Publisher: Foundation for the Development of the Education System SCIEX Scholarship Fund Mokotowska 43, 00-551 Warsaw tel.: +48 22 46 31 470, fax: +48 22 46 31 028 www.sciex.pl

Texts by: SCIEX fellows and Anna Pavlovych, Magdalena Gessel, Sylwia Iżyniec and Katarzyna Aleksandrowicz

Managing Editor: Anna Pavlovych

Editors: Anna Pavlovych, Magdalena Gessel

Proof reading: Dr John Fells

Graphic design and typesetting: Justyna Marciniak

Photos by: SCIEX fellows, Wojciech Wójtowicz

Printing: Ofi cyna drukarska – Jacek Chmielewski

ISBN: ISBN 978-83-62634-88-0

© Fundacja Rozwoju Systemu Edukacji, 2012

Supported by a grant from Switzerland through the Swiss Contribution to the enlarged European Union

Spis treści CONTENTS

PREFACE 3 GENERAL INFORMATION 11 DESCRIPTION OF THE SCIEX SCHOLARSHIP FUND 15 DESCRIPTIONS OF RESEARCH PROJECTS IMPLEMENTED BY SCIEX FELLOWS 19 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 78 Innowacje to jedna z mocnych stron Szwajcarii. Szwajcarskie instytuty badań naukowych są jednymi z najlepszych na świecie.

Sukces i przyszły rozwój Szwajcarii w dużej mierze opiera- ją FOREIGNsię na wiedzy i innowacji. Zdajemy SCIENTIFIC sobie sprawę ze stra- POLICY tegicznego znaczenia edukacji, nauki, badań i rozwoju dla naszego kraju i przykładamy stosowną wagę do tych zagad- rząd federalny promuje działania w zakresie współpracy nień, które mają również duże znaczenie weIS współpracy AN i międzynarodowejESSENTIAL prowadzonej za pomocą wielu kanałów, stosunkach międzynarodowych. np. poprzez uczestnictwo Szwajcarii w europejskich orga- PILLARnizacjach OF i programach SWISS badawczych (takich jak programy Szwajcaria, po raz kolejny, stoi na czele rankingu Global badawcze UE: CERN, ESA i inne) oraz za pomocą współpracy Competitiveness Report opublikowanego przez World Eco- dwustronnej z ważnymi krajami partnerskimi. nomic Forum, w którym wymienionych jest 144 gospodarek FOREIGN światowych. Zgodnie z informacjami podanymi w raporcie, Polska jest ważnym partnerem dla naszego kraju i Szwajcar- innowacje to jedna z mocnych stron Szwajcarii; instytuty sko-Polski Program Współpracy fi nansowany przez Szwajca- badań naukowych są jednymi z najlepszych na świecie i, co rię zapewnia POLICYwyjątkową możliwość zwiększenia i zacieśnienia więcej, intensywnie współpracują z sektorem biznesu, który współpracy i partnerstwa pomiędzy naszymi społecznościa- ponosi największe nakłady na badania i rozwój, ma najwyż- mi naukowymi. Od Mikołaja Kopernika po Marię Curie-Skło- szy poziom innowacyjności i jest znany ze skutecznego sto- dowską, Polska ma wspaniałe tradycje naukowe. Po 20 latach sowania wyników badań do celów komercyjnych. Wyniki te od przyjęcia modelu gospodarki rynkowej, priorytety Polski potwierdzają niezwykłą odporność gospodarki szwajcarskiej skłaniają się ku badaniom i innowacjom. Dzięki dużym zaso- na skutki kryzysu w strefi e euro oraz to, że nasza długoter- bom wysoko wykwalifi kowanych i zmotywowanych pracow- minowa orientacja na gospodarkę i społeczeństwo oparte ników, Polska zapewnia obiecujące możliwości zacieśnienia na wiedzy i innowacjach stanowi właściwy kierunek rozwoju. współpracy dwustronnej w dziedzinie nauki, badań i inno- wacji. Jestem przekonany, że Program wymiany naukowej Jednak w dzisiejszym świecie realizacja odpowiedniej polity- między Szwajcarią a nowymi państwami członkowskimi Unii ki i właściwe podejście na poziomie krajowym nie są wystar- Europejskiej SCIEX-NMSch będzie mieć znaczący wkład w czające. Dlatego w interesie Szwajcarii jest podnoszenie, na tym zakresie i będzie promować bliskie stosunki pomiędzy poziomie międzynarodowym, świadomości znaczenia kraju osobami prywatnymi i instytucjami w naszych krajach, któ- jako niezwykle konkurencyjnej lokalizacji dla prowadzenia re będą kontynuowane jeszcze po zakończeniu programu. badań naukowych, rozwoju technologicznego i innowacji Program wymiany naukowej powinien również promować oraz promowanie międzynarodowej współpracy w tych dwustronną wymianę i współpracę w zakresie efektywnego dziedzinach na poziomie indywidualnym i instytucjonalnym. transferu i upowszechniania wiedzy na rzecz gospodarki i Dlatego też współpraca zagraniczna w zakresie badań na- rozwoju innowacyjnych sektorów, takich jak odnawialne źró- ukowych stanowi podstawę polityki zagranicznej Szwajcarii. dła energii, nowe technologie oraz w wielu innych dziedzi- Podczas, gdy uniwersytety i instytuty naukowe w Szwajcarii nach, w których Szwajcaria ma wiele do zaoferowania. realizują niezależne strategie współpracy międzynarodowej, JE LUKAS BEGLINGER Ambasador Szwajcarii w Polsce

„Projekty badawcze realizowane w ramach Funduszu Stypendialnego SCIEX–NMSch – cele i osiągnięcia” Podsumowanie projektów 2009–2012 Innovation counts among Switzerland’s main strengths. Swiss scientifi c research institutions are among the world’s best

research programmes, CERN, ESA, etc.), and through bilateral cooperation with important partner countries.

Switzerland’s success and future development are based and Poland clearly is an important partner, and the Swiss-Polish depend to a large extent on its knowledge and innovation Scientifi c Exchange Programme fi nanced by the Swiss Contri- capacities. Hence, we recognize the strategic importance of bution off ers a unique opportunity to enhance and strength- education, science, research and development for our coun- en cooperation and partnership between our scientifi c try and act accordingly. And we attach equal importance to communities. From Copernicus to Maria Curie-Skłodowska, this fi eld in our international relations and cooperation. Poland looks back on a great tradition of scientifi c excel- lence. After 20 years of successful transition to a free market In the latest Global Competitiveness Report published by the economy, it is now in the process of shifting its priorities to- World Economic Forum, Switzerland is again ranked fi rst wards research and innovation. In conjunction with its large among 144 economies. According to the report, innovation pool of well qualifi ed and motivated human resources, this counts among Switzerland’s main strengths; its scientifi c re- off ers a promising base for a closer and intensifi ed bilateral search institutions are not only among the world’s best, but relationship in the fi elds of science, research and innovation. they also cooperate strongly with the business sector which I trust that the Swiss-Polish Scientifi c Exchange Programme in turn excels in terms of R&D spending, innovative capaci- will make a major contribution to that end and help foster ties and their successful application for commercial purpos- solid personal and institutional ties between our countries es. These fi ndings confi rm – as much as the Swiss economy’s that will outlive the Programme’s duration. The Programme remarkable resilience to the consequences of the Eurozone should equally be conducive to fostering bilateral exchange crisis – that our longstanding orientation towards a knowl- and cooperation with regard to the eff ective transfer and dif- edge and innovation-based economy and society is the right fusion of knowledge to the economy and the development way forward. of innovative sectors such as renewable energy, high tech in- dustries and many other fi elds where Switzerland has plenty In today’s world, however, it is not enough to pursue ad- to off er. equate policies and to do things right at the domestic level. It is in Switzerland’s interest to increase international aware- ness of its strengths as a highly competitive location for sci- JE LUKAS BEGLINGER entifi c research, technological development and innovation AMBASSADOR OF SWITZERLAND TO POLAND and to promote its worldwide cooperation in these fi elds at personal and institutional levels. That is why foreign scien- tifi c policy is an essential pillar of Swiss foreign policy. While Swiss universities and research institutions pursue their own international strategies and cooperation activities, the feder- al government promotes international cooperation through multilateral channels, e.g. Switzerland’s participation in Eu- ropean research organisations and programmes (such as EU

Research Projects Implemented as Part of the Scientifi c Exchange Programme NMSch – Objectives and Achievements Summary of Projects 2009–2012

3 Scientifi c Exchange Programme between Switzerland and Poland (Sciex-NMSch) is a very attractive instrument that aims at promoting young talented scientists

Up to now, several calls took place within this programme and around 100 Doctoral Candidates or PostDocs received fi nancing for stays in Swiss research teams for periods of 6 The Swiss Contribution to the reduction of the economic and to 24 months. social disparities in the enlarged European Union, which is addressed to 12 EU Member States that joined the European The project selection is done by a high level competition. In Union starting from 2004, amounts to 1.26 billion Swiss francs. each call, around 25% of the applicants could be selected. Nearly 40% of this total sum is dedicated to Poland in order to support 60 projects and programmes in diff erent thematic ar- These fi gures show the attractiveness of the Programme and eas, like for instance environment and infrastructure, regional its success among both, the Polish and the Swiss research development, health, private sector and NGO support. communities. But more important than that, the selected proposals are all of extremely high quality. And they will Additionally, the Swiss-Polish Cooperation Programme puts bring people of both our countries together and enhance a lot of emphasis in supporting Research and Development sustainable partnerships. initiatives in Poland. In this fi eld, the Scientifi c Exchange Pro- gramme between Switzerland and Poland (Sciex-NMSch) is a very attractive instrument that aims at promoting young tal- DOMINIQUE FAVRE ented scientists who intend to pursue their research in coop- HEAD OF THE SWISS CONTRIBUTION OFFICE IN POLAND eration with Swiss researchers and institutions. It allows Pol- ish fellows to benefi t namely from high standards in research and experimental development, a highly innovative and competitive environment, strong linkages between higher education and industries as well as private business, etc.

4 The SCIEX Scholarship Fund places emphasis on quality and sustainability of relations and contacts, quick processing of applications and boosting professional development of researchers

The participation of Polish scientists in international pro- grammes has brought many benefi ts. It has allowed them to obtain access to the latest technology and to participation in Poland’s entry to the European Union has resulted in the major scientifi c initiatives. It is thanks to such programmes need to actively participate in the shaping of European as the Scholarship Fund that Polish science is getting closer policy which aims to introduce a competitive and dynamic to the international scientifi c scene, especially that in Eu- economy, which is based on knowledge, is capable of sus- rope. Also Switzerland benefi ts from such cooperation as it tainable development, and provides more and better jobs. acquires excellent and gifted Polish scientists. The Fund also Therefore, large emphasis has been placed on research and provides evidence that Polish scientists are among the best development as it plays a major role in the development of and that their work is appreciated at HEIs abroad, something Poland, and in increase of innovativeness and competitive- confi rmed by numerous scientifi c contacts. As a result, Polish ness of the Polish economy. scientists are ready to participate in competitions prepared by foreign experts. In Poland, research and development is conducted mainly by universities, institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences We have confi dence that Poland will continue fruitful coop- and R&D units. Since 2009, Polish scientists have been able to eration with Switzerland within the scope of support for aca- apply for grants to work at research institutes in Switzerland demic mobility. as part of the Scholarship Fund under the Swiss-Polish Coop- eration Programme. It is worth emphasising that the Schol- MAŁGORZATA WIERZBICKA arship Fund places emphasis on quality and sustainability of DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL COORDINATION UNIT relations and contacts, quick processing of applications and SWISS-POLISH COOPERATION PROGRAMME boosting the professional development of researchers.

The Fund, which realises the priorities for social and eco- nomic development of our country, is open to all scientifi c disciplines. It has provided funding to nearly 100 scientifi c mobilities to Switzerland worth in total more than CHF 8 mil- lion. However, this is not a fi nal number as we have two more competitions ahead of us and more projects waiting for co- fi nancing.

Research Projects Implemented as Part of the Scientifi c Exchange Programme NMSch – Objectives and Achievements Summary of Projects 2009–2012

5 SUPPORT FOR THE MOBILITY OF DOCTORAL CANDIDATES AND SCIENTISTS IS ONE OF SINE QUA NON PRECONDITIONS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN INNOVATIVE AND MORE COMPETI- TIVE ECONOMY WITH STABLE GROWTH IN EMPLOY- MENT NUM- BERS It is of no doubt that exchange of experiences, which can and should be promoted by doctoral candidates and scientists, is pivotal to the Europe of knowledge

Foundation for the Development of the Education System has acted as a Contact Point in Poland since 2009. Polish- Swiss cooperation established as part of the implementa- Principles of the SCIEX Scholarship Fund have become an in- tion of projects by fellows of the SCIEX Scholarship Fund has herent part of the “Europe 2020” strategy for social and eco- paved the way for the transfer of good practices and innova- nomic development in the of area academic and scientifi c tions and resulted in improved quality at HEIs who are mem- cooperation, raising education standards at HEIs by boost- bers of research consortia. ing the number of scientifi c mobilities, the development of innovativeness, and creating sustainable links between the Some discoveries and successes of Polish scientists con- worlds of science, business and research. Support for, and ducting research and working in Switzerland have become modernisation of, higher education, including the mobility known all over the world. Over the past few years, more than of doctoral candidates and scientists are sine qua non pre- 100 Poles have participated in the research resulting in the conditions for the development of an innovative and more launch of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, thanks to which competitive economy with stable growth in employment the discovery of a new elementary particle, which may be the numbers. long sought after Higgs boson, has been announced. I be- lieve that thanks to the projects implemented by Polish fel- It is of no doubt that exchange of experiences, which can and lows of the SCIEX Scholarship Fund, the results of their work, should be promoted by doctoral candidates and scientists, is which so far have been known only in scientifi c circles, will pivotal to the Europe of knowledge. Aiming at the proposed become known to the general public. R&D to GDP expenditure ratio of 1.7%, which our country should achieve in 2020, we should learn from the best. At pre- I am convinced that thanks to research projects implement- sent, Switzerland spends 2.9% of its GDP for R&D, whereas ed as part of the SCIEX Scholarship Fund, cooperation estab- the EU’s goal is 3% of GDP allocated for that purpose. The lished by Polish and Swiss scientifi c consortia will strengthen majority of Swiss scientists who work at HEIs publish the re- links between the world of science, business and research, sults of their work in periodicals included in the Philadelphia and will boost the attractiveness and prestige of Polish sci- List at least once a year. A statistical Polish scientist does it entifi c circles in the international arena. Have an interesting once in three years. However, the estimates show that an in- read. crease in outlays for Polish science by only 10% will result in the growth of scientifi c eff ectiveness by 40% (data accord- MIROSŁAW MARCZEWSKI ing to the report entitled Produktywność naukowa wyższych GENERAL DIRECTOR szkół publicznych w Polsce (Scientifi c Productivity of Public HEIs FOUNDATION FOR THE DEVELOPMENT in Poland)). OF THE EDUCATION SYSTEM

Higher expenditure on research and intensifi ed cooperation between Polish and Swiss scientists has been possible thanks to the launch of the SCIEX Scholarship Fund, for whom the

Research Projects Implemented as Part of the Scientifi c Exchange Programme NMSch – Objectives and Achievements Summary of Projects 2009–2012

7 The Scientifi c Exchange Programme: a successful and promising instrument to strengthen the scientifi c collaboration between Poland and Switzerland

land will participate in 2 more calls for tenders until the end of the Programme).

As part of the Swiss Contribution to the New Member The granted projects are gender-balanced and are mainly States (NMS) of the European Union, the Scientific Ex- conducted by PostDocs (53 vs. 36 by Doctoral Candidates). change Programme (Sciex-NMSch) aims at contributing The granted projects are developed in all scientifi c fi elds but to the reduction of economic and social disparities in the the most represented fi elds are Chemistry (15 projects), Engi- enlarged European Union through fostering the scien- neering Sciences (11 projects) and Legal and Social Sciences tific capacities of researchers in the NMS and promoting & Economics (11 projects). More than 60% of the granted pro- sustainable research partnerships between the NMS and jects have a duration of 12 months. Switzerland. Mandated by the Swiss Agency for Development and Co- The Scientifi c Exchange Programme provides generous fund- operation, the Rectors’ Conference of the Swiss Universities ing and a unique opportunity for Junior Researchers from (CRUS) is in charge of the implementation and management the New Member States fi rst to boost their scientifi c career, of the Scientifi c Exchange Programme. CRUS is proud of be- second to develop new capacities and search in a new scien- ing part of this success story, of the culture of excellence tifi c environment liberated from any further academic obli- which has merged within the Scientifi c Exchange Programme gations and with optimal research and working conditions, and of the diversity of the projects conducted. and, fi nally, to gain international experience and extend their scientifi c networks. Furthermore, through these research The Scientifi c Exchange Programme generates namely an placements, institutional partnerships are enhanced and impressive amount of new discoveries, knowledge, ideas and sustainably established. scientifi c networks.

A total amount of approx. 45 million Swiss Francs has been This publication realized by our Polish partners from FRSE al- earmarked for the Scientifi c Exchange Programme for the lows us to have an insight in some of the Polish-Swiss granted duration 2009 to 2016. Since its beginning, around 300 Fel- projects. CRUS wishes you to enjoy the reading! lowships were granted, which means that a part of the in- novative projects of 300 highly qualifi ed Junior Researchers will be conducted in Switzerland under the supervision of AUDE PACTON Senior Researchers, located both in Switzerland and in the SCIEX PROGRAMME MANAGER New Member States. At the end, around 460 twelve-months RECTORS’ CONFERENCE OF THE SWISS UNIVERSITIES (CRUS) Fellowships are expected.

Poland is the largest partner within the Scientifi c Exchange Programme – with the highest budget of 12 million Swiss Francs and, consequently, the highest number of granted projects (89 in 4 diff erent calls for tenders – knowing that Po-

8 From among new member states of the European Union, Poland is the country which sends the largest number of scientists with support of the SCIEX Scholarship Fund. So far, 96 projects have obtained co-fi nancing

tists as it off ers opportunities for the development of pro- fessional careers at the world’s best research centres, which indeed is a very attractive off er. Scholarships in Switzerland Switzerland stands not only for watches, Lindt chocolate, pave the way for the international careers of Polish scientists. fondue, skiing in the Alps and its four offi cial languages. It is Many young scientists have conducted research in, and ben- also famous for highly valued scientists, among them 25 No- efi ted from being immersed in the international and intercul- bel prize laureates such as, to mention only two: Jean Henri tural environment of, Swiss HEIs, from consultations with for- Dunant – laureate of the fi rst peace prize, and Werner Arber eign experts and from access to advanced scientifi c facilities. and Kurt Wüthrich – prize winners in the fi eld of medicine and chemistry, who may be followed by Polish scientists par- This publication presents the experiences of the SCIEX ticipating in scientifi c exchanges as part of the SCIEX Scholar- Scholarship Fund fellows and quotes their opinions on im- ship Fund. plemented projects. It also describes the added value of their stays in Switzerland for their professional and scientifi c The founding of scientifi c partnerships that develop the ca- careers. We hope that contacts established and friendships pacities of individual scientists and lead to establishment and made during implementation of projects will last after their strengthening of cooperation between scientists from Swit- completion and bring mutual benefi ts in the future. zerland and Poland is the main goal of projects implemented as part of the SCIEX Scholarship Fund. I hope you will enjoy reading this publication and have many ideas for inspiring projects submitted as part of the last call From among the new member states of the European Union, for proposals under the fund, which will be staged in autumn Poland is the country which sends the largest number of sci- 2013! entists with support of the Fund. Since 2009, 333 applications have been fi led and 96 projects have obtained co-fi nancing. KATARZYNA ALEKSANDROWICZ And their number is bound to grow, because as of the date DIRECTOR OF SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMMES of this publication the data for the 2012 selection are not yet FOUNDATION FOR THE DEVELOPMENT known. We will also have the last selection round in 2013, OF THE EDUCATION SYSTEM and it is worth mentioning that CHF 12 million has been ear- marked for the Scholarships programme.

