The year 2026 opened a new chapter for the University of Economics in Katowice - dynamic, ambitious, and based on a clear plan of action. The adopted Strategy of the University of Economics in Katowice for 2026-2033 is a document that sets the direction for the University’s development in a time of intensive social, economic, and technological transformations. It is also an invitation to joint action addressed to the entire academic community - students, doctoral candidates, staff, partners, and alumni.
As emphasized by HM the Rector prof. dr hab. inż. Celina M. Olszak in the introduction to the document:
This is a shared manifesto of ambition, courage, and responsibility. In a world that is changing faster than ever before, the University of Economics in Katowice seeks not only to respond to challenges, but also to anticipate them and co-create the future. The Strategy is the result of dialogue, in-depth analyses, and joint reflection on the directions of development of our Alma Mater. It was created thanks to the involvement of many people who share the conviction that the University of Economics in Katowice has a unique role to play in the region, in Poland, and in Europe. This is a document that combines ambition with realism, and vision with a concrete plan of action.
Why is the new strategy so important?
Recent years have brought enormous changes in higher education: the development of artificial intelligence, new expectations of students (especially Generation Alpha), pressure for internationalisation, a dynamic labour market, and the need for lifelong learning. Universities today must operate faster, more flexibly, and more consciously. For this reason, the University Strategy was developed on the basis of in-depth analyses.
The aim of the data-driven strategy approach is to create a coherent model for managing strategic information, enabling the monitoring of the environment, the identification of key success factors, and early responses to change. The foundation for identifying this model includes, among others, a PESTEL analysis, which makes it possible to understand the macroeconomic and social context, and a SWOT analysis, which defines the University’s potential and its unique distinguishing features. Thanks to the use of data and selected strategic analysis methods, the University can make fact-based decisions and create strategies that respond to the real needs of science, education, and the economy of the region and the country.
The macro-environment analysis (PESTEL) included an assessment of changes in six areas influencing the functioning of higher education, both in Poland and in Europe: political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legislative. The aim of the analysis of the University’s potential (SWOT) was to define the strengths and weaknesses of the University, as well as the opportunities and threats arising from its environment. Both analyses formed the basis for identifying the key development differentiators of UEKat and for developing strategic directions.
Values and mission that unite us
The foundation of the strategy of the University of Economics in Katowice consists of six key values that define the strategic directions of its development and determine the manner in which the University’s goals are pursued. These are: (1) professionalism, resulting from care for the quality of education and the competencies of academic staff, (2) innovation, manifested in the continuous improvement of infrastructure and teaching methods, (3) openness to new ideas, concepts, and future challenges, (4) cooperation with partners and the socio-economic environment, (5) engagement, and (6) sensitivity to the region and the world in which the University operates.
Equally important is the mission, according to which we create knowledge and educate responsible leaders, strengthening the development of the economy and society through international cooperation and dialogue with the region. We combine science with practice and tradition with innovation, engaging in cooperation with stakeholders and building a lasting social and economic impact.
The University’s vision
The University’s vision emphasizes the aspiration to strengthen its position as a leading regional centre of modern science and education, focused on developing the competencies of future leaders. This vision is implemented through four key pillars of the strategy:
- Learning Innovation,
- Excellence in Research,
- Academic-Industry Synergy,
- Dynamic University Governance.
The pillars of development constitute our compass and guide towards a future based on knowledge, cooperation, and responsibility. Each pillar responds to the most significant phenomena and trends identified through strategic analysis. The joint implementation of the vision will not only strengthen the University’s position in Poland and Europe, but also make it a space where tradition meets courage, science meets practice, and ambition meets responsibility. It is precisely in the balance between heritage and innovation that we see the source of our strength and the meaning of our actions.
The LEAD model - four pillars of UEKat’s future
The adopted LEAD model is not only a logical structure of the Strategy, but also a way of thinking about the University as a learning, flexible, and responsible organisation. Each of its pillars - education, research, cooperation, and governance - describes not so much areas of activity as a promise of continuous improvement.
