence, an excellent opportunity to remind society about the participation of universities, technical schools, and academies in the reconstruction of the Polish state during the interwar period. Some of the universities which celebrate their anniversaries in 2019 include the Gdynia Maritime University, AGH University of Science and Technology or the former University of Poznań, today represented by four schools in Poznań: the Adam Mickiewicz University, Karol Marcinkowski Medical University, University of Life Sciences and Eugeniusz Piasecki Academy of Physical Education.

These jubilees were the motivating factor in the preparation of the “University Museums for Independence” exhibition and in their connection, on 23-25 October of 2019, the Association of University Museums will be organizing in Gdańsk an exhibition and workshops presenting the academic heritage of Polish higher learning institutions. This event is meant to raise social awareness regarding academic heritage as an important indicator of national identity. The “University Museums for Independence” project prepared by the AUM consists of three elements: workshops, exhibition, and a catalog. The grand opening of the “University Museums for Independence” exhibition will occur on 23 November 2019 in the main building of the Gdańsk University of Technology. The workshops will be conducted on 24-25 October 2019 at the Faculty of Biology of the University of Gdańsk and the University of Gdańsk Museum.

Additional funding was provided by the Multiannual NIEPODLEGŁA (INDEPENDENT) Program for the years 2017-2022, a part of the “Niepodległa” Grant Program.

On May 17^th the office of the “Niepodległa” Program published the results of the contest for additional funding provided by the program. The Association of University Museums was awarded additional funding for its “UNIVERSITY MUSEUMS FOR INDEPENDENCE” project. Funding is in the amount of 84,000.

In all 2,079 applications were submitted. Cultural institutions of local governments submitted 967 of them while NGOs sent in 1,112. Funding was granted to 140 applicants – 46 from local governments and 94 representing NGOs. The total amount of funding granted to all projects was 8 million PLN. Individual projects were supported with amounts ranging from 10,000 to 100,000 PLN.