On 15–16 December 2025, the University of Białystok hosted a delegation from the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA). The visit focused on issues related to the internationalisation of higher education and the role played in this process by programmes supporting academic mobility, research cooperation and the development of international research networks.
The meeting was formally opened by Prof. Dr hab. Mariusz Popławski, Rector of the University of Białystok, who emphasised the fundamental importance of internationalisation for the development of scientific research at the highest, global level and for the quality of the teaching process. He noted that internationalisation is not an end in itself, but a key instrument supporting knowledge transfer, access to research infrastructure and active participation in the global circulation of academic thought. Equally important is its educational dimension, which prepares students to function in multicultural and international environments.
The meeting was accompanied by a visit from Stefan Krajewski, Polish Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, whose presence expressed support for initiatives undertaken by the academic community of the Podlaskie region. The Minister highlighted the strengths of the region and the significant role of internationalisation in many dimensions of socio-economic development.
The delegation from the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange consisted of:
Representatives of NAWA presented in detail the Agency’s programme offer, aimed at supporting the internationalisation of universities, the development of scientific research, and the strengthening of competences among academic staff, doctoral candidates and students. Workshops on preparing NAWA funding applications, held on 16 December, were conducted by Director Dr Piotr Kępski and Dr Piotr Serafin.
The NAWA visit was accompanied by a discussion on shared challenges faced by universities, particularly in the context of their geopolitical location and issues related, among others, to security and disinformation.
The meeting was attended by representatives of Eastern Polish universities:
The event brought together a wide group of representatives of the University of Białystok community, including Deans and Vice-Deans of all faculties and of the University of Białystok Branch in Vilnius, members of the Rector’s Committee for Internationalisation, as well as staff of the International Cooperation Office.
Among the guests were also representatives of the international academic community—Prof. Jolanta Jonak and Prof. George Tolczyk from Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago - visiting professors at the Faculty of Education Sciences. Cooperation with these professors was established during the Polish Higher Education Fair and a meeting with the Polish diaspora in Chicago, organised in February 2025 by NAWA. Among the alumni of NAWA programmes who shared their experiences were also Dr hab. Alicja Korzeniecka-Bondar, Prof. UwB Dean of the Faculty of Education Sciences of the University of Białystok—and Prof. Dr hab. Anna Janicka from the Faculty of Philology of the University of Białystok, who spoke in a particularly engaging manner about a new NAWA project related to the works of Gabriela Zapolska.
The visit of the NAWA delegation constituted an important step in promoting the Agency’s programmes among researchers and doctoral candidates at the University of Białystok and confirmed that joint activities of universities, based on partnership and the exchange of experience, provide a solid foundation for the further development of the University of Białystok within the international academic community.
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