From 23 to 27 March 2026, the Medical University of Gdańsk hosted participants of Entrepreneurship Traineeship Week 2026; an intensive international programme focused on developing entrepreneurial competencies, delivered by the European university alliance ACE²-EU. Students from across Europe worked in interdisciplinary teams on real-life challenges related to healthcare innovation, sustainable development, and new technologies.

One of the invited speakers was Tomasz Nadolny, Head of Economic Development and Digitalisation at the Gdańsk-Gdynia-Sopot Metropolitan Area, who presented the region’s potential as a place where innovation, science, and business meet on a daily basis.
“I wanted to show young entrepreneurs from across Europe that the Tricity and the entire metropolitan area are not only a beautiful Baltic coastline, but above all a rapidly developing innovation ecosystem, where universities, local governments, and businesses collaborate effectively,” said Tomasz Nadolny. “Our region is the fastest-growing in Poland, attracts talent from across the country and abroad, and the Port of Gdańsk has advanced from 18th to 9th place in Europe within just four years. These are facts that make a strong impression on an international audience.”
The presentation highlighted the metropolitan area’s unique strengths: its location on the Baltic Sea as a gateway to Scandinavia and the Baltic states; a strong academic base – including the Medical University of Gdańsk with its growing biotechnology and medical cluster; and a model of voluntary cooperation among 61 local governments, which is unique on a Central European scale. Tomasz Nadolny also spoke about smart / wise city initiatives, the metropolitan bike system MeVo, and plans related to the development of nuclear and offshore wind energy, positioning the Tricity as one of Poland’s key centres of energy transition.
The event at the Medical University of Gdańsk once again confirmed the importance of cooperation between local government administration and higher education institutions – both in Poland and internationally. The ACE²-EU alliance, bringing together nine universities from Portugal, Lithuania, Latvia, Romania, North Macedonia, Austria, Spain, Germany, and Poland, is a strong example of how international academic cooperation can actively support the development of entrepreneurship and innovation in regions. For the Gdańsk Metropolitan Area, participation in such initiatives provides an opportunity to build lasting relationships with partners across Europe and to promote the region as an attractive place to live, study, and do business.

The Entrepreneurship Traineeship Week programme is held simultaneously in three European cities – Gdańsk (healthcare), Riga (creative industries), and Ingolstadt (automotive sector) – highlighting its interdisciplinary and transnational character.
More information:
https://www.ace2eu.eu/entrepreneurship-traineeship-week-2026-launched-at-the-medical-university-of-gdansk/