Rules for recruitment and participation in the third edition of the International School at AGH University of Science and Technology, “Cursos de Verano en AGH Universidad de Cracovia,” implemented as part of the SPINAKER program – Intensive international education programs – NAWA 2025/2026 – agreement no. BPI/SPI/2024/1/ 00077/U/00001/UP/00001
Whenever the regulations refer to:
1. The SPINAKER program: means an intensive international education program financed entirely from the European Social Development Fund 2021-2027 (FERS) and implemented as part of the NAWA project entitled "Support for the creation and implementation of international education programs," project no. FERS.01.05-IP.08-0436/23.
2. AGH: refers to the Stanisław Staszic University of Krakow, Poland.
3. The project "MS AGH": refers to the third edition of the International School at AGH, also known as "Cursos de Verano en AGH Universidad de Cracovia," which is part of the SPINAKER program.
4. Course: means one of the four courses, "Cursos de Verano at AGH University of Krakow," which is part of the third edition of the AGH International School. Each module consists of two courses as part of the SPINAKER program. There is also an introductory language course, "Elements of Technical English," which is addressed to AGH students and students from selected Latin American universities.
5. Participant: this should be understood as a person who is a student or doctoral student at the AGH University of Krakow, or a person who is a student at a select Latin American university and has been selected to participate in the project. This applies from the moment an application is submitted to participate in the third edition of the AGH International School, and throughout the duration of each module. The participant must also meet the formal criteria and be qualified to participate in the AGH International School.
6. Student: this refers to a person studying for a first or second degree within the meaning of the July 20, 2018, Act on Higher Education and Science (Journal of Laws of 2024, item 1571, as amended), or equivalent forms of education abroad. This person must be able to prove their status as an AGH University of Krakow student or a student at a foreign higher education institution.
7. Doctoral Student: this refers to a person studying at a doctoral school, as defined by the July 20, 2018 Act on Higher Education and Science (Journal of Laws of 2024, item 1571, as amended). Law on Higher Education and Science (Journal of Laws of 2024, Article 1571, as amended), or equivalent forms of education abroad. They must be able to prove that they have the status of a doctoral student at AGH or at a foreign institution of higher education and science.
8. NAWA: refers to the National Agency for Academic Exchange, which operates under the Act of July 7, 2017, on the National Agency for Academic Exchange (Journal of Laws of 2023, item 843, as amended).
9. Center for International Affairs: this refers to an auxiliary unit of the AGH University of Krakow, hereinafter referred to as the CSM.
10. Faculty: refers to one of the AGH faculties participating in the project under the terms provided therein.
11. Main course/IMPK: refers to one of the courses offered by AGH to participants, as specified in § 3(2), except for introductory language courses.
12. The Project Team: should be understood as the project office called "Third Edition of the International School at AGH University of Krakow — Cursos de Verano en AGH Universidad de Cracovia," which is implemented as part of the SPINAKER program. The team consists of AGH teaching and non-teaching staff.
13. Project Manager: A member of the project team who supervises the implementation of the project, including financial matters and control of completed tasks, together with the Director of CSM.
14. Project Coordinator: A member of the project team who provides content supervision for the project, including the recruitment process, MS AGH participants, and validation of learning outcomes. This person is also responsible for verifying learning outcomes achieved by students participating in the course, which includes developing rules and methods of verification, creating a certificate template to confirm acquisition, and conducting pre- and post-tests.
1: Subject of the Regulations
1. These regulations define the rules for organizing MS AGH, as well as the recruitment of students from AGH and select Latin American universities to participate in the MS AGH program as part of the SPINAKER initiative. This includes the formal criteria, recruitment process, ranking list determination rules, and the rights and obligations of participants.
2. The project is implemented as part of the SPINAKER program of the National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA). The program aims to support the creation and implementation of intensive international education programs conducted in a language other than Polish and intended especially for people from abroad. These people include students, doctoral school participants, and staff from higher education and research institutions. The program also allows for the participation of students, doctoral school participants, and staff from Polish institutions.
