Additional 2 million PLN for Gdańsk Tech activities in the ENHANCE Alliance | Gdańsk University of Technology

The “Support for European Universities” is a new NAWA project that has received EU funding. Its objective is to support universities in establishing and maintaining international university partnerships as complementary to the activities undertaken under the Erasmus+ programme.

At the moment, 32 Polish universities are part of 30 alliances and the new NAWA programme was addressed specifically to them. The fact that such a programme has been established shows the importance that the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education (which launched NAWA) places on strengthening Polish universities in international cooperation networks.

Gdańsk Tech as Member of the European Universities Initiative

As a reminder, in November 2022, Gdańsk Tech joined the ENHANCE Alliance, which brings together high-ranking technical universities from the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Poland; besides Gdańsk Tech, the Warsaw University of Technology is also a member of the Alliance. Universities from Ukraine are also among the associated partners.

Members of the ENHANCE Alliance: Warsaw University of Technology, Technische Universität Berlin (Germany), RWTH Aachen University (Germany), Universitat Politècnica de València (Spain), Politecnico di Milano (Italy), Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Norway), Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden), Delft University of Technology (Netherlands), ETH Zurich (Switzerland)

In July 2023, the ENHANCE Alliance received 14,4 million Euros for the “ENHANCE+’” project, which is a continuation and, at the same time, an extension to the existing activities [More about it can be found here].

Gdańsk and Warsaw with funding

A total of 31 applications were submitted for evaluation in the first edition of NAWA's “Support for European Universities” project; 27 were successful, of which 19 projects were selected for funding, including the project of the Warsaw University of Technology, Gdańsk Tech's partner in the ENHANCE Alliance.

- Together with the Warsaw University of Technology, we consulted our projects to ensure that they were complementary and that the funding was used as efficiently as possible. The instance of the Gdańsk University of Technology and the Warsaw University of Technology being one of only two cases in Poland where two universities are members of the same alliance, made it all the more necessary for us to think carefully about our activities. It should also be highlighted that the Project was consulted with the ENHANCE team at Gdańsk Tech’ says Anna Modrzejewska, Head of International Relations Office and ENHANCE Core Officer at Gdańsk Tech.

Gdańsk Tech even stronger within the ENHANCE Alliance

The main objective of the Project is internationalisation of Gdańsk University of Technology by pursuing activities that are synergistic and complementary to the initiatives undertaken hitherto by the ENHANCE Alliance.

- Since the beginning, we have been an active member of the Alliance. Prof. Krzysztof Wilde, Rector of Gdańsk University of Technology, holds the position of Co-Chair of the Alliance's Board of Directors. We also established a strong presence in the development of the ENHANCE+ project, for which the Alliance received funding from the European Union last July. Gdańsk University of Technology is responsible here for an important task – professional development of its staff. Receiving funding for the Project from NAWA means that we will have an even greater contribution to the ENHANCE activities. This is not solely about acquiring additional funding. We have also established that our partnership in the Alliance is of strategic importance to us.’ adds Anna Modrzejewska.

Professionalisation of the ENHANCE Activities

Within the “Strengthening Gdańsk University of Technology's potential within the ENHANCE Alliance” project, the following activities will be undertaken:

• student and PhD student arrivals/departures for three-month internships or research at/from the ENHANCE Alliance partner universities;
• development of the activities of the ENHANCE Alliance within professional staff development;
• development of the activities of the ENHANCE Alliance within sustainable development;
• meetings of the members of the various teams active within the ENHANCE Alliance, including those responsible for: IDE (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity) issues, communication and scientific research cooperation;
• meetings of the representatives of the Steering Committee, the Operational Office and Core Officers responsible for activity management within the ENHANCE Alliance;
• summer schools for Gdańsk Tech students;
• developing the Certificate in Higher Education Teaching Programme and the Certificate International for Employees.

The activities planned in the Project will benefit staff directly involved in the Alliance and other administrative, research and teaching staff, as well as students and PhD students.

More information

More information on the Project can be found at: pg.edu.pl/en/international

Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us by e-mail at: enhance@pg.edu.pl

Information on other projects run by IRO can be found at: pg.edu.pl/en/international