Project data
| Project start date | 2024-02-14 |
| Project end date | 2025-07-13 |
| Project cost | 373241 PLN |
| Project amount of funding | 373241 PLN |
Lider
- National Information Processing Institute
Research objectives
The primary objective of the project is to assess the impact of international academic mobility on Polish researchers’ careers. The level of internationalization in science and higher education affects the quality of research, the global reach of research outcomes (Kwiek, 2019), and the availability of scientific staff. Academic mobility facilitates knowledge transfer, networking, collaboration, and professional development. It has also become an institutionalized expectation for academic careers (Bojica et al., 2022).
The emphasis on internationalization and mobility is evident in the National Science Policy. The document highlights insufficient internationalization among Polish research teams and institutions, the need to support academic mobility, and the necessity to align mobility opportunities with researchers’ and hosting institutions’ needs.
Participation in international academic exchange programs fosters internationalization. However, understanding the limited participation of Polish researchers in mobility programs and the low number of foreign researchers coming to Polish institutions is critical. Examining both individual and institutional factors influencing such participation is essential. The study addresses one main objective with four specific goals.
Specific research goals:
Goal1: Institutional Determinants of International Mobility: Assessing the institutional factors that influence mobility,
Goal 2: Individual Determinants and Mobility Processes: Exploring personal motivations, characteristics, and experiences of researchers involved in mobility programs,
Goal 3: Determination of international mobility effects.
Special goal to be applied in practice:
Goal 4: Development of solutions for designing and enhancing mobility programmes.
As part of the study, international academic mobility was operationalized as participation in exchanges, internships, research stays, or teaching-related residencies. Mobility programs (academic mobility programs) are programs coordinated by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA), the Ministry of Education and Science (MEiN), and NCN grants with a mandatory foreign internship. Mobile doctoral students and researchers are individuals at various stages of their academic careers who, at least once in their academic career, were beneficiaries of the Bekker Program (Bekker NAWA), the Walczak Program (Walczak NAWA), the Iwanowska Program (Iwanowska NAWA), or leaders of NCN projects: Etiuda or Sonatina, for whom the time from returning from an international stay to participating in the study ranged from two to five years. Non-mobile doctoral students and researchers are individuals at various stages of their academic careers who, throughout their academic career, have not participated in international academic mobility. Academic careers are analyzed both from the perspective of productivity, measured by the number of publications or participation in projects and grants, and the pace of academic advancement, attainment of professional positions, building of collaboration networks, or development of competencies..
The research objectives will be achieved through a methodological approach based on the triangulation of methods and data sources. Both existing data (on national mobility programs and programs supporting the mobility of researchers in selected European countries, as well as data on the population of researchers in Poland) and new data obtained through quantitative research will be used. The research and analysis techniques will include: analysis of desk research and quantitative research and analysis techniques (analysis of data on the achievements of Polish researchers, surveys conducted among mobile and non-mobile Polish researchers, quantitative data analysis – statistical description and Propensity Score Matching analysis).
As part of Goal 1 (determining the institutional conditions of international mobility), research tasks will be carried out to evaluate the available academic mobility offerings and the communication activities promoting knowledge about these offerings, as well as to identify factors determining the organization of mobility programs. The tasks will be implemented through desk research analysis and statistical analysis of survey data.
Goal 2 (determining individual conditions and the course of the mobility process) will be achieved through research tasks that include: identifying the characteristics of doctoral students and researchers participating in mobility at the time of departure, determining the motivations of doctoral students and researchers as well as conditions related to their trips, and exploring the experiences of individuals involved in international academic mobility. The tasks will be implemented through the analysis of data on the scientific achievements of Polish researchers and quantitative data analysis from the survey study.
The research tasks planned as part of Goal 3 (determining the effects of international mobility) are: identifying the competencies, skills, and knowledge gained or developed through international mobility, as well as determining the impact of mobility programs on the further academic careers of mobility participants. The tasks will be carried out using: statistical analysis of survey data and PSM analysis using survey data and publicly available data collected in databases managed by OPI PIB and made available through the RAD-on portal.
The tasks planned as part of Goal 4 (developing solutions for the preparation and improvement of mobility programs) are: developing a tool for monitoring and evaluating the impact of mobility programs on the careers of their participants, developing best practices and recommendations for improving and implementing new mobility programs, and preparing recommendations and proposals for solutions aimed at increasing the effectiveness of communication and the visibility of international academic mobility programs. All the research and analysis techniques planned in the project will be used to accomplish these tasks.
The planned outcomes of the project have both scientific (complementing the current state of knowledge) and practical character. The conclusions from the study will supplement the current knowledge on the impact of international academic mobility on academic careers by: (1) determining the individual and institutional conditions of international academic mobility, (2) exploring the course of the mobility process, (3) determining the effects of international mobility on academic careers. Furthermore, the results of the planned study will be useful for agencies funding international exchange programs and international projects (including NAWA).
The project will deliver:
a. A research tool (questionnaire) for monitoring and evaluating the impact of mobility programs on the outcomes of their participants,
b. Dissemination materials presenting the study results,
c. A peer-reviewed publication summarizing the research findings and analyses.
Throughout the duration of the project, promotional activities (informing about the grant provider and the progress of the project) and dissemination activities – focused on the results and outcomes of the project – will be carried out. These will include creating informational content about the actions undertaken in the project (for social media and traditional media), informational mailings, and presenting the study results at events co-organized by NAWA. The project will be concluded with an online conference disseminating the research findings and recommendations.
The research objectives relate to the subject of the program, which is to support entities within the higher education and research system, as well as other organizational units working to promote science, in building cooperation between these entities and units and those operating in the socio-economic sphere. Achieving the research objectives will increase the impact of institutions coordinating mobility programs and improve the effectiveness of their operations (better adaptation of services, products, and tools provided to academic institutions, as well as impact on their socio-economic environment through supporting a wide range of stakeholders).
The proposed research topic fits into the area of Scientific Excellence. Within this area, it will address the goal of: the internationalization of Polish science and increasing the recognition of its achievements. As a result of the planned research and analyses, we will identify the effects, barriers, areas for improvement, and best practices in academic mobility, as well as develop recommendations for increasing the visibility of mobility programs.
Funding
The project is funded by the Polish Ministry of Science under the “Science for Society II” Program.
Project No.: NdS-II/SN/0220/2023/01