The University of Oxford is preparing to inaugurate a new Polish-funded research centre on Monday, 9 November, establishing a dedicated platform for cooperation between one of Britain’s leading universities and Poland’s academic community.
The Oxford–Poland Hub will support joint research, academic exchanges and international partnerships, while promoting Polish history, culture and language within the university and the wider British academic community.
The initiative is backed by Poland’s Ministry of Science and Higher Education and funded for an initial three years by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA).
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Its formal inauguration is scheduled to take place at Oxford on Monday, with Polish Science Minister Marcin Kulasek expected to attend alongside senior university and government representatives.
The new hub is designed to give Polish researchers and institutions a more direct route to cooperation with Oxford academics, including opportunities to develop joint projects and apply for research funding.
A new academic bridge between Poland and Britain
The Oxford–Poland Hub will operate within the Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities, known as TORCH.
Rather than functioning as a new university or independent academic department, it will serve as a platform connecting researchers, institutions and cultural organisations in Poland and Britain.
According to the University of Oxford’s official announcement, the initiative will initially concentrate on the humanities and social sciences, alongside work involving the university’s gardens, libraries and museums.
The aim is to encourage long-term cooperation rather than relying exclusively on individual research projects or short-term institutional agreements.
That includes helping researchers establish international teams, develop funding proposals and organise academic visits between the two countries.
The hub will also work with the Foundation for Polish Science and Polish universities to identify opportunities for collaboration.
Oxford Vice-Chancellor Professor Irene Tracey welcomed the initiative as an important new stage in relations between the university and Poland.
In the university’s announcement, she described the project as “an exciting new chapter in Oxford’s longstanding relationship with Poland”.
She also acknowledged the contributions Polish academics and students have made to Oxford’s intellectual life.
Grants of up to £5,000 for research and £10,000 for workshops
One of the hub’s most significant practical features will be its planned research grants programme.
Under the arrangements outlined by Oxford, researchers based at the university will be able to seek funding for projects undertaken with colleagues in Poland.
Two principal funding opportunities are planned:
- Up to £5,000 for collaborative research projects, academic visits and preparation of larger funding applications.
- Up to £10,000 for international workshops bringing together researchers from Oxford, Poland and other institutions.
The funding is intended to help academics establish new partnerships and develop research proposals that could subsequently attract larger national or international grants.
The Oxford programme description specifies that Oxford-based researchers will be eligible to apply for these grants, working with Polish partners.
It does not establish that individual researchers based exclusively in Poland can apply directly to every funding scheme.
An academic board representing several parts of the university, including the humanities and social sciences, will oversee grant awards.
Detailed application deadlines and procedures have not yet been confirmed in the published announcement, meaning the proposed funding opportunities should not be mistaken for grants that have already been awarded.
Opportunities for young Polish researchers
The hub also plans to support a new generation of Polish academics.
From its second year of operation, it intends to introduce bursaries enabling early-career researchers from Poland to participate in training programmes at Oxford.
The Polish Press Agency’s Science in Poland service confirmed the plans ahead of Monday’s inauguration.
The bursaries would provide opportunities for young Polish scholars to gain experience at Oxford and develop professional relationships with researchers working in related fields.
However, they remain a planned second-year measure. No specific number of bursaries, individual award amounts or application dates has been announced.
The initial three-year period of funding is intended to allow the hub to establish its activities and build a sustainable network of academic cooperation.
Oxford has not disclosed the total value of NAWA’s financial commitment in its announcement.
Polish academics appointed to lead the centre
The hub’s inaugural director is Professor Paulina Kewes, an academic in Oxford’s Faculty of English and a fellow of Jesus College.
She will be supported by deputy director Dr Marek Naczyk, from Oxford’s Department of Social Policy and Intervention and Kellogg College.
Their roles are intended to provide academic leadership and help establish connections across Oxford’s departments and research networks.
Kewes welcomed the new cooperation as an opportunity to stimulate research, innovation and cultural exchange between the two countries.
The formal inauguration is expected to bring together several senior figures involved in the project.
According to PAP’s account of the planned ceremony, attendees are expected to include Oxford Vice-Chancellor Professor Irene Tracey, Polish Science Minister Marcin Kulasek and NAWA Director Dr Wojciech Karczewski.
The initiative also has the support of the Polish Embassy and the Polish Cultural Institute in London.
Promoting Polish history, culture and language
Although research cooperation is central to the project, the hub’s activities will extend beyond academia.
Oxford intends to use the initiative to organise public lectures, exhibitions, performances and other events introducing audiences to Polish history, literature, culture and scholarship.
The programme will involve cooperation with Oxford’s Humanities Cultural Programme, the Polish Cultural Institute in London and the Oxford Polish Association.
This cultural element is intended to engage not only university students and academics but also the wider Oxford community, including people with Polish connections.
The hub plans to establish a bilingual website and newsletter covering research funding, events and Polish-language learning opportunities.
These activities could help raise the visibility of Polish scholarship and cultural contributions in Britain, while giving Oxford researchers additional opportunities to engage with Polish institutions and specialists.
Why the initiative matters for Polish research
The Oxford–Poland Hub represents an attempt to establish a continuing institutional presence for Polish academic cooperation at a major international university.
During a parliamentary committee discussion earlier this year, Polish officials explained that NAWA had been instructed in July to develop the project as part of a wider effort to strengthen Poland’s academic presence abroad.
The official Sejm committee documentation described the intention to create a more durable mechanism for cooperation, including research grants, academic mobility and initiatives focused on Poland and Central Europe.
The strategy differs from arrangements limited to a single conference or research project.
By placing the hub within Oxford’s existing research structures, the organisers hope to establish ongoing connections between academics, universities, cultural institutions and funding organisations.
For Polish researchers, those connections could provide access to international expertise, academic networks and opportunities to develop larger collaborative projects.
For Oxford, the initiative offers a framework for building closer relationships with Polish institutions and expanding research into Polish and Central European subjects.
The practical impact will depend on the projects funded, the partnerships formed and whether the initiative can sustain its activities beyond the initial three-year period.
Monday’s planned inauguration marks the formal beginning of an ambitious academic partnership, with the first research grants, exchanges and cultural initiatives expected to demonstrate how the new Oxford–Poland Hub will work in practice.
