Networks & Strategic Partnerships

Reaching beyond Poland’s borders is at the heart of how we grow.
Through active alliances, networks and strategic partnerships on
several continents, the University of Gdańsk exchanges knowledge
and good practice with institutions that share our ambitions — work
that helps us build a stronger, fairer and more sustainable future
together.

Six partnerships, one welcome

Each regional partnership is led by a UG coordinator or representative and, where established, a team of
student ambassadors who support incoming and outgoing students, researchers and partner delegations.

EUROPEAN UNIVERSITIES ALLIANCE
SEA-EU Alliance

The European University of the Seas (SEA-EU)— nine coastal universities building a joint, multilingual European University.

Marlena Rutkowska-Muzyk
PROJECT MANAGER
Marlena Rutkowska-Myzyk

SEA-EU Project Office, University of Gdańsk

STUDENT AMBASSADORS
SOUTHEAST ASIA
ASEAN Partnership

Academic cooperation across Southeast Asia, with a long-standing focus on Vietnam.

photo of professor Joanna Różycka-Tran
UG REPRESENTATIVE
Joanna Różycka-Tran, Assoc. Professor

Institute of Pscyhology, Faculty of Social Sciences

Joanna Różycka-Tran, Assoc. Professor at the University of Gdańsk, is affiliated with the Institute of Psychology at the University of Gdańsk. Her research focuses on social and cross-cultural psychology and has been disseminated through numerous scientific and popular science publications, involving collaborations with more than 200 co-authors from around the world.

She has been the recipient of multiple scholarships awarded by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education, numerous academic distinctions, including the First-Degree Rector’s Award of the University of Gdańsk and the Dean’s Award of the Faculty of Social Sciences, as well as several international research grants. She has also been awarded the Medal of the President of the Republic of Poland for outstanding contributions to science and received the Minister of Science and Higher Education Award for significant achievements in the internationalization of higher education and research.

Professor Różycka-Tran serves as Chair of the Cross-Cultural Psychology Section of the Polish Social Psychology Association and is the principal investigator of the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) Strategic Partnerships project with Vietnam (2024–2026). This initiative represents the culmination of nearly two decades of sustained academic collaboration and exchange with Vietnamese higher education institutions, particularly the Vietnam National University and the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences in Hanoi. Tangible outcomes of this long-term partnership include bilateral cooperation agreements, numerous faculty exchanges, jointly organized scientific conferences, more than 40 conference presentations and invited lectures based on collaborative research, and over 30 coauthored publications in national and international scientific journals.

In 2025, she participated as a member of the NAWA delegation representing the Government of Poland during the celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Poland and Vietnam. Her work has substantially contributed to the development of strategic scientific cooperation between the two countries through joint research projects, the cross-cultural adaptation and validation of psychological assessment instruments, collaborative publications, and conference presentations. She has also actively promoted international academic mobility by coordinating student, doctoral, and staff exchanges, serving for many years as an Erasmus+ coordinator, and participating as a visiting professor in study visits, research fellowships, seminars, workshops, training programmes, and international conferences worldwide.

She currently leads the ASPIC project, which brings together more than 50 researchers from Poland and Vietnam working in the fields of applied social psychology, health psychology, family psychology, and cross-cultural psychology.

As a representative of the University of Gdańsk’s strategic partnership with the ASEAN region, dr hab. Joanna Różycka-Tran, prof UG is currently expanding academic cooperation with universities and research institutions in Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Hong Kong. Her activities include establishing research and educational partnerships, fostering student and staff mobility, developing joint research projects, and strengthening international collaboration in cross-cultural psychology and the social sciences. She combines academic excellence with a strong commitment to intercultural engagement, believing that direct experience of cultural diversity provides the greatest inspiration for scientific inquiry and sustainable international cooperation.

