Rafał Cichy – a new director of Łukasiewicz – PIT

The President of the Łukasiewicz Research Network has appointed Rafał Cichy, PhD as director of the Łukasiewicz – Poznań Institute of Technology. He has replaced Arkadiusz Kawa, PhD in this position. Rafał Cichy plans to continue to develop the activities of the current research centers, increase R&D potential and expand the Institute’s commercial offerings.

Rafał Cichy has been associated with the Institute of Rail Vehicles “TABOR” since 1997, which in 2019 was incorporated into the structure of the Lukasiewicz Research Network and later became part of Lukasiewicz – Poznan Institute of Technology. He began his career as a senior assistant of the constructor, to later work as a constructor, research assistant, product certification specialist and manager, and head of the Laboratory of Rail Vehicles. In May 2023, he became director of the Department of Certification and Inspection.

He also worked on the development of a multi-purpose rail-road tractor, a vehicle set for bimodal transport, or an adaptorless rolling stock for combined rail-road transport of new-generation road trailers.

The new director of Lukasiewicz – PIT in recent years has, among others, worked with government entities in the preparation and opinion of documents related to the mutual recognition of rolling stock in the EU, and sat on the EU subcommittee on rail interoperability NB RAIL. He is the author and co-author of dozens of scientific articles, monographs and more than a dozen patents and utility models.

What goals does he set for his five-year term? – In the coming years, we will focus on the development of the current research centers, but at the same time we will set our sights on increasing R&D capacity and commercial offerings. We will focus on reaching out to new customers, foreign cooperation and further building the Institute’s brand of being open to the market, creating innovative and business-responsive solutions – explains Rafał Cichy.