From the beginning of its operations, the SCIEX Scholarship Fund has enjoyed considerable interest on the part of scien-

Research Projects Implemented as Part of the Scientifi c Exchange Programme NMSch – Objectives and Achievements Summary of Projects 2009–2012

9 THE MAIN GOAL OF THE FRSE IS SUPPORT OF ACTIVITIES AIMED AT THE REFORM AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE SYSTEM OF EDUCATION IN POLAND GENERAL INFORMATION THE FOUNDATION FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE EDUCATION SYSTEM ADMINISTERS THE LARGEST PROGRAMMES IN THE FIELD OF EDUCATION IMPLEMENTED IN POLAND Foundation for the Development of the Education System (FRSE) – Contact Point of the SCIEX Scholarship Fund

The main goal of the Foundation for the Development of the mal education, which since 2007 has been called the Youth Education System is support of activities aimed at the reform in Action programme. and development of the system of education in Poland. In or- der to achieve this goal, the Foundation: In 2007, according to the decision of the Polish educational • administers foreign cooperation programmes in the fi eld of authorities, FRSE was appointed as the central institution re- education; sponsible for the implementation of the Lifelong Learning • supports analytical and case studies implemented as part Programme and all its sub-programmes: Comenius, Erasmus, of the programmes, which support the reform of the educa- Grundtvig and Leonardo da Vinci. tion system; • programmes the cooperation of Polish educational institu- The Foundation also acts as the National Contact Point for tions with their counterparts abroad; Erasmus Mundus and Tempus programmes, as the National • initiates cooperation with Polish and foreign educational in- Offi ce of Eurodesk Poland and as a Resource Centre of SALTO stitutions and organisations. EECA which is an EU initiative promoting cooperation with the countries of Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. FRSE also Operations of the Foundation, which facilitate the participation manages the European Language Label competition and of school and university staff in assistance programmes aimed the eTwinning action. Last but not least, the Polish EURY- at improving the quality of education, support the reform and DICE Unit operates at the Foundation (Eurydice is a European the development of the education system in Poland. The pro- educational information network). grammes put into practice a number of initiatives of the Euro- pean Union, whose priorities include: Programmes administered by FRSE: • increasing the number of investments in human resources; • The Lifelong Learning Programme and its sub-programmes: • getting rid of social divisions and inequality; – Comenius – preschool and school education, • supporting educational aspirations; – Erasmus – higher education, • promoting cooperation aimed at improving the quality of – Leonardo da Vinci – vocational education and training, educational services; – Grundtvig – adult education, • promoting lifelong learning. – Study Visits, – LLP Preparatory Visits; The Foundation for the Development of the Education Sys- • Youth in Action; tem (FRSE) administers the largest programmes of the Eu- • Erasmus Mundus; ropean Union in the fi eld of education implemented in Po- • Tempus; land. FRSE was the sole operator of the Tempus programme, • EURODESK; which supported the modernisation of higher education in • SALTO EECA; Central and Eastern European countries. Thanks to the ex- • European Language Label; perience acquired during the administration of the Tempus • eTwinning; programme, following the European Commission’s decision • EURYDICE; to include Poland in the group of countries participating in • Polish-Lithuanian Youth Exchange Fund; the Socrates programme, the Foundation became the Na- • Scholarship and Training Fund (STF); tional Agency of the Socrates and Socrates II programmes, • SCIEX Scholarship Fund; and for many years was responsible for managing all its sub- • Human Capital Operational Programme – three projects programmes; Erasmus, Grundtvig and Comenius. FRSE has implemented as part of Priority III: High Quality of the Educa- also administered the Youth programme in the fi eld of infor- tion System. Research Projects Implemented as Part of the Scientifi c Exchange Programme NMSch – Objectives and Achievements Summary of Projects 2009–2012

13 SINCE 2009, THE FOUNDATION FOR THE DE- VELOPMENT OF THE EDUCATION SYSTEM HAS OPERATED AS A CONTACT POINT FOR THE SCIEX SCHOLARSHIP FUND IN POLAND Poland is the country which sends the largest number of scientists for Description of the SCIEX SCIEX Scholarships Scholarship Fund

The Scientifi c Exchange Programme, as part of which the Goals of the Fund SCIEX Scholarship Fund is implemented, aims at contribut- ing to the reduction of economic and social disparities in the The main goal of projects implemented as part of the SCIEX enlarged European Union through fostering the scientifi c Scholarship Fund is to establish scientifi c partnerships which capacities of researchers in new member states and promot- will: ing sustainable research partnerships between the ten new • develop individual researchers’ capacities (human capital); member states and Switzerland. • foster scientifi c progress and innovation (scientifi c pros- pects); The Fund was launched in 2009 as part of the Scientifi c Ex- • establish or enhance networks between researchers (net- change Programme between Switzerland and new mem- working). ber states of the European Union SCIEX–NMSch for the years 2009–2016. As part of the Programme, it is possible to apply for grants for the implementation of research programmes in The Fund’s Budget all academic disciplines, as part of which two scientists or two units (one from Switzerland and one from a new member The total Fund allocation for Poland amounts to CHF 12 million. state) wish to cooperate, provided that they avail of indispen- sable specialist knowledge and qualifi ed human resources. Scientists working at prestigious research and educational Who can apply? institutions in 10 new member states, including Poland, are immediate benefi ciaries of the programme. Consortia composed of scientifi c and research institutes from Switzerland and Poland can apply for grants under the Schol- From the very beginning, the programme has enjoyed large arship Fund. The main applicant is a Swiss host institution, interest on the part of scientists, and each year the applica- which acting in cooperation with a sending institution from tions outnumber the available posts. So far, 96 Polish scien- Poland, coordinates the application process and within the tists have been to work in Switzerland under the programme. deadline stipulated for each Call sends the application to the From among the new member states of the European Union, intermediary institution, i.e. the Swiss Conference of Uni- Poland is the country which sends the largest number of versity Rectors (CRUS). scientists for SCIEX Scholarships. In 2011, Polish scientists obtained CHF 1.7 million for staging scientifi c research in The list of eligible Polish institutions is published on the Switzerland. Polish research projects constitute nearly 44% of following website: www.programszwajcarski.gov.pl and all the applications fi nanced under the programme. Thanks includes: HEIs, units of the Polish Academy of Sciences, and to the exchanges, doctoral students, scientists and their national research institutes. mentors have many opportunities to share their experiences and raise their professional qualifi cations. The SCIEX Scholar- The list of eligible Swiss institutions is published on the ship Fund is addressed to representatives of all fi elds of following website: www.sciex.ch and includes: HEIs, re- science with no age limitation. Doctoral candidates and search institutions of the federal institutes of technology PostDocs can leave for research stays in Switzerland lasting domain, universities of applied sciences and research institu- from 6 to 24 months. An annual scholarship amounts to from tions subsidised by the Swiss Confederation. CHF 50,000 to 80,000 CHF.

Research Projects Implemented as Part of the Scientifi c Exchange Programme NMSch – Objectives and Achievements Summary of Projects 2009–2012

15 Prior to fi ling an application under the Scientifi c Exchange Eligible project costs Programme between Switzerland and New Member States of the European Union (SCIEX–NMSch), a host institution from Table 1. Eligible costs of scholarships for Doctoral Candidates Switzerland must sign a framework cooperation agreement and Junior Researchers from Poland with CRUS, which includes an obligation to observe the pro- visions of the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Category Eligible costs Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers. Scholarship Scholarship: Doctoral Candidates – CHF 50,000 over What projects can be funded? the fi rst 12 months of the stay Doctoral Candidates – CHF 55,000 over As part of the SCIEX Scholarship Fund, a consortium com- the next 12 months of the stay posed of a Polish sending institution and Swiss host institu- Junior Researchers – CHF 80,000 over the tion may apply for co-fi nancing of the following projects: 12 months of the stay (max. length of the stay – 18 months) Scholarships for Doctoral Candidates and Junior Re- searchers (PostDocs) from Poland, in order to conduct Transport Costs of travel between Poland and Swit- research at research institutes in Switzerland. Scholarships zerland (max. CHF 1,000) are awarded for a period lasting from 6 to 24 months. The Transport in Switzerland contribution for a six-month stay of a Doctoral Candidate (max. CHF 1,000) amounts to CHF 25,000 in the fi rst year and CHF 27,500 in Other Participation in conferences (including the second year. Grants awarded to Junior Researchers external catering and hotel accommoda- amount to CHF 40,000. Additional funds are earmarked for tion costs) the reimbursement of e.g. travel costs (up to a given limit). Publication costs (max. CHF 500)

Stays of individual scientists from Poland or Switzer- Table 2. . Eligible costs of short research visits by scientists from land in order to prepare research projects or stays related Switzerland and Poland to their implementation, i.e. 5-day stays in Switzerland or Poland, the co-fi nancing of which amounts to CHF 2,500. Category Eligible costs The supported projects should contribute to raising pro- (max. CHF 2,500) fessional qualifi cations and the development of scientifi c and research cooperation. Transport Costs of travel between Poland and Switzer land. Transport within the country. Accommo- Hotel accommodation costs Calls for proposals dation and Expenses board Calls for proposals are staged annually. The last Call for pro- posals by Polish-Swiss scientifi c consortia is planned for autumn 2013.

16 The SCIEX Scholarship Fund is addressed to representatives of all fi elds of science with no age limitation

Contact Open Calls for proposals

SCIEX Contact Point in Poland 1st Call for proposals 2009 Foundation for the Development of the Education System As part of the 1st call for proposals 2009 (deadline for submit- ul. Mokotowska 43 ting applications: 1 November 2009), 77 applications were 00-551 Warsaw submitted to CRUS. Co-fi nancing was awarded to 26 projects tel.: +48 22 46 31 000 (more than 33%), out of which 13 projects were implement- email: [email protected] ed by Poland and the total grant exceeded CHF 1,000,000. www.sciex.pl Among the co-fi nanced projects was one from Estonia and 12 from the Czech Republic. Intermediary Institution for the Scholarship Fund Rektorenkonferenz der Schweizer Universitäten In the 1st Call for proposals the total contribution exceeded (Conference of Swiss University Rectors (CRUS)) CHF 1,900,000, including: International Relations of CRUS Post box 607 CH - 3000 Bern 9 CHF 1,021,500 awarded to Poland tel.: +41 31 306 60 36 CHF 800,000 e-mail: [email protected] CHF 78,500 awarded to the Czech Republic www.sciex.ch awarded to Estonia

Swiss Contribution Offi ce in Poland Address for correspondence: Research projects were implemented by: cantonal univer- Swiss Embassy in Poland sities (16); the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (7); re- Swiss Contribution Offi ce in Poland search institutes (3). 12 researchers were women, and 14 re- Aleje Ujazdowskie 27 searchers were men. 00-540 Warsaw tel.: +48 22 553 89 20 2nd Call for proposals 2010 e-mail: [email protected] As part of the 2nd Call for proposals closed on 1 April 2010, www.swiss-contribution.admin.ch/poland/ 106 applications were fi led, including:

National Coordination Unit Ministry of Regional Development 6 from Estonia 58 from Poland Department for Aid Programmes and Technical Assistance 7 from Slovenia ul. Wspólna 2/4 15 from Lithuania 00-926 Warsaw 20 from Hungary tel.: +48 22 273 78 00 e-mail: [email protected] www.programszwajcarski.gov.pl On 26 August 2010, the Steering Committee made a decision to co-fi nance 26 research projects from Poland out of 58

Research Projects Implemented as Part of the Scientifi c Exchange Programme NMSch – Objectives and Achievements Summary of Projects 2009–2012

17 From the very beginning, the programme has enjoyed large interest on the part of scientists, and each year the applications outnumber the available posts

applications submitted (45% of the total number of submit- 4th call for proposals 2011 ted applications). The total contribution to Polish projects in As part of the 4th Call for proposals closed on 1 November the second Call for proposals exceeded CHF 2,000,000. 2011, co-fi nancing was awarded to 58 applications, including:

rd 3 Call for proposals 2010 2 from Latvia As part of the 3rd Call for proposals closed on 1 November 21 from Poland 2010, 166 applications were submitted, including: 3 from Estonia 4 from Bulgaria 21 from the 7 from Romania Czech Republic 5 from Latvia 84 from 9 from Estonia Poland

18 from Slovakia Out of 84 applications submitted, 81 were subject to quality 31 from the assessment. On 29 March 2012, the Steering Committee made 19 from Hungary Czech Republic a decision to co-fi nance 21 research projects from Poland (26% of the total number of projects subject to evaluation). Out of 84 applications submitted by Polish researchers, 79 In total, the contribution to Polish projects in the fourth Call were subject to quality assessment. On 24 March 2011, the for proposals amounted to CHF 1,762,662.50. Research pro- Steering Committee made a decision to co-fi nance 29 re- jects from Poland (21) formed 36% of the total number of ap- search projects from Poland (37% of the total number of plications co-fi nanced under this selection round (58). projects subject to assessment). In total, the contribution to Polish projects in the third Call for proposals amounted to 5th call for proposals 2012 CHF 2,597,600. Research projects from Poland (29) formed Until the moment of printout of this publication (December 44% of the total number of applications under this selection 2012), quality assessment of applications submitted as part of round (66). the Call for research stays of Polish scientists in Switzerland is still being conducted. As part of the Call closed on 1 No- vember 2012, 67 applications were submitted from Poland. As a result of formal assessment, 61 projects from Poland were sent for quality assessment. The Steering Committee will make a decision concerning co-fi nancing of projects during a meeting that will be held in March 2013.

18 List of featured projects

Bottom-up model of strategy selection (Uwagowy mo- on Carbon Containing Fuels (NANO-SOFC) (Preparatyka del wyboru strategii decyzyjnych) – Szymon Wichary; i charakterystyka nanostrukturalnych alternatywnych University of Social Sciences and Humanities, the Interdis- anod dla stałotlenkowych ogniw paliwowych, z uwzględ- ciplinary Centre for Applied Cognitive Studies (p. 22) nieniem paliw węglowych NANO-SOFC) – Dariusz Bur- nat; AGH University of Science and Technology (p. 38) The ‘Russian Bear’ Metaphor in 19th Century Swiss Press Discourse (Metafora „rosyjskiego niedźwiedzia” Short- and long-lived unconscious information process- w szwajcarskim dyskursie prasowym w XIX w.) – Magda- ing investigated with two types of EEG analysis: wave- lena Żakowska; University of Łódź (p. 24) forms and microstates (Badanie przetwarzania krótko- i długotrwałych informacji nieświadomych za pomocą Spatial planning and development of bicycle tourism in dwóch rodzajów analiz EEG: falowej i mikrostanów) – Polish-Swiss comparative analysis (Planowanie prze- Izabela Szumska; University of Finance and Manage- strzenne i rozwój turystyki rowerowej – polsko-szwaj- ment in Warsaw (p. 41) carska analiza porównawcza) – Anna Kurkowska; Uni- versity of Warsaw (p. 28) Time and Modality, A Formal Perspective (Czas i Modal- ność, Perspektywa Formalna) – Jacek Wawer; Jagiellon- The UE Presidency after the Lisbon Treaty – towards the ian University (p. 44) Supranationalisation of the EU Council (Prezydencja w Unii Europejskiej po Traktacie Lizbońskim – w stronę su- Preparation of carbon modifi ed TiO2 photocatalysts pranacjonalizacji Rady UE) – Rafał Riedel; University of for environmental applications (Otrzymywanie fotoka- Opole (p. 29) talizatorów na bazie ditlenku tytanu modyfi kowanych węglem z zastosowaniem w środowisku) – Ewelina Ku- Swiss Light Source Performance Improvement Project – siak-Nejman; West Pomeranian University of Technology Piotr Tracz; Jagiellonian University (p. 31) in Szczecin (p. 48)

QoHealth: QoE Optimalisation for Health Tele-moni- Infl uence of processing on bioactive compounds in pome- toring and Tele-treatment Systems with Constrained granates (Wpływ procesów przetwórczych na związki QoS (QoHealth: Optymalizacja QoE dla systemów tele- bioaktywne owocu granatu) – Anna Horszwald; Institute medycznych z ograniczeniami parametrów QoS) – Lu- of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish cjan Janowski; AGH University of Science and Technol- Academy of Sciences in Olsztyn (p. 49) ogy (p. 34) Validation of HTS-solubility measurements method for The intellectual on the borderlines. Carl Albert Loosli as drug-nanoparticle-solvent systems (Walidacja wyso- a columnist in the beginning of the 20th century in the kosprawnej metody badania rozpuszczalności leków medial and cross-cultural context of Switzerland – Da- w układach lek–nanocząstka–rozpuszczalnik) – Aleksan- riusz Komorowski; University of Wrocław (p. 35) dra Pelczarska; Warsaw University of Technology (p. 51)

Preparation and Characterisation of Nanostructured, Al- SedTrace – Organic micropollutant-based Fingerprint- ternative Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) Anodes with Focus ing and Tracing of Sediment emissions from urban areas

Research Projects Implemented as Part of the Scientifi c Exchange Programme NMSch – Objectives and Achievements Summary of Projects 2009–2012

19 Polish research projects constitute nearly 44% of all the applications fi nanced under the Programme each year

(SedTrace – Oznaczanie źródeł i śledzenie emisji osadów Determination of the size-dependent phase diagram z obszarów miejskich na podstawie mikrozanieczysz- and thermodynamical behaviour of nanostructured czeń organicznych) – Anna Elżbieta Sikorska; Szkoła brazing fi ller metals (Wyznaczenie wpływu wielkości Główna Gospodarstwa Wiejskiego (p. 52) cząstki na termodynamikę oraz diagram fazowy nano- wymiarowego spoiwa lutowniczego) – Grzegorz Ga- Human Milk Fat Substitutes (Zamienniki tłuszczu mleka rzeł; Institute of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering of kobiecego) – Joanna Bryś; University of Life Sciences in the Polish Academy of Sciences (p. 66) Warsaw (p. 56) Investigation of the eff ects of electrospinning condi- Multifunctional saccharide derivatives in gelcasting tions on the structure and selected properties of poly- of high tech ceramics (MULTIGEL) (Wielofunkcyjne po- meric blended nanofi bers for tissue engineering, ESNA- chodne sacharydów w formowaniu zaawansowanych NOTIS (Badania wpływu warunków elektroprzędzenia tworzyw ceramicznych metodą gelcasting) – Paulina na strukturę i wybrane właściwości włókien dwuskład- Wiecińska (Bednarek); Warsaw University of Technol- nikowych do zastosowania w inżynierii tkankowej) – ogy (p. 58) Dorota Kołbuk; Institute of Fundamental Technology Problems, Polish Academy of Sciences (p. 68) Investigation of absorption and metabolism of hydro- lysable and condensed tannins with an in vitro Caco2 Simultaneous PIV/LIF for local fl ame front characteriza- transwell model (Badanie wchłaniania i metabolizmu tion (Symultaniczne badania PIV/LIF dla określenia wła- tanin hydrolizujących i skondensowanych w modelu sności płomieni kinetycznych) – Rafał Ślefarski; Poznań in vitro z zastosowaniem linii komórkowej Caco-2) – University of Technology (p. 70) Agnieszka Kosińska; Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Optimisation and upscaling of the synthesis of fer- Olsztyn (p. 60) romagnetic nanoparticles and their integration in a polymeric matrix. NANOMAGN) (Optymalizacja Structure and interactions of U7 small nuclear ribonu- i zwiększenie skali syntezy ferromagnetycznych na- cleoprotein (Struktura i interakcje małej, jądrowej ry- nocząstek i ich integracja do polimerowej matrycy. bonukleoproteiny U7 snRNP) – Katarzyna Dorota Ra- NANOMAGN) – Izabela Bobowska; Łódź University of czyńska; Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (p. 62) Technology (p. 73)

eTourism Reputation Index (eTourRep) (E-turystyczny Metaphysics of Mental Life (Metafi zyczne podstawy Indeks Reputacji) – Łukasz Stokłosa; University of Infor- funkcjonowania umysłu) – Sebastian Tomasz Koło- mation Technology and Management in Rzeszów (p. 64) dziejczyk; Jagiellonian University (p. 75)

20 DESCRIPTIONS OF RESEARCH PROJECTS IMPLEMENTED BY SCIEX FELLOWS The research provided a precise answer to the question how people process information before making a decision when they are under the infl uence of stress, and which decision strategy they use on such occasions

Beginning of cooperation I began working with Prof. Rieskamp, my Swiss mentor, in 2000. At the time I had a doctoral placement at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin where the professor studied for his PhD. Fellow: Szymon Wichary, PhD Project: Bottom–up model of strategy selection Project description The purpose of my SCIEX fellowship project was to conduct Subject area: psychology empirical research, create a computer model of decision Project duration: from 01.10.2010 to 30.09.2011 making strategy selection as well as analyse data gathered Sending institution / Home mentor: University of Social Sci- in connection with the model. The focus of my research ences and Humanities / Prof. Grzegorz Sędek was slightly modifi ed in the course of the project – one Host institution / Host mentor: University of Basel / Prof. part of my empirical research could not be done because Jörg Rieskamp of time limitations, however, relevant research procedures were created, so the intended creation of the computer model was achieved. Dr. Szymon Wichary is an Assistant Professor at the Inter- disciplinary Centre for Applied Cognitive Studies at the Uni- The main outcome of the project was a description of re- versity of Social Sciences and Humanities. His main interests lations between emotional stress and decision making. include the role of personality, emotions and stress in deci- The research provided a precise answer to the question sion making and the biological sources of individual diff er- how people process information before making a decision ences (temperament, personality, readiness to take risks). when they are under the infl uence of stress, and which de- In his research he uses computer-based cognitive tasks, cision strategy they use on such occasions. In the course psychophysiological methods (hormone concentration and of this research I used a computer-based decision task and electrodermal activity measuring) and computational mod- emotional arousal physiological measurement for the task elling of decision processes. In his interdisciplinary projects duration. A data analysis showed that emotional arousal he willingly cooperates with researchers specialising in vari- was directly linked to the quantity of pre-decisional infor- ous areas. He has studied psychology and biology at the Jag- mation processing – the higher the arousal, the less infor- iellonian University, where he was awarded his PhD degree mation was processed. Also strategy selection, that is the in 2004. When studying for this title he had a placement at strategy of integrating acquired information, is diff erent in the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin. people under high emotional arousal – as their information His SCIEX Post-Doctoral placement was at the Centre for Eco- processing capacity is limited, they use a simple decision nomic Psychology at the University of Basel. heuristic that integrates no information, but allows them to make a choice on the basis of one crucial decision in- struction. The computer model of decision making takes into consideration these high emotional arousal informa- tion processing characteristics and answers the question of how stress infl uences strategy selection.

22 Project outcomes 2. SCIEX project continuation – infl uence of emotional stress I ran this project at the Centre for Economic Psychology on decision making in a changing environment (co-ordina- at the University of Basel where that kind of research had tor: Szymon Wichary, PhD) not been done before. The host institution benefi ted from 3. Psychological and biological sources of individual diff erenc- the innovativeness of the research: these physiological es in risky decision-making (co-ordinator: Szymon Wichary, methods of emotional arousal measurement had never PhD) been applied there. Assistants running the research were trained during this project and the project outcomes were The added value of the project presented at an internal seminar at the Centre for Economic The added value of my Swiss research project was an opportu- Psychology. nity for undisturbed and continuous work on the chosen prob- lem, conducted in good conditions (well-organised adminis- Benefi ts for the sending institution: as its worker I have tration) and in a stimulating environment (a good team of very gained advanced knowledge of decision making computa- competent researchers familiar with the latest data processing tional modelling and of advanced methods of data analysis. methods). I am sure I would not have had such opportunities I have presented the outcomes of the project at the Interdis- anywhere in Poland. These conditions allowed me to develop ciplinary Centre for Applied Cognitive Studies. my research competences, e.g. gaining basic knowledge of advanced data processing techniques, which I have been ex- The Centre for Economic Psychology and the Interdiscipli- tending for example through annual participation in modelling nary Centre for Applied Cognitive Studies continue to coop- workshops organised at the University of Amsterdam. If not for erate in the scope of three co-implemented projects: the SCIEX Fellowship I would have had no opportunity to run 1. Infl uence of ageing on sequential decision making (co-ordi- my favourite research project and no opportunity for gaining nator: Prof. Grzegorz Sędek) the aforementioned advanced knowledge of data analysis.

