The second stage of the project “SGH_Expert_Network – building the potential of the Warsaw School of Economics in the field of internationalisation based on a network of experts” has been completed. The SGH Warsaw School of Economics was visited by representatives of international financial and economic organisations: EBRD, OECD, IMF and Eurostat.
In the last two months of 2024 and at the beginning of 2025, the project team not only invited academics and students to a series of webinars devoted to the possibilities of cooperation with selected financial and economic organisations with a global reach, but also guests representing these organisations, which gave the opportunity to establish personal contacts. The project is implemented at the International Centre of the Warsaw School of Economics (CWM) and financed by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) as part of the programme “Welcome to Poland” , and its main objective is to promote the scientific potential of our University in the international arena, especially in six organisations selected for the project purposes: the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the World Bank (UK), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Statistical Office (Eurostat).
The first to visit SGH were Dr. Piotr Szpunar, Director representing Poland, Bulgaria and Albania in EBRD and Konrad Wilczak, Deputy Regional Director for Poland and the Baltic States at the EBRD Warsaw office. During the meeting on 28 November 2024, our guests presented the bank activities and cooperation opportunities for SGH researchers and careers at EBRD. “EBRD invests in improving living conditions. This mission could not be fulfilled without our staff,” emphasised Director Wilczak. You can join EBRD international team both at the bank London headquarters and in the regional offices where EBRD implements projects.
Photo: Piotr Potapowicz, SGH
Then, representatives of the OECD visited SGH. On 5 December 2024, we had the pleasure of hosting Ambassador Ewa Kubeł, Deputy Permanent Representative of Poland to the OECD and Martin Wassermann, Talent Management analyst. The guests presented the internship programmes offered by the OECD addressed to students and graduates. Thanks to the cooperation agreement signed at the end of October 2024 between SGH and OECD, our students will have a better chance of obtaining an internship in this organisation. In January 2025, the CWM organises a meeting dedicated specifically to this programme and announces recruitment for it. The possibility of internships is also offered by the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Poland to the OECD, as Ambassador Kubeł said. This type of internship is addressed primarily to people interested in a diplomatic career. The OECD also offers a range of opportunities for experts to collaborate on analyses and conferences, particularly in the areas of health, pensions and taxation.
Photo: Piotr Potapowicz, SGH
The next meeting in the series took place on 18 December 2024. This time, we hosted Geoff Gottlieb, Permanent Representative of the IMF for Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe and Maciej Onoszko, responsible for communication in the Warsaw office of the IMF. The career path in this organisation was illustrated by the personal experience of Director Gottlieb, who told the participants of the meeting about what he had done at each level. It met with great interest, especially from the students, who had a lot of questions for the guest. It should be emphasised that the IMF also offers cooperation to scientists in ongoing projects and in the preparation of expert reports.
At the beginning of February, our University was also visited by Fernando Reis, Big Data statistician at Eurostat. Although his visit coincided with the holiday period, Fernando Reis met SGH academic staff dealing with this subject. It should be emphasised that thanks to the cooperation established as part of the project, two SGH staff took part in the conference New Techniques and Technologies for Statistics organised on 11-13 March 2025 in Brussels, which is the largest annual event organised by Eurostat.
In May 2025, a contact point will be launched at CWM, where the staff and students will obtain information about the possibilities of scientific and research cooperation and building professional careers in international financial and economic organisations. It will also be a platform enabling representatives of these organisations to establish contact with SGH experts dealing with specific fields of science. The initiative aims to strengthen the recognition of our University in the world as an important scientific and research centre.
DR AGNIESZKA KÜHNL-KINEL, SGH International Centre
Photo: Paweł Gołębiowski, SGH