3. The project is implemented based on an agreement between AGH University of Krakow and the National Agency for Academic Exchange (number BPI/SPI/2024/1/00077/U/00001/UP/00001).
4. The project aims to contribute to the internationalization of higher education and scientific institutions by facilitating short-term scholarship exchanges and developing the competencies of students and staff from Poland and abroad. The project also aims to improve the quality of education by facilitating short-term student exchanges from Poland and abroad and increasing the number of completed short-term mobility programs.
5. The program is financed entirely by the European Social Development Fund (ESDF) 2021-2027 as part of the NAWA project entitled "Support for the Creation and Implementation of International Education Programs," project no. FERS.01.05-IP.08-0436/23.
2: Prohibition of Discrimination and Violation of the Principle of Equality
The project will be implemented in accordance with the principles of non-discrimination and equality, particularly equal opportunities, and accessibility. This includes the recruitment process
3: General Rules of the MS AGH Organization
1. As part of the third edition of the SPINAKER program in fall 2025 and spring 2026, participants may enrol in one of four offered hybrid IMPK courses.
2. The AGH courses will be held according to the following schedule:
a) Fall 2025 Module:
- Elements of Technical English (language course, introductory, 30 hours): Online classes conducted by Dr. Bogdan Rutkowski (Faculty of Metals Engineering and Industrial Computer Science). Intended for participants of the courses specified in this section. Date: September 8 – October 17, 2025.
- Sustainable Mining Technologies (main course, 60 hours): Hybrid classes conducted by Prof. Marek Borowski, Ph.D., Eng., and Klaudia Zwolińska-Glądys, Ph.D., Eng. (Faculty of Civil Engineering and Resource Management); The classes will be conducted remotely via the Microsoft Teams application between October 20, 2025, and January 14, 2026 (45 hours), and the stationary module with practical classes at AGH University of Krakow conducted between January 17 and 31, 2026 (15 hours).
- Advanced Manufacturing Processes and CNC Programming (main course, 60 hours): hybrid classes taught by Prof. Paweł Paćko, Ph.D., Eng., and Rafał Kudelski, Ph.D., Eng. (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics). October 20, 2025 to January 14, 2026 (45 hours): Blended learning classes conducted remotely via Microsoft Teams. January 17 to 31, 2026 (15 hours): Stationary module with practical classes at AGH.
b) Spring 2026 Module:
- Elements of Technical English (language course, introductory, 30 hours). Online classes will be conducted by Dr. Bogdan Rutkowski (Faculty of Metals Engineering and Industrial Computer Science) and are intended for course participants. The dates are February 2 to March 20, 2026.
- Catalysis, Catalysts, Methods of Their Characterization and Possibilities of Application (main course, 60 hours): Hybrid classes conducted by Bogdan Samojeden, Ph.D. (Faculty of Power and Fuels). The classes will be conducted remotely via the Microsoft Teams application from March 23 to June 17, 2026 (45 hours), and the stationary module with practical classes at AGH University of Krakow from June 22 to July 3, 2026 (15 hours).
- Environmental Sociology and Social Problems in Post-Mining Areas (main course, 60 hours): Hybrid classes taught by Prof. Dariusz Wojakowski (Faculty of Humanities). The course runs from March 23 to June 17, 2026, with 45 hours of blended learning conducted remotely via Microsoft Teams, and a 15-hour on-site module with practical classes at AGH from June 22 to July 3, 2026.
3. Each main course/IMPK will have 20 students from Latin America and 10 from AGH.
4. On-site classes will be held at the AGH campus, and remote classes will be conducted via remote communication tools.
5. Participants must have continuous internet access and computer equipment that meets the technical requirements for the course, including a microphone and camera.
