International Researchers and Doctoral Candidates at WUEB – Second Cohort under the PROM Programme

Wroclaw University of Economics and Business is steadily expanding its international research network in areas central to the University’s research agenda. In April 2026, WUEB welcomed the second cohort of incoming international researchers and doctoral candidates within the PROM – Short-term Academic Exchange Programme, funded by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) with European Union resources under the European Funds for Social Development 2021–2027.

The April group brings together researchers from Kosovo, Portugal, Brazil, the Czech Republic and Serbia, representing partner universities and research institutes. Each visit has been anchored in an active research project of a WUEB team, ensuring that the exchange contributes not only to participants’ individual development, but also to strengthening the research craft, methodology and publication output of the hosting groups. Most academic supervisors in this cohort come from the Department of Biotechnology and Food Analysis, in line with the University’s growing research profile in sustainable food systems – developed, among others, within the Adaptive Food Systems Accelerator (AFSA) Research Centre, headed by Professor Joanna Harasym.

Florina Musaj, Dorentina Fazliu and Fidane Shalaj Isufi – Master’s students in Food Technology and Engineering at “Isa Boletini” University in Mitrovica (Kosovo) – are conducting research under the academic supervision of Professor Joanna Harasym (Department of Biotechnology and Food Analysis). Their work focuses on sustainable food innovation, with particular emphasis on the valorisation of agri-food industry by-product streams. The outcomes form the basis for forthcoming scientific publications and patent applications; thematic details will be disclosed after the relevant intellectual property procedures are completed.

Md Yusuf Hossein Khan, a doctoral candidate in Tourism Management at the University of Algarve and a researcher at the CinTurs Research Centre (Portugal), is undertaking his stay under the supervision of Dr Piotr Zawadzki (Department of Marketing and Tourism Economy Management, WUEB Branch in Jelenia Góra). His project examines the behavioural intentions of Polish tourists towards Portugal, applying a moderated mediation model that incorporates perceived value and tourist trust. The visit serves to deepen scientific cooperation, refine research methodology and prepare joint publications.

Ing. Martin Budil, a doctoral candidate at the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering of the Czech Technical University, specialises in the application of machine learning methods in clinical research. Under the supervision of Dr Maciej Pondel, WUEB Professor (Head of the Department of Business Intelligence in Management), he is developing his expertise in the analysis of real-world clinical data and laying the groundwork for longer-term scientific cooperation and joint publications.

Miljana Djordjević and Marijana Djordjević (Serbia) are continuing established research cooperation with WUEB teams, which has already produced tangible publication outcomes. Miljana Djordjević works under the supervision of Dr Ewa Pejcz (Department of Biotechnology and Food Analysis) on innovative food products combining 3D-printing technology with ingredients rich in bioactive compounds. Marijana Djordjević works under the supervision of Dr Agata Wojciechowicz-Budzisz (Department of Biotechnology and Food Analysis) on the development of innovative gluten-free formulations with enhanced nutritional value. Both visits extend a long-standing inter-institutional collaboration and open the way to further joint publications.

Beatriz Helena Paschoalinotto (Brazil; affiliated with Centro de Investigação de Montanha – CIMO, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança) joined the cohort in April under the supervision of Professor Joanna Harasym.

Mobility that works both ways

PROM visits are not a stand-alone instrument for individual skill development. Each stay brings new methods, samples, datasets, research perspectives and institutional contacts into WUEB teams. In practice, this translates into:

• new experimental lines in sustainable food technology and the valorisation of by-product streams in the Department of Biotechnology and Food Analysis;
• broader quantitative methodology in consumer and tourist behaviour research in the Department of Marketing and Tourism Economy Management;
• stronger WUEB capacity in machine-learning analysis of real-world clinical data in the Department of Business Intelligence in Management;
• consolidated bilateral cooperation with partner institutions in Central and Eastern Europe, the Western Balkans and Southern Europe.

In this sense, PROM functions for WUEB as an instrument for building research capacity – not as a one-off event, but as a structural part of the University’s internationalisation policy.

Alignment with the WUEB Strategy 2030

These visits advance the goals of the WUEB Strategy 2030 in the areas of internationalisation and strengthening the University’s position in the international research community. They contribute to a growing number of international researchers cooperating with WUEB, more intensive academic mobility, and the development of durable scientific networks that translate into publications in internationally recognised journals.

The second cohort does not end with April – two further researchers will join WUEB teams in May. More information on their stays will follow soon.

Project funded by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange with European Union resources under the European Funds for Social Development 2021–2027 – PROM Short-term Academic Exchange Programme. Project number.

Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Project page: https://international.uew.pl/prom-short-term-academic-exchange/

Project number: BPI/PRO/2025/1/00021

Funding amount: PLN 999,675.00

Authors: Anna Śliwa, Justyna Morawska-Płoskonka