Due to the war in Ukraine and out of solidarity with the academic and scientific community there, the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange NAWA opens the call for applications for the “Solidarity with Ukraine” programme. The initiative, commissioned by the Ministry of Education and Science and the Ministry of Health, is addressed to Polish institutions willing to host Ukrainian refugees – students and doctoral candidates who decide to continue their education in Poland.
“NAWA has recently had to respond dynamically to the changing situation beyond our eastern borders. After the wave of protests in Belarus, the ‘Solidarity with Belarus’ programme was created, and now the unprecedented military aggression against Ukraine requires the adjustment of the Polish higher education system to accommodate refugees who wish to continue their studies in our country. The ‘Solidarity with Ukraine’ programme is a valuable support for universities that will provide assistance to our neighbours from war-torn areas,” says Wojciech Murdzek, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Education and Science.
“Support for Ukrainian students means assistance in educating the staff who in the future will treat the inhabitants of Ukraine,” emphasizes Deputy Minister of Health Piotr Bromber. “Thanks to the ‘Solidarity with Ukraine’ programme, Ukrainian students will be able to continue their education, including at medical faculties, which will also be possible thanks to the great openness and willingness to help on the part of medical universities. I believe that the actions that we are taking will meet the expectations of Ukrainian students.
In a spirit of solidarity
At the very beginning of the war in Ukraine, the Polish academic and scientific community clearly defined their position and willingness to provide assistance and support to the Ukrainian people. As a result of consultations, a support system was developed that will allow Ukrainian refugee students and doctoral candidates to continue their education.
“We have united to demonstrate support for Ukraine. Our thoughts are especially close to the citizens of this state who are part of the academic community. Today, we consider it important to ensure the continuity of education and research. The ‘Solidarity with Ukraine’ programme implemented by NAWA is intended to make this possible for Ukrainian students and doctoral candidates whose chance to gain knowledge was drastically cut short,” says professor Arkadiusz Mężyk, President of CRASP.
The aid activities of the “Solidarity with Ukraine” programme are largely based on the “Solidarity with Belarus” initiative, which has been implemented since 2020 and has proven to be an extremely valuable experience today.
“Scientific research and student education should be conducted in a democratic and war-free world. Today, academic activity in Ukraine has ceased, and we as an academic community have an important task ahead of us. It is unity, solidarity and enabling the continuity of education and research for Ukrainian students and scientists who have been forced to flee their country. The “Solidarity with Ukraine” programme reflects our desire to help. Moreover, in the coming days, the NAWA team will be joined by Ukrainian citizens whose expertise will allow us to operate at the peak of our potential,” stresses dr Grażyna Żebrowska, Director General of NAWA.
Call for applications for the “Solidarity with Ukraine” programme from 15 to 31 March 2022
Eligible applicants – who files the application
The application to NAWA is submitted by HEIs supervised by the Ministry of Education and Science (MEiN) or the Ministry of Health (MZ), in which the number of full-time students is at least 150, as well as PAN institutes / Łukasiewicz Network institutes / research institutes. In the application, these entities declare the number of Ukrainian students / doctoral candidates that they are willing to host, providing them with an opportunity to continue their studies free of charge, prepare a dissertation, take language courses or benefit from other forms of education in the period from 1 March to 30 September. In addition to the tuition waiver, the participants will receive a scholarship. Moreover, if necessary, psychological and legal assistance will be provided to everyone.
The participants do not need to be recruited for the entire duration of the programme. They can be accepted anytime between 1 March and 30 September 2022.
IMPORTANT: The application to NAWA is submitted by the above-mentioned entities, not by individual students or doctoral candidates.
Requirements for students and doctoral candidates that the eligible applicants are willing to accept:
Citizens of Ukraine who arrived in Poland no earlier than 24 February 2022 and who:
- were students of Ukrainian HEIs in the academic year 2021/2022 or
- were pursuing doctoral studies (aspirantura) in Ukraine in the academic year 2021/2022.
Details of the call for the programme are available in: Announcement of call for applications in the programme (Polish version)
It should be noted that Ukrainians are currently the most numerous group among foreign students in Poland. According to Statistics Poland (GUS) data, in the academic year 2008/2009 there were 2,831 Ukrainian students in our country, and in 2020/21 there were as many as 38,473. They account for 45.4% of all foreigners studying in Poland.
Where to find information
Information on the support for students and doctoral candidates and details of the “Solidarity with Ukraine” initiative are available on the NAWA website: www.nawa.gov.pl and www.researchinpoland.org as well as on a dedicated channel: ukraina.nawa.gov.pl and on the profiles NAWA Україна (@nawaukraine) – in social media.
Contact for institutions: solidarni@nawa.gov.pl
Contact for students and doctoral candidates: ukraina@nawa.gov.pl
Legal aid for doctoral candidates from Ukraine
The Polish Representation of Doctoral Candidates is actively involved in helping those affected by the conflict in Ukraine. A special email address has been launched through which doctoral candidates seeking help owing to the situation in Ukraine can get support for their needs. By sending an email to sos_ua@krd.edu.pl you can obtain information on relocation, legal issues and assistance provided by academic centres in Poland.
The activities to support Ukrainian refugee scientists will be coordinated by the National Science Centre (NCN).
