Innovations Project (Projekt Innowacje) is a unique initiative of the Lodz University of Technology that bridges the academic world with the realities of the IT industry. As a mentor, I have the pleasure of guiding groups of talented students through the fascinating journey of software creation – from the first concept, through architectural design, to the deployment of a working application.
For me, it is more than just teaching technology. It is a mission to share knowledge, inspire young engineers, and show them what work in modern development teams looks like. Each edition brings new challenges, new technologies, and a fresh energy brought by the students.
Evolution of the Mentoring Program
With each edition, I strive to improve the program, adapting it to changing market trends and student needs. My goal is for each semester to be a step forward in innovative teaching.
2022: Foundations and First Steps
My adventure began in the winter semester of 2022. We focused then on web development foundations. The goal was to show the entire application lifecycle – from architecture, through UI/UX, to CI/CD. Students created individual projects, learning responsibility for code and independence. It was a lesson in humility and mutual learning.
→ Read more about this edition
2023: Teamwork and Specializations
In the summer 2023 edition, we introduced a workflow modeled after commercial teams. Instead of individual projects, students worked on one common system with a division into roles:
- Web Team
- Mobile Team
- Manager
This taught them communication, conflict resolution, and work synchronization – skills just as important as coding itself.
→ Read more about this edition
2023/2024: The Era of Nuxt and Architecture
Winter 2023/2024 brought a switch to Nuxt 3. We went deeper into architectural topics:
- SPA & Auto-imports: Understanding the advantages of meta-frameworks.
- Git Flow: Professional version management with feature branches and code reviews.
- Firebase Security Rules: Declarative security in the cloud. Students had to shift their thinking from “how to code this” to “how to design this to be scalable”.
→ Read more about this edition
2024/2025: AI Revolution
The latest iteration is a bold step towards AI-First Development. I provided students with tools like GitHub Copilot, Cursor, and Windsurf from day one.
- AI as a Mentor: Learning prompt engineering and critical evaluation of AI-generated code.
- Speed and Quality: Focusing on business logic and architecture instead of tedious boilerplate writing.
- Modern Stack: Alongside Nuxt and Firebase, students explored alternatives like Convex, AWS Amplify, or Supabase.
→ Read more about this edition
What Do Students Learn?
During the project, I emphasize three pillars of development:
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Hard Skills:
- Modern Frontend: Vue 3, Nuxt, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS / Vuetify.
- Serverless Backend: Firebase (Auth, Firestore, Storage, Hosting).
- Tools: Git, VS Code, AI Tools.
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Soft Skills:
- Teamwork and communication.
- Presenting their solutions.
- Giving and receiving feedback (Code Review).
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Engineering Mindset:
- Problem-solving, not just writing code.
- Independence in seeking knowledge.
- Understanding the business context of the software being created.
Mentor’s Perspective
Participating in the Innovations Project is a constant source of inspiration for me. Watching students, who at the beginning of the semester struggle with git basics, and at the end present fully functional, complex applications, gives me immense satisfaction.
I believe that in the age of AI, the role of a mentor is evolving – we are ceasing to be just a source of technical knowledge and are becoming guides who teach how to use technology wisely, how to verify information, and how to be an ethical, conscious engineer.
The Innovations Project is proof that education can be passionate, practical, and perfectly matched to market needs.
