GMU Scientist and Team Take Part in Prestigious IDA Startup Bootcamp
A GMU scientist, Dr Ryszard Studański, from the Department of Power Electronics at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, together with his research team comprising Dr Agnieszka Czapiewska and Dr Andrzej Żak of the Polish Navy Academy, took part in the prestigious IDA (Investments, Dual-use, Adaptation) Bootcamp supporting start-ups and teams working with dual-use technologies.
Teams submitted proposals to the IDA Programme competition for their developed solutions in response to needs reported by the armed forces, including Formoza, ARGUS, as well as the defence industry, such as the WB Group and PGZ, and by organisations responsible for the country's security and resilience, notably the Ministry of National Defence.
A requirement for participation in the competition was to present the simplest version of the product (a minimum viable product, MVP), containing only the essential functions needed to meet the user's basic requirements. This approach aims to bring the product to market as quickly as possible in order to gather user feedback, verify its business viability, and assess the potential for applying the technology both in the defence industry and in the civilian market as part of the programme.
A solution named 'Adaptive Underwater Communication System' was entered into the IDA Programme competition by Dr Ryszard Studański in the category of 'Technologies of the Future Concerned with the Protection and Observation of the Critical Infrastructure at Sea'. The solution was evaluated highly by the jury and included in a group of the top 16 solutions from Poland.
The participation of Dr Ryszard Studański and his team in the start-up IDA Bootcamp, including application to the programme, from administrative support to pitching preparation, was assisted by the GMU Technology Transfer Office.
The next step in the programme for the GMU Scientist and his team is the final IDA Bootcamp 2025 Demo Day & VC Connect will take place on 5 December 2025 in Warsaw. During the event participants will present their solutions to key stakeholders in the defence sector.
The IDA Bootcamp (link: https://startup.pfr.pl/program/ida) is conducted by Polish Development Fund SA in cooperation with the Ministry of National Defence, PFR Ventures, the Kraków Technology Park, the Gdańsk Science and Technology Park, and the Pomeranian Special Economic Zone. The programme's partners are: Polish Armanments Group (Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa), Maritime Technical Centre (Centrum Techniki Morskiej), WB Group (Radmor), ICEYE and Palantir.
