The project "New Space for Scientist #KNM", co-financed by the European Social Fund under POWER, a non-competitive project entitled. "Improving the competence of academic staff and the potential of institutions in welcoming people from abroad - Welcome to Poland 2021" (Measure: 3.3 Internationalization of Polish higher education) was implemented in the period 01.05.2022-30.04.2023.

The activities implemented as part of the "New Space for Scientist #KNM" project contributed to strengthening the University of Rzeszow on the road to internationalization. UR employees have expanded their competence in communicating in foreign languages and working in an international environment. Visits by foreign guests, as well as foreign mobility of UR employees, have contributed to the establishment of friendly relations with foreign academic centers and institutions working to develop international programs and promote Polish science abroad. Foreign universities gained additional knowledge about the research conducted by the staff of the College of Medical Sciences, the scientific potential of the University of Rzeszow and the city of Rzeszow, which contributed to the development of international project partnerships. Two festive season meetings were organized for foreign students and staff at which they had the opportunity to learn about Polish traditions of Christmas and Easter, and during which they willingly shared information about their national customs with the university community and the city of Rzeszow. The project was concluded by the International Staff Exchange Days in April 2023 with guest lectures, sessions and meetings. During the International Staff Exchange Days there were the study visits to the university, Rzeszow and the region organized for the participating researchers from Austria, Spain, Sweden resulting in the declaration of the development of joint international projects with the university and the city. The visit of Prof. Patrick Bontems from Université Libre de Bruxelles resulted in the organization, in May 2023, by ESPGHAN, in cooperation with UR staff, of an Eastern European Summer School training for Ukrainian doctors from various parts of Ukraine from Kharkov to Odessa Kiev and Lviv.

Completed tasks:

Task 1: :Organization of training courses for the staff of the University of Rzeszow to strengthen competencies in admitting students and staff from abroad".

a) 30-hour stationary English language course for 40 people,

b) 30-hour stationary German language course for 20 people,

c) stationary training Formal procedures for hiring foreigners at a Polish university for 20 people,

d) stationary training Effective intercultural communication and cooperation in the academic environment for 20 people,

e) stationary training course Managing an intercultural team for 10 people

Task 2: Identification of the College of Medical Sciences in English and Polish.

The College of Medical Sciences was equipped with seven internal information boards in English.

Task 3:  Operation of the WelcomeCentre at the UR under the name New Space for Scientist#KNM.

A WelcomeCenter was established at the College of Medical Sciences under the name New  Space for Scientist #KNM.

Task 4: Organization of meetings to integrate the College of Medical Sciences community with students and staff from abroad.

Over the period of 12 months, more than 20 meetings of the New Space for Scientist #KNM were organized, including two festive season meetings for foreign students and staff, representatives of the university and the city of Rzeszow, and International Staff Exchange Days with the participation of scientists from Austria, Spain, Sweden.

Visits of foreign guests in 2022:

5-17.06 Dr. Lisa Dierker Fulbright Specialist from Wesleyan University, USA;

10-12.07 delegation of Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani University Georgia;

21-23.07 Zbigniew Żylicz, MD, PhD;

18-21.08 representatives of Oslo University Hospital;

29.09 prof. Kirti Sharma, Delhi, India

06.10 Dr. Oliver Dörner, Winsen, Germany.

28.11 Dr. Gunnar Farstad, Oslo University Hopspital Prehospital Clinic Air Ambulance Department,

12.12 Festive season  meeting for foreign students, university and city representatives

21.12 Prof. Andrii Lukashenko, National Cancer Institute, Kiev, Ukraine

Visits of foreign guests in 2023:

06.02 Prof. Patrick Bontems, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium.

6.02 Dr. J. M. Asencio Pascual, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Compultense University of Madrid, Spain.

17.03 Prof. Lucia Dimunova, Dr. Beáta Grešš Halász, Pavel Jozef Šafárik University, Slovakia

31.03 Festive season meeting for foreign students and medical students

14-19.04. Staff Exchange Days with participation of Prof. Peter Bergsten, Uppsala University, Sweden, Prof. Empar Lurbe University of Valencia, Spain, Dr. Susan Ring Dimitriou University of Salzburg, Austria, representatives of UR and the city of Rzeszow

26.04 prof. Giuseppe Cibelli, University of Foggia, Italy

27.04 Prof. Stylianos Pyxaras, Furth Germany.