On 31 January 2024, the first meeting was held of the Team of Experts on the National Internationalisation Strategy, who will constitute the main advisory body for the creation of this strategic document.
The meeting was opened by Prof. Andrzej Szeptycki Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, and Dr Dawid Kostecki, Director General of NAWA.
Participants at the meeting stressed that internationalisation cannot be an end in itself. The strategy we want to create must be based on the state's science policy and legislative empowerment. Like Germany, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Austria, Poland should also have a document setting out strategic goals for the internationalisation of science and higher education.
Minister Andrzej Szeptycki said that international cooperation in science is essential and phenomena such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian-Ukrainian war, global warming or artificial intelligence are eminently transnational in nature and require international cooperation, which is why we need a good strategy for the internationalisation of science.
This document will tell us how to internationalise Polish science well and effectively. I am glad that the work on the national strategy, to be developed by NAWA in close cooperation with the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, has also involved representatives of universities, scientific institutes and other entities operating in the field of science and higher education,' he noted.
The Minister identified the various actors that should be served by the internationalisation strategy. In thinking about the needs of these groups, we need to pay attention both to aspects such as increasing the quality of research, internationalising education and treating science also non-academically and recognising the role it plays in broader state policy.
After the official opening of the meeting, Minister Szeptycki and the Director of NAWA presented the appointment letters to the Expert Team for the National Internationalisation Strategy. The full Panel of Experts can be found at the link.
After the ceremony, the floor was taken by NAWA Director Dr Dawid Kostecki and NAWA Deputy Director Dr Zofia Sawicka, who presented the work plan for the internationalisation strategy and the events planned for 2024. The most important goals of the project were discussed, which are:
1. creating and implementing a strategy for the internationalisation of higher education and science;
2. developing mechanisms to ensure academic freedom and security;
3. raising competence in the topics covered by the project.
The meeting also discussed the most important trends in the internationalisation of science and higher education in the EU and worldwide. Among the most important factors increasing the level of internationalisation, the following were identified: international study programmes, joint research projects and the issue of obtaining funding from the European Union and abroad. Participants in the discussion made several references to the National Science Policy, enacted in 2022, emphasising that it will be an important reference point in the multi-stage and complex process of working on the national internationalisation strategy.
Three sub-teams have been set up as part of the project. The first will deal with student mobility and the internationalisation of education. The second will deal with the mobility of researchers (PhD students and staff) and the internationalisation of science. A third sub-team has been set up on science diplomacy.