DID YOU KNOW THAT… Swimming in beautiful, clean rivers in the centre of a city, for example in the River Aare in Bern or in the Rhine in Basel, is one of the biggest pleasures that you can experience in Switzerland?

Research Projects Implemented as Part of the Scientifi c Exchange Programme NMSch – Objectives and Achievements Summary of Projects 2009–2012

23 The West is perceived as rational, creative, imperious and masculine, the East – as ‘thinking through the heart’, non-creative, submissive, feminine

Beginning of cooperation Prof. Andrzej de Lazari, head of the Chair of Central and East- ern Europe at the Faculty of International and Political Stud- ies of the University of Łódź, which is my workplace, encour- aged me to get in contact with Prof. Ulrich Schmid who is an Fellow: Magdalena Żakowska, PhD eminent expert on Russia’s culture and history. My scientifi c Project: The ‘Russian Bear’ metaphor in the 19th Century mentors had known each other for years, being actively in- Swiss Press Discourse volved in the International Dostoevsky Society.

Subject area: history Project description Project duration: from 15.05.2011 to 15.01.2012 My project focused on analysing the specifi city of the ‘Rus- Sending institution / Home mentor: University of Łódź / sian bear’ metaphor in the German-language Swiss press Prof. Andrzej de Lazari between the Congress of Vienna and the end of the 19th cen- Host institution / Host mentor: University of St. Gallen / Prof. tury (1815-1900). Basing on this example I tried to see a possi- Ulrich Schmid ble relationship between the then image of Russia in Switzer- land and the ‘colonial discourse’ described by Edward Said, Dr. Magdalena Żakowska is an Assistant Professor at the the American literary scholar, through which Europeans are Chair of Central and Eastern Europe at the Faculty of Interna- said to perceive the Orient. His theory is mainly based on the tional and Political Studies (WSMiP) at the University of Łódź. assertion that, consciously or not, Westerners use a discourse She graduated from WSMiP and from the School of Humani- in which the West is the main reference in deliberations on ties at the same university. She is the author of a monograph universal civilisation patterns and so-called universal values, entitled Russland and Polendeutsche. Cultural conditioning of whereas the East embodies all that is traditionally associated late German migrants from Russia and Poland (Łódź 2011) and with backwardness and the absence of culture. The West is together with A. de Lazari and O. Nadskakuła she wrote Cul- perceived as rational, creative, imperious and masculine, the tural conditioning of European nations (Łódź 2007), she also East – as ‘thinking through the heart’, non-creative, submis- translated the work by A. de Lazari and O. Riabov entitled sive, feminine. The European discourse concerning the East Poles and Russians in mutual caricature (Warsaw 2008). She refl ects the logic of thinking in the categories of East-West, was the secretary of two projects implemented within the culture-nature, civilisation-barbarism, progress-backward- Committee for Scientifi c Research (KBN): Mutual prejudice ness, democracy-despotism. This way of perceiving the between Poles and Russians and Ideas in Russia. Russian-Polish- world, originating from the West, was to be internalised also English Lexicon, v. 6-7. She took part in organising a project in Eastern mentality. fi nanced by the Stefan Batory Fund Should we be afraid of Rus- sia? with the participation of students of the Universities of In my research I intended to rely on source materials coming Łódź, Latvia and Ivanovo. both from satirical German-language magazines, such as the Nebelspalter (published since 1875) and from the everyday Her main interests focus on the problems of perceiving Rus- German-language press: from the oldest and most opinion- sia in European cultures. forming Swiss daily Neue Zürcher Zeitung (published since 1780), from the Tagesanzeiger Zürich (published since 1893) and from the St. Galler Tagblatt (published since 1841).

24 In the course of the project I found two Swiss satirical pe- riodicals that were unknown to me and which were pub- lished in the 19th century – Der Gukkasten (from 1840 to 1850) and the Postheiri (1845 to 1875), so I included them in my preliminary research. Owing to access to an electronic viewer with archived issues of the Neue Zürcher Zeitung I re- searched this newspaper more thoroughly and extended the scope of the search to include the period from 1790 to 1900. Then the ‘Russian bear’ appeared in connection with the so- called Bulgarian war (1876-1877) waged for ‘the liberation of Analysing the Russian bear metaphor in the 19th century the Balkan nations from the Turkish yoke’. The Western pow- Swiss press I noticed some regularities. First of all, I noticed ers limited their part in this confl ict to the status of observers, that the aforesaid metaphor had not appeared there until but after Russia’s victory they forced the calling of a peace the middle of the 19th century. The oldest relevant note that conference in Berlin at which a ‘fairer’ division of infl uence in I found dates back to 1849 and appeared in the periodical the region was decided. Commenting on the war the Swiss Der Gukkasten. The Russian bear metaphor kept appearing press portrayed the tsarist state as a cynical friend of south sporadically over the next decades to intensify in the 1880s Slavs. and 1890s. In total I found 37 ‘Russian bear’ metaphors, 10 of them were in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 24 in the Nebelspal- The third time that the ‘Russian bear’ entered the Turkish ter, 2 in the Postheiri and one in Der Gukkasten. In the Neue zone of infl uence was in the 1880s in connection with the so- Zürcher Zeitung, which was the mainstream press of that pe- called Bulgarian question. After the death of Alexander II the riod, the term ‘Russian bear’ appeared relatively rarely as a relations between Alexander von Battenberg, the new Prince synonym of Russia or things Russian. However, the satirical of Bulgaria appointed by the former, and Russia’s new ruler press of the last thirty years of the 19th century, represented Alexander III were not exemplary. In 1883 the Neue Zürcher mainly by the Nebelspalter, made relatively frequent refer- Zeitung reported that “Prince Alexander […] sees the neces- ences to the subject. sity to free himself from the friendly hug of the Russian bear and opt for a German-Austrian alliance”. However, in 1886 the The ‘bear’ motif mainly appeared as a comment to armed in- prince was dethroned as a result of a palace coup led by a terventions involving Russia, predominantly against Turkey. ‘Russian party’, which caused a media storm in Europe and The Crimean War (1853-1856) waged by Russia in order to ob- also in Switzerland, very much like the one caused by the tain access to the Black Sea straits, and lost by that country, Crimean war. was the fi rst confrontation with the Ottoman Empire in the period I researched. Not only were the Western powers on Research fi ndings Turkey’s side in this confl ict, but it also received military assis- This discourse in question shows a gradual barbarisation and tance from Great Britain, France and Sardinia. The then teeth- demonization of the ‘bear metaphor’. Its neutral overtones ing satirical press in Switzerland used the bear metaphor in the middle of the 19th century (the Russian bear as one twice in the Postheiri to comment on what was happening of many animals in the international herd) rapidly changed on the ‘Eastern’ front. into a distinctly negative ‘bear’ image at the end of the cen-

Research Projects Implemented as Part of the Scientifi c Exchange Programme NMSch – Objectives and Achievements Summary of Projects 2009–2012

25 tury (the Russian bear as the only predator endangering Eu- ropean culture. Confronting the image of the ‘Russian bear’ ropean peace). I compared the Swiss press discourse with with those representing civilised Europe, the satirists made it the corresponding discourse in other European countries play the part of a barbarian aspiring to Europe’s salons. This to see that the Swiss discourse was unique through its spe- was particularly visible when the bear metaphor was used in cifi c moralising tendency. The Helvetian nation, the most the discourse on Otto Bismarck’s policy meant to bring law democratic country of the world in the 19th century, simply and order in Europe and on the civilising potential of German seemed to aspire to play the part of Europe’s conscience. culture. By opposing things German (European) to what was It is worth stressing that there were also false tones in the Russian, the Swiss press constructed clear networks of binary Swiss moralising discourse. For example, when presenting oppositions: order – chaos, creation – destruction, intellect – the paternalistic stance of the Triple Alliance countries on irrationality, self-control – short-temper, brutalisation. the Balkan victims of Russia’s policy, the latter were shown as ‘Russia-like’. Both the tsarist state and the Balkans were In the period of the fi n de siècle the image of the ‘Russian bear’ seen as Asia’s outskirts – an ‘inferior’, ‘backward’ and ‘exotic’ gained some characteristics turning it into an icon of deca- part of the world whose stereotype functioned just like that dence. The revolution in the alliances, such as the Russian- of the Orient. The only diff erence was that Russia was ‘mascu- French alliance of 1891-1893, triggered an avalanche of com- linised’ in the Swiss (and European) press discourse and the ments on the absurdity of an alliance between a European Balkans were ‘infantilised’ and ‘objectifi ed’. This can be seen republic and a despotic monarchy – the noble Marianne when looking at the most frequent metaphors of that period: with the polar bear. On the one hand, the image of the ‘Rus- dwarves, playful children, farm animals and even inanimate sian bear’ as an object of desire seemed a by-product of the matter. One of the leading motifs in presenting the Balkans Swiss press trying to show France as a ‘political whore’. On was depicting them as a melting pot stirred by devil or murky the other hand, the ‘Russian bear’ accompanying Marianne mud pulling its victims in. can be seen as a metaphor of Russian ‘crudeness’, being both the complement and antithesis of refi nement, supposed to In the course of my research I noted further analogies be- be characteristic of French culture. tween the Swiss press discourse appertaining to Russia and the ‘colonial discourse’. The image of the tsarist state rep- This metaphor was also present in the context of Russian- resented an antithesis of states representing (Western) Eu- Swiss relations. Actually, this was in two contexts: that of

26 DID YOU KNOW THAT… I did not have to show my tenancy agreement or appear at the Housing Offi ce with my landlord to become offi cially registered as a resident (but I had to ac- cept regulations prohibiting tenants from taking a shower between 10.00PM and 8.00AM or from washing clothes in their fl ats).

Switzerland’s asylum policy and in certain comparisons Andrzej de Lazari during his study visits at that university made by the Swiss concerning social order abroad as op- in the capacity of my Polish mentor. The lectures were on posed to their own. The ‘bear’ metaphor was used by the mutual prejudices between Poles and Russians and on the Swiss to build an opposition between Helvetia – free, affl u- categories of nation and identity in Polish and Russian po- ent and democratically ruled – and Russia, construed as an litical thought. ‘Eastern despotic country’, prison of nations and the king- dom of anarchy. Sometimes the Russian nation was present- SCIEX fellowship benefi ts ed as a bear. In such cases it was present in just one context I gained a lot by participating in sessions on relations be- - that of the running dog of subsequent tsars. So depicted, tween culture and the specifi city of creating biographical the ‘Russian bear’ was perceived as putty in the hands that narratives, in a seminar on theories of culture and in lec- rule Russia and as a victim of ‘great politics’. tures on the life and works of Anton Chekhov, delivered by Prof. Ulrich Schmid and Prof. Dieter Thomä. I decided to Project outcomes incorporate certain issues of Swiss political and cultural life In the course of the project I shared my experience with as well as some issues of satirical discourse into my classes students, PhD students and academic staff at the University at the University of Łódź. My faculty students were thrilled of St. Gallen, for example by delivering an open lecture on to hear Prof. Schmid’s lecture (delivered in Polish!) entitled the history and contemporary connotations of the ‘Russian Constitution and Narrative. European Traditions and Their bear’ image in the West. I also participated in a seminar en- Russian Modifications in Key Legal Acts of the USSR and the titled Polish Politics, Economy and Society, held jointly by Russian Federation, during his study visit in the capacity of Prof. Ulrich Schmid and Dr. Rafał Riedel. For this purpose my host mentor. I prepared a speech on the infl uence of Polish Catholicism on our country’s social and political life. The Universities of Łódź and St. Gallen are planning to con- tinue their cooperation – at the moment some formalities Owing to my fellowship, students and PhD students of Rus- are being settled before a cooperation agreement can be sian studies at the University of St. Gallen had an opportu- concluded, on the strength of which the academic staff of nity to participate in two interesting lectures held by Prof. both universities will be able to deliver guest lectures.

Research Projects Implemented as Part of the Scientifi c Exchange Programme NMSch – Objectives and Achievements Summary of Projects 2009–2012

27 Fellow: Anna Kurkowska, PhD student Project: Spatial planning and development of bicycle tourism in Polish-Swiss comparative analysis

Subject area: geography Beginning of cooperation Project duration: from 01.02.2011 to 31.07.2011 I contacted my Swiss mentor just before making an applica- Sending institution / Home mentor: University of Warsaw / tion for the research that I had planned. The purpose of my Prof. Stefan Kałuski project was to analyse Swiss model solutions in spatial plan- Host institution / Host mentor: University of Bern / Prof. He- ning and bicycle tourism development and to gather exten- ike Mayer sive practical experience. The subject of my research is not popular in Poland, there is not enough subject literature, too Anna Kurkowska holds a Master’s degree in tourism and rec- few model case studies and not enough examples of analysis reation (Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, 2007), a Mas- of good practice. It would have been diffi cult to do my re- ter’s degree in spatial planning (Adam Mickiewicz University, search on spatial planning and bicycle tourism development 2009) and since 01.10.2009 she has been a PhD student at in my sending institution whose research funds are rather the Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies (University of limited. Warsaw). SCIEX Fellow at the University of Bern and holder of a KAAD scholarship at the University of Trier, she is cur- If not for the SCIEX fellowship… rently at the University of Canberra within the framework of I would have not met many specialists and experts directly the Australian Award, Socrates-Erasmus landscaping studies or indirectly involved in the subject of my research. I would at the University of Dresden. She has also cooperated with have had no opportunity to run so-called best practice analy- the Leibnitz-Institut für Őkologische Raumentwicklung in sis. My fellowship in Switzerland was an ideal opportunity to Dresden. familiarise myself with current research trends and with the world literature on this subject, which greatly contributed to my further academic development. After the SCIEX fellow- ship I was able to undergo a short research fellowship pro- gramme in Germany and some months later I was the winner of the Australian Award, so at the moment I am at the Univer- sity of Canberra.

28 DID YOU KNOW THAT... There are half-day bank holidays in the canton of Zurich, which are days off from noon onwards?

of Oslo and at the Centre for Comparative and International Studies/ETH in Zurich.

Fellow: Rafał Riedel, PhD Beginning of cooperation Project: The UE Presidency after the Lisbon Treaty – to- I contacted the host mentor well in advance, specifi cally for wards the supranationalisation of the EU Council the purposes of my planned project. We met at a ECPR (Euro- pean Consortium for Political Research) conference in Porto Subject area: political science in June 2010. I deliberately chose this mentor and the host Project duration: from 01.07.2011 to 30.06.2012 institution for the reputation of the European Union Politics Sending institution / Home mentor: University of Opole / Research Group led by Prof. Frank Schimmelfennig. Prof. Krzysztof Zuba Host institution / Host mentor: Federal Institute of Technol- Project description ogy / Prof. Frank Schimmelfennig The purpose of my project was to analyse the political roles of EU member states exercising their presidency of the Council Dr. Rafał Riedel graduated from the University of Silesia of the European Union after the Lisbon Treaty. Consequently, and the University of Economics in Katowice. He present- I had to review literature from the viewpoint of already exist- ed his PhD thesis at the Institute of Political Science and ing roles and their evolution, starting from the establishment Journalism. He is an Assistant Professor at the Chair of In- of a rotational presidency. Following that, I conducted my ternational Relations at the University of Opole. He has de- research by way of questionnaires and in-depth interviews livered lectures in Rotterdam, Valencia, Bratislava, St. Gal- concerning such variables as a country’s length of member- len and Berlin. Grant holder of the Open Society Institute, ship and its size. The results of this empirical investigation Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst, Marie Curie Fel- were confronted with selected excerpts from the theory lowship Programme and Grant and Training Fund. Partici- of international regional integration, partly relating to the pant and organiser of a number of research and educational presidency of the Council, multilateral negotiations and the projects in Europe and the USA, he is the author of several theory of leadership. As the project time was curtailed from dozen socio-political-economic publications (monographs, 18 to 12 months I had to exclude the permanent president of collective works, scientifi c papers and current aff airs ar- the European Council from my analysis. ticles) in: Anthenaeum, Przegląd Politologiczny, Studia Eu- As a result of in-depth empirical investigation (data gathered ropejskie, Przegląd Europejski, Wspólnota Europejska, Politea, in the aforementioned questionnaires and in-depth inter- Polish Foreign Aff airs Digest, Studia Medioznawcze, Zeszyty views) I identifi ed the most important roles and functions Prasoznawcze, Wrocławskie Studia Politologiczne, Przegląd of the presidency in the post-Lisbon period, and evaluated Zachodni, Stosunki Międzynarodowe and many more. Rafał them on the scale of importance for my particular variables Riedel conducted his research during his visits to the follow- (length of membership and country size). Then, for the pur- ing institutions: Max Planck Institute for the Study of Soci- pose of their interpretation, I compared the results of my eties in Cologne and Max Planck Institute for the Study of empirical investigation with available subject literature. This Collective Goods in Bonn, European University Institute in comparison with the selected excerpts from the theory of in- Florence, ARENA – Centre for European Studies/University ternational regional integration allowed positive verifi cation

Research Projects Implemented as Part of the Scientifi c Exchange Programme NMSch – Objectives and Achievements Summary of Projects 2009–2012

29 The main and basic added value – which I would not have been able to get staying in the home institution – was my contact with one of the most recognised European studies researchers in the world. The works of Prof. Frank Schimmelfennig on the EU’s enlargement policy, conditionality or the methodological basis of European research are the canon of world literature on the subject

of the hypothesis concerning the progressive supranationali- event called The Polish Day at ETH in Zurich which captured sation of the institution of the presidency and – consequent- the attention of the Zurich academic circles. ly and potentially – of the Council itself. An analysis of the political roles of the EU member states exercising UE presi- The most important benefi ts resulting from the project dency after the Lisbon Treaty allowed me to produce several The Polish sending institution has benefi ted from its par- scientifi c texts for publication and gave me an opportunity to ticipation in the SCIEX Scholarship Fund mainly through the deliver numerous conference speeches. participation of its workers (mine, as a fellow, and that of my home mentor) in its academic exchange with ETH – one of Project outcomes the best European HEIs. The EU Politics Research Group from ETH/Zurich had not played host to a Central European researcher before. Taking What’s more – on the occasion of my Swiss mentor’s visit to into consideration the interests of some of its members, for Poland, Opole University organised an open lecture deliv- example EU enlargement, decision making at the Council of ered by Prof. Frank Schimmelfennig entitled European Union the European Union, multilateral negotiations etc., my fel- Institutions in the Times of Crisis. This lecture was an interest- lowship and research on the issues of EU presidency has con- ing contribution to the discussion of the current crisis in the tributed to an expansion of the scope of their research and Euro zone and attracted a more than 100-strong audience. to more detailed research in the important area of European studies. It is also worth mentioning that the visit of my pro- The research issues I dealt with in Switzerland have a future. ject mentor from the University of Opole coincided with an Therefore I intend to continue further analytical research on this and related subjects. My research was an essential ele- ment of my post-doctoral thesis and it will be continued as a concise monograph. The forms and scope of our future coop- eration are currently being discussed with the Swiss partner – both as to the Polish and the Swiss off er.

The added value of the project The main and basic added value – which I would not have been able to get staying in the home institution – was my contact with one of the most recognised European studies researchers in the world. The works of Prof. Frank Schimmelfennig on the EU’s enlargement policy, conditionality or the methodological basis of European research are the canon of world literature on the subject

The signifi cant added value of the project consists in frequent consultations at individual research stages, having access to extensive libraries and being able to discuss the results with my Swiss colleagues. The research work of the EU Politics Re-

30 search Group is one of the most advanced in its use of quan- titative methods in political sciences, so my participation in Research Colloquiums and discussion of research projects and methodological dilemmas constituted an essential element of my fellowship, developing my workshop competence. If not Fellow: Piotr Tracz, PhD for the fellowship, I would never have transferred the ‘Swiss Project: Swiss Light Source Performance Improvement quality’ and culture of work to my academic environment in Project Poland. Subject area: engineering science But the main inspiration, which may reverberate in my future Project duration: from 01.11.2010 to 31.10.2011 professional life is my fascination with the quantitative meth- Sending institution / Home mentor: Jagiellonian University ods that are applied by Prof. Schimmerfennig’s group, which / Prof. Krzysztof Królas are almost completely absent from Poland. There are only a Host institution / Host mentor: Paul Scherrer Institut /Ter- few research centres in Europe which can apply quantitative ence Garvey, PhD methods so eff ectively in their research – Zurich is undoubt- edly one such leading centre. Dr. Piotr Tracz was brought up in Niedomice near Tarnów. He was interested in science already at a young age. In 1999 he Consequently, my Swiss research visit – apart from the achieve- completed a technical secondary school specialising in radio ment of my SCIEX research project purposes – also brought a engineering and television at the Complex of Mechanical and by-product in the shape of a plan to organise an educational Electrical Schools in Tarnów. He then continued his education programme for political scientists/European researchers de- at the University of Science and Technology (AGH) in Cracow, veloping their workshop competence in quantitative methods being awarded a Master’s degree in solid-state physics at the and their application in social science. Faculty of Physics and Applied Computer Science in 2004. In 2009 he was awarded a PhD degree in physical science at the Institute of Nuclear Physics in Cracow. In his PhD thesis Dr. Tracz discussed investigation of the magnetic properties of a new group of magnetic materials, so-called molecular mag- netic materials. Since autumn 2009 Dr. Tracz has been working in a group implementing the project of the fi rst Polish synchro- tron, built at the Jagiellonian University in Cracow.

Beginning of cooperation The project of the fi rst Polish synchrotron radiation source is being implemented in Cracow. The fi rst idea of building a synchrotron in Poland dates back to 1998. That was when the Swiss Light Source (SLS) was being built in Switzerland. A group of Cracow scientists started cooperating with the

Research Projects Implemented as Part of the Scientifi c Exchange Programme NMSch – Objectives and Achievements Summary of Projects 2009–2012

31 Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI), the Swiss centre where the SLS was built. The Cracow synchrotron was to be similar to the one currently working at PSI. Soon it transpired that the budget of the Polish synchrotron project was too small to ensure the success of this undertaking. However, that pe- riod resulted in establishment of contacts with the Swiss centre, which facilitated the choice of my host mentor and the host institution. In the end the Cracow group obtained funds enabling the construction of a smaller, but just as modern, synchrotron.

