National Institute of Telecommunications

The Badge of Honour, an award established in 2022, was granted for only the second and third time. The commemorative medals and diplomas were presented during the ceremony at the Ministry of Digital Affairs, attended by Anna Streżyńska, Director of the National Institute of Telecommunications, and Prof. Mariusz J. Figurski, Deputy Director for Research at the Institute.

For years, we have only appreciated people from the broader technology community once they received international recognition. Only then did we celebrate and publicize such achievements. However, I feel that something extremely important is happening today. In your respective fields, you gentlemen have rendered outstanding service to Polish science. I am therefore very pleased that we can now publicly honour your accomplishments.

At the Ministry of Digital Affairs, we are building the future thanks to people like you. Your work proves that 'Poles still have what it takes.' Personally, I never doubted that, but having the opportunity to boast about the successes of Poles is something exceptional, and I am truly delighted by your shared achievements.

– said Deputy Prime Minister Gawkowski during the ceremony.

On one hand, we have an engineer, a practitioner, and an inventor; on the other, a scientist. They are connected by two things. First, they both graduated from the Warsaw University of Technology. Second, they share a passion for time. Both gentlemen have dedicated nearly their entire adult and professional lives to this field. Your achievements are truly noteworthy. I believe we should consistently implement and widely promote our domestic technological solutions.

– commented Prof. Mariusz J. Figurski, Deputy Director for Research at the Institute of Telecommunications.

Włodzimierz Lewandowski works at the Central Chamber of Standards Department of the Institute. He is a globally renowned metrologist, an international expert in the field of time metrology, and has been actively involved for many years in the work of standardization bodies dealing with time-related issues.

He has represented the Polish administration at a high substantive level in many standardization organizations. His international recognition includes his appointment as Chair of the Editorial Group in ITU-R Working Party 7A (Radiocommunication Sector), a position he has held since September 2024. Among his numerous professional accomplishments, his contribution to the development of the Galileo system and cooperation with the European Space Agency stand out, along with his involvement in the reform of the Central Office of Measures in Poland and his expert work for the Polish Parliament.

I believe this is an award for our entire community working on time-related issues, many of whom are present at today's ceremony. I would also like to emphasize that the Polish authorities are increasingly recognizing the importance of satellite navigation systems. This is crucial because such powerful technology has a significant impact on our country’s economic development and security, especially in these turbulent times. I hope that together we will accelerate Poland’s involvement in the major European Galileo system.

– said Włodzimierz Lewandowski.

Tomasz Widomski is an IT specialist, entrepreneur, inventor, and security analyst specializing in metrology based on computer techniques for distributing time and frequency standards.

For many years, he has been actively involved in developing secure synchronization via TCP/IP networks and using Galileo satellite techniques resistant to jamming and spoofing. He also contributes to the standardization of these technologies, which are critical to the security of infrastructure essential to the national economy.

He is recognized internationally as an expert in cybersecurity and time metrology, and he is also an esteemed science populariser. He explains the importance of stable operation in distributed IT/OT architecture concerning UTC time and frequency in an accessible and engaging way.

I see this award as both a great honour and a responsibility for Polish scientists and entrepreneurs. What Dr. Lewandowski and I have achieved over the past two decades is not solely our merit. It is the collective success of our teams and the people who have supported us along the way. We have abandoned all complexes and managed to join the elite group of scientists representing G7 economies. On a daily basis, we discuss extremely serious issues, including those that, just 30 years ago, we could not have imagined would determine our security, particularly in the context of the digital transformation.

– said Tomasz Widomski.