AKADEMIA NAUK STOSOWANYCH W NOWYM SACZU

Their core work

Akademia Nauk Stosowanych w Nowym Sączu (formerly PWSZ) is a regional applied sciences university in southern Poland's Małopolska region. Within H2020, their involvement is exclusively in public science engagement through the European Researchers' Night initiative, where they organize workshops, laboratory demonstrations, experiments, and public meetings with researchers. They serve as a local outreach hub bringing EU-funded science communication events to the Nowy Sącz community, translating research themes into accessible formats for the general public.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early period (2014-2015), the university focused on general science promotion, public recognition of research, and technology demonstrations — a broad "celebrate science" approach. From 2018 onward, the focus narrowed significantly toward ecology, climate, and environmental themes, while also emphasizing the European dimension and encouraging scientific careers among young people. This shift mirrors the broader EU agenda pivot toward Green Deal priorities.

Moving toward environment-themed public engagement, aligning with Green Deal communication needs — useful for consortia needing regional outreach partners on climate topics.

How they like to work

Exclusively a participant, never a coordinator — they join regional consortia organized by larger Małopolska institutions. With only 12 partners across 1 country, they operate within a tight Polish regional network, likely the same Małopolska Researchers' Night consortium year after year. This makes them a reliable, low-maintenance local partner but not an organization that drives project design or consortium building.

Their network is confined to 12 partners within a single country (Poland), all connected through the Małopolska regional Researchers' Night consortium. No international partnerships are evident.

What sets them apart

Their value lies in reaching audiences in the Nowy Sącz area — a smaller city outside the Kraków academic core — bringing EU science engagement to communities that larger universities don't serve. For any consortium needing grassroots science outreach in southern Poland's smaller cities, they provide an established local presence with tested event formats. However, they offer no research capacity or technical expertise based on their H2020 record.

Highlights from their portfolio

• Power2Nights
  Their largest funded project (EUR 12,380) and first H2020 participation, establishing their role in the Małopolska Researchers' Night network.
• ECOResearchers4Earth
  Most recent project (2021) showing their pivot to environmental themes, with explicit focus on ecology and climate communication.