Project description The principal purpose of my being at the Swiss centre consisted in gaining practical experience of working with a modern source of synchrotron radiation. Being familiar with particle accelerator issues is of paramount importance been processed, these measurements contributed to a better for independent work with the future Cracow synchrotron. understanding of particle loss as well as to the investigation As no scientists or engineers had experience in accelerator of electron beam quality. I took a number of electron beam physics and large particle accelerators, this visit to the mod- parameter measurements, such as: emittance, energy spread ern centre in Switzerland was more than justifi ed. and a cross-section of an electron beam in the storage ring. The same measurements were taken at the linear accelera- Knowledge of various engineering and physics domains, tor of the synchrotron in Switzerland. The results obtained such as microwave technology, magnets, electron beam di- were confronted with simulations made with the use of AS- agnostics, ultrahigh vacuum, cooling systems and control TRA code software. The results obtained and the comparison systems, is needed to operate a synchrotron light source. In with the simulations helped me optimise the parameters of the course of my project I intended to become familiar with synchrotron work. I performed the conditioning of the opti- all these areas and to participate in work on the improve- cal cavity of the storage ring and I optimised the parameters ment of storage ring optics in order to reduce the adverse of the cooling system at a high power RF station. I also con- eff ects of optical lattice non-linearity to improve electron ditioned new impulse modulators and klystron amplifi ers. beam quality, and also with measurement techniques deter- Moreover, I took measurements of the current characteristics mining electron beam parameters in storage rings and their of the new klystron amplifi ers. I also conditioned a new cath- control. I also wanted to participate in research on optimising ode of the electron gun at the linear accelerator. the process of injecting an electron beam into a storage ring. My research fi ndings were up-to-date and important for the The direction of my research was partly modifi ed in rela- host institution as at the time work was being carried out on tion to that initially intended because of the needs of the the Swiss synchrotron to improve its capacity, electron beam Cracow synchrotron, which made it necessary for me to be- and emitted synchrotron radiation quality for research pur- come familiar with power RF microwave technology, both poses in a number of scientifi c domains. I was at PSI when at the storage ring and in a linear accelerator forming the new components were installed at the Swiss synchrotron. It pre-injector of the Swiss synchrotron. necessitated carrying out a number of tests and measure- ments. I participated personally in all the aforementioned In the course of my research I took a series of measurements work, actively cooperating with a group of experienced ex- of the electron beam life span in the SLS storage ring. Having perts from the Swiss centre.

32 Project outcomes value of my fellowship. In my home institution only theoreti- Thanks to my research in Switzerland the Polish institution cal work would have been possible and by that I mean study- has gained a worker ready for independent work with the ing particle accelerator theory issues, with no possibilities modern source of synchrotron radiation which is being built of gaining practical experience. My fellowship at the Swiss in Cracow. Both centres continue their cooperation. The Swiss centre has signifi cantly raised my professional qualifi cations centre is testing the Polish experimental end station, which and made it possible for me to visit that picturesque country will be transported to Cracow to work at the Polish synchro- – Switzerland. tron. Moreover, for the purposes of the Polish synchrotron project, a bilateral cooperation agreement has been signed. I am currently the coordinator of the linear accelerator at On the strength of this agreement the Polish party is obliged the Polish synchrotron project. My Swiss fellowship allowed to cooperate in designing a free electron laser, whose con- me to defi ne my own professional interests and to gain ex- struction is foreseen for 2013 in Switzerland. perience in working with a particle accelerator. At present, changes are being made to the original design of the linear The added value of the SCIEX fellowship accelerator of the Polish synchrotron to improve its capacity. Doing research at the Swiss centre is immensely prestigious. No such changes could have been made without the knowl- Working with a real-life, modern appliance was the added edge I gained at the Swiss centre.

DID YOU KNOW THAT… • There are four offi cial languages in Switzerland: German, French, Italian and Romansh, often called Rhaeto-Romance, spoken by 0.5% of the pop- ulation. Switzerland is divided into 26 cantons. • The Toblerone chocolate bar, famous for its triangular shapes, is meant to be reminiscent of the Matterhorn – one of alpine peaks. • Only electrically driven vehicles may circulate in the picturesque town of Zermatt. • The famous Ice Express train runs along the Alps. It takes 7.5 hours to go from Zermatt to St. Moritz.

Research Projects Implemented as Part of the Scientifi c Exchange Programme NMSch – Objectives and Achievements Summary of Projects 2009–2012

33 Project description The fi rst contact between the HEIs was made at a COST pro- ject meeting (European Cooperation in Science and Technol- ogy). When planning my SCIEX project, I decided to establish cooperation in order to investigate the quality of transmis- Fellow: Lucjan Janowski, PhD sion (a speciality of the home institution) from the perspec- Project: QoHealth: QoE optimisation for Health Tele- tive of medicine (a speciality of the University of Geneva). -monitoring and Tele-treatment Systems with constrained QoS My research concentrated on identifying the possibility of transmitting an ultrasound signal through the Internet in real Subject area: computer science time. The problem of that kind of network is that there is no Project duration: from 01.10.2010 to 01.03.2011 support for traffi c prioritisation. This means that it is impos- Sending institution / Home mentor: AGH University of Sci- sible to foresee reasonably which resources could be used. ence and Technology / Prof. Zdzisław Papir In the course of my research I used the x264 codec with the Host institution / Host mentor: University of Geneva / Prof. help of which I compressed some demonstration sequences. Dimitri Konstantas The results I obtained were consulted with medical profes-

Dr Lucjan Janowski works at the Telecommunications Fac- ulty at the AGH University of Science and Technology. He was DID YOU KNOW THAT… awarded his Master’s degree in 2002 and in 2006 – a PhD in telecommunications (both theses were written and present- • If your child has a temperature ed at the University of Science and Technology). In 2007, he worked at CNRS-LAAS in France where he prepared anomaly of 39.9 degrees, fi rst you have to detecting algorithms and an intelligent analysis of road traf- prove to a Swiss hospital that the fi c. In the academic year 2010/2011, he spent 6 months work- ing at the University of Geneva, working on applications of child is insured otherwise you quality of experience (QoE) to be used in medicine. His main interests include statistics and probable events modelling have to pay before the child gets a with subjective assumptions with the help of QoE evaluation. He has taken part in a number of industrial and scientifi c pro- medicine to bring the fever down? jects. He is the author of a number of scientifi c studies. • If you live in Geneva, visit the web- page www.glocals.com • Switzerland is the country where the Ski World Cup takes place. You must watch it live!

34 sionals and I was able to confi rm the hypothesis that this kind of transmission was possible. The subsequent steps of this analysis and the creation of suitable software were post- poned until my return to Poland.

Project outcomes Fellow: Dariusz Komorowski, PhD Thanks to my participation in the project the University of Project: The Intellectual on the Borderlines. Carl Albert Geneva has gained knowledge of QoE research and an op- Loosli as a Columnist at the Beginning of the 20th Century portunity for extending medical examination by adding an in the Media and Cross-cultural context of Switzerland ultrasound examination. The Polish institution has gained a new research subject related to quality in medicine. The Subject area: Literature cooperation between the two institutions will be continued Project duration: from 01.10.2011 to 31.05.2012 on the condition that there are funds available for further Sending institution / Home mentor: University of Wrocław research. The subject of quality of experience is extremely / Prof. Marek Hałub interesting and vital for my habilitation. Host institution / Host mentor: University of Lausanne / Prof. Peter Utz If not for the SCIEX fellowship… The experience and knowledge of Prof. Antoine Geissbuhler Dr Dariusz Komorowski was born in Starachowice. He is a were instrumental in the success of my research. Without graduate of German and Dutch studies at the University of his support, I would not have been able to do my research. Wrocław. In 2000, he presented his PhD thesis entitled The Owing to the SCIEX project I have a new research idea, prob- aesthetics of movement in Jürg Laederach’s prose, written ably the most interesting one that I am implementing. If not under the supervision of Prof. Norbert Honsza. Currently for the fellowship, I would not have got to know Prof. Geiss- he is Assistant Professor at the German Speaking Countries buhler’s extremely inspiring style of work or just as fascinat- and Silesian Culture Unit, whose head is Prof. Marek Hałub. ing research areas which claim that it is the solution that is Since 2005, he has been running the Laboratory of the Ger- most important and not its complexity. man Language Literature of Switzerland and in 2007 with its participation he organised the fi rst international conference at the University of Wrocław, focusing exclusively on Swiss literature. He is the author and co-editor of a Polish-German publication entitled This Switzerland is not Switzerland, Jen- seits von Frisch und Dürenmatt, a collection presenting the contemporary German language literature of Switzerland as well as a textbook for German studies students Ausgewählte Quellen im Diskursfeld . Die Schweiz, describing the forming of the Swiss state and its citizens’ cultural iden- tity. He has already had two Swiss grants – one from the gov- ernment, the other from the Landis & Gyr Cultural foundation in the canton of Zug. His area of main interest concerns issues in literature and Swiss culture over the centuries, cross-cul-

Research Projects Implemented as Part of the Scientifi c Exchange Programme NMSch – Objectives and Achievements Summary of Projects 2009–2012

35 tural processes in the Swiss Confederation and the cultural tions I had with local research workers I had the added ben- identity of Switzerland’s inhabitants. efi t of confronting the assumptions, methods and progress of my research work.

Project description The restriction of the fellowship’s duration did not allow me The choice of my host mentor was, so to speak, natural. to complete my project, but my evaluation of task comple- Swiss literature has been the main interest of Prof. Utz work- tion and of what I achieved there is very positive. Access to ing at the University of Lausanne, which is refl ected both in the source material of the Archive of Literature and the Na- his extensive research and his didactic work. As we had mu- tional Library of Switzerland enabled me to do research on tual interests we were already familiar with our publications texts essential for my project. It is owing to them that I was and we had met at conferences, for example at the World able to become familiar with, and understand the historical Congress of Germanists in Warsaw or at the Literature Days and cultural context of, David Looslie’s writing as a columnist, in Solura. his intellectual and literary connection network and I man-

The purpose of my project was to do research on David Looslie’s source texts which had not been published before DID YOU KNOW THAT… and which were preserved at the Swiss Archive of Litera- ture (feature articles, short stories, critical texts and letters) The canton of Valais is home to Euro- which may show the Swiss cultural processes of that period in a new light. In my opinion the categories of an ‘intellec- pe’s highest vineyards. The tradition tual’ and ‘feature article’ as a modern means of expression of producing a variety of white wine in literature will allow demonstration of Switzerland’s speci- fi city in the European context. Consultations with Prof. Utz called Heida (Savagnin grapes) is alive and other workers of Lausanne’s German studies, and my near the village of Visperterminen at work at the Archive of Literature and the National Library in Bern, fully confi rmed my choice of research area and the an altitude of about 1100 m. theses I had put forward. Moreover, thanks to the conversa-

36 For a researcher of literature and culture, a stay of several-months in Switzerland is extremely valuable not only because it enables familiarity with new research methods, access to sources and contacts with colleagues, but also because it allows direct contact with the culture and everyday life of Swiss citizens. When experience is gained in this way, it directly translates into teaching work, its variety and fascination which can be passed onto students

aged to defi ne and investigate the literary strategies that he more projects, but also in teaching – based on the coopera- applied in the process of forming public opinion. Certain ad- tion of students in higher years. ditional themes that appeared in the course of my research, but which could not be elaborated on for lack of time, open If not for the SCIEX project… up new prospects for future projects which will be, at least The implementation of my project would not have been pos- partly, implemented in cooperation with the Swiss host men- sible in Poland as there was no access to source materials. My tor and his co-workers. work at the University of Lausanne enabled me to become fa- miliar with a very interesting form of cooperation between West Project outcomes Switzer land’s universities as part of the project Master Network My research focused on an author whose works had never Littératures suisses/ Literaturen der Schweiz, coordinated by been subjected to philological and cultural analyses. My Prof. Utz. I hope that the experience I gained there enables me work at the Archive and the publication of my research re- to improve the organisation of work at the Centre of German sulting from it has a signifi cant cognitive value for Swiss re- Language Literature of Switzerland which I run at Wrocław searchers not only as to the person of David Looslie, but also University. Apart from the fact that the project brought confi r- as to the period of those of his works that were widely assimi- mation of the purposefulness of my work to date, my coopera- lated in his lifetime. tion with my colleagues and my own research at the Archive of Literature and the National Library have opened up new pros- The knowledge and experience I gained in Switzerland have pects which, I hope, will result in more projects implemented in a direct infl uence on the quality of my work at my home HEI cooperation with Swiss university colleagues. – the University fi rst of all consists of its academic staff and students. Also, when being in Switzerland, I had multiple op- For a researcher of literature and culture, a stay of several- portunities for presenting, also in an international milieu, the months in Switzerland is extremely valuable not only be- research achievements of the Wrocław German studies work- cause it enables familiarity with new research methods, ers, their research and teaching profi le, all of which won wide access to sources and contacts with colleagues, but also be- recognition. cause it allows direct contact with the culture and everyday life of Swiss citizens. When experience is gained in this way, it There will be future cooperation of the HEIs participating in directly translates into teaching work, its variety and fascina- my SCIEX project not only in research through implementing tion which can be passed onto students.

Research Projects Implemented as Part of the Scientifi c Exchange Programme NMSch – Objectives and Achievements Summary of Projects 2009–2012

37 thesis. In April 2012, he presented his PhD thesis, completed his doctoral studies with distinction, and was awarded his PhD title.

Fellow: Dariusz Burnat, PhD Beginning of cooperation Project: Preparation and Characterisation of Nanostruc- The cooperation between AGH and the host mentor (EMPA) tured Alternative Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) Anodes with was initiated several years earlier, but the NANO-SOFC pro- Focus on Carbon Containing Fuels (NANO-SOFC) ject itself is another mutual undertaking in the history of cooperation between AGH’s Faculty of Materials Engineer- Subject area: chemistry ing and Ceramics and the Swiss institute EMPA. I had met the Project duration: from 01.11.2009 to 30.04.2011 Swiss mentor before when doing research for my Master’s Sending institution / Home mentor: University of Science thesis in Switzerland. This Master’s thesis was well received and Technology in Cracow / Dr. Dariusz Kata both in Switzerland and in my home HEI and it was awarded Host institution / Host mentor: EMPA – Swiss Federal Labo- an honourable mention in the competition “AGH diamonds”. ratories for Material Science and Technology, Laboratory for I also managed to publish my research results in a very re- High Performance Ceramics / Prof. Thomas Graule spectable periodical entitled “Fuel Cells”. This formed the basis for the Swiss mentor’s interest in cooperating with me, In 2002 Dr. Dariusz Burnat started studying materials en- and it was he who told me about applying for a SCIEX grant. gineering at the Higher Vocational State School in Tarnów, from which he graduated as a high achiever in 2006, obtain- Project description ing a Bachelor’s degree. He continued his studies at the Uni- The project contained several baselines and some secondary versity of Science and Technology (AGH), Faculty of Materials threads. The main purpose of the project consisted in creat- Engineering and Ceramics, where he participated in several ing ceramic electronic conductors enabling stable cell work. research projects as a student. In 2007/2008 during his place- My next purpose in the project was to obtain relatively eff ec- ment at the Swiss research institute known as EMPA he did tive electrode functioning with low manufacturing costs and research for his Master’s thesis which was subsequently absence of metallic catalysts. My third purpose consisted in awarded an honourable mention in the competition entitled improving anode resistance to red-ox cycles which occur in “AGH diamonds”. In his thesis, he focused on the rheology of cell exploitation. But the most important goal of my research nanostructured colloids and their application in cathodes for was to create a kind of material that would form the basis for SOFC applications. In 2008, he completed his studies with my PhD thesis. I can say that I have achieved this goal in full. distinction and was awarded a Master’s degree in chemical engineering. Also in 2008, he started studying for his PhD at I modifi ed the research direction because of some unfore- the Faculty of Materials Engineering and Ceramics at the Uni- seen diffi culties. Circumstances in favour of the modifi cation versity of Science and Technology. A year later a project of his were justifi ed by the challenges I had met at the beginning of was successful in the Małopolski grant competition for PhD writing the project:, those related to the purity and quantity students (MFD 2009) and then he obtained a SCIEX grant. of materials produced. Taking the above into consideration, From the end of 2009 to mid-2011, Dariusz Burnat stayed at obtaining phase-wise pure materials (sine qua non condition) the EMPA institute where he was doing research for his PhD had proved to be a task requiring more attention and time.

38 The results of my research were published in an extensive project I also did research on composite electrodes made on eleven-page article in a respectable periodical. In the end the basis of whole working cells (real life conditions) that is I did not test the capacity of cells in carbon dioxide, as the in ceteris paribus conditions. As a result I detected three pro- host institution had no appropriate ready-to-use and safe re- cesses limiting the capacity of the electrodes, the most im- search infrastructure. portant of them being the diff usion/absorption of hydrogen on the electrode surface. To sum up, having compared my Project outcomes results with the existing literature on the subject, I can say As a result of my research I worked out two techniques for that my research results are competitive. I have managed to obtaining nano- and submicron powders of strontium titan- implement all the project baselines and three more publica- ate additive on a semi-mass scale. I used both techniques in tions are still being prepared. my pilot manufacturing of powders on which I did further research. The aerosol pyrolysis that I worked out is particu- The NANO-SOFC project would not have been implement- larly interesting as I used a colloidal precursor there. Owing ed without the participation of EMPA – Swiss Federal Labo- to this simple solution low manufacturing costs were main- ratories for Material Science and Technology. This fellow- tained and materials with the desired crystal structure were ship was my chance for an additional research project and obtained. My research included an extensive study on the also an opportunity to share knowledge and experience. reactivity on the basis of nanopowders. It is owing to the Additional benefi ts are a deepening of the already fl our- application of nanoparticles that I managed to detect the ishing cooperation between the Polish and Swiss HEIs and reactivity of the materials in question and to work out strate- increased publishing capability which is extremely impor- gies for avoiding this problem. The complete results of my tant in Switzerland. For home institutions sending grant research are presented in an extensive publication which is holders abroad is tantamount to promoting themselves on now being reviewed. foreign soil. I am sure that my home institution (AGH) will continue its cooperation with the EMPA institute in Swit- The electrical properties of the materials obtained allow their zerland. My personal plans also include cooperation with application in solid oxide fuel cell anodes. In the course of my this institution.

Research Projects Implemented as Part of the Scientifi c Exchange Programme NMSch – Objectives and Achievements Summary of Projects 2009–2012

39 If not for the SCIEX fellowship… If not for the SCIEX fellowship… I am unable to imagine the implementation of half the tasks I would not have been able to obtain my PhD within two at my home HEI that I managed to implement as part of my and a half years, although the research project itself took 20 SCIEX project. The added value of my Swiss project trans- months (the host mentor sponsored two months of my re- lates into the amount of work done, and more particularly search in October and November 2011). This was, of course, its eff ectiveness, ensuring the success of the project. Swit- paid with hard work, just like the proverb has it: no pain, no zerland is a rich country where salaries are high which raises gain. If not for the fellowship I would have looked for work in standards set for scientists in that country. Also, part of the Poland. SCIEX fellowships are enviable entries in your CV and research could not have been done in Poland because of dif- they allow you to enter foreign labour markets. It is thanks ferences in the research infrastructure itself or access thereto. to this fellowship that I am able to boast several job off ers. The Swiss centre where the research was done, has extensive Unfortunately, they are at odds with my personal plans and technical resources and it is adapted to carrying out projects as such they are of no interest to me. beyond the boundaries of the laboratory.

The most important benefi ts (scientifi c/professional/per- sonal) The implementation of this project was an inspiration for making a number of changes, for example changes to ways of thinking (thinking outside the box) which mean a kind of diff erent perception of certain aspects of work and eve- ryday life. A change of environment makes us abandon our well-known and stuck-in-the rut ways, working out so well DID YOU KNOW THAT… in the familiar environment. Through it we are forced to look • Some time ago it was illegal in for and work out new standards. I value so much the experi- ence that I have gained. As I was awarded my PhD only a Switzerland to slam a car door within short while ago, my research prospects and career are not certain hours. fully defi ned, but I intend to go deeper into alternative en- ergy sources as I truly believe that there are useful things • There are over 1200 fountains in Zurich. to be done in this fi eld. My personal life has changed the • 60% of current consumed in Swit- most. For several months now I have lived in Dresden with my better (looking) half (smile) whom I met unexpectedly zerland comes from hydroelectric in Switzerland. So to sum up the changes – I know “what” and “with whom”, but right now I am doing intensive work power stations. on “where”. • In 1471 a hen was accused of a crime against nature. That hen had laid eggs that were too brightly coloured, and was sentenced to burning as it was thought she had consorted with the devil.

40 Project description The late Prof. Piotr Jaśkowski (the fi rst Polish mentor of my project) and Prof. Michael Herzog shared similar scientifi c in- terests for a number of years and they repeatedly discussed their results at various conferences where these discussions Fellow: Izabela Szumska, PhD student always prove very fruitful. My SCIEX fellowship made it pos- Project: Short- and long-lived unconscious information sible for them to start the fi rst joint project combining Prof. processing investigated with two types of EEG analysis: Herzog’s approach to researching consciousness with that waveforms and microstates of Prof. Jaśkowski. My next home mentor – Dr. Rob van der Lubbe – made just as important a contribution to that pro- Subject area: psychology ject. For years he has been interested in issues discussed in Project duration: from 01.07.2011 to 30.06.2012 our project and his knowledge of electroencephalography Sending Institution / Home mentor: University of Finance proved invaluable. This is the fi rst project between the host and Management in Warsaw / Dr. Rob van der Lubbe and sending institutions. Host institution / Host mentor: Ėcole Polytechnique Fédé- rale de Lausanne / Prof. Michael Herzog Understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of con- scious and unconscious information processing is one of the Izabela Szumska was awarded a Master’s degree in 2009 at most fascinating challenges of current neuroscience. There the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Finance and are many theories on how consciousness works, but none of Management in Warsaw, where since 2007 she had been them has provided ultimate answers to researchers’ persis- working at the Laboratory of Psychophysiology supervised tent questions. by Prof. Piotr Jaśkowski. She is mainly interested in visual perception and consciousness. She is currently working on In our project we decided to compare processing of conscious her PhD thesis, supervised by Dr. Rob van der Lubbe. Her PhD stimuli with the processing of those which are not available to thesis focuses on the conscious and unconscious processing consciousness. Research shows that not only stimuli perceived of visual stimuli. In her research she uses an analysis of evoked consciously, but also those perceived unconsciously can aff ect potentials recorded in brain bioelectrical activity testing. our reactions. Subliminal priming is the best known example documenting this phenomenon. We can observe this when after one object (for example an arrow pointing to the right) is fl ashed on to a screen for a time too short for the observer to notice anything, another object is shown (an identical arrow), which is visible long enough to be consciously registered. When an individual is asked to tell the direction in which the arrow pointed, he/she will do it much sooner when the pre- ceding arrow (invisible) pointed in the same direction as the other, subsequent arrow (visible). This means that despite its not being perceived consciously (our individual is unable to tell the direction of the fi rst one), that object is somehow pro- cessed in our brain which “knows” what it was.