Learning Innovation is a commitment to creating modern education in which the student is at the centre - their competency development, critical thinking, and ability to learn throughout life. Excellence in Research defines our scientific ambition, that is, conducting research of a high substantive level, rooted in the international research space, while at the same time strongly linked to real challenges of the economy and society. Academic-Industry Synergy represents a modern understanding of the University’s relations with its environment, based on reciprocity and the joint creation of value. Finally, Dynamic University Governance is a postulate of efficient, transparent, and data-based management that treats people, processes, and technologies as interdependent elements of a single whole.
The vision of the University of Economics in Katowice is based on the conviction that the strength of a modern university lies in its ability to combine academic tradition with the courage of innovation. The LEAD model sets the direction of this development - from modern education and research excellence, through cooperation with the economy, to dynamic and responsible governance. Each pillar responds to real contemporary challenges and complements the others, creating a coherent system in which education, research, cooperation, and governance remain in balance. This strategy enables not only responding to change, but also co-creating it in the region, in Poland, in Europe, and worldwide.
Strategic objectives - concrete, measurable, ambitious
The Strategy includes 20 strategic objectives and 27 key performance indicators (KPIs), which will make it possible to monitor progress in all areas: from the quality of education to internationalisation, research development, cooperation with business, and the well-being of the UEKat community. The document clearly defines where the University aims to be in 2033 - both in rankings and in real social and economic impact.
The combined implementation of the strategic and detailed objectives defined in the Strategy is intended to lead to the achievement of a coherent, measurable, and predictable model of the University’s functioning. The result of implementation will be an educational, research, organisational, and financial system based on quality standards, data, and highly transparent processes. The University will achieve a target governance architecture consistent with the LEAD model, enabling effective monitoring of results, rapid responses to environmental changes, and optimisation of resources. By 2033, the University will be capable of stably maintaining the assumed KPI values, increasing competitiveness in education and research, and systematically strengthening its position in the national and European higher education system.
A new stage in UEKat’s history
The 2026-2033 Strategy is more than a plan. It is a way of thinking about the university of the future: courageous, open, and rooted in values. It is also a response to the challenges of Silesia - a region of transformation, in which the University is an important voice and co-creator. In this process, the new LEAD model is to become not only a tool, but also an inspiration for action. The Strategy is based on data analysis, but also on values. Therefore, the document combines hard management tools (KPIs, PESTEL and SWOT analyses, benchmarking, evidence-based policy) with an axiological dimension: mission, values, and a shared understanding of the role of the University. The implementation of the objectives set out in the Strategy will require not only organisational actions, but also a change in institutional culture - from reactive to proactive management, from individual actions to shared responsibility, from traditional teaching models to a learning culture based on cooperation, technology, and creativity. A university that is able to learn itself becomes an institution capable of sustainable development.
The Strategy also indicates a new paradigm of relations with the socio-economic environment. The University of Economics in Katowice does not operate in isolation. It is an integral part of the ecosystem of knowledge, economy, and regional transformation. Cooperation with institutional, business, and public partners becomes a natural extension of our mission. As a result, the University participates in key processes of regional development, above all in its just transition, as well as in digital and social transformation, providing knowledge, human capital, and solutions for the economy.
By 2033, the University of Economics in Katowice seeks to be recognised as a modern, reliable, and socially engaged university that combines knowledge with empathy and local rootedness with a global dimension of action. Our ambition is to create a space where science, practice, and reflection on the meaning of development meet at one point - the human being. This marks the beginning of a new stage in the history of the University. The 2026-2033 Strategy constitutes an invitation to joint action for the entire academic community, partners, and stakeholders. Its strength lies not in its wording, but in the consistency with which it will be implemented.
Resolutions of the Senate on the adoption of the Strategy of the University of Economics in Katowice for 2026-2033 are available in the Legal Acts Library.
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