Three Polish networks have been nominated to the prestigious CEEPUS Ministers´ Prize 2025! This is unprecedented in the history of this award. Nominations have been announced by the Central CEEPUS Office in Vienna and the expert team of CEEPUS International Commission. On May 15, during the ministerial conference in Budapest, Polish academic network coordinated by Prof. Stanisław Legutko was officialy awarded. Two other academic networks with a Polish coordinator also made it to the podium.
The main prize was awarded to the „Development of mechanical engineering (design, technology and production management) as an essential base for progress in the area of small and medium companies’ logistics” network, coordinated by Prof. Stanisław Legutko from Poznan University of Technology. The network focuses on the key role of mechanical engineering in the development of logistics of small and medium-sized enterprises, especially in the context of Industry 4.0. – Professor Legutko is a recognized expert in this field. This nomination is a recognition of his many years of work and commitment to the development of international scientific cooperation.
In the picture from the left: Dr Balázs Hankó - Hungarian Minister of Culture and Innovation, Prof. Zoltán Kovács - Hungarian partner of the winning network, Prof. Stanisław Legutko - the coordinator of the project, Michael Schedl - CEEPUS Secretary General and Magdalena Maciejewska - the Director of International Cooperation Dept. in Ministry of Science and Higher Education.
The coordinator of the winning network - Prof. Stanisław Legutko
The next two places in this year's edition of the CEEPUS 2025 Ministers' Award also went to Polish scientific institutions. The awarded networks were:
- Border and Regional Studies Network, coordinated by Dr. Bartosz Czepil from the University of Opole - it addresses key challenges of the 21st century, such as migration, multi-ethnic societies, revitalization of regional identities, crossing borders and revitalizing borderlands.
- Language and literature in a Central European context, coordinated by Dr. Małgorzata Dowlaszewicz the University of Wrocław - it focuses on strengthening the European perspective on underrepresented European languages and literatures, including Dutch, Slavic and Finno-Ugric languages.
Congratulations to all the nominated networks!
On May 15, the Joint Committee of Ministers held its inaugural meeting under the new CEEPUS IV agreement in Budapest. The event was hosted by the CEEPUS Chairperson, the Hungarian Minister of Culture and Innovation. During the meeting, the ministers laid the foundation for the next phase of the program by establishing key working groups, adopting a new work programme, and formalizing the rules of procedure. A significant highlight of the session was the election of Albania as the new CEEPUS Chair for a two-year term.
The chairmen of this year's delegation of CEEPUS member states
The CEEPUS (Central European Exchange Program for University Studies) programme is the second largest academic exchange programme in Europe. For 30 years, it has been actively supporting academic mobility and international cooperation between universities in Central Europe. The CEEPUS Ministers' Award is a distinction awarded to the best academic networks operating within the programme, which stand out for their innovation, quality of cooperation and impact on the development of education and scientific research in the region. This distinction emphasizes the importance of international cooperation in shaping modern solutions in the Central and Eastern European region. The decision to award the award is made by the Joint Committee of Ministers, and the award itself - although symbolic - enjoys high prestige in the academic community. Currently, 15 countries participate in the CEEPUS programme: Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, the Czech Republic, North Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia, Hungary and the University of Pristina (Kosovo). Poland is one of the founding countries of this initiative.