The Polish-Turkish Studies Centre at the University of Gdańsk has secured funding under the NAWA ‘Promotion of the Polish Language 2026’ call for proposals to carry out the project ‘Poland in Istanbul: language, translation and intercultural encounters’. The project – carried out in collaboration with Istanbul University – will run for 12 months.
The National Agency for Academic Exchange’s programme aims to promote the Polish language (as well as Polish history and culture) by funding initiatives designed to disseminate Polish as a foreign language and enhance the quality of its teaching, targeting a wider audience.
The fact that the Polish-Turkish Studies Centre at the University of Gdańsk has secured funding in the ‘Promotion of the Polish Language 2026’ call for proposals is a major achievement for this relatively young unit - and, above all, a success for the Polish-Turkish team involved in preparing the project.
‘The Centre began its operations on 8 May 2026, and our increasingly close cooperation with Istanbul University is already yielding tangible results,’ reads a post on the Centre’s social media.
The ‘Poland in Istanbul: Language, Translation and Intercultural Encounters’ project will run from November 2026 to November 2027 and will include activities combining the study of the Polish language, translation, research into shared heritage and encounters between the two cultures.
Planned activities include, amongst others:
- a seminar and field research in Istanbul and Polonezköy,
- translation workshops for students,
- Polish Days at Istanbul University,
- an interactive map entitled ‘Poland in Istanbul’, digital Archives and a joint Polish-Turkish publication,
- and a final workshop and seminar in Gdańsk.
The following were involved in preparing the project:
- from the University of Gdańsk: prof. Przemysław Gębal and dr Rafal Raczyński
- from Istanbul University: prof. Hacer Topaktas Ustuner, prof. Emrah Gaznevi, Aleksandra Sobiczewska and dr Halil Türker.
At the University of Gdańsk, the project will be carried out by the Polish-Turkish Studies Centre and the Faculty of Social Sciences, with expert support from the Faculty of Languages and the Academic Centre of Polish Language and Culture for Foreigners.
This marks a further step in the growing cooperation between the University of Gdańsk and Istanbul University.