Research Projects Implemented as Part of the Scientifi c Exchange Programme NMSch – Objectives and Achievements Summary of Projects 2009–2012

41 The project implementation confi rmed the high level of Polish science. Polish scientists should look for any opportunity of cooperation with foreign institutions, which would be benefi cial to both parties. Polish students, PhD students and young researchers should have placements abroad as often as possible as it adds to their confi dence. One can take a peek and see how people work in diff erent institutions, learn a lot and acquire openness

manual reaction (pressing a key) at the sight of an object, Our purpose was to see if the perception of stimuli to which we also decided to use saccadic responses (measured with we have to react manually (by pressing a key) happens in a an eye tracker) and verbal responses. Owing to this, we were diff erent way from the perception of the same stimuli when able to broaden the scope of looking deeper into informa- another kind of response is needed (for example a verbal re- tion processing. sponse or eye movements). On the one hand, the brain is said to have just one centre Some research suggested that we should expect diff erent where all information is received, is then always processed results (as stimuli are processed in diff erent ways depending identically and a response is generated. Therefore, regardless on the character of the response). Other research opted for a of the kind of required reaction (manual, verbal, saccadic), theory saying that there is just one way of processing which the correctness of a response should remain the same. On is followed by all the information we receive. My research was the other hand, there are theories saying that there are sepa- aimed at fi nding proof confi rming one of the above com- rate paths used for receiving information depending on the pletely incompatible theories. kind of response we require. Information can be processed on a given path, for example when pressing a key is neces- Research fi ndings and the added value of the project sary, but when an individual is to give a verbal response, the When the project started, it turned out that the Swiss labo- same information goes along another path (probably need- ratory could investigate our issue in more detail. So we de- ing more consciousness). Consequently, in this situation the cided to include response modalities. Apart from the usual results should be diff erentiated depending on the kind of response.

In our research, we used visual stimuli (a rhombus and a square) which appeared to the right and left of the fi xation point (situated in the centre of the screen). After these stimuli a masked stimulus was shown (priming those objects). De- pending on whether the masked stimulus appeared sooner or later after those objects, the participating individuals were able to give quicker or slower responses as to the location of the rhombus or the square. The individuals were asked to point to the side where the rhombus had appeared. The cor- rectness of their responses increased with the time elapsed between showing the object and introducing the masked stimulus. However, it turned out that the ratio of correct re- sponses to the visibility of the stimulus was exactly the same regardless of the kind of response: manual (by pressing a key), verbal or by eye movement. This experiment was carried out with simultaneous recording of the bioelectrical activity of

42 the brain (encephalography, EEG), but in our EEG records we found no evidence of visual information being processed diff erently depending on the character of a response. These results negate the existence of various paths for information processing, privileging more automatic reactions (for exam- ple manual) and confi rm the thesis concerning the existence of just one centre where all information is supplied to be pro- cessed always in the same way.

The most important benefi ts (scientifi c/professional/per- result of which Swiss students will be able to come to our Pol- sonal) ish laboratory and their Polish counterparts will have place- The mutual benefi t for the two institutions is the knowledge ments in Switzerland. that has been gained and the commencement of an interest- ing kind of cooperation. My home mentor uses a method of Owing to the Swiss project, I was able to work with people analysis diff erent from the one used in the Swiss institution. from all over the world. I was able to learn new things which We taught the Swiss laboratory workers our techniques. At are still unknown within the Polish environment. I took part in the Ėcole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne I became fa- seminars and guest lectures organised in the host institution miliar with new methods of data analysis. I shared this knowl- which gave me more opportunities to discuss my research edge with workers at the home institution when I visited with eminent experts on the subject. The Swiss institution Poland. This is undoubtedly very important for the develop- has better research infrastructure, so we were able to extend ment of our Polish laboratory. In addition, we have started the project and investigate not only manual responses to cooperating with the Ėcole Polytechnique Fédérale de Laus- perceived stimuli as we had proposed in our application, but anne in two new projects and I will participate in their im- also verbal and saccadic responses. plementation. We are also planning a student exchange as a The project implementation confi rmed the high level of Pol- ish science. Polish scientists should look for any opportunity of cooperation with foreign institutions, which would be DID YOU KNOW THAT… benefi cial to both parties. Polish students, PhD students and • It was in Switzerland that the con- young researchers should have placements abroad as often as possible as it adds to their confi dence. One can take a peek cept of the book “Frankenstein” was and see how people work in diff erent institutions, learn a lot born. Its author – Mary Shelley – got and acquire openness. the idea at a social gathering (abun- dant with horror stories) held at Lake Geneva. - Hard-boiled eggs painted like our Easter painted eggs can be bought in Switzerland all year round.

Research Projects Implemented as Part of the Scientifi c Exchange Programme NMSch – Objectives and Achievements Summary of Projects 2009–2012

43 the University of Geneva owing to his SCIEX fellowship. In 2011/2012 he did research funded by the Polish – US Fulbright Commission at the University of California in Berkeley.

Fellow: Jacek Wawer, PhD student Beginning of the project idea Project: Time and Modality. A Formal Perspective I implemented the project at the Institute of Philosophy of the University of Geneva within the framework of the EIDOS Subject area: philosophy Metaphysical Centre. I had come into contact with the Centre Project duration: from 01.12.2009 to 30.11.2010 a year before, having the pleasure of participating in summer Sending institution / Home mentor: Jagiellonian University classes on the philosophy of physics in summer 2008. It is / Prof. Tomasz Placek thanks to these classes that I met some researchers from the Host institution / Host mentor: University of Geneva / As- EIDOS Centre. When I learnt about the possibility of a SCIEX sociate Professor Dr. Fabrice Correia fellowship, I became more familiar with the activity of this group and with its members’ interests and achievements. Jacek Wawer comes from the Opole region. He was born The Centre focuses on metaphysical research as part of the and brought up in Strzelce Opolskie and completed second- tradition of analytical philosophy. As my PhD thesis mainly ary school in Opole. He has been involved with the Institute focuses on the same, the interests of many Geneva research- of Philosophy of the Jagiellonian University since the begin- ers are similar to mine. The works of Prof. Fabrice Correia ning of his Master’s degree studies. In the course of them, attracted my attention as their subject was almost identical his involvement in academic activities was outstanding: he with my interests and planned research. I e-mailed him infor- participated in the activities of a research-interest group, in mation about myself and an outline of my research project. international summer schools, research projects and stu- I also asked for mentoring. Prof. Correia treated my request dent conferences. In 2007, he studied at Charles University very favourably and thought that my project was interesting. in Prague for a semester within the framework of the Eras- He also agreed to be my mentor. He proved to be a kind and mus programme. For his achievements in the course of his fully involved mentor, and so greatly contributed to improve- Master’s degree studies he was awarded two grants by the ment of the quality of my work. Minister of Science and Higher Education. His Master’s thesis focused on dependencies between relational and algebraic Project description semantics for normal modal logic. Generally speaking, the purpose of my project was to inves- tigate the relations between the notions of time and pos- In his PhD thesis, he investigates diff erent aspects of interac- sibilities, in particular to make an attempt to analyse the tions between time and possibilities as part of the branching intuition that the past is very diff erent from the future in time model. His research borders on metaphysics, logic and the context of modal properties. The past seems set, deter- philosophy of language. When he was a student he delivered mined, constant and beyond our infl uence, whereas the fu- speeches at a number of international conferences and work- ture is perceived as not fully determined, open to possibili- shops, participated in research projects, published his work ties and prone to our infl uence. This intuition was already in reputable periodicals and taught Jagiellonian University discussed in ancient times. The purpose of my project was students. In the academic year 2009/2010 he was a guest of both historical and systematic. My purpose was to inves-

44 tigate the history of discussion on how time and possibili- of phrases concerning contingent future, that is asking if a ties are interrelated, focusing on the discussion held in the phrase like “This coin will fall tails up” is true or false already last half century. The systematic aspect of my research con- before we toss the coin. I was to try to analyse formally the sisted in investigating how the tools of contemporary logic, tension that exists between the conviction that the future especially those of modal logic and its various semantics, may develop in many ways, but it will develop in just one have been used to perform a formal analysis of time-modal- of them. I wanted to prove whether and how phrases con- ity interactions. I was mainly focused on the branching time cerning a contingent future might be true a priori. I was also model proposed by Saul Kripke and Arthur Prior. Apart from interested in creating semantics for occasional expressions purely formal results (for example proof of the fullness of as part of branching time models and a proper semantic in- some logics or the modal defi nability of some properties of terpretation of name category expressions. I also wanted to semantic models), I was also interested in the philosophical investigate the topological properties of various branching and especially metaphysical implications of various models time and space-time models. I was interested in the topo- proposed. I also wanted to investigate these issues from the logical properties of time understood this way and a topo- viewpoint of philosophy of language. The main problem logical approach to investigating more global properties in in this fi eld is the question concerning the logical status such models.

In the course of the project I was particularly preoccupied DID YOU KNOW THAT… with its parts connected with the logical and linguistic as- pects of time-possibility relations. I started researching on • When in Switzerland you mainly live this, modifying the research plan (for example investigating off cheese, chocolate and wine. the logical properties of branching time models which allow time loops). I continually cooperated with my mentor, took • The colour of the lines on roads tells part in seminars and works of research groups at the Univer- you if and for how long you may park sity of Geneva. These works were a constant inspiration to broaden my interests and investigate new issues. As a result your car there. part of the project was reduced, the part that was to deal with the topological research. But to me the benefi ts of extending

Research Projects Implemented as Part of the Scientifi c Exchange Programme NMSch – Objectives and Achievements Summary of Projects 2009–2012

45 My most recent visit to Switzerland was a milestone in work on my PhD thesis, in my academic and personal development. Working in a thriving, international research team, among people fully committed to philosophy, had an immensely stimulating infl uence on me

the research fi eld in the other part were much more impor- odical called Synthese. Most of the research for this article tant than the loss resulting from the reduction of this part. was done when I was at the University of Geneva work- ing on my project. Another article summing up my Geneva The most important results of my research research is awaiting a go-ahead from the editors of the During my research I significantly improved my under- perio dical Erkenntnis. standing of the historical context of my PhD thesis subject. I also became familiar with the latest techniques and tools I made every attempt to participate actively in the scientifi c used in modal logic and the possibilities they offer for the life of the Institute of Philosophy at the University of Geneva. problems that I researched. I created branching time- and I took part in the process of internal evaluation of and review circle time models, proving certain modal properties of of articles sent to a periodical called Dialectica, published in those kinds of models. I analysed Kripke’s influential ar- Geneva. I participated in meetings and working groups for gument concerning the possibility of existing contingent students and Institute workers. I discussed with Geneva’s a priori truths and I demonstrated the limitation of this the- PhD students their latest ideas and I presented mine to them. sis in temporal contexts. I devoted myself to an attempt at I cooperated with my mentor in works on issues forming part creation of a model which would bring together the thesis of my project and I discussed his latest works and ideas with of undetermined future and the conviction that the future him. I presented some of my achievements at a seminar at will develop in just one way. I presented my research re- the EIDOS Centre. The supervisor of my PhD thesis, my home sults in five conference speeches and papers. During one mentor, presented his latest achievements when he visited of the presentations I established cooperation with Alex Geneva to supervise my project. Malpass, a Bristol University researcher, which resulted in a jointly written article, published in a prestigious peri- My Swiss mentor delivered a speech in the course of his Cra- cow research visit as part of the SCIEX Programme. In this way workers and students from Cracow’s university were able to become familiar with a new research trend. I had an opportu- nity to take a closer look at a number of issues and the latest trends in philosophy when participating in several meetings, seminars and workshops. I am passing this knowledge onto my students when working with them.

I remain in touch with my Swiss mentor. I hope that in the future a more real dimension can be given to our coopera- tion, for example through organisation of a joint conference or through reciprocal research visits of students and workers from both HEIs. I am hoping to be able to participate in future research programmes run at the University of Geneva.

My most recent visit to Switzerland was a milestone in my work on my PhD thesis, in my academic and personal devel- opment. Working in a thriving, international research team,

46 among people fully committed to philosophy, had an im- If not for the fellowship, instead of being a philosopher mensely stimulating infl uence on me. I would now be an accountant, journalist or salesman. The decision to award me the grant coincided with my serious I had the opportunity of confronting my latest ideas with doubts about continuing on the academic path. The grant certain critical remarks coming from excellent philoso- dispelled my doubts and I hope it was not a mistake. phers – experts on my subject area. I met Prof. Fabrice Correia. My conversations with him, his remarks and in- If not for the fellowship, I would not have spent that great structions helped me a lot in understanding a number of year at a perfect university. I would not have met many out- problems and in broadening my mind. I was able to par- standing persons. Moreover, I would not have spent that ticipate in a lot of workshops organised by the EIDOS Cen- year in such a charming city as Geneva, I would not have tre, owing to which I met ‘big names’ in world philosophy seen the (almost) highest fountain in the world, I would not and scholars who were in the process of making a name have bathed in Europe’s deepest lake, I would not have seen for themselves and I was able to listen to their presenta- Mont Blanc, I would not have had fondue and I would have tions. I participated in living philosophy, getting familiar not known how to go about opening an account in a bank or with its latest trends and methods. I had access to a fan- renting a fl at using my broken French. tastically rich library and to an extensive digital database at the University of Geneva. I was offered perfect working conditions, including my own desk and computer. I would not have been able to have such benefits if I had stayed in my home institution.

If not for the SCIEX fellowship… DID YOU KNOW THAT… Working on my project gave me wings, broadened my mind, • There are no familiar supermarkets extended the spectrum of my philosophical refl ection and al- lowed me to become familiar with the latest philosophy. The that are well-known from home. You scientifi c enthusiasm of Geneva’s researchers infected me. do your shopping in a shop belong- The research I did there helped me confi rm that PhD studies were the right choice. My motivation for work and research ing to one of two national chains. curiosity, which fl ourished so much in Geneva, stimulated me to continue searching and infl uenced my decision to spend • Swiss white wines rank among the the academic year 2011/12 at the University of California in best in the world. Berkeley. This choice was made possible by the Polish-US Fulbright Commission. • When watching German-language Swiss fi lms the Germans have to read the subtitles. • Supermarkets sell a 4.5 kg tablet of chocolate. • Gruyère cheese is supposedly the tastiest cheese in the world.

Research Projects Implemented as Part of the Scientifi c Exchange Programme NMSch – Objectives and Achievements Summary of Projects 2009–2012

47 DID YOU KNOW THAT… To get registered at the place of resi- dence the relevant Swiss offi ce has to be shown your birth certifi cate or mar- riage certifi cate translated into English, French, German or Italian (depending on the canton). No registration is possi- ble without that kind of document. Fellow: Ewelina Kusiak–Nejman, PhD student Project: Preparation of carbon-modifi ed TiO2 photocata- lysts for environmental applications Project description The project consisted in obtaining active materials with good Subject area: chemistry antibacterial properties applicable in pollutant degradation. Project duration: from 01.01.2011 to 30.06.2011 These materials could be applied in water purifi cation pro- Sending institution / Home mentor: West Pomeranian Uni- cesses and other processes aimed at environmental protec- versity of Technology in Szczecin / Prof. Antoni W. Morawski tion. In the course of the project the scope of my research Host institution / Host mentor: Swiss Federal Institute of was extended to include new materials obtained by way of Technology of Lausanne / Prof. Cesar Pulgarin magnetron sputtering and the investigation of their antibac- terial properties in the process of E.coli inactivation.

Ewelina Kusiak–Nejman, born in 1983, graduated from the The most important results of the project University of Technology in Szczecin in 2007 having been I published the EPFL research results in scientifi c articles in awarded a Master’s degree in environmental protection. In the following periodicals with a high IF quotient: the same year she completed her Bachelor’s degree studies 1. E. Kusiak-Nejman, A.W. Morawski, A.P. Ehiasarian, C. Pulga- in political science and in 2009 she obtained her Master’s rin, O. Baghriche, E. Mielczarski, J. Mielczarski, A. Kulik, J. degree from the Pedagogical University of Warsaw. Since Kiwi, E. coli inactivation by High Power Impulse Magnetron 2007 she has been a PhD student at the West Pomeranian Sputtered (HIPIMS) Cu-surfaces, The Journal of Physical University of Technology in Szczecin. She has been awarded Chemistry C 15 (2011) 21113–21119. two grants by the Mayor of the City of Szczecin and one grant 2. O. Baghriche, A.P. Ehiasarian, E. Kusiak-Nejman, C. Pulga- from the Provincial Job Centre in Szczecin. In 2010 she was rin, R. Sanjines, A.W. Morawski, J. Kiwi, High power impulse a SCIEX fellow with a placement at the Ėcole Polytechnique magnetron sputtering (HIPIMS) and traditional pulsed sput- Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland. tering (DCMSP) Ag-surfaces leading to E. coli inactivation, Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A: Chemistry 227 (2012) 11–17. 3. O. Baghriche, A. Zertal, A.P. Ehiasarian, R. Sanjines, C. Pul- garin, E. Kusiak-Nejman, A.W. Morawski, J. Kiwi, Advantages of highly ionized pulse plasma magnetron sputtering of silver for improved E. coli inactivation, Thin Solid Films 520 (2012) 3567–3573.

One more publication, whose co-authors are workers at the CHUV hospital in Lausanne, is still being reviewed.

48 What after the SCIEX fellowship… In the near future, we are planning a new Polish-Swiss project, which would continue the cooperation started in the course Fellow: Anna Horszwald, PhD of the SCIEX fellowship. This cooperation is very valuable for Project: Infl uence of processing on bioactive compounds in the Polish party as the Swiss institution enjoys a worldwide pomegranates reputation. Subject area: natural science and biology The added value of the project is that I am now familiar with Project duration: from 01.11.2009 to 30.04.2011 new methods of antibacterial material preparation and have Sending institution / Home mentor: Polish Academy of Sci- expanded my knowledge of micro-organism inactivation ences in Olsztyn / Prof. Mariusz K. Piskuła processes. Host institution / Host mentor: HES-SO Valais, Institute of Life Technologies / Prof. Wilfried Andlauer The project has resulted in broadening the scope of my re- search by adding some issues concerning the antibacterial Dr Anna Horszwald was born in Olsztyn in 1981. She stud- properties of new materials. My fellowship in the foreign in- ied biotechnology at the University of Warmia and Mazury. stitution has raised my employability on the labour market, In 2009, for research on rye bread and cereal products, she especially the local one. was awarded a PhD in agricultural science (Food and Nutri- tion Technology) at the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Olsztyn. Her main interest focused on the Maillard reaction which occurs in the course of thermal processes. After her PhD thesis presentation she went to Switzerland for a post- doctoral placement as part of the SCIEX programme at the HES-SO Valais – University of Applied Sciences in Sion where she worked on bioactive compounds in pomegranates. She also investigated the possibility of applying selected drying techniques to obtain fruit products and their infl uence on the quality of such products.

Having returned from Switzerland she participated in a pres- tigious placement-training programme entitled Top 500 In- novators, organized by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education at Stanford University, USA. She is currently Assis- tant Professor at the Laboratory of Chemistry and Food Bio- dynamics at the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Olsztyn. She

Research Projects Implemented as Part of the Scientifi c Exchange Programme NMSch – Objectives and Achievements Summary of Projects 2009–2012

49 continues her research on the Maillard reaction in selected ous drying methods on the powder quality and chose the fruit products. best method for quality preservation.

The most important benefi ts of the project Project description Both Polish and Swiss institutions have signifi cantly benefi t- In the course of the project I intended to analyse the infl u- ed from the joint implementation of the research project and ence of processing on the content of selected bioactive com- also from expansion of methodological skills. Moreover, they pounds in pomegranates. First I investigated the content of have worked out a new project which will continue the co- these compounds present in various parts of the fruit. Then operation commenced during my fellowship. This close co- I prepared juices from diff erent parts of the pomegranate to operation between the institutions results in more research analyse their content with respect to the selected bioactive workers visiting them and in more research. All that means compounds. joint publications and participation in conferences.