Alongside her extensive academic responsibilities, she combines her scientific career with a passion for travel and field research. She has undertaken numerous expeditions in the Himalayan region, climbing mountain peaks and volcanoes and reaching remote Buddhist monasteries. Her direct engagement with culturally diverse communities has inspired extensive field research across Asia, where exploring different worldviews, behavioural patterns, and value systems has become a central aspect of her scholarly work. She continues to promote intercultural understanding through public outreach, including social media and educational media appearances.

photo of Małgorzata Karczmarzyk
CAMBODIA COOPERATION AMBASSADOR
Małgorzata Karczmarzyk, PhD, Assistant Professor

Institute of Education, Faculty of Social Sciences

Małgorzata Karczmarzyk, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Education, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Gdańsk. Her interdisciplinary academic and artistic work lies at the intersection of education, visual arts, visual communication, semiotics, and cross-cultural research. Her research interests include the role of art and non-verbal communication in the construction of identity, relationship-building, and the creation of spaces for dialogue across linguistic and cultural boundaries. She has received numerous awards and distinctions for her academic, teaching, educational, and artistic achievements. She is a recipient of multiple Scholarships for Cultural Creators awarded by the Marshal of the Pomeranian Voivodeship, the Medal of the Commission of National Education for distinguished contributions to education, and the Rector’s Award of the University of Gdańsk for teaching achievements. In 2026, she was also awarded First Prize in the Photo Essay Competition of “Przegląd Socjologii Jakościowej” (“Qualitative Sociology Review”) for her work “Blur: In the Folds of Identity”, related to her autoethnographic and visual research conducted in the Angkor region.

Cambodia holds a particularly important place in her current academic, artistic, and social activities. Since 2024, she has conducted research in Siem Reap and developed cooperation with Cambodian academic, educational, and cultural institutions. During a year-long research stay at Angkor University, she has conducted arts-based and autoethnographic research focusing on intercultural communication, identity, belonging, and dialogue across linguistic boundaries. Cambodia has also become an important setting for the further development and empirical testing of her original research method, Visual-Verbal Dialogues (VVD).

One of the most significant outcomes of these activities has been the initiation and development of institutional cooperation between the University of Gdańsk and Angkor University. In March 2025, the two universities signed a cooperation agreement, followed by the development of student and staff mobility within the Erasmus+ KA171 programme. Dr Karczmarzyk has also been developing relationships with other Cambodian universities, including through lectures and workshops delivered at Build Bright University in Siem Reap. Her international activities extend more broadly across Asia. She has participated in academic initiatives and international conferences in Shanghai, Hanoi, and Siem Reap, presenting research on art, education, visual communication, and intercultural dialogue. Her work in Asia combines research, teaching, and artistic practice with the development of long-term relationships and cooperation between universities.

An important dimension of her engagement in Cambodia is also her social and charitable work. She has collaborated with the “Colors of Cambodia” initiative, conducting artistic and educational activities for children, and has been involved in initiatives supporting children without parental care and local communities, including projects related to access to water. Through these activities, she combines education through art with social responsibility and long-term engagement with the communities in which she conducts her research.

Her current activities are aimed at further strengthening cooperation between the University of Gdańsk and universities and institutions in Cambodia, as well as across the wider Asian region, through joint research projects, academic mobility, intercultural education, and arts-based methodologies.

 

photo of student ambassador - Paweł Książek
Student ambassador
Paweł Książek, University of Gdańsk

My name is Paweł. I love community engagement, social activism, meeting new people and discovering new cultures. I am a fourth-year psychology student and the originator of a large-scale well-being study at the University of Gdańsk. My goal is to reach as many people as possible and encourage them to take advantage of the opportunities offered by our university, the European Union, and other organizations.

photo of student ambassador - Alicja Szlejf
Student ambassador
Alicja Szlejf, University of Gdańsk

My name is Alicja, and I am a third-year psychology student. I am particularly passionate about deepening my knowledge of cross-cultural psychology, with a special focus on grief and humour. Additionally, I am interested in cinematography and fashion. My primary goal is to increase social sensitivity to interpersonal differences and foster mutual understanding.

photo of student ambassador - Hubert Wydra
Student ambassador
Hubert Wydra, University of Gdańsk

My name is Hubert, and I am a fourth-year psychology student. I am interested in cross-cultural, sports, and humanistic psychology, as well as their mutual intersections. I love traveling and discovering other cultures, which I experienced firsthand during academic exchanges in Vietnam, France, and Portugal. I want to encourage others to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the university and EU projects, which allow students to gain new experiences, broaden their perspectives, and build an academic community. Beyond psychology, I am passionate about sports, fashion, geography, and playing the guitar.

photo of student ambassador- Stanisław Sobiech
Student ambassador
Stanisław Sobiech, University of Gdańsk

I am a psychology student and a community activist. Currently, I focus on initiatives supporting the Polish diaspora abroad (Polonia), local youth, and expanding my academic knowledge. Personally, I love long mountain hikes and playing guitar around campfires.

