The PoDEST programme allows Poznań doctoral students to pick courses beyond their home university or the Polish Academy of Sciences institute. An agreement on this matter was signed during the last meeting of the Poznań Rectors' Council on 26 January 2026. Among the signatories is Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań.
PoDEST (Poznan Doctoral Exchange for Science and Training) aims to create a permanent framework for inter-university cooperation in the education of doctoral students, enabling them to participate in selected classes, training courses and forms of support offered by other doctoral schools operating in Poznań. The initiative aims to enhance education quality, develop doctoral students' skills, and strengthen the academic community of the city.
The PoDEST programme was inspired by the PoMOST programme for students operating in Poznań, which has been an example of effective inter-university cooperation for three years. Similar to PoMOST, PoDEST creates new opportunities for educational mobility, this time aimed directly at doctoral students from Poznań doctoral schools.
"We are delighted to sign the agreement on the PoDEST programme, opening up new opportunities for cooperation and educational mobility for doctoral students in Poznań,’ says Fatma Mejri, MA, Chair of the AMU Doctoral Student Council. It is an essential step highlighting the significance of the doctoral community's voice and partnership with the university authorities. We look forward to the programme's launch in the coming semester and its positive impact on the quality of doctoral education, emphasises Fatma Mejri", MA.
The programme is a grassroots initiative of the doctoral community, launched after the reactivation of the Poznań Doctoral Students' Agreement in 2024. "Work on its concept, assumptions and implementation was consistently carried out during two consecutive terms of the PPD – 2024 and 2025, culminating in the signing of an agreement by the university Rectors and Directors of the Polish Academy of Sciences Institutes," says Agata Walczak, MSc, Eng. Landscape Architect Agata Walczak, MSc Eng. Arch. from the University of Life Sciences, Chairwoman of the Poznań Doctoral Students' Agreement.
The agreement concerning the PoDEST programme was signed by universities affiliated with KRMP (Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań, Poznań University of Physical Education (AWF), Poznań University of Technology, Magdalena Abakanowicz University of the Arts Poznań, Poznań University of Economics and Business, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Poznań University of Life Sciences) and five institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences (Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Institute of Dendrology, Institute of Molecular Physics, Institute of Human Genetics and Institute of Plant Genetics).
The programme will be launched in the coming semester.
Photo: Poznań University of Life Sciences
