ENHANCE Meeting for Researchers in Czarlina: development and integration | Gdańsk University of Technology

The event brought together 41 participants from the universities belonging to the ENHANCE Alliance: Norges Teknisk-Naturvitenskapelige Universitet (NTNU), Politecnico di Milano (PoliMi), Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen (RWTH), Technische Universität Berlin (TU Berlin), Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), Warsaw University of Technology (WUT) and Gdańsk University of Technology.

Most of the participants were mentors and their mentees, but the group also included students from the Scientium, IDUB, ENHANCE Research Internship and RADIUM IDUB programmes. This created an excellent opportunity for broad integration within the academic community, including intergenerational exchange.

Exchange of experiences and skills development

One of the key elements of the programme was a series of presentations by young researchers. During their presentations, they reflected on their mentoring relationships from the perspective of early-career researchers, sharing experiences and insights gained during the past months of collaboration. They also presented the main achievements resulting from their participation in programmes offered by the ENHANCE Alliance.

Mentors and young researchers also took part in sessions focused on mentoring and research projects, including:

• “The Ideal Mentor–Supervisor” – an interactive workshop co-led by Paulina Chobot, Maurycy Słończewski-Mahlke and Muzafar Kalwar, focusing on the characteristics and good practices of an ideal supervisor.
• “Research Projects and Research Mobility” – a session led by Dr Marcin Wekwejt from Gdańsk University of Technology and Prof. Sylwia Rodziewicz-Motowidło from the University of Gdańsk, exploring project implementation and international research mobility.
• Thematic workshops for mentors, led by Dr Oksana Polyakova Nestenenko and Prof. Lourdes Canos Daros from UPV. The workshops focused on supporting mental health and wellbeing during doctoral studies, as well as building effective and supportive relationships between supervisors/mentors and doctoral students.

Integration and wellbeing in the great outdoors

In addition to the academic programme, the organisers placed great emphasis on wellbeing and networking in the heart of nature. The programme included morning activities and group games, “INO - ORIENTEERING” sessions and a bonfire with guitar, providing an excellent opportunity for integration outdoors.

An important part of the programme was the “Wellbeing Session”, which focused on physical health, general wellbeing and non-academic integration through kayaking, stretching and Nordic walking. The sports activities were led by Zofia Bulińska, MA and Grzegorz Bussler, MA from the Academic Sports Centre of Gdańsk University of Technology.

The trip to Czarlina allowed participants to develop skills related to academic career development and building international research networks, while also providing an opportunity to step away from everyday university responsibilities and recharge their batteries in natural surroundings. The time spent together will certainly lead to new initiatives and even stronger research collaboration in the future!

ENHANCE Meeting for Researchers is another initiative implemented as part of the Human Dimension Package of the ENHANCE Alliance, under the academic guidance of Prof. Ewa Lechman from the Doctoral School of Gdańsk University of Technology.

The event was organised by the ENHANCE Office, comprising:

• Prof. Justyna Lubośna
• MA Justyna Ksionek
• Dr Magdalena Pajor, Eng.
• BEng Arkadiusz Sałata
• MA Paulina Chobot
• BEng Karolina Budrewicz
• Maurycy Słończewski-Mahlke
• MA Karolina Andrzejuk

and representatives of the Faculty of Applied Physics and Mathematics (WFTiMS):

• MA Przemysław Rakowski
• MSc, Eng. Justyna Dobrowińska-Seroka

The event was funded by the “ENHANCE PG” project. The “ENHANCE PG” project (grant agreement no. BPI/WUE/2025/1/00010/U/00001) received funding under the “Support for European Universities” programme of the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA), financed by the European Union under the “Support for European Universities Alliances” project (no. FERS.01.05-IP.08-0219/23).