University Attends 1st Internationalisation Congress
48 panellists from 14 countries, 300 participants, and a further 150 online took part in the 1st Internationalisation Congress held at the Medical University of Gdańsk on 13-14 May 2024.
The Congress opened the wide-reaching debate on how to smartly develop the process of internationalisation at Polish institutions of higher education.
The event was organised by the Polish International Agency for Academic Exchange, the Medical University of Gdańsk and the IROs Forum.
Gdynia Maritime University was represented by the Deputy Rector for Science, Dr Dariusz Barbucha, the Head of the Department of Science, Izabela Dudek-Muczyńska, and the Head of the Department for Cooperation and Development, Dorota Barzowska.
The programme for the event included an interministerial debate between the vice ministers of science, international affairs, internal affairs, and administration.
The congress was attended by many experts from all over Europe who in taking part in the discussions shared their experience in the development and implementation of national strategies for internationalisation, including representatives of the agencies responsible for the development of higher education and science in Austria, Czechia, Finland, Germany and Slovakia.
The topics of each session concerned a wide range of activities undertaken at higher education institutions, such as the practical approach to the development of internationalisation strategies, the development of international education programmes, student support, doctoral candidates and foreign workers in Poland, and the involvement of University administration staff in the implementation of the related tasks. Discussions also touched on trends in mobility in Europe and the world, as well as processes connected with the internationalisation of doctoral schools.
Participants in the Congress highlighted the role of strategic partnerships in the internationalisation of higher education institutions, taking into account their diversity and different operating conditions.
Recommendations for Poland, which has been working on a national strategy for the internationalisation of science and higher education under the auspices of the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange since January were an important part of the discussion.
The Congress also heard from international students studying at the Medical University of Gdansk who shared their experiences in choosing a university, legalising their stay, their studies, and many activities designed to support the process of integration with the Polish academic community.
The next Internationalisation Congress is planned for September. The event will cover the internationalisation of Polish science.
The 1st Internationalisation Congress was organised as part of the “Strategy for the Internationalisation of Polish Higher Education and Science” project, from the European Funds for Social Development: Measures FERS.01.05 Skills in Higher Education. The value of the project is 9,993,687.96 PLN.
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