The 3W concept

The 3W concept focuses on three resources: water, without which there would be no life; hydrogen, which is the future of energy; and carbon, which allows lighter and more durable engineering materials to be designed. It is a globally unique concept in which we bring together the competences and needs of the worlds of science, business and administration to combine them into a coherent socio-economic system, based on a synergistic view of the aforementioned resources.

Beata Daszyńska-Muzyczka, President of BGK, talked about the role of the 3W concept and why the bank is interested in this topic in one of her speeches:

The initiation of activities around the 3W concept is the result of careful observation of the reality around us. We have just announced BGK’s new strategy, under which the bank will continue to pursue its mission, as defined by its founders nearly a century ago. However, we have made a significant adjustment in this mission and are focusing on the sustainable socio-economic development of the country.

What is the mission of the 3W initiative?

The essence of the 3W concept is to facilitate the flow of information between representatives of business, science, administration and consumers. By creating a space for cooperation, at 3W we support scientists in commercialising their inventions and Polish entrepreneurs in the efficient use of resources. We also build social capital and strengthen awareness and consumer attitudes that support the development of the 3W sector. All of this is to find effective ways of combining water, hydrogen and carbon technologies in such a way as to ensure a better future for the next generations.

How did the 3W ecosystem come about?

For the 3W initiative, Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego has invited representatives from many circles: science, business and administration.

One of the tasks facing us is to build bridges between these communities. We want to connect science with business and develop common know-how with entrepreneurs related to the use of hydrogen, water and the non-energy use of the element carbon, and thus build an independent and strong economic position for our country.

Said Beata Daszyńska-Muzyczka, president of BGK and initiator of the 3W idea.

In the first year of 3W’s existence, we signed 12 letters of intent with Polish companies and organisations operating in the area of raw materials of interest.

At Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego, we recognised the potential of three key resources: water, hydrogen and carbon. We started by consolidating the community and reaching out to potential stakeholders with the message that we were ready – figuratively speaking – to open an umbrella over projects in the 3W area. With business representatives, we just sealed our common goals by signing letters of intent.

Said Adam Żelezik, then director of the 3W Department at BGK.

Today, after more than two years of the project’s existence, the 3W concept is a comprehensive system comprising more than 120 companies and institutions from the business world (including Toyota Central Europe – one of the first manufacturers of series production hydrogen cars), 35 scientific entities (including the Łukasiewicz Research Network), experts and other members of the committed community associated around the project. Partnerships and collaborations are formed within the 3W network, both on an operational and strategic level, which contributes to the development of modern 3W technologies and promotes Polish technological thought abroad.

Establishment of the ICI 3W – science supports business and business supports science.

In May 2022, BGK signed an agreement with the Łukasiewicz Research Network, the Poznań University of Technology and ten other leading Polish universities. Under it, the Interdisciplinary Innovation Centre 3W (ICI 3W) was established. In June of the same year, four working groups were established in which representatives of the universities belonging to the Centre interact. The Energy, Environment and Logistics Groups focus on harnessing the synergies of water, hydrogen and carbon, while the Legislative Group works on preparing legal solutions to meet the needs of the 3W world.

The Centre’s tasks are to popularise the 3W concept in the scientific world and to support scientists in the commercialisation of innovative solutions in the area of water, hydrogen and carbon, in particular those that use a combination of these three resources.

We benefit from the fact that we can cooperate very closely with various research units. It may seem obvious that two institutes or departments cooperate with each other, but in practice there is a lot to be done. The value is the ability to build a consortium and the impulse provided by ICI 3W to create joint teams.

Noticed by Piotr Dardziński, president of the Łukasiewicz Research Network.

The establishment of the 3W Interdisciplinary Innovation Centre (ICI 3W) was an important step towards realising the 3W idea and an element of the vision of transforming the Polish economy, which will consequently become more competitive and innovative. Today, the 3W ICI already comprises 35 scientific entities from all over Poland. Their representatives are preparing assumptions for a hydrogen certification system, which will not only confirm its origin, but also enable monitoring of the production process in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. This is an important step on the road to safe and clean energy and a key stage in the process of hydrogenising the Polish economy.

Establishment of the 3W Expert Council

In June 2022, the 3W Council was established. It included representatives from business, science and politics who agreed to build the 3W ecosystem with us.

“The 3W concept has reached the next stage. After the first entrepreneurs joined the initiative, after we established the 3W Interdisciplinary Innovation Centre, it is now time to move on. The 3W Council will be made up of experts in sustainability, innovation, chemistry, physics, science-business cooperation. Their knowledge and experience will guide the 3W initiative and promote it in society.”