6. Each participant may take one main course/IMPK. If a candidate does not qualify for the Fall 2025 module, they may apply for the Spring 2026 module.
7. A detailed list of classes will be announced on the website http://ivsaghust.agh.edu.pl/.
8. All classes will be conducted in English.
9. To complete the course, students must actively participate in the provided classes, earn a passing grade on the final exam, submit pre- and post-tests, and meet the other requirements specified in these regulations.
10. The goal of the introductory language course is to improve participants' language skills for effectively completing the main/IMPK courses.
11. The main/IMPK courses aim to help participants acquire the necessary skills, knowledge, and competencies in key areas. Depending on the type of course, participants will learn about sustainable development in the extractive industry, improve energy efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, learn advanced CNC production and programming processes, learn about the catalysis process, catalysts, methods of characterizing them, and their possible applications, or learn about environmental sociology and social problems in post-mining areas.
12. Each course concludes with a final exam. If a passing grade is obtained, a "micro-certificate" is issued indicating the grade, the participant's workload, the number of hours, and the number of ECTS points obtained.
13. Participants who complete the language/introductory course are awarded 2 ECTS credits.
14. Completion of the main course/IMPK entitles the participant to 4 ECTS credits.
15. Participants have the right to retake the final exam if they fail. The grade obtained on the second attempt is final.
16. Participants who fail to submit the required documents on time, fail the final exam, or fail to submit the pre- and post-tests will be removed from the list of participants and will not receive a certificate of completion.
17. In justified cases, AGH reserves the right to change the schedule referred to in Section 2 or to conduct classes remotely using distance communication tools.
18. Each participant grants AGH the right to freely use, record, distribute, and publish their image captured in photographs and recordings made during classes and activities related to participation in the project. This includes processing, copying, reproducing, and duplicating the image by any technique and through any means for AGH's promotional purposes.
19. Upon request sent to the subject supervisor, persons with disabilities may participate in courses entirely remotely.
20. AGH University of Krakow reserves the right to request additional documents from participants related to their participation in the project. Failure to provide these documents may result in removal from the list of course participants.
4: Project Management
1. The project manager is Aleksandra Perkins-Oleszkowicz, MA, the deputy director of CSM.
2. The project coordinator is:
Olga Warykiewicz, MA
Building H-A2, Room III-1
Phone: +48 12 617 48 98
Email:
5: Formal criteria for AGH students
1. The following persons may participate in the project:
a. has the status of a student or doctoral student at AGH from the moment of submitting their application for participation in the third edition of MS AGH and throughout the entire duration of the Fall 2025 or Spring 2026 module,
b. has a minimum B2 level of English,
c) has submitted a cover letter.
6: Formal Criteria for Students from Latin American Universities Selected to Participate in the Project
1. The following persons may participate in the project:
a. has student status at a Latin American university selected to participate in the project from the time of submitting the application for the third edition of MS AGH until the end of the fall 2025 or spring 2026 module,
b. has a minimum B2 level of English,
c) has been nominated by a university in a Latin American country that has been selected to participate in the project,
d) has submitted a cover letter.
7: Financing rules
1. Participation in the course is free of charge.
2. Students at AGH are not eligible for funding related to participation in the project.
3. Students from Latin American countries are eligible for funding to cover the costs of participating in the project. This funding consists of:
a) a scholarship of PLN 900 for each participant.
(b) a lump sum to cover living and accommodation expenses (PLN 3,600 per participant);
(c) a lump sum to cover travel expenses to and from Poland (PLN 6,500 per participant).
8: Recruitment of AGH Students
1. Candidates should submit an application to participate in a particular course by completing the relevant form (https://forms.office.com/e/UGrGq6HTkn for the autumn 2025 semester or https://forms.office.com/e/GreGcbFk5J for the spring 2026 semester) and attaching scans of original documents (if required) by 31 August 2025 for the autumn 2025 module or 31 December 2025 for the spring 2026 module, indicating the selected course. If there are not enough candidates, this deadline may be changed, and this will be announced on the website https://ivsaghust.agh.edu.pl/.
