Wroclaw universities commit to One Health: UEW signs inter-institutional agreement

On 13 May 2026, at the seat of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education in Warsaw, four Wroclaw public universities signed a cooperation agreement under the One Health framework: Wroclaw University of Economics and Business (UEW), Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, and Wroclaw University of Health and Sport Sciences. Their joint programme spans research, education, societal engagement, and the shared use of resources.

The agreement was signed by the rectors of all four institutions in the presence of Maria Mrowczynska, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. The Ministry has also extended its patronage to the initiative.

The One Health concept, promoted across the European Union, rests on the recognition that human, animal, plant, and environmental health are fundamentally interconnected. The signatories affirmed that this approach makes it possible to integrate medical, environmental, nutritional, socio-economic, and physical-culture perspectives within a single coordinated framework. The shared challenges facing Lower Silesia and the wider region provided both the context and the impetus for pursuing closer collaboration, with each institution retaining its full autonomy.

Four pillars of collaboration

The agreement is structured around four strategic areas: research, education, societal impact, and the sustainable use of shared resources. In the area of research, the universities plan to develop joint research, development, and implementation projects, form interdisciplinary teams, and pursue funding jointly from national and international sources. Priority will be given to research addressing the key needs of the region, including public health, environment, nutrition, food safety, physical activity, and socio-economic development.

The education pillar covers new forms of teaching, joint didactic initiatives, and interdisciplinary programmes, with particular emphasis on building future competences: digital, social, cognitive, and those associated with responsible governance.

The third area, societal impact, encompasses actions to strengthen the universities’ social responsibility, promote knowledge dissemination, and develop relationships with local government, public institutions, civil society organisations, and business partners.

Prof. dr hab. Czeslaw Zajac, Rector of Wroclaw University of Economics and Business:

“The One Health idea is grounded in cooperation between institutions that understand that human wellbeing, environmental health, continuous development, and engagement with the socio-economic environment are inseparable parts of a whole. As a university of economics, we know that sustainable development and sound resource management can support the health of society and improve quality of life for the people of our region. Signing this agreement is a commitment to responsible education, research, development, and health for the whole community of Lower Silesia.”

Prof. Piotr Ponikowski, Rector of Wroclaw Medical University:

“As a medical university, we know that human health depends on many factors that extend beyond medicine as traditionally understood. This is why collaboration with universities representing other fields of knowledge, from the natural sciences through economics to physical activity and rehabilitation, is so important. One Health gives us a shared language and a shared goal: developing solutions that genuinely respond to the health challenges of the contemporary world.”

The fourth pillar, the sustainable use of shared resources, addresses the joint use of infrastructure, equipment, systems, and organisational expertise to facilitate coordination and more efficient management of inter-institutional projects.

Prof. Krzysztof Kubiak, Rector of Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences:

“Human health is inseparably linked to animal health, food quality, and the state of the environment. These are the areas in which our university conducts research, trains specialists, and actively engages with the socio-economic environment. The One Health idea resonates with us precisely because it demonstrates that responsibility for public health begins where we speak of soil, water, food, animals, and ecosystems.”

Each institution brings a distinct perspective to the partnership. Wroclaw University of Economics and Business contributes expertise in management, socio-economic analysis, public policy, and health economics. Wroclaw Medical University covers medicine, health sciences, prevention, public health, and clinical research. Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences brings competences related to animal health, environment, food, and agriculture. Wroclaw University of Health and Sport Sciences completes the partnership with its experience in physical activity, sport, physiotherapy, rehabilitation, and quality of life.

Dr hab. Tadeusz Stefaniak, prof. AWF Wroclaw, Rector of Wroclaw University of Health and Sport Sciences:

“Without an adequate level of physical activity, it is difficult to speak of a healthy society. We are currently confronting a pandemic of obesity and metabolic disorders affecting millions of people in Poland. This is a challenge not for tomorrow but for years and decades to come, one that demands collaboration across all academic institutions. The One Health concept can help us respond more effectively to contemporary civilisation-level challenges, because it combines knowledge from different fields and demonstrates that human health also depends on environmental quality, lifestyle, and prevention.”

The data bear out this assessment. According to a 2025 report by Poland’s National Centre for Nutrition Education (NCEZ), approximately 33% of children of early primary school age in Poland have excess body weight. The Wroclaw universities have not waited passively: Wroclaw University of Health and Sport Sciences and Wroclaw Medical University launched collaboration within the #nabieraMYodwagi (Let’s Gain Courage) campaign in September 2025, and Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences joined the coalition in April 2026. The agreement of 13 May formalises and extends this cooperation to all four institutions. (Sources: NCEZ 2025; awf.wroc.pl; alertmedyczny.pl, April 2026)

The agreement does not establish a new institutional body or overarching organisational structure. It provides a framework for action conducted with full respect for each partner’s autonomy, institutional identity, and competences. The universities commit to cooperation based on partnership, complementarity, mutual respect, and shared accountability.

Joint endeavours will be developed where the combination of expertise allows for greater scale of impact, more efficient use of resources, and more effective responses to complex health, social, environmental, and economic challenges. The agreement marks a step towards interdisciplinary, practice-oriented collaboration rooted in the needs of Lower Silesia and directed at challenges that extend well beyond the regional scale.

badania.uew.pl/en – because interdisciplinary collaboration is not a trend – it is a response to real challenges

Researchers and institutions interested in collaboration within the One Health framework are welcome to contact UEW.

Author: Justyna Morawska-Płoskonka