During a research placement at the Institute for Public Affairs in Bratislava (IVO – Inštitút pre verejné otázky), the Director of the Institute of European Studies, Kinga Gajda, PhD, Prof. UJ, and the Head of the Department of Central European Studies, Krzysztof Koźbiał, PhD, Prof. UJ, met with the Director of IVO, Dr Grigorij Mesežnikov, one of the Institute’s founders. The Institute was established in 1997.

A cooperation agreement has been signed with the Museum of Photography in Bydgoszcz. Established in 2004 and operating within the University of Economy in Bydgoszcz, the Museum is the only institution of its kind in northern Poland. Its extensive collection comprises more than 4,000 exhibits documenting the history and development of photography. The Museum also undertakes exhibition, educational and research activities, organising workshops, museum lessons and the Bydgoszcz Academy of Photography.

We are delighted to announce that our Institute's staff member Svetlana Baranova has been selected for the prestigious Europaeum Scholars' Programme (Cohort 5)! The Europaeum Scholars Programme brings together outstanding doctoral students from seventeen leading European universities, giving them direct engagement with institutions shaping Europe's future.

Dr hab. Bożena Gierat-Bieroń, Prof. UJ, has received two distinctions in recognition of her outstanding contributions to culture, education and cultural diplomacy. The awards were presented during the academic conference “Cultural Diplomacy: The Importance of Good Relations and Cooperation in Times of Polarisation and Conflict”, held at the Faculty of International and Political Studies of the Jagiellonian University (WSMiP UJ) on 26–27 June 2026.

The Historical Museum in Bielsko-Biała has joined the Institute’s network of stakeholders. For many years, the Museum has been dedicated to the preservation, research and promotion of the region’s historical and cultural heritage.

Representatives of our team took part in the 13th European Workshops in International Studies, held at the İzmir University of Economics in Turkey. The conference was organised by the European International Studies Association (EISA), of which members of ISE are also part.

The academic conference “The Iron Curtain and the Politics of Memory”, held at our Institute on 25 June 2026, brought together scholars from a range of disciplines engaged in research on memory, borders, the legacy of communism, and historical politics in Europe.

On 24 June 2026, an international academic conference entitled The Topos of “Victim” in the Politics of Historical Memory: National Memory (including Memory Politics) in Central and Eastern European and Balkan Countries took place. The event was organised by Prof. Kinga Anna Gajda and Prof. Tadeusz Kopyś and formed part of the IDUJ project led by Prof. Tadeusz Kopyś.

Finished your exams? Moving out for the summer? Before you pack everything away, take a look around. That book you've already read, the plant that no longer fits on your windowsill, or some small things you won't need anymore might be exactly what someone else is looking for. From 25 June to 10 July join the SWAP initiative, organised by the Institute of European Studies at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow/@Instytut Studiów Europejskich UJ and help give everyday items a second life.

A cooperation agreement between the Institute of European Studies at the Jagiellonian University and the Association of Polish Counties has been signed during the XXXIII General Assembly of the Association, held in Karpacz. The document marks a new chapter in collaboration between the academic community and local government, aimed at advancing research on local governance, promoting civic education, and strengthening the capacity of Polish local authorities.