Design Thinking in an international setting – the first workshop of the “Bridging V4 Universities and Business through Design Thinking” project is behind us!

On 21-23 October 2026, the first event of the international project “Bridging V4 Universities and Business through Design Thinking”, funded by the International Visegrad Fund, took place in Wrocław, Poland. The project is led by Paulina Graczyk from the Department of Sociology and Social Policy, who serves as its Project Coordinator. The business partner of the workshops was QIAGEN, represented during the event by Małgorzata Koczerga.

How can students successfully transition from university to their first professional job?

This challenge served as the starting point for three days of intensive workshops. Participants (students from Wroclaw University of Economics and Business, Palacký University Olomouc, Comenius University Bratislava, Edutus University) explored how students can better understand employers’ expectations, identify and develop competencies relevant to the job market, and effectively present their skills during the recruitment process.

Students worked in international teams, applying the Design Thinking methodology to analyse the challenge, exchange perspectives, and develop innovative solutions. Throughout the process, they were supported by representatives of the partner universities, while Kamila Łuczak and Maciej Krahel guided the workshop activities.

The event also provided opportunities for discussions, knowledge sharing, and collecting valuable feedback from participants. Their insights and suggestions will be particularly important for planning the upcoming project events and developing a toolkit that will include the workshop methodology, tools applied, and key findings and recommendations.

And this is just the beginning!

More stages of international collaboration lie ahead, bringing new challenges and opportunities to strengthen lasting connections between academia and business.

We invite you to explore our short photo gallery and watch the event video to relive the workshop atmosphere and see international collaboration in action!

#DesignThinking #VisegradFund #V4 #UniversityBusinessCooperation #InternationalCollaboration #StudentCompetences #QIAGEN

The project is co-financed by the governments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia through Visegrad Grants from the International Visegrad Fund. The mission of the fund is to advance ideas for sustainable regional cooperation in Central Europe.

Author of text: Paulina Graczyk