In the course of the project I extended it by adding the issue Improving my professional qualifi cations by enriching my of obtaining powders based on the juices – a continuation skills with methods used in Switzerland, and being able to and development of my preliminary research. I also started implement them in Poland is one of the most signifi cant ben- working on another project to compare the profi les of poly- efi ts for the home institution. The creation of an international phenol compounds in strawberries and their leaves. network of contacts and of pooling workers’ skills has re- sulted in a mutual research project serving the development As a result of this research I systemized my knowledge of where the selected bioactive compounds are situated in pomegranates. The results I obtained allow me to state that the skin is the richest part in bioactive compounds. I demon- DID YOU KNOW THAT… strated that juices made with whole fruits are richer in probi- Over 50 peaks in the canton of Valais otic compounds than juices made in the food industry, which are based mainly on the pulp. I dried the juices in selected rise to over 4000m above sea level. ways and powdered them. I compared the infl uence of vari-

50 of my career. The knowledge and experience that I gained working with the industry allowed me to take part in a pres- tigious placement-training programme entitled Top 500 In- novators, organized by the Ministry of Science and Higher Fellow: Aleksandra Pelczarska, PhD student Education and run at Stanford University. Project: Validation of HTS-solubility measurements method for drug–nanoparticle–solvent systems This inter-institutional cooperation is continuing. Both par- ties’ mutual interests have resulted in more visits to Switzer- Subject area: natural science and biology land in order to do research on the process of drying selected Project duration: from 01.08.2011 to 31.01.2012 fruits. At the moment, we are investigating the analysis of the Sending institution / Home mentor: Warsaw University of powders obtained in Switzerland on the basis of other fruits. Technology / Prof. Urszula Domańska-Żelazna A joint international project has been proposed which is now Host institution / Host mentor: University of Geneva/Prof. awaiting review. Pierre-Alain Carrupt

The added value of the project Aleksandra Pelczarska, born in 1982, is a PhD student at Changing my working environment was the added value of the Faculty of Chemistry of Warsaw University of Technol- the fellowship. Meeting new people and watching their work ogy. In 2001-2008, she studied at the same faculty and at the made me change my way of thinking and my approach to Pharmaceutical Faculty of the Medical University of Warsaw. problem solving. Thanks to the opportunity to work in an When studying for her PhD, she also had a placement in the international team in a diff erent environment I now have es- Republic of South Africa in addition to her Swiss fellowship. A sential experience needed when working in a laboratory. grant holder of the Centre for Advanced Studies at the War- saw University of Technology and of the Offi ce of the Mar- The experience I gained when working on the project al- shall of the Mazovia Province, she works on investigating and lowed me to expand my research tasks. At the moment the predicting physical and chemical properties of drugs as well purpose of my research consists in applying in practice the as on improving their bioavailability in systemic circulation. results obtained. It is worth stressing that the fellowship in When she is not working she frequently travels and describes Switzerland has a bearing on my personal plans and on dis- it in a “Cocktail of Cultures” (http://tratatatabec.blogspot. covering new interests. com).

DID YOU KNOW THAT… Holidaying on a farm and sleeping on hay is very popular in Switzerland.

Research Projects Implemented as Part of the Scientifi c Exchange Programme NMSch – Objectives and Achievements Summary of Projects 2009–2012

51 The choice of my host mentor and host institution was a matter of accident, however, it was a winning ticket! Having prepared an initial outline of the project I sent it, together Fellow: Anna Elżbieta Sikorska, PhD student with my CV, to a number of Swiss professors. Prof. Carrupt Project: SedTrace – Organic Micropollutant-based Finger- decided to take up the challenge after a short conversation. printing and Tracing of Sediment Emissions from Urban Areas The main purpose of the project consisted in the validation of an innovative method which measures drug solubility Subject area: Environment and forestry in drug-nanoparticle-solvent systems. However, I then ex- Project duration: from 01.12.2010 to 30.11.2011 tended my research by a detailed defi nition of the method Sending institution / Home mentor: Warsaw University of parameters which appeared in the course of the project. Life Sciences / Prof. Kazimierz Banasik Host institution / Host mentor: Eawag: Swiss Federal Insti- I presented my research results at a scientifi c conference tute of Aquatic Science and Technology / Dr. Jörg Riecker- and an article summing up the results is being prepared. man

The research method is the main project-related benefi t for Anna Elżbieta Sikorska, born in 1984, studied at Warsaw both institutions. In addition the home institution has had University of Life Sciences (SGGW) in 2003-2008 and was some benefi ts as a result of technology transfer. In the case awarded fi rst a bachelor’s degree (2007) and then a Master’s of this project the whole research work is its added value as degree (2008) in environmental protection. She completed technically it was impossible to do that kind of research in her Master’s degree studies with distinction and received the Poland for a number of reasons. Prof. Kazimierz Dębski award (runner-up) from the Associa- tion of Polish Hydrologists for her Master’s thesis written un- When my project came to an end, the Swiss party visited the der the supervision of Prof. Kazimierz Banasik. In the autumn Warsaw University of Technology. There is a real chance that of 2008 she started working on her PhD thesis at the Faculty this joint research will be continued. of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Warsaw University of Life Sciences. Each visit abroad broadens your mind and opens it up to new ideas. Apart from the obvious benefi ts resulting from She is a holder of a number of grants, for example those of acquiring new skills, the project has boosted my self-confi - the DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst, 2009), dence, thus allowing me to start a job in the medical indus- and the SCIEX (Scientifi c Exchange Programme NMSch, 2010). try a short while ago. If not for the fellowship I would never When working on her PhD thesis she had several placements have believed that one e-mail could start several-months’ abroad, in Germany; at the Technical University of Hamburg international cooperation. (spring of 2009), at Kassel University (autumn of 2009), and in . Switzerland; at Eawag – the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (2010-2011). She has participated in numerous conferences, both in Poland and abroad. She is,

52 Being able to work in a Swiss institute leading in my subject area – water resources management research – helped me shape my own personality as a mature scientist, aware of my skills and prospects. The Swiss fellowship helped me to defi ne my own passion for aquatic research and strengthened me in the conviction that I had chosen the right career path

since 2008, a member of the Association of Polish Hydrolo- maceuticals) entering the environment in diff erent places, gists and, since 2010, a member of the European Geosciences making identifi cation of sources much easier. Moreover, Union. when substances diff use in a water environment, they are adsorbed on the sediment surface. Therefore, determining Supervised by Prof. Kazimierz Banasik and in cooperation the unique composition of such pollutants on the sediment with the ETTHZ Eawag, where Prof. Jörg Rieckermann is an surface (so-called organic micropollutants) by way of ad- additional mentor, she is currently working on her PhD the- vanced chemical analyses would enable sediment tracing sis concerning the hydrology of urban drainage basins. Her and the identifi cation of the sources from which pollutants main interests focus on the hydrology of urban drainage entered an urban sewage system. basins, analysis of uncertainty in hydrological predictions, urban sediment analysis and transport and, fi nally, on the The intended goal was to be achieved through proposing chemistry of sediments. and testing a methodology of tracing sediment emissions in urban sewage systems on the basis of other pollutants, whose direct identifi cation is easier. This would enable Project description better management of urban pollutants and would conse- The main purpose of my project was to conduct a pilot quently lead to reduced emissions. study in order to fi ngerprint pollutant emissions from dif- fuse sources (mainly sediments) in urban areas. Sediments While my initial intention remained unchanged, in the in drainage systems can be of various origins (rural areas, course of the project I extended the research scope by in- urban sewage, rainwater) and that is why it is diffi cult to troducing additional analyses dismissed at the beginning. determine directly their emission sources. There are, how- This was mainly due to my eagerness to widen the scope ever, a number of other substances (heavy metals or phar- of my PhD research. As a result, apart from the fi eld and desk trials that I had already planned, I also ran a number of study analyses, that is computer modelling and statistical analyses, aimed at determining the precision of hydrologi- cal forecasts (for example of occurrence of fl oods) for urban areas.

The most important project results The outcome of my research is that together with my men- tors I have worked out an innovative methodology for fi ngerprinting emission sources and tracking emissions of diff use pollutants (mainly sediments) in urban areas us- ing other, more easily identifi able pollutants (for example heavy metals). The methodology that I proposed was tested in an experimental facility, giving promising results. The fi -

Research Projects Implemented as Part of the Scientifi c Exchange Programme NMSch – Objectives and Achievements Summary of Projects 2009–2012

53 nal result of that part of the project was a conference article After the SCIEX project offi cially ended and I returned to Po- and the presentation of that methodology at a conference land, the two institutions have continued their cooperation. in Belgrade on modelling pollutants in urban sewage sys- My host mentor and I have prepared another publication fea- tems (Serbia, autumn of 2012). turing new research conducted in Poland and we are plan- ning to extend our Swiss research by including new issues. I have also worked out a methodology of uncertainty es- And the cooperation between the two Polish and Swiss men- timation in fl ood forecasting for rainfall – runoff models tors was crowned by my PhD thesis, supervised by both of (transforming rain into river fl ow). My analysis was pub- them, something previously not even considered. lished in a leading international periodical describing water research and presented at a conference in Bratislava (Slova- The added value of the project kia, autumn of 2011). Applying certain innovative techniques that are only spo- radically used in Poland is the added value of this project. The most important project benefi ts for the host and home During this Swiss fellowship in a leading aquatic research institutions institute I gained experience which I can now use in my The host institution derived measurable benefi ts from the country, especially as regards advanced chemical analyses joint publications in international periodicals and from of urban sewage system sediments and analyses of fl ood the participation in the scientifi c conferences mentioned forecast uncertainty estimation. I think that conducting before. What is more, the project implementation meant such analyses in the home institution would hardly have that the methods and technologies worked out in Switzer- been practicable for a number of reasons. First of all – the land were able to be tested in a foreign facility. At the same analyses I conducted in Switzerland are only sporadically time knowledge and experience transfer from the Swiss used in my country and – consequently – there are not institution to its Polish counterpart helped strengthen the enough people experienced in this area. Secondly, there former’s position. Our joint and successful SCIEX project im- are neither specialists nor suffi cient funds to conduct that plementation is a basis for long-term cooperation between kind of costly and advanced chemical analysis. Therefore the two institutions in joint international projects, and in my Swiss research supervised by experts and internation- student and worker exchanges (students, grant holders, ally recognised scientists dealing with water engineering young researchers). helped me gain that valuable experience.

54 DID YOU KNOW THAT… Switzerland is a country of contrasts? Although its area is relatively small (1/7 of Poland’s area), there are four official languages with German as the most widespread one. However, the German language spoken here is a variation of German, it is called Schweizerdeutsch and has not got much in common with German as such (Hochdeutsch), much to the disadvantage of those who boast being able to speak German. Switzerland is a neutral country, never involved in armed conflicts, but few people know that it has one of the largest armies per capita. This is also the first country in Europe where women were allowed to study at HEIs (since about 1840 at the University of Zurich), but also the country whose women were the last in Europe to obtain voting rights (in the canton of Appenzell as late as in 1990).

The opportunity to have a foreign placement and the SCIEX helped me to define my own passion for aquatic research project implementation have greatly infl uenced my profes- and strengthened me in the conviction that I had chosen sional prospects and initiated some events. Thanks to the the right career path. fellowship I was able to do much of my PhD research in the Swiss institution, which brought about the continuation of If not for the SCIEX fellowship… this joint research (jointly supervised PhD thesis) and al- I would probably not have had the chance of research lowed me to publish the research fi ndings in a leading in- work in a Swiss institution nor of establishing numerous ternational periodical. Moreover, being in Switzerland I es- professional contacts abroad. Without this SCIEX fellow- tablished numerous professional contacts and I also paved ship conducting advanced research for my PhD would the way for cooperation with other scientifi c institutes, not have been difficult for every reason - time, cost or meth- to mention the fact that I was able to improve my English, odology - and publishing the findings in an international develop my German skills and start studying Italian. periodical, almost impossible. Without being in Switzer- land I would not have met so many kind persons, both Being able to work in a Swiss institute leading in my professionally and privately, such as my mentor Dr. Jörg subject area – water resources management research – Rieckermann and Andreas Scheidegger of Eawag, whose helped me shape my own personality as a mature scien- help and support have been invaluable in implementing tist, aware of my skills and prospects. The Swiss fellowship my intended objectives.

Research Projects Implemented as Part of the Scientifi c Exchange Programme NMSch – Objectives and Achievements Summary of Projects 2009–2012

55 DID YOU KNOW THAT… • Switzerland’s national anthem is a sublime psalm whose melody was borrowed from a religious hymn entitled Diligam, te Domine • Switzerland is one of the world’s leading countries as to expenditure on research and development. Fellow: Joanna Bryś, PhD Project: Human Milk Fat Substitutes (HMFS) Project description Subject area: natural science and biology The purpose of this project was to obtain human milk fat Project duration: from 01.11.2010 to 31.10.2011 substitutes by way of enzymatic acidolisation of such fats as Sending institution / Home mentor: University of Life Sci- lard and cow’s milk fat with essential fatty acids. As a result ences in Warsaw / Dr. Piotr Koczoń structured lipids were obtained which were then chemically Host institution / Host mentor: ETH Zürich (Swiss Federal analysed. My research assumptions were as follows: Institute of Technology Zurich) / Prof. Laura Nyström • Human milk is the most valuable and best food for babies • Fat is of utmost importance for the correct physiological de- Dr Joanna Bryś, born in 1977, is a food technologist and As- velopment of infants, babies and children (fat is particularly sistant Professor at the Chair of Chemistry, Faculty of Food instrumental in building the human nervous system and in Science (University of Life Sciences) in Warsaw. In 2005 she supplying energy) presented her PhD thesis on Investigation of the properties of milk fat and vegetable oil interesterifi cated mixtures to In the course of my project implementation I made slight the Council of the Faculty of Food Technology (University modifi cations to the preliminary research plan, namely oth- of Life Sciences) and was awarded her PhD. She currently er raw materials were used than those planned. Instead of focuses on optimising the conditions of obtaining human goat’s milk fat I used palm oil. Also, instead of using ready- milk fat substitutes by enzymatic interesterifi cation and on made essential fatty acids preparations I decided to obtain the characteristics of the structured lipids obtained. She is these acids from various vegetable oils, such as evening prim- the author or co-author of 77 press releases and scientifi c rose oil, argan oil, linseed oil and borage oil. The decision to publications and the manager of a MNiSW grant. She was make this change resulted from my preliminary investigation the mentor and supervisor of several Master’s degree the- of the analysis of fatty acid composition as well as of oil and ses. When studying for her Master’s degree she had a three- fat triacyloglycerol structure. This analysis was needed to se- month placement at ENSIA, a French HEI, ENSIA within the lect suitable compounds for the starting mixture. framework of the Socrates and Erasmus programmes, im- plementing a research project entitled Diacetyl production The most important outcome of the project by Lactococcus Lactis Lactis Diacetylactis bacteria. Between The project fi ndings were consistent with my assumptions: November 2010 and October 2011 she was a grant holder the experiments allowed me to obtain structured lipids simi- under the SCIEX-NMSch Programme between Switzerland lar to human milk. To get the substitutes I acidolysed a mix- and the new EU member states. She is married and has two ture of fats, such as lard, cow’s milk fat, palm oil and rapeseed daughters: Anna and Lilianna. oil with fatty acids from argan, linseed, borage and evening primrose oils.

56 I think that the persons I had the pleasure of cooperating with equipped laboratory. All necessary reagents and laboratory have a better knowledge of Poland now: our history, culture equipment were ready at all times. I was able to focus solely and the natural environment. From the viewpoint of science on my work, do lots of repetitions and simply experiment in I think that my project allowed the Swiss team to become fa- peace and quiet. In Poland a lot of time and energy is lost to miliar with fat modifi cation and some methods of its analysis. red tape, teaching work, paying constant attention to costs My home institution considers it very important to have had and sometimes you have to wait for reagents for half a year. this opportunity to cooperate during this project with one of the best universities of technology in Europe and even If not for the SCIEX fellowship… in the world. Access to an immense library and splendidly The project has broadened my mind, given me more courage equipped laboratories, getting to know new instrumental and boosted my confi dence. I have now regained my faith in analytical methods and their transfer to Poland were just as science and a willingness to continue research work. The visit important for me. And the cooperation that was established to Switzerland allowed me to refl ect on my life and to build between the institutions for the benefi t of my project will be a new system of values. If not for the fellowship, I would not continued. Apart from human milk fat substitutes we intend have lived through one of best moments in my life. I would to do research on fats in grains. have had no possibility for such extensive development as a scientist. I would not have met such kind and outgoing peo- The comfort of research work in Switzerland is immense. ple. And I would not have done so much sightseeing in this When implementing my project I had access to a very well magnifi cent country of Switzerland.

Research Projects Implemented as Part of the Scientifi c Exchange Programme NMSch – Objectives and Achievements Summary of Projects 2009–2012

57 DID YOU KNOW THAT… The Trift Bridge, suspended over an alpine glacier in Switzerland, is the highest and longest pedestrian bridge in Europe.

Project description The cooperation between Prof. Thomas Graule of EMPA, Fellow: Paulina Wiecińska (Bednarek), PhD Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Tech- Project: Multifunctional saccharide derivatives in gelcast- nology and Prof. Mikołaj Szafran, head of the Laboratory of ing of high-tech. ceramics (MULTIGEL) Inorganic Technology and Ceramics at the Faculty of Chem- istry of Warsaw University of Technology was established Subject area: chemistry several years ago. Both research groups have similar inter- Project duration: from 01.02.2011 to 30.09.2011 ests in ceramics technology, but diff erent conceptions in Sending institution / Home mentor: Warsaw University of scientifi c problem solving. Therefore both parties decided Technology / Prof. Mikołaj Szafran to start cooperating to combine the knowledge and expe- Host institution / Host mentor: Swiss Federal Laboratories rience of both groups in order to develop research on ob- for Materials Science and Technology, Laboratory for High taining ceramics with the use of colloidal methods, as these Performance Ceramics (EMPA) / Prof. Thomas Graule methods have been enjoying popularity for some years. As part of this cooperation in 2009-2011 three employees of Paulina Wiecińska has a PhD degree in engineering science, the Laboratory of Inorganic Technology and Ceramics were is an engineer and currently Assistant Professor at the Labo- awarded fellowships at Prof. Graule’s laboratory. The main ratory of Inorganic Technology and Ceramics at the Faculty of purpose of my project was to do research on the applica- Chemistry of Warsaw University of Technology. In 2006, she tion of saccharide derivatives, whose synthesis had been graduated with an excellent grade from the Faculty of Chem- worked out at the Faculty of Chemistry (Warsaw University istry at the same university. In 2008–2009, she had a three- of Technology), as environment-friendly substances in ce- month placement at the NIMS (National Institute for Materi- ramic powders gelcasting. In the course of my project I ex- als Science) in Tsukuba, Japan. In 2010, she was awarded her tended my research by the application of new substances PhD with distinction after presenting her thesis entitled In- and formation methods. vestigation of selected saccharide derivatives application in the process of ceramic powders gelcasting and she started work as The most important outcome of the project an Assistant Professor. In 2011, she had an eight-month-long In the course of my work I conducted preliminary research Post-Doctoral fellowship at the EMPA – Swiss Federal Labo- on obtaining ceramics from zirconium dioxide with the use ratories for Materials Science and Technology in Switzerland. of colloidal methods, among other things by gel tape cast- She won the award for the best poster at the E-MRS Fall ing with a new non-toxic system based on glucose deriva- Meeting 2008 conference. A member of the Polish Ceramic tives. Gel tape casting allows production of thin and fl exible Society, her research focuses on modern ceramic materials ceramic sheets. The search for new, cheap and non-toxic forming methods and characterisation. organic additives results in improvement of the method of ceramics formation, and thus complies with so-called green chemistry, and widens the range of its possible applications. A patent application lodged at the Patent Offi ce of the Re- public of Poland is a documented result of our joint research.

58 If not for the SCIEX fellowship I would not have the opportunity to admire the biggest waterfall on the Rhine, get to the top of the Pilatus mountain in the world’s steepest cable car, visit the Frey chocolate factory, follow alpine routes and indulge my professional interests at one of the world’s best institutes

Two scientifi c publications are underway, written by work- In the course of my work in Switzerland I met new people ers of both institutions involved in the implementation of and started research cooperation with junior researchers. the project. This cooperation is and will be continued. At the The results of my EMPA research may constitute an im- moment it includes joint research projects and Prof. Thomas portant chapter of my habilitation work that I am already Graule’s lectures at Warsaw University of Technology. planning.

If not for the SCIEX fellowship… If not for the SCIEX fellowship I would not have the oppor- My research work in Switzerland allowed me to expand my tunity to admire the biggest waterfall on the Rhine, get to knowledge of ceramics technology through cooperation the top of the Pilatus mountain in the world’s steepest cable with persons involved in various research projects in ce- car, visit the Frey chocolate factory, follow alpine routes and ramic nanopowder synthesis and obtaining ceramics and indulge my professional interests at one of the world’s best their characterisation. This work will help me determine new, institutes. signifi cant research directions related to chemical synthesis owing to which it will be possible to obtain new organic sub- stances to be applied in ceramics technology.

Research Projects Implemented as Part of the Scientifi c Exchange Programme NMSch – Objectives and Achievements Summary of Projects 2009–2012

59 DID YOU KNOW THAT… • Every fi fth inhabitant of Switzerland is a foreigner. • Switzerland is a particularly varied country: your experience, impression and memories of the Suisse Romande may be completely diff erent from those of Zurich. Fellow: Agnieszka Kosińska, PhD Project: Investigation of absorption and metabolism of Beginning of cooperation hydrolysable and condensed tannins with an in vitro Caco The choice of my host mentor and host institution was very 2 transwell model simple in my case. It was infl uenced by the similarity of in- terests in, and by the already existing cooperation between, Subject area: natural science and biology the two institutions. My host mentor, Prof. Wilfried Andlauer, Project duration: from 01.05.2011 to 30.04.2012 is a well-known specialist in bioactive food compounds. Sending institution / Home mentor: Institute of Animal The cooperation between the Institute of Life Technolo- Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of gies, University of Applied Sciences (HES-SO Valais) and the Sciences in Olsztyn / Prof. Ryszard Amarowicz Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Host institution / Host mentor: Institute of Life Technolo- Polish Academy of Sciences had already been developing gies, University of Applied Sciences (HES-SO Valais) / Prof. for some years as part of the implementation of EU-funded Wilfried Andlauer projects. Lately it has become particularly intensive as part of the project REFRESH – Unlocking the potential of the Insti- Dr. Agnieszka Kosińska, born in 1980, graduated from the tute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research serving the University of Warmia and Mazury in 2004. In 2010 she was purpose of strengthening integration with the European awarded her PhD in technology of food and nutrition at the Research Area and of regional development (fi nanced in the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the area of Research Potential 7 of the Framework Programme). Polish Academy of Sciences in Olsztyn where she is currently What is more, our institutions had previously implemented employed as Assistant Professor. Her main interests focus on a SCIEX research project. Using the experience acquired issues of bioactive compounds in food, their identifi cation and given the fact that Prof. Andlauer’s research profi le and determining their biological activity and bioavailabil- coincided with my experience and the direction in which ity. In 2011 she won a stipend of the “Start” programme run I wanted to develop my research, we started preparing an by the Foundation for Polish Science. She has had several- application. month-long placements at the Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Georgia, USA and was awarded Project description a year-long Post-Doctoral SCIEX fellowship at the University The health-promoting properties of biologically active food of Applied Sciences of Western Switzerland. Co-author of 22 compounds depend not only on their content in individual publications in so-called Philadelphia List periodicals. diet components, but also on their bioavailability. The pur- pose of this project consisted in determining the intestinal In her leisure time she travels, fascinated by the local people absorption of hydrolysable and condensed tannins extract- she meets and the local delicacies she tastes. ed from selected foodstuff s. I combined an in vitro model of simulated digestion with investigation of the transport of digestion products through the intestine epithelium. This in-

60 Apart from the obvious benefi ts of gaining experience, new skills and qualifi cations, working in a diff erent environment makes you see diff erent perspectives of a new idea for research organisation and implementation. This is a hotbed of new research projects

vestigation was conducted in a monolayer culture of epithe- ing and proving myself in that new and demanding group of lial Caco-2 cells. Strawberries, cocoa and green tea served as co-workers constitute the unquestioned added value of my my source of variously structured tannins. We assumed that research work in Switzerland. Smooth administration, ease of the knowledge gained in the course of the project would al- getting new reagents and materials needed in my research low us to obtain information which could be useful in raw and the ISO system of document management were not de- material selection and in choosing a functional method of void of importance. food processing that would make it possible to include the maximum content of absorbable bioactive compounds in The implementation of this project encourages me to con- the fi nal product. tinue upgrading my qualifi cations. Moreover, work in an in- ternational environment stimulates enthusiasm for academic The most important results of the project work and off ers good possibilities of extending one’s coop- In the course of the project, we managed to make some in- eration network. My fellowship has determined the direction teresting observations enabling the determination of more of my research for years to come, helped me to see my strong areas for future cooperation. At the moment the research points as well as fi elds where I should gain more knowledge fi ndings have been published in respectable scientifi c peri- and experience. odicals. One of the manuscripts that we prepared, entitled Cocoa polyphenols are absorbed in Caco-2 cell model of in- If not for the SCIEX project… testinal epithelium has been accepted for publication in the My habilitation period would have been some years longer periodical Food Chemistry. and my skiing skills would have remained at beginners’ level.

