ABB's ‘Inżynierowie [Engineers] 4.0’ report on tertiary education in engineering subjects in Poland in 2024 reveals that engineering students learn too much theory and have too little practice. A survey of students showed that 18 per cent of them believe that their study programmes are inadequate for the requirements placed on candidates for work in modern industry. One of the problems identified by the respondents is insufficient access to new technologies. An independent survey of students confirmed the problems outlined. An analysis of the didactic laboratory base showed that the equipment in some laboratories is outdated. This was also confirmed by a survey conducted among engineering subjects students. The reason for this state of affairs is the limited level of funding for universities in Poland and the rapidly advancing technological progress.

According to the authors, one way to alleviate the above-mentioned problems is to introduce research conducted at universities into the curriculum content. This would allow students to be introduced to modern technologies – often those that will only be implemented in industry. They would also have the opportunity to familiarise themselves with modern equipment, often only available in the best industrial laboratories. To assess the feasibility of introducing research topics into the curriculum, the authors analysed the benefits and risks of introducing such a change.

In the course of the research, the following working hypotheses were put forward:
H1. Introducing research into the study programme will allow students to gain access to the latest technologies.
H2. Barriers to the introduction of scientific research into the study programme are the availability of qualified teaching staff and equipment.
H3. Introducing research into the curriculum carries a high level of risk for the university.
H4. Students are positive about the opportunity to be involved in research projects conducted at universities.

The results indicate that some students are interested in participating in activities using research equipment. Also, numerous surveyed research and teaching staff indicate that conducting classes using modern equipment can increase students' familiarity with it and the latest technologies.

When exploring the possibility of providing students with the opportunity to work on research equipment, a number of risks and issues were identified. The most important is the possibility of damage to laboratory equipment, which involves interrupting research.

In addition, serious limitations to the implementation of the proposed solution were identified. The research apparatus possessed by universities allows for research on modern technologies. This is associated with its high level of complexity and significant cost of use. In many of the identified cases, the operating costs of the apparatus are high. Making it available to students would entail a significant cost of teaching. In addition, it would significantly reduce the availability of the apparatus for researchers. Another extremely important problem is the insufficient amount of equipment available. This limits the number of teaching stations that can be organised for students.

The study shows that the proposed solution can significantly improve the quality of teaching, but this is associated with significant costs for universities and the risk of damage to existing equipment.

Keywords: Research, curriculum, labour market, technology, training.