At the request of the Rector, prof. dr hab. Piotr Stepnowski, the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland established the University Internationalisation Commission, which will be based at our university. The first Chair of the UKU for the period 2023-24 was appointed Vice-Rector for International Cooperation, dr hab. Anna Jurkowska-Zeilder, prof. UG. - 'This is one of the proofs that the University of Gdańsk is beginning to be perceived in the community as a place to implement a bold and multifaceted internationalisation strategy,' - said the UG Rector.

Thanks to European Union projects and digitisation, the boundaries between European and global universities are becoming increasingly blurred. The budget for the new edition of the Erasmus+ programme for 2021 - 2027 is €26.2 billion. This is almost twice as much funding as in 2014 - 2020. At the same time, the pandemic and the war in Ukraine have posed new challenges for the internationalisation of universities. The demand for international cooperation is growing, which is why the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland (CRASP) decided to set up a unit to help coordinate these activities between Polish universities. 

The University Commission for Internationalisation (UCI) was established so that Polish HEIs could, among other things, develop common positions and proposals on new challenges, exchange experiences and new practices and coordinate cooperation between institutions allowing for internationalisation. 

- 'I first presented the idea of setting up a new university committee at a CRASP meeting earlier this year,' - says UG Rector prof. dr hab. Piotr Stepnowski. - 'Over these past few months, we have managed to develop a common position on the matter, remaining convinced that it will be a very good forum for exchanging experience on the actions taken by Polish universities in the area of internationalisation.'

The CRASP entrusted the organisation of this unit from 2023 to 2024 to the University of Gdańsk. Prof. Anna Jurkowska-Zeidler became the first Chair of the UCI. 

- 'I am glad that our university has been endowed with the trust of the rectors of Polish universities, who designated UG as the seat of the new commission, with Prof. Anna Jurkowska-Zeidler, UG's Vice-Rector for International Cooperation, as its first Chair,' - adds the UG Rector. - 'This is one of the proofs that our university is beginning to be perceived in the community as a place where a bold and multifaceted internationalisation strategy is being implemented. After all, we know that it concerns not only academic exchange, increasingly broad international research and project cooperation and the implementation of educational grants under the Erasmus+ funds, but also the construction of an internationally recognisable brand of a European university.'

The University of Gdańsk is among the top universities in many aspects of international cooperation. Under the Erasmus KA131 Programme for 2022-24, UG received the third-highest amount of funding among Polish universities. In turn, under the Erasmus+ KA171 Project, the University of Gdańsk received funding that places UG fifth among Polish universities. In July 2022, the SEA EU alliance of coastal European universities, of which UG is a part, was renewed for 4 years and received the highest rating from the European Commission.

Thanks to the UCI at KRUP, the University of Gdańsk will not only contribute to organising its international cooperation but will also coordinate activities between Polish universities and universities around the world.