On December 21st, 2017 a ceremony took place during which the Director of the Nencki Institute, prof. Adam Szewczyk, in acknowledgment of special merits for the development of the Nencki Institute, handed the medal to prof. Ryszard Górecki. Professor Ryszard Górecki, Rector of the University of Warmia and Mazury,has been supporting for many years the scientific and educational cooperation of the Nencki Institute PAS with the largest university in the region in which the Hydrobiological Station of the Nencki Institute has been operating. The ceremony was also attended by prof. Hanna Fabczak and prof. Maciej Nałęcz from the Nencki Institute and Deputy rector for scientific research prof. Jerzy Jaroszewski and the Dean of the Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, UWM prof. Tadeusz Kamiński