The scientific association is an organization of students working in a higher education institution, whose purpose is the scientific and self-education of its members. Scientific circles can function as informal groups and as registered structures. The official condition of the existence of a circle at many universities is its enrollment in the special register of student organizations. Some circles gain a lot of independence by registering in court – but then they should be treated as non-governmental organizations [1]. Association activities have a very positive impact on raising the awareness and knowledge of members of the organization in the field of interests and has influence on the future career of the students. Such organizations are very much needed in higher education institutions and they raise the quality of education and open the horizons for new solutions. The aim of the article is to present the student associations role in the university life with brief description of the most important ones actively working at the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Poznan University of Technology with the focus on actions related to Construction Technology and Management field. What is more authors present the scientific work that is associated with the actions taken by Construction Innovations Associationswhich is directly related to construction sector and civil engineering and since 2011 is growing steadily.

۲٫ Role of students organizations

Students organization plays important role in education process and most universities accepted the role of student organizations as beneficial to both students and the university itself [2]. For the students they can provide an informal support structure, guidance and friendship while studying at the universities [3]. Participation in a student group for young people is a good way to ignore position and power hierarchy, which are replaced by collegiality and dedication to achieve both academic and professional success. This is especially important since for many students, education does not simply mean obtaining a university degree and, consequently, a good job. There is also a need to attain personal satisfaction and a sense of responsibility for the community in which one lives [4]. Recent studies showed [5] that attending the additional meeting where students who were engaged in extracurricular student organizations rated themselves higher on both leadership traits and behaviors than those who were not involved in student organizations. Other studies presented [6] greater academic and social support, greater confidence in the institutional environment, and increased contact with faculty that influence directly not only the student but the university.