2. Candidates may submit an application for only one main course/IMPK.
3. The Project Team will evaluate candidates' qualifications for participation in MS AGH on the basis of the submitted applications and prepare a list of those qualified to participate in a particular course, together with a reserve list.
4. Candidates who meet the formal criteria and submit an application will be eligible to participate in the selected course organised as part of the project.
5. If the number of applications exceeds the number of places available for each course, participants will be awarded a specific number of points according to the formula based on the weighted average of the grades from the last year of study.
Average grade x 100 = total points
Where:
Average grade: the weighted average of grades from the final year of study.
Total points: the number of points obtained by the candidate.
6. Persons with disabilities will be awarded an additional 50 points, i.e. an increase of 0.5 points in the weighted average of grades from the final year of study.
7. Candidates will be notified of the results of the recruitment process via email, sent to the address provided in the application form.
8. Participants must complete an electronic participant form (application) in the ICT system of the National Agency for Academic Exchange (using the link provided by their supervisor). Participants must register in advance in the National Agency for Academic Exchange system by selecting 'Create an account' and providing their first name, last name, email address and password. Failure to complete the participant form will result in the participant being removed from the list of course participants.
9: Recruitment of universities from Latin American countries to participate in the project.
1. AGH will contact the representatives of the indicated Latin American universities to provide general information about the programme and the project, particularly the rules for student recruitment, project funding and recruitment criteria. They will also request that a list of nominated students be sent to the specified email address by 30 June 2025 (for the autumn 2025 module) or 30 November 2025 (for the spring 2026 module).
2. In justified cases, the Project Manager may extend the deadline referred to in paragraph 1 for a specific university.
3. Candidates may submit applications for only one course.
4. Latin American universities involved in the project will recruit students to participate, taking into account the criteria provided by AGH and guided by the principles of non-discrimination and equality, particularly with regard to equal opportunities.
5. Once you have recruited students from the Latin American universities involved in the project, send a list of the nominated candidates, together with the required documents, to the specified email address.
6. The Project Team will evaluate candidates' qualifications for participation in MS AGH on the basis of the nomination lists and other submitted documents. They will then prepare a list of those qualified to participate in a particular IMPK course within the project, together with a reserve list.
7. Candidates who meet the formal criteria and submit their applications will be eligible to participate in the selected course organised as part of the project.
8. Taking into account the goals of sustainable development, particularly ensuring equitable and affordable access to high-quality technical higher education, and ensuring that all learners acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to promote sustainable development — including an appreciation of cultural diversity and the contribution of culture to sustainable development (tasks 4.3 and 4.7) — as well as increasing the number of scholarships for citizens of developing countries, particularly those from the Least Developed Countries (task 4B), and upholding the principles of accessibility and equal opportunities, the organisers will strive to increase the diversity of participating universities by allocating a proportional number of places to each institution. If the number of applications for a course exceeds the number of places available, candidates will be awarded a certain number of points according to the following formula:
Avg. x 100 = pts.
Where:
Avg. grade: the weighted average of grades from the last year of study
p – the number of points obtained by the candidate.
9. Additional points will be awarded to people with disabilities, equivalent to an increase of 0.5 in their weighted average grade from the final year of study, up to a maximum of 50 points.
10. If a Latin American university selected to participate in the project uses a grading scale that makes it impossible to determine the correct result based on paragraph 8, this provision shall apply accordingly.
11. Candidates will be notified of the results of the recruitment process via the email address provided in the application form.
12. Participants must complete an electronic participant form (application) on the platform of the National Agency for Academic Exchange (using the link provided by their project coordinator). They must also register in advance in the National Agency for Academic Exchange system by creating an account and providing their first name, last name, email address and password. Failure to complete the application form will result in the participant being removed from the list of course participants.
