“You are the best of the best. I would like to congratulate you and thank you for choosing the University of Warsaw. It is an open, democratic and tolerant university. We will do everything in our power to support you in achieving your dreams,” said Prof. Alojzy Z. Nowak, Rector of the University of Warsaw, addressing the newly selected students and doctoral candidates. On 1st October, the ceremonial inauguration of the 2025/2026 academic year took place.
On 1st October at 2 p.m., the inauguration of the 2025/2026 academic year began at the University of Warsaw. The traditional procession went from the Casimir Palace to the Auditorium Maximum, where, after the Polish and European Union anthems were sung, the ceremony was opened by the Rector, Prof. Alojzy Z. Nowak.
“The University of Warsaw is a huge community and a powerful institution. We educate a total of over 40,000 students, doctoral candidates and postgraduate students, employ approximately 8,500 people, and collaborate with approximately 10,000 others. In this year’s admissions, we had over 68,000 applications from over 35,000 candidates. We accepted approximately 15,000 students. I would like to congratulate them all and thank them for choosing the University of Warsaw. They are the best of the best. Among them there are winners of various competitions. Currently, about 500 of them are studying at our university,” said the Rector, adding: “You have decided to study at the University that is open, tolerant and characterised by an extremely important feature, which is respect for other people. I believe that each of you will uphold these values.”
Comprehensive development
Prof. Alojzy Z. Nowak emphasised that the University of Warsaw offers enormous opportunities for development, especially for its students and doctoral candidates. He pointed out that the university is implementing approximately 1,400 grants, thanks to which students also have the opportunity to gain additional knowledge, participate in international exchanges and develop comprehensively. The Rector also mentioned the interdisciplinary nature of the University of Warsaw, which allows students to take classes at different faculties, as well as the opportunities created by the 4EU+ Alliance, of which the University of Warsaw is a member, and other partnerships at the national and international level.
“The University of Warsaw is an institution with enormous intellectual potential, ensuring development in various dimensions. Our graduates rank among the best computer scientists and experts in AI, but also in philosophy and law. This potential is our common achievement,” said Prof. Alojzy Z. Nowak.
The Rector also emphasised the importance of investment development at the University of Warsaw. He mentioned the recently opened new student hall of residence, stressing the need to obtain additional financial support, including through fixed capital, in order to create accommodation for doctoral candidates and students from abroad, thereby promoting internationalisation.
“We need you very much. I hope that we will fulfil your dreams and that you will be satisfied with your stay here. Our university is changing because the socio-economic environment is also changing. We educate not only employees, but also employers. I believe that among you there are also future outstanding politicians, researchers, entrepreneurs, people of culture, etc.,” said Prof. Alojzy Z. Nowak.
The Rector also mentioned the modification of security rules at the University of Warsaw: training for the UW’s Security Guard and increasing its capabilities on the university premises.
“The University of Warsaw is an open, democratic and tolerant university. Remember that no one will ever restrict your freedom here. However, it is important not to violate the freedom of others,” emphasised Prof. Alojzy Z. Nowak, the UW Rector.
Ceremonial matriculation
After the Rector’s speech, matriculation took place, i.e. the welcoming of new students and doctoral candidates. First- and second-cycle students and doctoral candidates who achieved the best results in the admissions took an oath and received their student record books from the Rector.
During the ceremony, Mateusz Mossakowski, president of the UW’s Students’ Council, and Kamil Frankowski, president of the PhD Students’ Union, gave their speeches.
“This day always brings with it a unique energy – it is a moment when the hopes, ambitions and challenges that the next year of our journey brings come together. The University of Warsaw is not only an institution where we acquire knowledge and develop science. It is above all a community – diverse, open and creative. In this community, we inspire and learn from each other: professors from students, students from professors, and each of us from every other person we meet at this university. This is what makes our community special,” said Mateusz Mossakowski.
“You are facing a remarkable time: a time when knowledge and passion will meet patience, perseverance and courage. By starting your own research, you not only become leaders of your own projects, but also enter the academic community; a community that has been based for years on the exchange of ideas, cooperation, mutual support and courage in taking on common challenges,” said Kamil Frankowski.
Modern technologies in the service of humanity
The inaugural lecture on modern technologies in the service of humanity and the mission of cognitive science was given by Konrad Zieliński – a doctoral candidate at the UW’s Interdisciplinary Doctoral School, a graduate of cognitive science at the University of Warsaw, a member of Prof. Joanna Rączaszek-Leonardi’s Human Interactivity and Language Lab (Faculty of Psychology, UW) and the VoXX Lab of Dr Rupal Patel (Northeastern University, Boston); founder of the start-up Uhura Bionics, which aims to solve speech-related problems using modern wearable technologies.
In his research, he combines studies of natural communication situations, grounded in personal experience, with a deep understanding of the role and functioning of devices and algorithms that assist people struggling with speech disorders. Konrad Zieliński is a winner of Forbes’ “25 under 25” and the Eagles of Innovation by Rzeczpospolita, participates in Sebastian Kulczyk’s InCredibles Mentoring Programme, and is a beneficiary of grants from the National Science Centre (NCN), the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP), National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA); his project has been awarded the “Seal of Excellence” by the European Innovation Council (EIC).
“The last decade has seen rapid development in technological capabilities in the field of everyday solutions: wearable technology, miniature computing chips, and the increasingly common use of artificial intelligence in these devices. The lecture inaugurating the 2025/2026 academic year is an opportunity to reflect on how the humanities and social sciences, including cognitive science and anthropology, can guide the conscious and responsible development of these interfaces, which are a kind of modulator of human interactions, permanently influencing the relationships we build,” says Konrad Zieliński.
During his speech, he talked about how we can design and use technology in a way that takes into account the perspective of end users and involves them in the device development process. The story was set in the Glasses for Voice project, which Uhura Bionics is working on in collaboration with the Human Interactivity and Language Lab.
A recording of the broadcast of the inauguration ceremony for the 2025/2026 academic year at the University of Warsaw can be found on the UW’s channel on YouTube: