A large portion of Polish assistance is represented by scholarships for students from developing and transition countries. Their co-ordination is the responsibility of the Bureau for Academic Recognition and International Exchange. In the academic year 2004/2005, the funds were used for financing undergraduate courses leading to a master’s degree and postgraduate programmes as well as postdoctoral traineeship. Foreigners from more than 90 countries of the world relied on that assistance.

The K. Kalinowski Scholarship Programme

The scholarship programme was established in March 2006 on the basis of a “Letter of Intent” signed by Polish Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz. The programme is addressed to those Belarusian students who have been expelled from Belarusian universities due to their participation in the defence of democratic values. The students will be provided with an opportunity to continue their studies in Poland. The application procedure took place in the first half of 2006. The students have been offered scholarships, exemption from education fees and rooms in students’ hostels as well as a preparatory course, courses in the Polish and English languages, and the possibility of participation in an extensive cultural programme. The program is implemented in co-operation with the Ministry of Education and Science and it is co-ordinated by The Centre for East European Studies of Warsaw University.