On September 26-29, a delegation from the Poznan University of Technology represented the university during the annual EAIE conference, which this year took place in Rotterdam. The conference was accompanied by an educational fair, which gave universities the opportunity to meet face-to-face and discuss further cooperation with existing foreign partners or acquire new partners for joint projects and other international initiatives. The Poznan University of Technology presented its educational offer at a joint stand organized by the National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA), which this year was attended by a record number of Polish universities (31) and their representatives (over 60 people). The EAIE conference is the largest event in Europe bringing together specialists in the field of internationalization. It is also a unique opportunity for mutual meetings. During the conference, the delegation consisted of:
• prof. Paweł Śniatała, Vice-rector for International Relations
• mgr Magdalena Zawirska-Wolniewicz, Head of Interantional Relations Office
• mgr Magdalena Sikorska, Head of European University Office
During the conference, prof. Paweł Śniatała, Vice-Rector for International Relations, was a speaker during the session "What's new in Poland: Solidarity with Ukraine - European Universities Alliances (6.16)". This session was led by the Director of the National Agency for Academic Exchange, Dawid Kostecki, PhD who invited representatives of two Polish members of European universities: the Poznan University of Technology and the University of Gdansk, represented by Prof. Anna Jurkowska-Zeidler, Vice-Rector for International Cooperation. Director Dawid Kostecki emphasized that the inclusion of Ukraine in the European Research Area is a milestone in supporting cooperation and exchange of knowledge across borders. Moroever, through initiatives such as the NAWA program "Solidarity with Ukraine - Alliances of European Universities", we are creating transnational partnerships to facilitate academic mobility and strengthen East-West scientific connections.
Rector Śniatała had the opportunity to present the activities of the Poznan University of Technology as the leader of the European University EUNICE in the context of support for Ukraine, taking into account the high level of scientific excellence, as well as how to deal with current challenges in practice. The session brought together representatives from various countries and got them involved in a shared discussion.
At the end of the session, there was an extraordinary event where participants wrote words of support for our neighbors fighting in the war with Russia. It was a moving moment, building an additional sense of solidarity with Ukraine.
The delegation held a number of meetings with existing partners, including representatives of universities associated with EUNICE and potential partners from around the world, including: with representatives of the following foreign centers:
• Universidad Panamericana (Mexico)
• Florida International University (USA)
• KOREA TECH (Korea)
• Parul University (India)
• Technical University of Applied Sciences Wurzburg-Schweinfurt (Germany)
• UniLaSalle (France)
• University of Timisoara (Romania)
• Università degli Studi di Roma „La Sapienza” (Italy)
• European University Foundation
• Institut Mines-Telecom (France)
• HH Offenburg (Germany)
• University of Twente (Holland)
The ceremonial opening of the Polish stand was honored by the presence of the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland in The Hague, Margareta Kassangana, and the Polish Reception, to which members of the Polish delegation were jointly invited by the Ambassador. The event gave the delegation participants the opportunity to build a network of contacts between individual Polish institutions, which is also an extremely important aspect of this type of events.
During the conference, as part of the poster session, a poster was presented, which was the result of the work of the Peer-IR-View project team. This project, as part of the Erasmus+ Strategic Partnerships, was created in parallel with the European University EUNICE, as part of the international cooperation departments. The Poznan University of Technology was a partner in the project, which was implemented within the International Relations Offices and the European University Office. As a result, 16 practical tools were created to support IRO employees in their daily work. The project coordinator presented the poster - Université Polytechnique Hauts-de-France (UPHF) and won the plebiscite for the best poster during the EAIE conference this year!
