The Silesian University of Technology is the oldest public technical uni-versity in Upper Silesia and one of the largest in the country. As the only university in the region it is among the prestigious laureates of the Ministry of Education and Science competition „Excellence Initiative – Research Uni-versity”.More than 60 fields of study and about 200 specialisations are cur-rently offered in 15 units, covering the entire range of engineering activities. Scientific research is conducted in all disciplines of engineering and technical sciences, as well as the disciplines of chemical sciences, Earth and related environmental sciences and management and quality studies. On the basis of in-depth analyses of the achievements of the staff, international cooperation, technology transfer and owned infrastructure, 6 priority research areas have been identified.