International collaboration in action. ENHANCE connects researchers and universities | Gdańsk University of Technology

Held on 21–23 September at Gdańsk University of Technology’s centre in Czarlina, the meeting brought together 41 participants representing universities within the ENHANCE Alliance: the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Politecnico di Milano, RWTH Aachen University, Technische Universität Berlin, Universitat Politècnica de València, Warsaw University of Technology and Gdańsk University of Technology.

The participants included mentors and early-career researchers, as well as students. Bringing together representatives of different generations and academic communities created an opportunity to exchange experience, share perspectives and establish new research connections.

Mentoring across borders

One of the key themes of the meeting was international research mentoring. The event also marked the conclusion of the ENHANCE Cross-border Mentoring programme, which enables early-career researchers to benefit from the knowledge and experience of mentors based at partner universities.

Participants shared insights from their collaboration so far, presented the outcomes of their involvement in ENHANCE programmes and discussed how to foster effective relationships between mentors, supervisors and early-career researchers.

The programme also included sessions on good mentoring practices, international research projects and academic mobility. A separate part of the meeting focused on doctoral researchers’ well-being and on creating a supportive academic working environment.

The workshops were delivered by representatives of Gdańsk University of Technology, the University of Gdańsk and Universitat Politècnica de València.

Connections that can lead to future projects

Above all, the ENHANCE Meeting for Researchers provided an opportunity to build direct relationships between researchers from academic institutions across Europe. In the future, these connections may develop into joint research projects, publications, research mobility opportunities or new initiatives carried out by ENHANCE partner universities.

The ENHANCE Alliance creates an environment in which cooperation extends far beyond individual visits or one-off events. It connects academic communities across partner institutions and gives researchers access to shared expertise, mobility opportunities and an international network of contacts.

Informal networking was also an important part of the meeting. Activities outside the formal workshop programme encouraged open conversations and helped participants build relationships – one of the foundations of successful international research collaboration.

The ENHANCE Meeting for Researchers was another initiative organised by the ENHANCE Office and the Alliance’s Human Dimension work package, with academic supervision provided by Prof. Ewa Lechman from the Doctoral School at Gdańsk University of Technology.

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