The Science: Polish Perspectives conference is presently taking place in Oxford with participation of Polish researchers – NAWA is a strategic partner to this event, and during the conference the NAWA’s Director General Łukasz Wojdyga gave a presentation “What's the news in internationalisation of Polish science and higher education?”; during the afternoon session, a panel dedicated to scientific diaspora took place, also with participation of the NAWA’s Director General. Other speakers who gave their presentations during this panel, apart from the Director General Łukasz Wojdyga, were Rocio Gaudioso from the Society of Spanish researchers and UlrikeTopf from the University of Warsaw.

Over 150 participants had the opportunity to obtain detailed information on the NAWA’s offer directed to researchers during the workshops carried out by Agnieszka Stefaniak-Hrycko, Paweł Kurzyński and Piotr Kepski.

Polonium Foundation is an organisation associating young researchers, conducting their activities from 2016. The Foundation was established by a group of young Polish researchers working and studying in the United Kingdom, and the idea itself came during one of the Science: Polish Perspectives conferences. The first conference was organised in 2012 and it gathered 100 persons – as from that moment, this event organised by the Foundation gathers over 800 participants each year.

This year the Foundation presented the results of the research on Polish scientific diaspora that it had conducted. Conclusions stemming from the research show that strengthening bonds and building cooperation networks have a significant importance for Polish researchers working outside Poland. Over 400 researchers were surveyed during the research, and the results show among others, that young researchers find it important to maintain contacts with Polish researchers and it brings them not only professional, but also private benefits. Young researchers are more willing to return to their country than researchers who spent over 10 years abroad, and grant programmes are an important factor which may encourage them to return. The authors of the research also indicate, that it is worth not only to take care about Polish researchers working abroad to return to their country, but also to encourage foreign researchers to come to Poland in order to improve Polish science and higher education and to make it more attractive.

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