International education projects at UPWr

• Thanks to the summer schools ran at UPWr, foreign students will be able to discover development and research opportunities offered by the UPWr Doctoral School.
• The DIGITAG project envisages the development of a model for digital skills training of people working in the agri-food sector and living in rural areas.
• Professor Małgorzata Korzeniowska's project, financed as part of the STER programme, foresees the UPWr Doctoral School becoming more international and interdisciplinary. 

Summer schools as a career path at the UPWr Doctoral School

Getting foreign students interested in pursuing a doctorate at the UPWr, and thus contributing to making the university more international, is one of the aims of the UPWr Doctoral School. A project to create specialised summer courses at the university was therefore submitted to the SPINAKER programme run by NAWA. This project will enable foreign students to discover the opportunities for development and research offered by the UPWr Doctoral School. Over PLN 500,000 was allocated for its implementation, and Prof. Aleksandra Pawlak from the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology of the UPWr was chosen to lead the project.

- We want to present our leading scientists to students from abroad, show them what kind of research is being conducted at the university and present them with the full offer of the doctoral school. We want them to see that they have the opportunity to pursue their doctoral thesis in interdisciplinary, international research teams. Scientists from leading European facilities in France, Italy, Germany, Spain, the UK, the Czech Republic and Romania will talk about their joint research - says Prof. Pawlak.

The project has resulted in the creation of two intensive international training programmes, in which scientists discuss how topics related to companion animals – dogs, cats and horses – can be the topic of a doctoral thesis not only for vets, but also for all graduates in biological and related sciences. International PhD students from the UPWr Doctoral School, who are the best source of inspiration for future candidates, will also show their groundbraking research results.

As part of the summer school, interested students from foreign universities will be able to participate in lectures conducted online by outstanding specialists from Poland and abroad, and 20 selected candidates will receive a scholarship to come to Poland, where they will participate in workshops prepared by scientists from UPWr. 

– During the workshop, students will be able to learn how to perform and interpret ECG and ultrasound heart checks, carry out orthopaedic examinations and learn about the application of thermography in horses, become acquainted with biotech techniques used in animal reproduction or learn the secrets of working in a laboratory with the use of cell cultures and molecular biology techniques – says Prof. Aleksandra Pawlak, who also mentions that thanks to planned trips and integration lectures, the students invited to Poland will have the opportunity not only to meet university scientists in person, but also to visit Wrocław and discover Polish culture. 

Digital skills for the future of agriculture

The European Commission aims to digitise the agricultural and rural sector in Europe in order to raise the standard of life of people living in rural areas, and the use of digital technology will become increasingly important for farmers and other rural businesses to provide sustainable solutions to current and future challenges, as highlighted in the Cork Declaration.

 – As part of the digital single market strategy, the 'Digitising the European industry' initiative sets out the goal of ensuring that “every industry in Europe, large or small, regardless of location, and in any sector, can take full advantage of digital innovation to modernise their products, streamline their processes and adapt their business models to digital change" – quotes Prof. Barbara Król from the Department of Animal Nutrition and Feeding Science, head of the Digital Skills in Farming for Future Agriculture (DIGITAG) project, which has received over EUR 200,000 in funding.

The digitisation of the system will redefine the role of farmers and agricultural entrepreneurs, and verify the required skill set in the agri-food sector. Based on reports from several events of the European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability (EIP-AGRI) on opportunities and challenges of digitalisation in the agri-food sector, the DIGITAG project identified six main key competences and skills that people working in the agri-food sector should successfully master as part of the digital transformation. These are: attitude and openness, comprehensive management, communication and cooperation, a 'Bridge', digital literacy and advanced digital skills.

– Thanks to the DIGITAG project, a vocational training model in digital skills will be developed for people working in the agri-food sector and living in rural areas, so that they can learn to assess and implement best practices and technology in their work – emphasises Prof. Barbara Król.

International interdisciplinary Doctoral School 

Created by the UPWr Doctoral School, the STER project with the intriguing acronym I2PhD@BBUniHEART, headed by Prof. Małgorzata Korzeniowska from the Department of Development of Functional Food Products, received NAWA financing to the tune of almost PLN 2,000,000. It is available for both doctoral students and university employees, and aims at increasing internationalisation and interdisciplinarity of the UPWr Doctoral School. 

– We intend to achieve this by recruiting a higher number of ambitious, active and successful foreign students and establishing contact with internationally-renowned PhD supervisors. Their work with supervisors from the UPWr will bring more international projects, as well as innovative and interdisciplinary research – says Prof. Małgorzata Korzeniowska.

The STER project will also provide wider access to knowledge and know-how from outside the university and the country by developing and joining strong international scientific networks and associations of doctoral students. – It will also help us extend our educational and training offer by inviting leading scientists and experts, both from Poland and abroad. Not only strictly within the scope of scientific disciplines in which the UPWr Doctoral School ieducates, but also promoting interdisciplinary research and putting it into practice – says Prof. Korzeniowska, adding that the funds from the project will also help organise visits to leading clinics, enterprises, innovation and research and development centres, as well as finance certified language examinations (TOEFL, IELTS) or Polish language courses to help foreign PhD  students adapt to the local and academic community.

The STER project will lead to making the UPWr Doctoral School more international by increasing the number of PhD students and foreign supervisors, establishing partnerships and creating long-term and active doctoral networks, as well as implementing international and interdisciplinary projects in together with partner centres at home and abroad. The project also envisages the development of at least one double diploma programme with a foreign entity, an increase in industrial-science interaction and an increase in the international mobility of doctoral students.