STER NAWA - Interdisciplinary Doctoral School

 

The National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) has awarded funding to 10 units under the "STER - Internationalisation of Doctoral Schools" programme.

The Technical University of Łódź is one of the beneficiaries.

 

The grants are to be used to improve the quality of education and conduct and conducting research. The project is to support international cooperation of doctoral schools.

 

Under the STER programme, the Lodz University of Technology will implement the project "Curriculum for advanced doctoral education & training - CADET Academy of Lodz Univeristy of Technology". It provides scholarships for the best doctoral students working internationally. It is supposed to develop international mobility of doctoral students and organise guest lectures conducted by world-class specialists from various fields of science.

 

The University is planning, as part of the project, to develop promotional and informational materials on education at the Interdisciplinary Doctoral School of Łódź and on the research conducted by teams of young, outstanding scientists. The project will take 3 years, until the end of 2023.

 

Currently, 202 doctoral students are enrolled at the Interdisciplinary Doctoral School at the University of Łódź. In this group there are 26 foreigners from 14 European countries (Ukraine, Belarus, Italy, Russia, Serbia, Moldova) and from other parts of the world (Egypt, India, Mexico, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Pakistan, China and Iran).

 

 

 

Objective of the NAWA STER program: the internationalization of doctoral schools

 

The "STER - Internationalization of doctoral schools" program is aimed at Polish universities and scientific units that run doctoral schools. The aim of the program is to support the internationalization of doctoral schools by:

• improving the quality of education in doctoral schools and the quality of doctoral research through the international exchange of good practices and experiences,
• increasing the international mobility of doctoral candidates,
• developing activities related to the internationalization of universities, consisting in organizing the stays of foreign professors conducting teaching classes, organizing training courses to improve the competences of doctoral candidates and academic staff,
• promoting long-term international cooperation between doctoral schools,
• acquiring foreign doctoral candidates andcooperation with supervisors from abroad,
• scholarship support for doctoral candidates pursuing doctoral projects in the international cooperation, who aim at obtaining joint or double degree diplomas,
• urging doctoral candidates to carry out research projects of the international nature.

 

Project title: „Curriculum for advanced doctoral education & training – CADET Academy of Lodz University of Technology”,

 

Project implementation period: 2021.01.04 – 2023.12.31

Total requested funding: 2 200 000 PLN

Funding from NAWA: 1 980 000 PLN

TUL’s own contribution: 220 000 PLN

In order to take advantage of the many opportunities offered by the STER program to increase the level of internationalization, we have planned the following activities:

 

• related to the acquisition of foreign doctoral candidates - it is planned to prepare the information materials promoting doctoral training in IDS TUL  on the international stage, create a website for the applicants to IDS TUL and with information on STER program, prepare information and promotional (also graphic) materials that will serve to promote IDS activities. Prepared brochures will be translated into English in order to reach the largest possible audience. At the same time, 12 films will be prepared to promote training in IDS TUL within 12 different disciplines and 1 film promoting the Doctoral School.

 

Project tasks:

Development of the IDS TUL foreign promotion

Creation a new IDS TUL website and promotion in social media

Development of promotional materials

Development of information materials

Meet up! TUL sessions

 

• related to the payment of scholarships for the best foreign doctoral candidates and doctoral candidates realizing Polish projects within the international cooperation who aim at obtaining a joint degree or double degree. The payment of scholarships will take place after the approval of the Individual Research Plan. For the duration of the project, scholarships of PLN 2,500 are planned to be paid for the top 15 doctoral candidates meeting the requirements of the project. Scholarships will be paid in two tranches for 8 months. The selection of project scholarship holders will be made in accordance with the rules for the award of the STER grant developed for this purpose.

 

Project task:

Award for outstanding cadets – NAWA scholarships

 

• related to the support of foreign mobility of the best Polish and foreign doctoral candidates undergoing training in IDS TUL. This process will be carried out by enabling doctoral candidates to travel for internships to foreign universities and renowned scientific centers with which they will undertake scientific and didactic cooperation. Doctoral candidates will have the opportunity to take research placements lasting from 1 to 10 months in the centers located around the world. The task includes financing travel and subsistence expenses during a stay abroad.

 

Project task:

Cadet’s wings – mobility support

 

• related to the development of the internationalization "at home" activities. As part of this activity, 12 distinguished scientists from foreign research centers from different fields of science will give lectures. In addition, it is  planned to organize courses increasing the "transferable skills" of doctoral candidates in IDS TUL. The courses will be selected from a range of courses offered by the renowned research centers around the  world basing on the results of a survey conducted among doctoral candidates.

 

Project tasks:

Direction for expertise and high quality training

Skills up! – courses increasing competences of doctoral candidates at IDS TUL

 

• related to the substantive management of the project through developing documents, support of foreigners in the recruitment process, translation of the essential information and promotional materials for the implementation of the project, as well as the organization of visiting professors' stays. Within this task also  teaching materials and,  two joint programmes, leading to a double diploma, will be developed for the training of doctoral candidates. In addition, two grant applications are planned:  the Erasmus + Knowledge  Alliances Grant and Innovative Training Networks under the “Marie Skłodowska-Curie” actions.

 

Project tasks:

Recrutation proces support

Translations

Password: visitting professor!

Doctoral training arrangement and service

Action GRANT

Joint doctoral programs