At the end of August, from the 25th to the 27th, two representatives of our project team visited the University of Salerno (UNISA) in southern Italy. It was the first of the recruitment visits planned within the MISIO project, and honestly, we could not have hoped for a better start.
A course is only as good as the people who show up for it. That is why MISIO, apart from developing the training programme itself, puts real effort into recruitment. Application forms on a website are necessary, but they are not enough – nothing replaces a face-to-face conversation with students, telling them directly what they can expect and answering questions on the spot. So instead of waiting for candidates to find us, we go to them.
Our host in Salerno was Professor Alessandro Ruggiero, whom we would like to thank once again for the warm welcome and for organising the whole visit.
The first day of the visit was devoted to meetings with representatives of the University of Salerno and to study discussions concerning academic and research cooperation.
Together with Professor Alessandro Ruggiero and his colleagues, we discussed the MISIO project itself – its objectives, the structure of the intensive international education programme (IMPK), and the opportunities for cooperation between our universities that may extend beyond a single project.
The discussions were also an opportunity to exchange experiences related to international education, cooperation with students and doctoral candidates, and the organisation of joint academic initiatives. They provided an important institutional background for the recruitment activities planned for the following days.
The core recruitment activities took place on 26 August during a meeting with UNISA students.
We presented the MISIO project and the SPINAKER programme in the form of a multimedia lecture, explaining what the training in Lublin will look like, what technologies participants will work with – including Siemens NX and modern manufacturing methods – and what they can gain from taking part, from practical skills to a certificate that can strengthen their position on the job market.
The meeting also gave students an opportunity to ask questions directly about the training programme, participation requirements, the planned stay in Lublin and the benefits of taking part in an international educational project.
The response was better than we had expected. Several students declared their interest in participating in the training right there in the room, and the questions afterwards showed genuine curiosity, not just politeness. For a recruitment visit, you cannot really ask for more.
The final day of the visit was devoted to a visit to the University of Salerno laboratories and to the formal aspects of the recruitment process.
The laboratory visits gave us an opportunity to become familiar with the research infrastructure available at UNISA, learn more about the technologies and research methods used there, and discuss areas of scientific and educational interest shared by both universities.
The second part of the day focused on the formal recruitment programme. We discussed the recruitment schedule, the application procedure, eligibility criteria, required documentation and the organisational steps necessary to ensure that interested students and doctoral candidates can participate in the IMPK training programme.
This part of the visit was particularly important because effective recruitment is not only about generating interest in the project, but also about providing candidates with a clear, transparent and accessible path from their first expression of interest to the formal submission of an application.
The Salerno trip is part of a broader recruitment campaign. Recruitment will be carried out in cooperation with partner universities, international exchange offices, student and doctoral school councils, as well as local CEEPUS and Erasmus+ offices – anywhere that helps us reach students and doctoral candidates who might benefit from the programme, including people with special needs.
Two more visits to partner universities abroad are planned, and we also intend to make use of science festivals, seminars and similar events to talk about MISIO in person.
The formal side is taken care of as well: recruitment will follow the project Regulations, with electronic forms and all necessary documents available on this website. Once applications open, you will find everything you need here.
Visits like this one do more than fill a participant list. They put Lublin University of Technology on the map for students who may never have considered studying or training in Poland, and they strengthen ties between our researchers and colleagues abroad. If the Salerno meeting is anything to go by, MISIO will have no shortage of motivated participants.
A presto!
Date and place: 25–27 August 2026, University of Salerno (UNISA), Salerno, Italy
Host: Prof. Alessandro Ruggiero
Purpose: meetings with University representatives and study discussions; presentation of the MISIO project and the SPINAKER programme to students; visit to University laboratories; and preparation and implementation of the formal recruitment process for participants in the IMPK training programme.
Organised within: the MISIO project, funded by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA)
