The Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences has joined the Baltic University Programme (BUP)

• The Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences has joined the Baltic University Programme network, expanding its academic capabilities and international cooperation, with Dr. Marta Sylla as the coordinator.
• Recruitment is currently underway for the Master Thesis Training as part of the Baltic University Programme, offering master's students the opportunity for consultations, expert support, and experience exchange, with workshops in Uppsala.
• The Baltic University Programme (BUP), with its main secretariat in Uppsala, focuses on decentralization and the development of online teaching, establishing secretariats in various countries, and supporting international projects.

The Baltic University Programme (BUP), a network of universities established in 1991, was initiated after the Cold War to connect the eastern and western parts of the Baltic Sea region. As Pontus Ambros, the BUP project administrator from Uppsala University emphasizes, the program was a response to the need for integration and cooperation in the region, evolving and developing in response to the dynamic socio-economic and environmental challenges of that period.

Initially, BUP focused on the environmental issues of the Baltic Sea, gradually expanding its scope to include sustainable development and democracy. Today, the Baltic University Programme also aims to find new ways of interaction between universities and between universities and society. The main goal is to strengthen regional educational and research communities and to increase awareness in the areas they cover. As the founders stress, BUP supports the key role that universities play in democratic, peaceful, and sustainable development.

The network includes countries from the Baltic Sea catchment area, including Sweden, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. Pontus Ambros notes that historically, the program has welcomed all countries from the Baltic Sea catchment area, emphasizing diversity and integration as core values of BUP. However, due to current conflicts, cooperation with Russia and Belarus has been temporarily suspended.

UPWr in the Baltic University Programme

As Pontus Ambros points out, the group of institutions in the Baltic University Programme has grown to over a hundred. The Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences has become one of the latest members of BUP, thereby expanding its academic horizons and creating new opportunities for its students and staff. Dr. Marta Sylla, familiar with the BUP program, serves as a coordinator and contact person on behalf of UPWr. She plays a key role in managing and disseminating information about various activities organized by BUP.

Membership in the network allows UPWr to offer its students and staff the opportunity to participate in various events, such as workshops, conferences, summer schools, and teaching programs for teachers. These programs often include accommodation and meals. There is also the possibility of applying for travel cost reimbursement from the university.

Dr. Sylla, recalling her personal experiences with BUP, including participating in student conferences, voyages on the Baltic Sea, and attending workshops on “Sustainable water management”, suggested that UPWr join the program to participate as a full member. She highlights that BUP also includes initiatives for teachers, offering teaching programs, one of which involves Dr. Joanna Lipsa. This program focuses on developing skills and creating teaching solutions with the support of experts from various universities, taking place in Helsinki. Pontus Ambros also mentions a college for thesis advisors within BUP, which supports advisors and students looking for a thesis supervisor or co-supervisor.

The inclusion of UPWr in the Baltic University Programme marks a step towards expanding international cooperation and accessing a wide range of educational and research opportunities for students and staff. Participation in BUP offers networking opportunities and the chance to make new acquaintances and even friendships, says the scientist.

The future role of UPWr in BUP, as Dr. Sylla indicates, depends on the engagement and interest of its participants. She notes that if the academic community finds it appealing and worth engaging in, UPWr will certainly organize activities. Currently, during the Polish presidency, if events are held in Poland, for example in Łódź, UPWr will support them.

Master Thesis Training in Uppsala

Currently, there is recruitment for Master's Thesis Training, which may interest those writing their master's thesis. This program is a great opportunity for additional consultation on the thesis, expert support, and networking with students from the entire Baltic Sea region. The workshops for master's students, to be held in Uppsala, will involve presenting their work and discussing the main assumptions and research methods with students from other member universities and experts. Dr. Sylla, who was invited last year as an external expert, confirms that these workshops are of high quality and very interesting for participating students, offering them a chance to practice before their defense.

Joint responsibility for the future of the region

The main BUP secretariat is located in Uppsala, but as Pontus Ambros emphasizes, BUP strives for decentralization, fostering local autonomy and allowing for a more diversified approach to the challenges and needs of individual universities and regions. Therefore, secretariats are being established in other countries, such as Finland (Turku), Poland (Łódź), and Germany (Hamburg). Currently, a key element of the Baltic University Programme's strategy is the development of online teaching, including the launch of the BUP course platform. Ambros also mentions the idea of virtual exchange, aiming to simultaneously conduct workshops, for example, at the universities in Wrocław, Uppsala, and Turku, and enable these institutions to interact in real-time. He adds that BUP actively supports projects related to the war in Ukraine, focused on training students and staff in Ukraine and supporting their short study visits to other member countries.

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