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ECHE (Erasmus Charter for Higher Education 2021-2027)

As the European higher education institution with an established reputation of academic and didactic excellence, University of Lower Silesia is striving to constantly evolve, modernise and grow in order to provide its students, alumni and staff with a cutting-edge, inspiring teaching and learning environment, as well as continuous development opportunities.

One of the main goals of University's comprehensive future strategy ULS would like to achieve by participating in the Erasmus+ Programme in the years 2021-2027 is to enhance ULS’ standing as a truly international institution. International cooperation has always been an important factor in integrating ULS both in EU and non-EU partnerships, therefore ULS fully recognizes the importance of further strengthening the EHEA, as well as it remains committed to supporting the goals and objectives of the European Education Area in all respects.

Hence, further internationalization of University's community - via mobility-based focus on study, teaching or training opportunities, as well as University's adherence to bolstering international research collaboration - is a cornerstone of ULS' futureoriented growth strategy. International cooperation of the University and, subsequently, encouragement of high quality mobility of ULS' academic community, as well as incoming mobility (including virtual mobility) - students and staff - is at the core of University's institutional policy for the next decade. ULS participation in the educational and research structures - on the local, regional, European and global levels - is vital to its competitive advantage and success in the globalised educational market. In-depth critical analysis of Erasmus+ programme's outcomes at ULS was a crucial part of designing and developing University's current strategy blueprint.

ULS' participation in the Erasmus+ programme 2021-2027 will have a lasting impact on the implementation of this strategy, as it will aid, further and cement modernisation and innovation processes at the University. The initial phase of University's growth strategy will entail doubling its number of international partners in the years 2021-2023 by strategically and actively seeking new collaboration and partnership opportunities with institutions and HEIs having a similar educational & research profile. Additionally, ULS plans on embracing its local strength by shaping its future based policy on the principles of sustainability, especially in the context of climate emergency, as well as principles of equality and supporting all forms of civic engagement. Moving forward, ULS will continue its ongoing commitment to establishing educational process as an integrative concept comprising both skills development and knowledge creation, as well as knowledge transfer.

University will cultivate and further enhance its research capacity, especially in the international context, and will foster an environment in which research and learning practices mutually inform and reinforce one another. Special emphasis will be put on developing international cooperation based on the principles of transnationality, inclusive education, sustainable education foundations, as well as on cross-border and regional collaboration - on creating new connections while sustaining and nurturing existing fruitful partnerships.

In the years 2021-2027, University of Lower Silesia plans on fully benefiting from Erasmus+ by taking part in all of its key actions (KA1; KA2; KA3). At the moment, ULS closely cooperates with over one hundred leading universities and HEIs, both in Europe and worldwide. University's long-term partners include, for example, universities in the United States and Taiwan, and as a part of its 2021-2027 strategy based on its accumulated experience with global collaborators, ULS places a strategic focus on cooperating with specific research and educational institutions, as well as international networks, organizations and associations, both within EHEA and worldwide. Moreover, ULS cooperates closely with a high number of international enterprises, local authorities, NGOs, as well as business partners, and plans on further developing these connections, as well as securing new, quality partnerships, especially in the context of vocational training, employability and future working environments of University's students and alumni.

University’s future strategy and policy focuses heavily on trends analysis and changes in the progressively complex world of work, specialist skills, competence levels and future job markets. The increasing importance of subject-specific and interdisciplinary competences of students and alumni, such as intercultural and communication skills, digital literacy, entrepreneurial skills, STEM skills, data literacy, critical thinking, creativity and problem-based learning, leadership and cooperation skills - provide additional guiding principles of University's international strategy. As strategic international partnerships contribute to a range of academic activities, linking learning and teaching, enterprises, research and knowledge transfer, gaining and developing cooperation with new high quality international partners is one of the main aims of ULS' strategy for the years 2021-2027.

By the early 2021, University of Lower Silesia will implement a comprehensive new policy, currently under development: ULS IT & Digital Strategy 2021, which will fully incorporate the objectives of European Commission’s Digital Education Action plan, Erasmus Without Paper (EWP) Network, the use of Erasmus+ Mobile App, Erasmus+ Dashboard tool, European Student Card Initiative, and other digitization tools and initiatives. The strategic use and full integration of digitization technologies will aid ULS projects’ development, management and cooperation with its regional and international partners, as well as will ensure further incorporating digital skills in the study curricula and dedicated digitalisation courses and training for University's students and staff.

University has benefited tremendously from participating in the Erasmus+ programme's 2014-2020 perspective, which not only strengthened ULS' regional competitiveness but additionally enhanced its standing as a premier educational institution in the global HEI market. As a result, ULS currently offers leading-edge Bachelor's, Master's and doctoral degree programs in Polish, English and Czech, postgraduate studies and vocational courses, University of the Third Age studies, Children's Academy studies, as well as doctoral summer schools in cooperation with American and European HEIs. Additionally, University boasts long-term experience in the development of international short-cycle studies, i.e.: Experiencing the New Europe - winner of the American award of National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) for the best international studies in 2011, Exploring Central Europe: History, Memory and Identity Across Borders and with the partnership of the Syracuse University, Democracy and Diversity Summer Institute in cooperation with the New School for Social Research, New York.

Furthermore, ULS has successfully cooperated in a number of Erasmus+ KA102 projects, such as:

- Teacher Culture Pluri

- PRoSPERo - Pedagogy of Robotics in the Social Professions in Europe,

- AgeSam - Aging and Demographic Changes in Late Modern Society,

- EMPLOY - Enhancing the Employability of Non-traditional Students in HE,

- Exploring European Cultural Heritage for fostering academic teaching and social responsibility in Higher Education,

- Learning for Life: Student Retention Through Innovative Teaching Approaches,

- EDUPRO - Promocja Uczenia się Przez Całe Życie w Szkołach Wyższych przez Wdrożenie Innowacyjnych Praktyk w Zakresie Uznawalności Efektów Uczenia się Uzyskanych Poza Edukacją Formalną, gaining significant insights and crucial experiences, which were in effect translated into new, revised internationalization needs. 

Based on the existing know-how, ULS is currently planning to implement joint degrees, as well as research and innovation projects with our selected international partners, which will contribute to the significant acceleration of the internationalization process at the University in the years 2021-2027.

Implementation and acceleration of the internationalization processes at ULS will be constantly monitored via online management tools, such as USOS system and University’s Intranet system, as well as using analysis of the qualitative and quantitative data and which will be generated through: texts and documents, audio and video recordings, interview transcripts and focus groups, observations and notes. Quantitative data will be generated through: participant surveys, questionnaires, student polls, interviews, tests, Erasmus+ programme reports and metrics. All of the gathered specific data points and findings will be included in a comprehensive mid-report, which will be based on the data analysis, and will be studied and evaluated as an important Project’s realisation milestone.