Photo of student ambassador- Zuzanna
Student ambassador
Zuzanna Musiał, University of Gdańsk

My name is Zuzia, and I am a second-year psychology student. My interests lie in social psychology, particularly the topics of love, sexology, and the social perception of gender. In my spare time, I am learning to sew clothes, and I write poetry.

TÜRKİYE
Türkiye Partnership

Runs through the Polish–Turkish Studies Centre at the University of Gdańsk.

photo of professor Wojciech Grabowski
UG REPRESENTATIVE
Wojciech Grabowski, Assoc. Professor

Director of Polish-Turkish Studies Centre

Institute of Political Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences

Wojciech Grabowski, Assoc. Professor at the University of Gdańsk is the Head of the Department of International Relations at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Director of the Polish-Turkish Studies Centre. He serves as the University’s representative for the strategic partnership with Türkiye, coordinating the development of academic cooperation between the University of Gdańsk and Turkish higher education institutions.

His research focuses on international relations in the Middle East, with particular emphasis on Türkiye, the Gulf region, regional security, foreign policy, migration and international cooperation. He has authored more than 55 peer-reviewed scientific publications, including books, book chapters and articles published in leading international journals, focusing on international relations, the Middle East and international security.

As Director of the Polish-Turkish Studies Centre, he develops institutional partnerships between the University of Gdańsk and leading Turkish universities, research institutions, public organisations and industry partners. His work includes initiating joint research projects, Erasmus+ agreements, Blended Intensive Programmes (BIPs), staff mobility, visiting professor initiatives, conferences, workshops and other academic activities that strengthen scientific and educational cooperation between Poland and Türkiye.

He welcomes collaboration with researchers, academic institutions, public organisations and industry representatives interested in developing joint initiatives with the University of Gdańsk and the Polish-Turkish Studies Centre.

COORDINATOR
Berkay Altunbaş

Polish-Turkish Studies Centre

AFRICA
Africa Partnership

UG’s institutional point of contact for cooperation with African partner universities.

Logo of the University of Gdańsk
UG REPRESENTATIVE
Margot Stańczyk-Minkiewicz, Assoc. Professor

Institute of Political Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences

LATIN AMERICA
Mexico Partnership

Bilateral academic cooperation between University of Gdańsk and Mexican partner institutions.

photo of professor Mariola Bidzan
UG REPRESENTATIVE
Professor Mariola Bidzan

Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences

The University of Gdańsk is continuously expanding and strengthening its cooperation with academic and scientific institutions in Mexico.

In 2022, cooperation between the University of Gdańsk and the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México was launched, creating new opportunities for academic exchange, research collaboration, and the development of joint initiatives. This cooperation was further strengthened in 2026 with the signing of an official agreement between the University of Gdańsk and the Consejo Mexiquense de Ciencia y Tecnología (COMECyT).

 

Current and potential areas of cooperation between UG and UAEMex include:

Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG&MUG

  • Joint research projects in the fields of virology, secondary metabolites, and bioactive compounds.
  • Students and PhD students exchange.
  • Organization of summer schools and laboratory internships.

 

Faculty of Biology

  • Research in tropical ecology, biodiversity, and field biology.
  • Collaboration with the UNAM Tropical Research Station, including the use of research infrastructure.
  • Birds migration research projects.

 

Faculty of Chemistry

  • Analysis of natural compounds of Mexican origin.
  • Synthesis and investigation of the biological activity of new substances.
  • Opportunity to carry out joint research projects.

 

Faculty of Social Sciences

  • Publishing research in the global open-access UAEM database (monographs in particular).
  • Comparative research on education, migration, and social policies.

 

Faculty of Languages

  • Cooperation in Hispanic studies and student exchange.
  • Joint cultural initiatives and academic conferences.

 

Faculty of Economics, Faculty of Law and Administration, Faculty of Management

  • Comparative studies on the legal and economic systems of Mexico and the EU.
  • Projects in the areas of sustainable development and international cooperation.
  • Student exchange opportunities.
CENTRAL ASIA
Central Asia Partnership

Includes cooperation with Tashkent State University of Law under the KATAMARAN programme.

Logo of the University of Gdańsk
UG REPRESENTATIVE
Edvardas Juchnevicius, Assoc. Professor

Department of Financial Law, Faculty of Law and Administration