University of Silesia in Katowice

An account of a scientific internship in Prague

My internship at the Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Kralove at the Charles University in Prague in the team led by Prof. Martin Doležal was a period of intensive scientific work. The choice of place for my internship was motivated first and foremost by the scientific prestige of the institution. Charles University in Prague had the necessary infrastructure needed to achieve the goals of my internship. Part of the research conducted there will be used for the preparation of my habilitation thesis. My project resulted in a joint patent application: “Kompozycja poprawiająca penetrację substancji biologicznie aktywnych przez powierzchnie organów roślinnych” (A composition for improving penetration of biologically active substances through plant organ surfaces) At the same time, the cooperation with scientists from the Charles University in Prague resulted in a publication in a prestigious journal Science of the Total Environment entitled ‘Enhancing the CO2 capturing ability in leaf via xenobiotic auxin uptake’. During my internship I also managed to establish cooperation with scientists from the University in Hradec Kralove and publish a paper entitled ‘A Study of Catalytic Oxidation of a Library of C2 to C4 Alcohols in the Presence of Nanogold’ in the Nanomaterials journal. A tangible benefit of the internship was the fact that the results of the conducted research allowed me to successfully apply for funds for research from the national grant agency (NCBR) after my return to Poland.

Maciej Kapkowski, PhD carried out a 3.5 month research project at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the Charles University in Prague as part of the “Staff mobility” programme | photo from the private archive of M. Kapkowski, PhD

My stay abroad also let me meet many interesting people and visit many fascinating places. It opened new opportunities and perspectives for me. The cultural closeness and openness of the scientists allowed me to establish a long-term cooperation. New ideas, concepts, and inspirations were a natural consequence of bilateral contacts. The possibility to exchange mutual work experience, access to other research equipment and databases, as well as the cultural perspective and the exchange of world views are, for me personally, an important added value of the internship. The improvement of my language skills, delicious cuisine, various interesting places and monuments on the UNESCO world heritage list are other elements which strengthen my belief that the internship was a good investment in my personal and professional development. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that the time I spent in the Czech Republic was an important part of my life.

I strongly recommend the “Staff mobility” programme to all who are interested!