On December 4, the Jagiellonian University was visited by representatives of German diplomacy: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Viktor Elbling and Consul-General Holger Mahnicke. JU Rector Prof. Jacek Popiel and JU Vice-Rector for International Relations Prof. Dorota Malec met with the diplomats in Collegium Novum.
Prof. Dorota Malec stated that the Jagiellonian University has had very good, long-term relations with German universities. The oldest Polish university has so far signed about 300 cooperation agreements with German partner institutions, which have resulted in several thousand papers and research projects. Another important aspect of this collaboration is the joint involvement in establishing and developing many international university networks and associations, such as the Una Europa, brought to life with the participation of Freie Universität Berlin. In addition, the School of German Law at the JU Faculty of Law and Administration, established years ago with the support of the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz and the University of Heidelberg, as well as the Max Planck Laboratory operating at the Małopolska Centre of Biotechnology also play a crucial role.
Viktor Elbling expressed his belief that the Polish-German relations are based on a strong foundation of values constituting modern civil societies, and Germany shows significant interest in projects involving not only two, but even three closely cooperating academic centres, adding that Polish and German institutions in the area of higher education cooperate within the framework of approximately 1,400 agreements. He also declared that he is ready to advocate for strengthening or initiating collaboration between the Jagiellonian University and German higher education institutions and research centres in all areas indicated by the oldest Polish university.
Prof. Jacek Popiel referred to the visit that the academic choir of the University of Heidelberg is to pay to the Jagiellonian University in April next year, noting that it will be even more special because of the recent celebrations of the 145th anniversary of the foundation of the JU Kraków Academic Choir. JU Rector also commended the initiative and commitment of the German Consul-General in Kraków, and agreed with the Ambassador's assessment of the quality of relations between the Polish academic community and its German partners.
Just after the meeting, the diplomats took part in a discussion with the representatives of the Dioscuri Centres of Scientific Excellence, chaired by the JU Vice-Rector for Research Prof. Piotr Kuśtrowski. There are three such centres at the Jagiellonian University, each of which specialises in a different field of research. These are: the Dioscuri Centre for Structural Dynamics of Receptors, the Dioscuri Centre for Random Walks in Geometry and Topology and the Dioscuri Centre for Modelling Posttranslational Modifications.
Representatives of the Centres stressed the importance of being given the opportunity to collaborate with some of the best research teams in the world. Moreover, both the Dioscuri programme and the Max Planck Society, one of the leading European scientific organisations, help Polish science reach its full potential. The participants of the meeting also discussed the very strict selection of projects that receive funding under the Dioscuri programme, which means that only researchers who can boast of the greatest achievements in their fields are able to benefit from it. Issues related to publications in prestigious journals were also discussed, as well as the topic of implementing research results into the economy and the real application of discovered solutions in various fields.