My knowledge and experience have enriched the host insti- tution which, in turn, made it possible to broaden the scope of our research. The implementation of this project in a wider milieu has resulted in improved publishing prospects, ex- panding network of cooperation and the possibility of fur- ther implementation of our joint research with fi nance from European sources. The home institution, apart from some solid prospects of continued cooperation, derives benefi ts from the return of a grant holder/experienced worker open to new challenges.

Apart from the obvious benefi ts of gaining experience, new skills and qualifi cations, working in a diff erent environment makes you see diff erent perspectives of a new idea for re- search organisation and implementation. This is a hotbed of new research projects

The added value of the project Access to high-quality research equipment, the necessity/op- portunity to adapt to an existing working system, and fulfi ll-

Research Projects Implemented as Part of the Scientifi c Exchange Programme NMSch – Objectives and Achievements Summary of Projects 2009–2012

61 Project description The cooperation established with the University of Bern was intended to expand research at my home institution, Adam Mickiewicz University, by looking at issues of maturing 3’end histone transcripts and of experimental work on human cell Fellow: Katarzyna Dorota Raczyńska, PhD lines. The project consisted in the identifi cation of new pro- Project: Structure and interactions of U7 small nuclear teins reacting with the U7 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein ribonucleoprotein molecule. To achieve this we combined the affi nity chro- matography procedure, based on a marked U7 snRNA, with Subject area: natural science and biology mass spectrometry. We also attempted to detect some new Project duration: from 01.05.2011 to 30.04.2012 functions of this molecule by using the CLIP procedure to- Sending institution / Home mentor: Adam Mickiewicz gether with deep sequencing. As the research subject matter University in Poznań / Prof. Artur Jarmołowski was so extensive the project was not fi nished within the time Host institution / Host mentor: Institute of Biology at the specifi ed, but it will be continued. University of Bern / Prof. Daniel Schümperli My main project purpose – looking for new chemical agents Dr Katarzyna Dorota Raczyńska was born and bred in Płock reacting with U7 snRNA – was achieved. The affi nity chro- where she completed her primary and secondary school- matography procedure combined with mass spectrometry ing. She chose to study at the Adam Mickiewicz University protein sequencing allowed me to identify some interesting in Poznań. In 2001, she graduated in biotechnology from the proteins, potentially reacting with U7 snRNA and involved Faculty of Biology of that university. Then she started her PhD in regulating histone gene expressions. My initial experi- studies at the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnol- ments confi rmed the interaction of part of these proteins ogy at her alma mater. A FEBS and EMBO grant holder, she with U7 snRNP and further research will go toward a bet- has had three-month placements at the Institut de Biologie ter determination of their functions. The part of the project Moléculaire des Plantes du CNRS in Strasbourg, France. In concerning my search for new functions of U7 sn RNP was 2006, she was awarded her PhD in biology. In October 2006, partly completed – I prepared cell lines permanently trans- she began working as an Assistant Professor at the Laborato- formed by appropriate vectors to be used at subsequent ry of Gene Expression of the Institute of Molecular Biology at research stages. the Adam Mickiewicz University. In October 2010, she started her Post-Doctoral fellowship in Switzerland, where she re- The most important project results mained until June 2012. Her fellowship was partly fi nanced Among the benefi ts derived from this project by the host in- by Bern University and the Canton of Bern as well as under stitution the following are worth stressing: the SCIEX–NMSch Programme, under which she was award- • continuation of the host institution’s promising research; ed a year-long grant. In Bern she worked at the Institute of • interesting preliminary results, which open up new re- Cell Biology in the laboratory of Prof. Daniel Schümperli, Uni- search areas to future students, PhD students and the host versity of Bern. institution’s workers; • future scientifi c publications of results obtained; • establishment of academic cooperation with the Polish in- stitution.

62 Among the benefi ts derived from this project by the Polish lodged at the National Science Centre. Apart from involving institution the following are worth stressing: the two institutions working together, the project continua- • knowledge of, and experience gained in working with, hu- tion will be really signifi cant for me – in the near future I am man cell lines; planning to create a new research group in Poland. The group • future scientifi c publications of results obtained; will focus on the maturation of 3’end histone transcripts in • continuation of RNA maturing research, essential for my animal cells – my Swiss subject area. future habilitation work; • possibility of project continuation as a cornerstone for cre- What was the added value of the project ating a new research group; Experiencing work in the research group that I joined • establishment of academic cooperation with the Swiss in- was undoubtedly the biggest added value of my Swiss re- stitution. search work. Prof. Daniel Schumperli’s laboratory is one of the world’s leading centres dealing with the project’s sub- The research tasks that were described in the projects have ject area. I saw from the inside the very issues that I want not been fully completed. We have therefore decided to con- to continue in my home institution. I also gained immense tinue the project in the Polish institution. This continuation theoretical and practical knowledge of working on human necessitates our bilateral cooperation in order to exchange cell lines, something I would have never achieved to the information and for the purposes of scientifi c consultation. same extent in my home institution. What I have achieved Short visits paid by those who will implement the project on in science is linked to the Laboratory involved mainly with both sides are envisaged in the future. We intend to look for the molecular biology of plant cells, working on vegeta- fi nancial support from Polish foundations for continuation of ble material and only recently branching into animal cell the research. The fi rst funding application has already been research groups. I will be able to pass the knowledge and experience that I gained in Switzerland onto other univer- sity staff. DID YOU KNOW THAT… • The Alps cover 3/5 of Switzerland, The project implementation was linked to a signifi cant pro- fessional change – my transition from the experimental re- making this country, after Austria, the search on plants that I had been conducting before leaving for Switzerland to human cell line experimental research. second most alpine country of Eu- This necessitated the gain of new skills and new experience rope. and I had to acquire new knowledge of biology and animal cell molecular processes. I wish to continue this research in • The Eiger’s north face (3970m above Poland. Moreover, the research that I started in Switzerland the sea level) in the Bernese Alps is is so interesting that I wish to devote my further professional career to this subject. called the Mordwand (murderous wall), earning this name after many Seen from the personal perspective – my going to Switzer- land allowed me to discover the beauty of the Swiss natural fatal climbing attempts. environment, especially the beauty of its mountains, the charm of alpine meadows, the length of the skiing routes.

Research Projects Implemented as Part of the Scientifi c Exchange Programme NMSch – Objectives and Achievements Summary of Projects 2009–2012

63 I also rediscovered the taste for mountain treks (hiking). This is a country to which I will be returning. Fellow: Łukasz Stokłosa, PhD If not for the SCIEX fellowship… Project: eTourism Reputation Index (eTourRep) I would not have met so many magnifi cent people coming from diff erent countries. I would not have formed so many Subject area: journalism, mass media and communication friendships and I would not have discovered the beauty of technologies the Swiss natural environment. Project duration: from 01.05.2011 to 30.04.2012 Sending institution / Home mentor: University of Informa- And the most important thing – if not for my fellowship in tion Technology and Management in Rzeszów / Dr. Maciej Switzerland, I would not have became familiar with the fas- Piotrowski cinating issues of 3’ end histone transcript maturing and Host institution / Host mentor: University of Lugano / Prof. I would not have learnt about working on human cell lines. Lorenzo Cantoni

Dr. Łukasz Stokłosa is one of the academic staff at the Chair of Tourism and Recreation of the Higher School of IT and Man- agement in Rzeszów. His interests focus on new media appli- cations in tourism, eTourRep and online presence research, promotion of tourist destinations and cultural tourism.

Project description The starting point of the cooperation between the University of Information Technology and Management in Rzeszów and the University of Lugano (Universita della Svizzera Italiana) was the PREDIL project (Promoting Equality in Digital Litera- cy) with the participation of both institutions. Dr. Maciej Pi- otrowski – a Polish project team member – and Dr. Chiara Bramani from the Swiss team found areas of mutual research interest and decided to develop this promising cooperation as part of SCIEX. The parties agreed to choose as host mentor Prof. Lorenzo Cantoni, Dean of the Faculty of Communication Sciences and Chief Scientifi c Offi cer at Webatelier.net, New- MinE Lab (New Media in Education Lab) and eLab (eLearning Lab).

64 My research work in the course of the fellowship broadened my mind and allowed me to look at the research from a diff erent perspective. Thanks to this opportunity I am now familiar with new research methodology and organisation of work. I also had the opportunity to work in an international team and to make numerous professional and private contacts. The fellowship shed some new light on my research interests and helped identify a career path that I would like to follow

The main purpose of the project was to follow the online rep- The most important results of the project utation of the Podkarpacie Province as a tourist destination The fi ndings of the project show that so-called electronic word using a system worked out by the Webatelier.net laboratory. of mouth (eWOM), otherwise known as electronic whisper To achieve this aim my attention focused on user generated marketing, relating to the Podkarpacie Province plays a vital contents (UGC) in social media. role. Out of 850 web pages found by the following three most popular search engines google.com, yahooSE and bing.com, We then chose three goals: almost 20% were classifi ed as UGC. Most of the categories ana- 1. evaluation of the region’s current online reputation; lysed had a positive response. However, I also identifi ed some 2. identifi cation of the main problems and defects linked to indications of defects and faults in the regional tourism prod- this reputation and its online presentation; uct, which should be addressed. The research results and their 3. suggestion of possible solutions and improvements to elimi- implications as well as recommendations for regional and lo- nate these diffi culties. cal tourist organisations and companies were then described in a specially prepared report and in a scientifi c article. This To analyse online comments and opinions of this kind I de- report can be downloaded from http://www.webatelier.net/ fi ned three questions linked to the Podkarpacie Province as reports. The article is currently under review. a tourist destination: 1. what kind of websites do people fi nd in search engines? The Università della Svizzera Italiana (USI) specialises in scien- 2. what feeling is conveyed in the contents? tifi c research carried out in international teams. For the Swiss 3. do the topics and opinions change depending on which key partner this project was an excellent opportunity to establish words are used in searching? cooperation with the Polish partner – the University of Infor- mation Technology and Management in Rzeszów, and also to ascertaining the degree of development of Polish tourism. They had an opportunity to get to know our country better and to fi nd areas of mutual research interest, which may re- sult in future projects. Just as in the case of the Swiss institu- tion, the Polish institution in Rzeszów has also now gained a potential partner for future projects. Apart from that, the experience that I gained during the fellowship in Switzerland is invaluable. It is bound to bear fruit now and in the future in the shape of a number of research projects conducted by this HEI.

Ideas for further joint research Both institutions intend to continue their cooperation, espe- cially in projects linked to etourism, new media and commu- nication technology. We have recently fi nished joint research

Research Projects Implemented as Part of the Scientifi c Exchange Programme NMSch – Objectives and Achievements Summary of Projects 2009–2012

65 on online marketing application conducted in Polish tourist institutions. I see my future and fulfi lment in this area, espe- cially in the development and promotion of tourist destina- Fellow: Grzegorz Garzeł, PhD tions. My research work in the course of the fellowship broad- Project: Determination of the size-dependent phase dia- ened my mind and allowed me to look at the research from gram and thermodynamical behaviour of nanostructured a diff erent perspective. Thanks to this opportunity I am now brazing fi ller metals familiar with new research methodology and organisation of work. I also had the opportunity to work in an international Subject area: engineering science team and to make numerous professional and private con- Project duration: from 01.01.2011 to 31.12.2012 tacts. The fellowship shed some new light on my research Sending institution / Home mentor: Institute of Metallurgy interests and helped identify a career path that I would like and Materials Engineering of the Polish Academy of Sciences to follow. / Prof. Leszek Zabdyr Host institution / Host mentor: EMPA – Swiss Federal Labo- If not for the SCIEX fellowship… ratories for Materials Science and Technology / Dr. Jolanta I feel fulfi lled thanks to the opportunity to work with a num- Janczak-Rusch ber of like-minded persons. I intend to continue dealing with etourism, cooperating with the people I met in the course of Dr Grzegorz Garzeł was awarded a Master’s degree at my fellowship. the Faculty of Metallurgy and Material Engineering of the AGH University of Science and Technology. In 2007 he was If not for the fellowship I would not have had the opportu- awarded his PhD at the Institute of Metallurgy and Materials nity to meet so many fantastic people, who were fi rst my co- Engineering of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Cracow. He workers, then my friends. The fellowship gave me an oppor- completed postgraduate studies in Software Engineering tunity for self-development, proving myself and discovering and Business Tools at the Jagiellonian University. Since new research interests. 2007, he has been employed as an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Cracow, where he has worked since 2000 (in 2002 he became an Assistant). His main scientifi c interests focus on the experimental determination of the thermodynamic properties of alloy and ceramic systems with the use of electrochemical and thermal analysis methods (DSC, DTA). He is also interested in critical equilibrium systems: Calphad method optimisation.

66 A placement abroad is an important element of an academic career. It allows you to gain experience in a new environment, establish international contacts, familiarise yourself with new techniques and research equipment and analyse your fi ndings, as well as identify potential sources of error

Project description The most important benefi ts of the SCIEX project This project was a continuation of the cooperation that had The research that I conducted helped the Swiss partner in- already been established as part of the European COST pro- terpret the results of experimental work and supported the ject. Its main goal was to determine the infl uence of size- and preparation and implementation of other projects. shape-dependent nano-scale particles on the temperature of phase transformations in Ag–Cu systems. The Polish home institution derives benefi ts from the trans- fer of techniques and research methods and the cooperation As a result of my research I worked out a thermodynamic with the Swiss partner is now formalised. Both institutions model describing the transformation of Gibbs free energy complement each other in their technical equipment which depending on the particle temperature, composition, size will result in the implementation of another joint project. and shape. I used this model to create a thermodynamic description of an Ag–Cu system. Using the database that The added value of the project I obtained I ran a number of simulations of how changes The added value of the project consisted in my becoming of the size and shape of a particle influence the phase dia- a member of a group involved in broad research and in my ex- gram shape. The particulars of the model, values of its pa- periencing its aspects, such as brainstorming, seminars, going rameters and results of the simulations are published in G. deeper into problems from other areas, getting familiar with new Garzel, J. Janczak-Rusch L. Zabdyr Reassessment of the Ag– research methods and problem solving. Being able to improve Cu phase diagram for nanosystems including particle size my language skills and having an opportunity to meet scientists and shape effect, Calphad, Volume 36, March 2012, pages – members of this multicultural team are also worth stressing. 52-56. ISSN 0364-5916. The project itself and the research findings were presented at European Cost Action MP0903 A placement abroad is an important element of an academic international meetings held in Barcelona (14-16.04.2011) career. It allows you to gain experience in a new environment, and Bern (02-03.04.2012) and at a conference of the Pol- establish international contacts, familiarise yourself with new ish Phase Diagram Committee members in Katowice on techniques and research equipment and analyse your fi nd- 21.04.2012. ings, as well as identify potential sources of error.

Research Projects Implemented as Part of the Scientifi c Exchange Programme NMSch – Objectives and Achievements Summary of Projects 2009–2012

67 “A journey, after all, neither begins in the instant we set out, nor ends when we have reached our door step once again. It starts much earlier and is really never over, because the fi lm of memory continues running on inside of us long after we have come to a physical standstill. Indeed, there exists something like a contagion of travel, and the disease is essentially incurable” Ryszard Kapuściński

Fellow: Dorota Kołbuk, PhD student When not working she is interested in art history and interior Project: Investigation of the eff ects of electrospinning design. She likes active leisure activities – skiing in winter and conditions on the structure and selected properties of trekking. polymeric blended nanofi bres for tissue engineering, ES- NANOTIS Project description Subject area: natural science and biology The host institution was chosen from the list of Swiss partici- Project duration: from 01.10.2010 to 30.07.2011 pants of the programme. Before this SCIEX project the two Sending institution / Home mentor: Institute of Fundamen- institutes had never cooperated with each other. I only had tal Technology Problems, Polish Academy of Sciences / Prof. some information obtained by word of mouth concerning Paweł Sajkiewicz the positive experiences of my home institution PhD stu- Host institution / Host mentor: Federal Laboratories for Ma- dents working with the EMPA as part of the Polish–Swiss terials Testing and Research – EMPA, St. Gallen / Dr. Giusep- School Programme. pino Fortunato In my research I was supposed to determine the eff ect of the morphology, molecular and nanomolecular structure Dorota Kołbuk, born in 1983, graduated from the Faculty of electrospinning-blended fi bres on tissue response. There of Materials Engineering at Warsaw University of Technol- were some additional aims, too – that of learning about re- ogy, where in 2007 she was awarded her Master’s degree. search work and gaining knowledge in an institute boast- Within the framework of the Erasmus programme she had ing long experience in working on electrospinning and, of a six-month-placement at the Institute of Air Handling and course, that of in vitro research on fi bres produced with the Refrigeration in Dresden, Germany. After her Master’s degree use of selected cell types. I see the gaining of experience and studies she started studying for her PhD at the Institute of the running of biological tests as a very important and excit- Fundamental Technology Problems of the Polish Academy ing thing. I had had no opportunity of doing such research of Sciences. She has participated in several training sessions, before. At the moment, as part of the cooperation between international and domestic conferences. Every year as part of my home institution, the Ochota Biocentre and the CePT pro- the Science Festival she conducts activities for young people gramme, an in vitro research laboratory has been opened at at the Institute of Fundamental Technology Problems of the the Institute of Fundamental Technology Problems, where Polish Academy of Sciences. She was a SCIEX grant holder I am able to draw on my Swiss experience. between 01.10.10–30.07.11. She focuses on the investigation of the molecular structure of biomaterials, biopolymers as The most important results of my project well as on tissue engineering and clinical research. Since June In the course of my research I determined the eff ects of pro- 2012, she has been an activist of the Biotechnology Innova- cess parameters on fi bre morphology and structure. I created tions Platform programme. surfaces on which the degree of cell proliferation after 14 days is three times as high as in the control sample. I deter-

68 mined the optimum amount of biopolymer to improve the ment allows me to optimise the selection of research equip- adhesion, activity and proliferation of selected cell types. ment purchased by the home institution. My personal plans are linked to biomaterials and clinical research. This fellow- My research fi ndings can serve the host institution as a base ship was an invaluable source of experience and it gave me for future projects. I think that my work at the biological labo- motivation for research work and for taking up new chal- ratory was not only educational for me as a fellow, but also for lenges. my mentor. We exchanged our knowledge of polymers and biology. Additionally, owing to the long experience that the Working in an international group enables not only expan- home institution can boast, there was a fl ow of information sion of knowledge in a selected subject area. It also increases concerning the interpretation of research on fi bre hyper- academic and personal independence. It teaches openness -molecular structure (crystallisation and hyper-orientation). and gives confi dence. In the host institution I used equip- ment of kinds that are non-existent in the home institution My research allowed me to fi nish my PhD thesis, to which the (at the moment some of it is being purchased). Working un- project was directly linked. The experience I gained in Swit- der the supervision of specialists in biology allowed me to zerland helps me to train other PhD students to work in this run my independent in vitro research on engineered mate- fi eld and I am hoping to be able to use my biological labora- rials, which would have been impossible in my home insti- tory work experience directly in the in vitro laboratory. My tution due to my education and previous lack of pre-clinical knowledge and experience in working with diff erent equip- testing laboratory skills.

DID YOU KNOW THAT… • You can see a part of Switzerland by watching a James Bond movie. In the mov- ie On Her Majesty’s Secret Service among other things you will the Swiss Alps in winter and the Schilthorn revolving restaurant near Interlaken. • When going to the famous thermal springs in Vals you should visit the Hobbit’s underground hut and you can enjoy a short stay there. The prices are exor- bitant, but for true Tolkien fans and for interior design experts it is a fantastic experience. • Basel – one of the oldest Swiss cities – charms with beautiful houses and nar- row paved streets. It is possible to visit the oldest state-owned painting mu- seum or have a coff ee and cake at a café in… Basel cathedral.

