With more than 30 years of experience in academia, Sylwia Sysko-Romańczuk is a Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management at Warsaw University of Technology. She has been exploring the realm of innovation, initially focusing on strategic management. Over time, her research evolved towards investigating how entrepreneurship and innovation intersect within corporations. Her research also delves into the ethical dimensions associated with emerging technologies. Last but not least, Sylwia is an active member of our task force innovation since 2020.
We asked Sylwia to tell us more about the link between the work performed within the task force innovation and equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).
“Although some might perceive EDI as a regulatory burden, I see it as an essential aspect of our shared humanity. Within the task force, those values are viewed as powerful tools to harness personal and team development, ultimately benefiting our universities’ institutional development.
We all come from different countries and different universities, and we have different backgrounds. This is very key to understand the variety of perspectives on a subject. It is especially important when we talk about innovation because, at the end of the day, innovation has an impact on the people in all of their diversity. On this point, I am really glad that we welcomed the National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute” in our network last January.
The co-chairs of the task force, Tim Bedford (University of Strathclyde) and Toril Hernes (NTNU), as well as its secretary, Yvonne Kinnaird (University of Strathclyde), and the Advisor supporting from the CESAER Secretariat side, Louise Drogoul, all truly embody the values of EDI. They have a fantastic way of taking all of us into the work and feeling included from the start. This is particularly showcased during our in-person meetings, we tend to reach conclusions quite quickly! I would like, however, to encourage young(er) voices to join us in the task force to bring fresh perspectives and ideas and to further enrich our discussions.”
For more information, contact Information & Communication Officer Justine Moynat.