Commented Beata Daszyńska-Muzyczka, who is the chairwoman of the 3W Council.

The members of the 3W Council are:

• Jadwiga Emilewicz, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Development;
• Dr. Piotr Dardziński, President of the Łukasiewicz Research Network;
• Krzysztof Meissner, , physicist and science promoter;
• Dr. Paweł Przygrodzki, Director of the Centre for National Hydrological Protection at the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management – IMGW PIB.

Council members are ambassadors of the 3W concept. They popularise the project primarily in their communities. They also support the development of the initiative – they give their opinion on the directions of socio-economic development in the area of water, hydrogen and modern carbon technologies and suggest directions for further activities (also in the 3W Interdisciplinary Innovation Centre).

Promoting the 3W concept – 3W Congress and other industry meetings.

On the map of important events that popularise the described BGK initiative is the 3W Congress. It provides a place to discuss the opportunities offered by innovative technologies, to develop business relationships and to establish partnerships.

In 2023, the event was held for the third time and was the largest meeting of experts dealing with technologies in the areas of water, hydrogen and carbon in Poland and this part of Europe. Over the course of two days, more than 1,500 people – including more than 150 speakers from Poland and around the world plus around 130 accredited journalists – had the opportunity to exchange thoughts here in six rooms.

The special guest at this year’s congress was the eminent physicist and futurologist Dr Michio Kaku, who drew attention to the enormity and pace of change currently taking place in the world during his inspiring speech entitled “New Opportunities for Business and Society”.

“We are entering the fourth industrial revolution – that is, the era of artificial intelligence. We are also discovering the secrets of human DNA and carbon, which will soon be the basis of many modern solutions and technologies. Our children, on the other hand, will witness the fifth industrial revolution, connected with the use of hydrogen, e.g. in fusion power plants”, Michio Kaku pointed out.

The 3W Congress was also an opportunity to talk about advanced technologies. Professor Andrzej Dragan talked about the opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence and its impact on work and the future. The event also saw the premiere of another – already the third – 3W report, entitled “The 3W World. Reality and the Future”. The publication was compiled by organisations involved in the creation of technologies in the areas of water, hydrogen and carbon.

As the initiator of the 3W idea, representatives of Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego were also present at the largest and most important industry events in Poland, and these include: Impact, POLECO, H2Poland, TOGETAIR, Local Trends, Forum G2. BGK also participated in the World Water Week in Stockholm, where it invited companies from the 3W world to a panel it hosted and enabled them to present their technologies in front of an international audience. The Bank was also involved in important projects for local communities, e.g. together with Ścieki Polskie it organised the first survey in the country on the state of technological advancement of water catchment stations.

Education in the 3W spirit

One of the missions of the 3W concept is to build the environmental awareness of society. In this respect, BGK is active in many ways. Educational animations, workshops, scientific experiments, nationwide competitions for the best diploma thesis are just some of the activities in which the bank’s 3W team has been involved over the past two years. What’s more, regular meetings with students, promotion of young talents, applications for internships and placements in 3W companies show how interested young people are in this sector of the economy. 

The 3W Student Scientific Circle was launched in the 2023/2024 academic year. It is the first interuniversity circle for visionaries and enthusiasts of modern technologies in the areas of water, hydrogen and carbon. With the support of 3W partners, students exchange knowledge and experience, broaden their horizons and develop innovative projects both at home and abroad.

This is the first online space of its kind in Poland that will bring together business, science and the public sector in a real way. The space opens up entirely new opportunities for collaboration, implementation and commercialisation of projects – in innovative technological and business formats, with the support of the scientific world. Through the platform, registered users have permanent access to reports, studies, analyses, specialist articles, opinion pieces and research, and above all to experts from the 3W Interdisciplinary Innovation Centre.  

Grant programmes for 3W activities

In addition to creating a network for sharing experience and building partnerships, BGK’s task is also to fill gaps, create new financial instruments and support instruments. Therefore, the bank’s 3W team will not only help to finance projects, but will also provide support involving the search for investors, protection of intellectual property or assistance in the commercialisation process. We also want the support programmes already in place at BGK to be particularly favourable to 3W projects.

Plans for the future

The 3W initiative is not just a project, but a lifestyle. Two years after its inception, BGK is not slowing down. On the contrary, we are constantly building bridges between the worlds of science and business to ensure a sustainable future for the next generations. We also continue to cooperate with the world of administration and with local authorities. We also continuously undertake educational activities to raise public awareness of the importance of the 3W concept.