Research Projects Implemented as Part of the Scientifi c Exchange Programme NMSch – Objectives and Achievements Summary of Projects 2009–2012

69 The fellowship inspired me to take up challenges, develop my skills and look at reality in a better perspective. The PhD thesis project was an attempt to systemise and complete Fellow: Rafał Ślefarski data in the literature on the eff ect of the parameters of tis- Project: Simultaneous PIV/LIF determination of local fl ame sue engineering on hyper molecular structure. I am strongly front characterisation convinced that such detailed knowledge of the process and interactions of engineered tissue with selected cell types will Subject area: engineering science allow further research on innovative materials for commer- Project duration: from 01.11.2010 to 31.10.2011 cialisation purposes in accordance with the demand of the Sending institution / Home mentor: Poznań University of pharmaceutical and/or cosmetic industry. Technology / Prof. Tomasz Dobski Host institution / Host mentor: Paul Scherrer Institut / Dr. If not for the SCIEX project… Peter Janhson My PhD thesis, knowledge and skills would have been sig- nifi cantly poorer. Being at EMPA allowed me to meet many Dr Rafał Ślefarski born in 1978, is a research staff member interesting people with whom I remain in touch, and I also and gas appliances designer. He was brought up in the Ku- had an opportunity to see a number of breath-taking places jawy region where he started his adventure with technol- in Switzerland and South Germany. It gave me a chance to ogy, completing a mechanical secondary school in 1998. He implement some changes and acquire faith in the possibility then started studying at Poznań University of Technology of dream fulfi lment. from which he graduated with distinction in 2003, present- ing his fi nal thesis “Investigation of the process of waste gas “A journey, after all, neither begins in the instant we set out, afterburning in gas afterburners” (under the supervision of nor ends when we have reached our door step once again. It Prof. Tomasz Dobski at the Laboratory of Gas Technologies, starts much earlier and is really never over, because the fi lm Poznań University of Technology). In 2004, he had a four- of memory continues running on inside of us long after we month placement at the Royal Institute of Technology in have come to a physical standstill. Indeed, there exists some- Stockholm. When he returned, he developed his passion for thing like a contagion of travel, and the disease is essentially the process of gas fuel burning in the course of preparing incurable” Ryszard Kapuściński his PhD thesis entitled Investigation of the process of gas fuel combustion with high-temperature heat regeneration, which he presented in 2008. In the course of preparing the thesis, he won a competition entitled Grants for the Wielkopolska re- gion’s best PhD students in sciences contributing to the region’s development (2006). In 2010, he became a SCIEX fellow, which resulted in a fourteen-month-long stay in Switzerland and research work at the Paul Scherrer Institute. He is the author and co-author of over a dozen scientifi c articles and of three international patents. Since the completion of his studies,

70 Working at the Swiss institute helped me discover a new face of science and directions of my further academic development. It also showed me how to use the existing equipment in research diff erent from that conducted so far

he has cooperated with an engineering company, designing high frequency cameras needed to collect enough data for combustion systems running on gas fuels. statistical analysis. During the SCIEX project implementa- tion the LDG team had high frequency equipment, but only He is married and has two daughters – fi ve-year old Marta for PIV. At the moment high frequency equipment for LIF and several-month old Julia. In his leisure time, he travels and is being purchased. cycles. The most important project results In the course of project implementation, I managed to Project description collect a very large amount of experimental data concern- Previous cooperation between Prof. Tomasz Dobski’s team ing the kinetic fl ames of poor mixtures of methane gases. and Prof. Peter Janhson’s research group determined the The data was collected for a large group of performance choice of the Swiss host institution. That cooperation consist- parameters, such as discharge velocity, air excess factor ed in joint meetings and presentation of work done in both and substrate temperature. The test bench operational laboratories, as well as in preparation of a joint application parameters were as close as possible to those in real gas for research funding. The Laboratory of Gas Technologies turbine burners with the only exception that the laboratory (LTG) of the Poznań University of Technology and the Laser tests were conducted under sealed pressure. In the course Diagnostic Group (LDG) became more closely linked when of this research, I obtained measurements for various burn- the LTG team was conducting research for the Swiss energy er geometries: two axisymmetric burners and one turbu- engineering concern Alstrom. Moreover, before that a PhD lent burner. I determined the degree of turbulence, particle student of Prof. Dobski had completed PhD studies at ETH in image velocity, integral length scale, fl ame thickness and Zurich, conducting his research at the Paul Scherrer Institute. position for the aforementioned burners. On the basis of the experimental data I determined the turbulent combus- The main purpose of the project consisted in determining tion velocity basing on two theoretical models: global fuel the so-called local turbulent combustion speed and work- consumption ST,g and local displacement ST,l. The values ing out correlations between that speed and the turbulent of the turbulent combustion velocity based on the experi- combustion speed determined on the basis of the global fuel mental data coming from the LIF and PIV methods tied in consumption defi nition for methane gas fuels. To collect rel- with those obtained with the help of the global fuel con- evant data I proposed the simultaneous combination of two sumption method. At the moment the data is being pro- laser and optical measurement techniques: Particle Image Ve- cessed further to fi nd any correlation between the separate locimetry (PIV) and Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF). fl ame parameters and the ST,g and ST,l velocities.

Were there any changes in the course of project implemen- The professional/scientifi c/personal benefi ts of the project tation? In my opinion, the gain of my home institution (Poznań Uni- After doing preliminary research I modifi ed the research versity of Technology) consists not only in the fact that its programme I had planned, namely the PIV investigation of worker has higher professional qualifi cations which should the fl ames that I analysed was conducted separately from result in higher quality education but also that he possesses the investigation aimed at fi nding the fl ame zone (LIF). Both knowledge of how a well-managed research team should investigations were, however, conducted for the same test function. Closer personal and professional contacts have bench operational parameters. This change was dictated by been established between workers from both institutions, the available equipment, as there were not the laser and which means that it will be possible to prepare joint research

Research Projects Implemented as Part of the Scientifi c Exchange Programme NMSch – Objectives and Achievements Summary of Projects 2009–2012

71 DID YOU KNOW THAT… • When I was in Switzerland, I was accompanied by my wife and five-year old daughter for some months. My daughter was most projects and maybe exchange students and PhD students as part of various grant programmes. impressed with being able to drink water directly from fountains and Apart from the obvious advantage of doing research in Switzer land, that is in its research laboratories with the latest roadside springs. state-of-the-art measuring equipment, research staff have • It is possible to cross Switzerland much more time for research and scientifi c work. Poland’s red tape, its Public Procurement Law, internal regulations at by bike following specially desig- HEIs (stamps, forms) makes the research preparatory period nated and marked bicycle lanes. several or a dozen or so times longer. Before research work- ers are able to start real research work, they have to be clerks, couriers and salespersons. The institute where I had the pleasure of working had immense support from fi nance and research was to fi nd an answer to a given question put by purchasing departments which negotiated with suppliers. energy engineering or gas companies. When I fi nished the Therefore, I was able to do strictly scientifi c work. Moreover, project and returned to Poland, I took some steps aimed at at a diff erent level - there was the institute’s IT support, where preparing research similar to that conducted in Switzerland software problems were solved almost while you waited and and by that I mean basic research. We have now submitted when the equipment was out of order, its defective elements applications for fi nancing the purchase of essential research were exchanged as soon as possible. I am impressed by their equipment. At the same time, we are doing research aimed at management of research projects run individually by workers identifying the possibilities of applying other measurement and PhD students under the supervision of the team leader. techniques where one can obtain results similar to those Progress made on each project was presented at fortnightly I had when I was in Switzerland. If not for the fellowship, meetings where the whole group consulted their results and I would probably have given up my scientifi c work and gone suggested other possible solutions. to the industrial sector.

If not for the SCIEX project… Working at the Swiss institute helped me discover a new face Before the commencement of the SCIEX project research of science and directions of my further academic develop- work at LTG was aimed mainly at applied research result- ment. It also showed me how to use the existing equipment ing from cooperation with industrial partners. Most of the in research diff erent from that conducted so far.

72 DID YOU KNOW THAT… Fribourg is home to the foundation “Archivum Helveto – Polonicum” which gathers and makes available any docu- mentation of the Polish presence in Switzerland. Among other things, the foundation has a collection concerning Polish soldiers detained in Switzerland Fellow: Izabela Bobowska, PhD during World War II. For more infor- Project: Optimisation and upscaling of the synthesis of ferromagnetic nanoparticles and their integration in a mation about the collections of the polymeric matrix. NANOMAGN Foundation go to http://www.founca-

Subject area: chemistry tionahp.ch Project duration: from 01.11.2010 to 31.10.2011 Sending institution / Home mentor: Łódź University of Technology / Prof. Piotr Wojciechowski Project description Host institution / Host mentor: University of Applied Sci- My participation in the programme was possible thanks to ence – Fribourg (HES-SO Fribourg) / Dr. Stefan Hengsberger Prof. Jacques Bersier and Prof. Jacek Ulański, who met in the course of preparations for a European project called CLUS- Dr Izabela Bobowska was born in Łódź in 1981. In 2005, she TERPLAST. This meeting brought an off er of cooperation as completed her Master’s degree studies in chemistry at the part of the SCIEX programme. My experience in working with Faculty of Physics and Chemistry, University of Łódź. In the nanomaterials and organic-inorganic nanocomposites tied in same year, she started studying for her PhD at the Faculty with the research of Dr. Stefan Hegsberger who agreed to be of Chemistry of Łódź University of Technology. In 2010, she my host mentor. presented her PhD thesis entitled Organic – inorganic nano- composites (2-hydroxypropylo) cellulose. Production, properties The project was intended to carry out the synthesis of iron and applications after which she was awarded her PhD title. oxide ferromagnetic nanoparticles with shape anisotropy, In March 2010, she started working at the Chair of Molecular their modifi cation and incorporation into a polymer matrix. Physics, Łódź University of Technology. Between November The implementation of the project necessitated the coopera- 2010 and October 2011 she had a post-doctoral placement tion of two host institutions, that is the HES-SO Fribourg and in Fribourg, Switzerland, as part of the SCIEX–NMSch Pro- the Adolphe Merkle Institute (University of Fribourg), with gramme. In November 2011, having returned from that year- Dr. Herve Dietsch’s research group. The research direction long visit, she recommenced her work at the Chair of Molecu- was slightly modifi ed as I started focusing mainly on basic lar Physics of Łódź University of Technology. research whose fi ndings proved most interesting.

The most important results of the project The fi nal result of my project was the creation of a method for controlled reduction of hematite (Fe2O3) particles to magnetite (Fe3O4) in a heightened temperature (300°C) and under hydrogen pressure (11b). I managed to obtain hema- tite/magnetite hybrid nanoparticles with diff erent phase per-

Research Projects Implemented as Part of the Scientifi c Exchange Programme NMSch – Objectives and Achievements Summary of Projects 2009–2012

73 nanoparticles obtained by coating them in a thin silica layer. The nanoparticle modifi cation allowed their incorporation into a polymer matrix (poly(methyl methacrylate) and pro- duction of organic-inorganic nanocomposites with magnetic nanoparticles.

These fi ndings were very interesting and promising. Further cooperation is planned to continue research and implement joint scientifi c projects. One of them has already been en- tered in a competition organised by the National Science Centre.

The added value of the project The perfect organisation and equipment of the Swiss labo- ratories was the added value of the project. Free access to research equipment, such as an electron microscope or vi- bration magnetometer, was of paramount importance to my research. Having access to that kind of advanced apparatus is impossible in my home institution in Poland. Another partic- ularly valuable thing was the fact that I got in touch with per- sons specialising in various fi elds related to the project which enables further cooperation and research development. To me, the implementation of my research project at the foreign institution was not only an important professional experience, but also an important personal one. Thanks to my work in a completely new academic environment I gained invaluable knowledge, essential for my further professional development. Discussions and exchange of experience with specialists in various subject areas broadens your mind and inspires to further work. If not for the fellowship, I would not centages. The higher the magnetite percentage, the stronger have had the opportunity to get to know either Switzerland the material’s magnetic response (magnetisation value). At and its special charm, or its inhabitants’ exceptional kindness. the same time the soft conditions of the reduction allowed me to preserve the original, fusiform shape of my hematite nanoparticles. That kind of nanoparticle not only displays shape anisotropy, but also magnetic properties anisotropy and they orient in an external magnetic fi eld. I modifi ed the

74 2009 – 2011, he was editorial team member of the European Journal for Philosophy of Religion. Moreover, he is a founding member of the Central European Society for Philosophy of Religion (President in 2007–2008 and 2011–present) and member of the Centre for Culture and Dialogue (until 2010). Fellow: Sebastian Tomasz Kołodziejczyk, PhD A member of the Polish Philosophical Society for many years Project: Metaphysics of Mental Life he is the winner of a number of awards and grant competi- tions, among others those of the Stanislaw Estreicher Fund Subject area: philosophy of the Jagiellonian University, the Adam Krzyżanowski Fund Project duration: from 01.10.2010 to 30.09.2011 of the Jagiellonian University, the Foundation for Polish Sci- Sending institution / Home mentor: Jagiellonian University ence, the foundation of the weekly Polityka, and SCIEX. In the / Prof. Jan Woleński academic year 2008/2009, he had a placement at the Gradu- Host institution / Host mentor: University of Geneva / Prof. ate Centre of the City University of New York and in 2010/2011 Kevin Mulligan at the Department of Philosophy of the University of Geneva.

Dr Sebastian Tomasz Kołodziejczyk, born in 1973, is a phi- His book The Idea of Metaphysics is to be published soon, as losopher and academic teacher at the Jagiellonian Universi- is Knowledge, Action, Pluralism: Contemporary Perspectives in ty. In 1994 – 1997, he studied philosophy at the Jagiellonian Philosophy of Religion edited together with Dr. Janusz Sala- University and the University of Bristol (UK). In the academic mon (Peter Lang Verlag, 2012). A book ,Metaphysics of Mental year 2001/2002, he had a placement at the University of Ox- Life, is under preparation. ford. In 2002, he was awarded his PhD for his doctoral thesis entitled Transcendental truth issues. Since 2002 he has been employed at the Institute of Philosophy of the Jagiellonian Project description University. So far, he has published several dozens of arti- Prof. Kevin Mulligan has cooperated with Prof. Jan Woleński cles on metaphysics, philosophy of mind, history of philoso- for many years. He has taken an interest in Polish scientifi c phy and philosophy of religion. In 2006, he published his (philosophical) life and participated in it. He has also pro- book entitled The Cognitive Boundaries of Metaphysics (se- moted Polish philosophy abroad. He was a long-standing ries: Monografi e Fundacji na Rzecz Nauki Polskiej, Wrocław; member of the Advisory Board to the English language University of Wrocław Publishing House 2006), and in 2011 a philosophical periodical published by the Jagiellonian work edited by him and entitled The Metaphysics Guidebook University and PDC (USA) of which I am the editor-in-chief. was published (Cracow: WAM Publishing House). Together Moreover, my junior colleague, Mr. Jacek Wawer, had al- with Dr. Janusz Salamon, he is the editor of a pioneering se- ready had a year-long PhD placement at the University of ries entitled Guidebooks to philosophy, a multi-volume series Geneva. All these considerations and the fact that the Chair on basic areas of philosophy and periods in the history of of Philosophy headed by Prof. Mulligan at the University of philosophy. Geneva was so prestigious, were instrumental in the choice of that institution. This choice guaranteed my academic Since 2006, he has been editor-in-chief of an English lan- development, more contacts, participation in a strong re- guage periodical entitled Polish Journal of Philosophy and As- search group as well as in frequent and cyclical scientifi c sistant Editor-in-Chief of Forum Philisophicum (until 2012). In events.

Research Projects Implemented as Part of the Scientifi c Exchange Programme NMSch – Objectives and Achievements Summary of Projects 2009–2012

75 Research work concerning philosophy, and especially metaphysics has no direct and practical application. However, my work focuses on metaphysical issues and those relating to philosophy of mental life. The latter subject area allows me to see at least some issues as more easily applicable. This is especially true for the modelling of artifi cial intelligent cognitive systems

The purpose of my project consisted in publishing some the periodical Dialectica and participation in the organisa- articles and in the long run an English language book. The tional and scientifi c life of that University’s Chair of Philoso- research direction was not modifi ed. One part of this pro- phy are direct benefi ts. ject was complemented with research that had to be done owing to the nature of the issues concerned. The scope of The benefi ts that the Jagiellonian University has derived this new research was not, however, signifi cant and concen- from the project are chiefl y academic. By employing me the trated mainly on the problem of ontological dependence/ Jagiellonian University employs a specialist in leading philo- independence, strictly related to the relationship between sophical subject areas who is familiar with the latest research what is concrete and what is abstract. trends and has extensive social and professional contacts. Later, the Jagiellonian University will reap the benefi ts of My research fellowship at the University of Geneva was fully long-lasting institutional and academic cooperation. successful. Since I started it I have published some articles (out of which half are directly project-related, the other half The cooperation within the project consortium will be con- indirectly related). I have been working on the book Meta- tinued. The connection between the Jagiellonian University physics of Mental Life which will be the principal result of that and the University of Geneva will be maintained and it will visit. The book is planned for publication in 2013 or the end of result in joint Master’s degree studies and – individually – in a 2013/the beginning of 2014. I have also made some speeches research project involving Swiss and Polish researchers, also at conferences at home and abroad. I had a short stay at the with my participation. Moreover, junior colleagues from the Rutgers University and at the City University of New York Jagiellonian University are keenly interested in having PhD or (USA), establishing cooperation with the Rutgers University Post-Doctoral placements in Switzerland. Centre for Cognitive Science. The added value of the SCIEX project Research work concerning philosophy, and especially meta- The added value can be categorised as: physics has no direct and practical application. However, my 1. Formal and organisational work focuses on metaphysical issues and those relating to The stay in Geneva allowed me to carry out regular academic philosophy of mental life. The latter subject area allows me work, free from teaching, and focusing on research objec- to see at least some issues as more easily applicable. This is tives and nothing else. That is why I was able to participate in especially true for the modelling of artifi cial intelligent cogni- a number (a dozen or so) of scientifi c events, such as sympo- tive systems sia, workshops, conferences and occasional lectures, in which I would not have been able to participate if I had stayed in Po- The most important results and benefi ts of the project land. This allowed me to meet leading European and Ameri- In the future, the Swiss institution is bound to benefi t from can young and middle generation philosophers. Moreover, my SCIEX presence. At the moment, conceptual work on owing to my visit to Geneva I became familiar with ways of launching joint studies at the Jagiellonian University and the organising research work, grant application procedures and University of Geneva is in progress. It is planned to submit an the functioning of large projects. The opportunity to study application for a joint research project to funding institutions the functioning of an academic unit diff erent from that of my (NCN, Ministry of Science and Higher Education). My work for home institution was also of considerable importance.

76 2. Substantive at the University of Geneva to create a basis for further co- The above mentioned participation in a number of academic operation. events and my contacts with specialists allowed me to develop my competences, gain a creative approach to the issues that If not for the SCIEX project… I worked on and look for alternative, innovative solutions of Switzerland was a totally new and unique experience. Al- problems that seemed out of date. This stay made me appreci- though I had already had long placements in Great Britain ate the application of logical tools in analysing problems of the and the USA, my Swiss experience made me aware of the philosophy of mind and the perspectives of issues bordering academic potential of that country, the possibilities of im- on several subject areas, mainly the philosophy of language, plementing research projects and the magnifi cent spiritual metaphysics, mental life philosophy and anthropology. and material culture of its inhabitants. When I think about living in Switzerland (although I mainly lived in France, two The project implementation has an eff ect on the develop- steps away from CERN) it makes me nostalgic, especially ment of my previous interests. Having fi nished the project when I contemplate its magnifi cent architecture, friendly and after publishing the book Metaphysics of Mental Life, inhabitants, extremely good coff ee and Geneva’s wonder- I intend to continue research on the status of representa- ful climate. My being there contributed to my better under- tion, extending the research scope by fi ndings in the exact standing of the academic culture of that part of Europe and sciences, thus entering the area of cognitive science. My per- to my becoming familiar with the innovativeness in academic sonal plans are more linked to individual cooperation and its research displayed by representatives of young generation extension in the context of contacts with junior researchers philosophers in Switzerland.

Research Projects Implemented as Part of the Scientifi c Exchange Programme NMSch – Objectives and Achievements Summary of Projects 2009–2012

77 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Acknowledgements

We sincerely thank the SCIEX fellows – it is due to your in- teresting ideas for original projects and innovative research On behalf of the SCIEX Poland Team, we would like to thank that we are so proud of our work. We are very pleased that all those who for the past three years have supported our Polish scientists and their expertise, experiences and skills work as the SCIEX Contact Point in Poland. are widely recognized by their colleagues and mentors in Switzerland. We would like to express our gratitude to our partners in Switzerland. If it was not for the Swiss contribution aimed at We give our thanks to the Management Board and the te- the reduction of economic and social disparities in the en- ams supporting us at the Foundation for the Development larged European Union, and the establishment of the Swiss- of the Education System, which is our home institution. We -Polish Cooperation Programme, our joint research adventu- are grateful for successful cooperation, which although not re would not have been possible. The launching of research visible to the outside, is very valuable to our operations. It partnerships by Polish-Swiss scientifi c consortia allowed for was thanks to joint information and promotional campaigns the transfer of knowledge, technology and experiences be- that the number of submitted applications grew each year. tween HEIs and research centres, and most of all, provided opportunities for strengthening the scientifi c competences In autumn 2013, we are facing the last selection round. We and skills of individual doctoral candidates, junior resear- are looking forward to resuming cooperation with the abo- chers and their mentors. ve mentioned institutions which added to the success of the SCIEX Scholarship Fund. Simultaneously, we are hoping that We would like to thank His Excellency, the Ambassador of the the opportunity for cooperation between Polish and Swiss Swiss Confederation to Poland for his invaluable support and scientists will be continued in the next fi nancing period of unceasing willingness to cooperate. We could always count the Fund. on the support of the Embassy in Warsaw and the staff of the Swiss-Polish Cooperation Programme Offi ce operating there, SCIEX POLAND TEAM who willingly participated in the initiatives and events orga- KATARZYNA ALEKSANDROWICZ nised by us. MAGDALENA GESSEL SYLWIA IŻYNIEC We would also like to express our thanks to the Rectors’ Con- ANNA PAVLOVYCH ference of the Swiss Universities (CRUS) and Polish Coordina- tion Unit, i.e. the Ministry of Regional Development, for mo- del cooperation and substantive support of our promotional activities.

Research Projects Implemented as Part of the Scientifi c Exchange Programme NMSch – Objectives and Achievements Summary of Projects 2009–2012

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