Several employees of the University of Silesia have recently obtained funding for projects implemented under various programmes.
European Funds for Social Development Programme
The project ‘A Teaching-Excellent Community – Supporting Evaluation and Modern Teaching at the University of Silesia in Katowice’ is a university-wide initiative, led by the College of General University Education.
The project aims to strengthen the teaching potential of the University of Silesia by systematically improving the quality of education and enhancing the competences and qualifications of teaching staff, including doctoral students, between 2026 and 2028. The value of the funding received is over PLN 1.8 million.
Programme ‘Support for students in improving their competences and skills’
Three projects (totalling PLN 236,000) received funding under the programme, thanks to which students or student teams can participate in international competitions and contests of the highest rank.
- A project carried out at the Faculty of Science and Technology under the supervision of Karina Maciejewska, PhD, Assoc. Prof. entitled ‘Studying the Attention Process with EEG Using Mobile Brain Activity Measurement in a Virtual Reality (VR) Environment.’ It involves the participation of students in the CNS 2026 Annual Meeting in Canada, the IEEE VR 2026 scientific and technical conference in South Korea, and the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies FENS Forum 2026 in Spain.
- A project carried out at the Faculty of Science and Technology under the supervision of Dorota Zygadło, PhD, entitled ‘Short-Term Changes in Corneal Epithelial Thickness Measured by OCT in Patients Wearing Specialty Contact Lenses.’ The project results will be presented at the international conference ‘EuCornea Congress 2026 Porto’ (Porto, Portugal).
- A project carried out at the Faculty of Social Sciences under the supervision of Prof. Dariusz Kubok, entitled ‘The Frontiers of the Mind: Eastern, Western, and Artificial Cognitive Models.’ It involves students participating in the Models of Consciousness 2025 conference in Japan and the 21st Annual International Conference on Philosophy in Greece.
Financing projects within Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange
- Magdalena Nowak, MA from the School of Polish Language and Culture, project ‘Sing in Polish!’ from the Polish Language Promotion programme.
- Beata Nowacka, PhD, DSc, Assoc. Prof. of the Faculty of Humanities, project ‘Polish Languages Strengthens! On the 80th Anniversary of the Italian Publication of The Battle of Monte Cassino by Melchior Wańkowicz’ (1945-1947)’, from the Polish Language Promotion programme.
- Ireneusz Malik, PhD, DSc, project ‘Networking and Education for Innovative Mitigation of Geohazards in Changing Climate’, in which the University of Silesia acts as a partner of the Jagiellonian University, as part of the Strategic Partnerships programme.
Total funding value: PLN 952,000.
Other projects
- Project ‘Regenerating Brownfield Soils through Transdisciplinary Living Labs and Nature-Based Solutions (REGENSOILL)’, co-financed by the HORIZON EUROPE Programme.
The goal of the project is to develop and implement integrated, sustainable solutions for the regeneration of degraded post-industrial sites in Europe by establishing a network of Living Labs, combining nature-based remediation methods, engaging communities, and creating sustainable economic and policy models that support a green transition.
The project is scheduled to begin in mid-2026.
The project leader is Aston University in United Kingdom. On behalf of the University of Silesia the project is coordinated by Agnieszka Nowak. PhD from the Faculty of Natural Sciences.
- Project ‘Higher Education in the Age of AI – How Can We Preserve the Human Dimension of Teaching and Learning?’, co-financed by the HORIZON EUROPE MSCA Programme.
The goal of the project is to answer the following questions: What are the key challenges and opportunities in developing AI competences in educational institutions, and how do teacher attitudes influence the implementation of AI in education? What are the ethical concerns? How can AI support personalised learning and preserve the human essence of learning?
The project’s implementation is scheduled to begin in mid-2026.
The project coordinator is Eugenia Smyrnova-Trybulska, PhD, DSc, Assoc. Prof. from the Faculty of Arts and Educational Science/Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Silesia..
- Project ‘Silesian Climate Centre’, co-financed by the European Funds for Silesia 2021–2027 Programme.
The goal of the project is to establish the Silesian Climate Centre – a regional centre for developing competences and knowledge in the field of climate change adaptation. The Centre will be a sustainable tool supporting local government units (LGUs) and residents of the Silesian Voivodeship in taking action to build climate resilience, in line with the priorities set out in the ‘Silesia 2030 – Green Silesia’ Voivodeship Development Strategy and the Regional Climate Change Adaptation Plan – the first document of its kind in the country – developed by the Silesian Voivodeship.
The project leader is the Silesian Voivodeship, and partners include the Institute for Ecology of Industrial Areas, research institutes and institutes operating within the Łukasiewicz Research Network, the University of Economics in Katowice, the University of Silesia in Katowice, and the Silesian University of Technology.
On behalf of the University of Silesia, the project is coordinated by Prof. Ewa Łupikasza from the Faculty of Natural Sciences.
Photo by Pixabay