Australia-Poland PhD student mobility resumes

24 October 2022

Following a hiatus during Covid 19 lockdowns, Australia-Poland PhD student and researcher mobility recommences. Our continued collaborations with Poznan University of Technology and the Warsaw School of Economics in Poland once again delivers two successful international mobility initiatives, generously supported by funding through EU’s NAWA PROM.

Collaboration opportunities recommence

The Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) has resumed its PROM Program Project: International scholarship exchange of PhD candidates and academic staff. The aim of the project is to facilitate international scholarly exchanges and collaboration between Polish and international PhD students and academics through generous financial support.

Several rounds of successful reciprocal mobility programs with two Polish universities were completed pre-Covid; they involved UTS and Polish PhD students completing short-forms of learning at the overseas partner university, and gave academic staff opportunities to establish and maintain international research collaborations. Following suspension during Covid, the NAWA programs are now back with even more opportunities and funding than before!

Supported by FEIT Global Networks, two groups of UTS PhD students (37 in total) and academics (9 in total) have recently completed outbound programs in Poland, one each at Poznan University of Technology (PUT) and SGH Warsaw School of Economics.

The participants attended purpose-designed research workshops, lab visits, and forums, and delivered collaborative presentations. Participants at PUT, also took part in panel discussions with the Commission of Organization and Management Sciences of Polish Academy of Science, Poznan Division practitioners.

I learned new things and got to see how other disciplines are developing in various faculties outside of my research field through diverse and interactive lab sessions…but then connecting with PUT students in the same field to have deeper discussions.

Besides diving into such diverse topics as applied philosophy of science for Economics, sustainability, human AI and social innovation, the participants also had the opportunity to engage in rich cultural endeavours.

It was a great chance to meet new people, experience a different culture and see a world out there that’s full of opportunities, connections and collaboration.

Participant feedback indicates that the program provided an enriched experience that has made a positive impact on their PhD journey. In addition, the NAWA PROM international mobility initiative has also paved the way for the participants’ potential future international collaborations with these two highly regarded institutions in Poland-post graduation.