A short video Polish Universities – Aiming High, produced by the Perspektywy Education Foundation, tells about steps of ambitious higher education institutions in Poland taken to improve the quality of research as well as their international visibility.

In Poland, the “Excellence Initiative – Research University” (IDUB) has been implemented for two years. A short video Polish Universities – Aiming High, produced by the Perspektywy Education Foundation, tells about steps of ambitious higher education institutions in Poland taken to improve the quality of research as well as their international visibility.

Renowned international experts and Polish rectors speak in the film about ambitious plans of the best Polish universities.

Prof. Lauritz Holm-Nielsen from Denmark, head of the expert panel that selected the university in the Initiative of Excellence Research University competition, emphasizes that “Poland has an excellent higher education system and a chance for its development under the IDUB program”. In turn, prof. Peter Maassen from the University of Oslo, Norway, sees an improvement in the international position of Polish universities through consolidation and focus on pursuing research excellence.

Prof. Arkadiusz Mężyk, rector of the Silesian University of Technology, points out that his university has modern labs and young scientists, and also develops international cooperation not only through the presence of foreign students but more and more often inviting foreign researchers.

Rector of the Wrocław University of Science and Technology, prof. Arkadiusz Wójs puts it straight: “Our ambition is to be a university at a good European level, being among the best universities in Poland is not enough.” The importance of cooperation with other European universities is also emphasized by prof. Dorota Malec, vice-rector of the Jagiellonian University.

Alexander Usher from Canada, speaking about the changes taking place in Polish universities, indicates that Poland, which is strongly developing economically, will need “universities generating knowledge – and for this, universities of a new type (a new kind of university) are necessary”. Usher concludes: “If Polish universities stick to their strategy … then both the country and Polish universities will have an exciting future.”

Waldemar Siwiński, president of the Perspektywy Education Foundation, explains: “This film was made as part of the” International Visibility Project (IntVP) “to convey a clear signal to foreign partners about the modernization efforts undertaken by Polish universities.”

It is an open access film – all interested parties can post it on their websites, as well as include it in the program of international conferences, while maintaining the requirement to indicate the source of the film (by Perspektywy / IntVP).

The film is available at www.universityworldnews.com and directly at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geD-yjcg4VQ