10: Validation of Learning Outcomes
Competence is a distinct set of learning or educational outcomes that have been verified in the validation process, in accordance with the requirements established for that particular competence. This relates, in particular, to the learning outcomes that comprise it.
The stages of the competence acquisition process are:
(1) Scope: target groups and topics of support,
(2) Template: standard requirements (learning outcomes, criteria and methods for verifying these outcomes),
(3) Assessment: validation/verification based on the criteria described in the model after support has been provided to an individual, with the education and validation processes kept separate,
Stage IV: Verification involves comparing the results obtained in stage III (assessment) with the accepted requirements (learning outcomes specified in stage II) and issuing a certificate/attestation confirming the acquisition of learning outcomes.
Learning outcomes refer to the knowledge, skills and social competencies acquired during the learning process. In this project, learning outcomes are verified through remote and direct contact between the project coordinator, teaching staff, and students.
The project coordinator verifies the learning outcomes achieved by the project participants by creating rules for their verification and a certificate template to confirm their acquisition, as well as by conducting pre- and post-tests.
This confirms also the acquisition of competences for staff involved in the creation or implementation of IMPK.
Documents confirming participation in activities that support the creation or implementation of IMPK (e.g. STEM methodology training) are referred to in Chapter 4.6 of the Beneficiary's Manual – 'Method of documenting substantive activities and forms of support'. Documents confirming participation do not have to meet the requirements specified in the annex to the Beneficiary's Manual entitled 'Rules for recruitment, reporting and data collection of participants in projects financed by the ERDF'. See Annex 1, for an example.
In cases where competences are acquired through participation, a document confirming the acquisition of competences and learning outcomes by the project participant is required, including the ECTS points obtained. At IMPK, the workload of students is converted into the number of ECTS points assigned to the classes. The certificate/micro-certificate issued meets the requirements specified in the appendix to the Beneficiary's Handbook entitled 'Rules for recruitment, reporting, and data collection of participants in projects financed by the ERDF'. See Appendix 2, for an example
11: Rights and obligations of participants
1. Participants have the right to:
(a) receive a 'micro-certificate' confirming completion of the course upon meeting all the requirements;
(b) obtain 4 ECTS credits upon completion of the main course/IMPK;
(c) obtain 2 ECTS credits upon completion of the introductory course;
(d) protection of personal data.
(e) obtaining information about the course;
(f) participating in classes within the courses for which they have been qualified.
2. The participant is required to:
(a) fulfil the recruitment-related obligations specified in § 8 and 9, respectively;
(b) comply with the provisions of these Regulations;
(c) confirm attendance in the manner indicated by the instructors;
(d) participate in questionnaires;
(e) participate in and submit pre- and post-tests
12: Withdrawal from participation
Participants may withdraw from MS AGH by notifying the project supervisor before the following dates:
- 18 August 2025 for classes taking place in the autumn 2025 module
- 31 December 2025 for classes taking place in the spring 2026 module
13: Training in STEM methodology
1. The training aims to equip teaching staff with an understanding of contemporary teaching models, such as Inquiry-Based Learning, Problem-Based Learning and Project-Based Learning. This will enable them to convey knowledge more effectively during introductory or main/IMPK courses.
2. The training will be conducted online in Polish language and will last 16 hours during a weekend of September or October 2025 for a group of 7 AGH teaching staff.
3. Participation in the training is free of charge.
4. Participants are required to complete the full programme.
5. Upon completion of the training programme, including the pre- and post-tests and fulfilment of the requirements of point 4, participants will receive a certificate of participation.
14: Final provisions
In matters not covered by these regulations, the Project Manager shall make the final decision.
Appendices (available in the LINK below)
1. Template of the certificate confirming the acquisition of competences (Appendix 1).
2. Template of the certificate confirming learning outcomes (Appendix 2).
Regulations | Polish
Regulations | English
Regulations | Spanish
