On 17 March 2026, the Silesian EURAXESS Network, a regional structure supporting the mobility and career development of scientists from Poland and abroad, officially launched at the Centre for New Technologies at the Silesian University of Technology. This is an important step in building an open, friendly, and highly internationalised academic ecosystem in our region.
The network was established under the NAWA–EURAXESS program and is part of a European initiative already operating in over 700 institutions. In Poland, it brings together 22 entities, and in the Silesian Voivodeship, it is co-created by the three largest universities: the Silesian University of Technology (leader), the University of Silesia in Katowice, and the University of Economics in Katowice.
The Silesian EURAXESS Network was established to:
- support the career development and mobility of researchers,
- streamline processes related to researchers’ arrival in Poland,
- provide comprehensive support in administrative, visa, integration, and day-to-day matters,
- strengthen cooperation between universities, local governments, and public institutions.
The Network serves as a response to the real needs of the scientific community — the growing number of researchers from abroad and the need to create a professional and development-friendly environment for them.
Contribution of the University of Silesia
During the inaugural event, representatives of the University of Silesia made important contributions to panel discussions devoted to the challenges and needs of foreign researchers. Our university was represented by, among others:
- Tomasz Pietrzykowski, Vice-Rector for International and Domestic Cooperation, who addressed the discussion on the role of Silesia as a space conducive to international research;
- Mauro Arturo Rivera León, PhD, DSc, who, drawing on his own experiences, presented the challenges facing foreign researchers working at universities in the region.
The collaboration between the three Silesian universities provides a stable foundation for the development of the network and shared standards for supporting researchers. It also fulfills the slogan: ‘Science develops Silesia, and Silesia develops science’.
For more information, visit the Silesian EURAXESS Network website.
Details about the project under which the University of Silesia in Katowice is implementing the initiative are available here.
Photo by Maciej Mutwil
