It is now official: Polish government will create a special scholarship system dedicated to international exchange of academics. The National Agency for Academic Exchange (Narodowa Agencja Wymiany Akademickiej) will begin the operations at the latest by January 2018. It aims to solve the most troubling problems of Polish higher education by offering high-skilled professionals attractive placements at the Polish universities.
The National Agency for Academic Exchange will be the Polish equivalent of DAAD. This institution will be responsible for international cooperation of academic facilities. It will focus on creating international exchange programs that would allow Polish students and scientists to study and work abroad and encourage foreign professionals to come to Poland. These programs will be available to a wide range of academics – from undergraduate and graduate students, through researches and PhD students to professors.
Except for an elaborate scholarships system targeted to both Polish and foreign specialists, the Agency plans to create a special grant program that will invite Polish expatriate scientists to return. “I hope that thanks to this institution we will be able to bring many promising young scientists, who work at the universities all over the world, back to Poland”, said Jarosław Gowin, the Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and Higher Education.
The third objective of the Agency is to provide information about the Polish education system and Polish language abroad. It will cooperate with other entities to solve problems regarding recognition of education, overcoming one of the main challenges that exchange students have to face.
Additionally, Gowin disclosed details regarding the establishment of the National Institute of Technology (Narodowy Instytut Technologiczny), an institution which is planned to increase the level of internationalization of Polish universities and research facilities.
The National Institute of Technology is planned to tie the best research facilities together, creating a network of institutions that will support one another. Its existence will facilitate the exchange of academic staff, realization of research programs and joint applications for Polish and international grants. The idea of this institute is based on German and Scandinavian solutions, where universities cooperate to achieve the best results.
“Year 2017 will be crucial for Polish science,” summarizes Gowin. The expectations are high – we will definitely keep our fingers crossed.
Source: Polska Agencja Prasowa
