UNIVERSITY OF WARSAW

The University of Warsaw (UW) is the largest university in Poland and the best research centre in the country. UW was founded in 1816. It is the oldest active academic institution in Warsaw and one of top employers based in Masovian Voivodship. Since its establishment the UW community has produced many outstanding scholars and created famous scientific schools. UW graduates won six Nobel Prize awards: Henryk Sienkiewicz, Menachem Begin, Czesław Miłosz, Joseph Rotblat, Leonid Hurwicz and Olga Tokarczuk.

The UW continues to develop and to pursue four strategic objectives: strengthening the position of UW as a Poland’s leading research centre, maintaining its high ranking among the Central European universities and becoming one of the continent’s top universities, gaining international recognition, continuing a strong impact on its environment, in particular by addressing socially significant research topics.

As the first university in Poland, UW signed up to the Race to Zero, a global initiative for a Zero Carbon World. The University of Warsaw was the first university in Poland to adopt the Gender Equality Plan. The document responds to the needs of the university community. GEP was created as a result of expert consultations reflecting good practice from European institutions.

UW comprises 24 faculties, 4 doctoral schools and approx. 30 research and didactic centres. UW offers a world-class education delivered in the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences, including interdisciplinary courses, 24 programmes in English, 22 joint degree programmes, 13 paramedical programmes, 9 engineering and technology programmes, and 3 Bachelor’s programmes in science.

The UW community includes: 7,700 employees; 2,400 doctoral candidates; 40,000 undergraduate and graduate students; 2,100 postgraduate students; 3,800 international students and doctoral candidates.

Within 2011–2020, UW is a leader among Polish beneficiaries of EU Framework Programme Horizon 2020 (96 projects and coordination).

UW researchers conduct over 1,400 projects under the grants from national and international entities, e.g. EU framework programmes, ERC grants. Between 2007-2021, Polish researchers won 53 ERC grants, out of which 24 grants obtained UW researchers. UW research teams cooperate with prestigious academic and research centres from the whole world.

In 2016, UW was granted “HR Excellence in Research Award” in the recognition of the principles of the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of the Conduct for Recruitment of Researchers.

UW belongs to the 4EU+ European University Alliance selected by the European Commission for funding in the ‘European Universities’ call for proposals, launched as part of the 2019 Erasmus+ programme. Six partner universities: Charles, Heidelberg and Sorbonne Universities, and the Universities of Copenhagen, Milan and Warsaw, have come together to establish a shared, seamless infrastructure, which will bring together professors, researchers, students and staff from the Alliance institutions.

UW realises projects within three European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KIC): EIT Food, EIT Climate, and EIT Raw Materials.

Edited by the UW Press Office, 2022