A three-day Congress of Polish Engineers in the UK was held from 28 to 30 October 2021. It was organised to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Association of Polish Engineers in the UK. The main theme of the Congress was change as the only constant in our constantly evolving world.

The Congress began with two online panel discussions featuring virtual engineers from France, Germany, the United States of America, Poland and many corners of the UK. The first discussion focused on the potential of Big Data, the use of available tools useful for carrying out intelligent data analysis, as well as the technological opportunities presented by the application of artificial intelligence in the future.

The second panel: Engineering over Borders, focused on sharing experiences of working on international projects and in a multicultural environment, and on the crossing of the borders, literally and metaphorically, which opens up different opportunities for engineers.

On the second day of the anniversary celebrations, a reception was held at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in London. The invited guests were welcomed by Vice Consul Radosław Gromski and STP President Anna Kopyto with speeches. Shortly afterwards, Vice President Piotr Świeboda spoke about the mission, history and recent events of the Association. The highlight of the programme was the presentation of the preliminary findings of the work on the Technical Report: Unleash the Potential. A report on Polish women working in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) in the UK. Mirosława Michniewicz, a trustee of the Association, talked about the image of Polish women emerging from the collected data – how old are they, what inspires and motivates them, do they derive satisfaction from their professional work, what challenges and prospects do they face, what made them emigrate? The completion of the Technical Report and its publication is planned for the beginning of next year.

Then the Secretary Marian Zastawny presented STP Badges of Honour – two silver ones to Mirosława Michniewicz and Alina Antonik for their involvement in the STP projects, and a golden one to Małgorzata Kmiecicka for her long-standing activity for the Association, and in particular for her contribution to the organisation of monthly seminars of the Czwartek 4You series.

The official part ended with congratulations personally expressed by the President of the Association of Poles in the UK: Prof. Dr. Włodzimierz Mier-Jędrzejowicz, Director of the Construction Institute at the University of Zielona Góra Dr hab. inż. Beata Nowogońska, Vice President of the National Council of the Polish Chamber of Civil Engineers Dr inż. Andrzej Pawłowski, M.Sc. Andrzej Bielawski representing the European Federation of Polish Engineering Associations and the Federal Association of Polish Engineers and Technicians in Germany and the presentation by Agata Ura of the ceramic logo of the Association of Polish Engineers made in Italy.

On the last day of the Congress, STP Members and Supporters met for an informal lunch at the Darwin Brasserie located on the 36th floor of the Sky Garden building. The meal was followed by a tour of the Sky Gardens and views of the London skyline.