Centre of Excellence in Social Sciences (CESS UW)

The aim of the activities of the Centre of Excellence in Social Sciences at the University of Warsaw (CESS UW) is to coordinate, initiate, and support interdisciplinary scientific research in the field of social sciences conducted at the University of Warsaw, and to strengthen the international position of the University of Warsaw as a leading center for social science research in Central and Eastern Europe.

CESS UW constitutes an institutional continuation and consolidation of the results of Action I.3.3 of the “Excellence Initiative – Research University” (IDUB) Program, implemented by the University of Warsaw, whose goal is to improve the quality of scientific research at Poland’s largest universities. The Centre operates as a platform enabling interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary social science research that extends beyond the structures of individual organizational units of the University of Warsaw.

The main objective of CESS is to support the development of outstanding individual researchers and research teams, in particular scholars aspiring to scientific excellence, especially in the area of methodological, analytical, and project-related competencies, including the application of advanced quantitative methods. Research activities are organized according to the nature of the research itself (for example, research responding to changing socio-economic realities, interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary studies, etc.).

The activities of the Centre of Excellence in Social Sciences align with the mission of the Institute for Advanced Studies at the University of Warsaw (IBZ UW) as a university-wide platform supporting large-scale, highly innovative interdisciplinary research and contribute to the long-term sustainability of the outcomes of the IDUB Program.

Tasks of CESS UW

CESS UW pursues its objectives through:

• Initiating and coordinating interdisciplinary social science research, particularly research addressing contemporary global challenges such as:
  • social and economic inequalities,
  • mobility and migration,
  • demographic change,
  • political transformations,
  • digital transformation and changes related to the development of artificial intelligence,
  • mediatization,
  • systemic risks and the resilience of socio-economic systems.
• Supporting research at its early stages, particularly through:
  • developing mechanisms for the selection and development of research projects carried out by individual researchers and newly formed research teams,
  • assisting in the preparation of projects for applications to prestigious national and international funding competitions.
• Developing researchers’ scientific competencies, including:
  • supporting academic mobility and international research collaboration,
  • developing mentoring programs,
  • involving distinguished international scholars in research teams operating at the University of Warsaw.
• Enhancing methodological competencies within the social sciences community, particularly through:
  • organizing methodological workshops with leading specialists from Poland and abroad,
  • promoting the use of advanced quantitative and qualitative methods in social science research.
• Building the CESS brand as a platform integrating social science researchers, through:
  • organizing seminars, international conferences, and summer schools,
  • promoting research supported by the Centre at the national and international level.
• Implementing research activities that go beyond the interests and capacities of individual units of the University of Warsaw, serving the broader community of social science researchers at the University.

 

Centre Coordinator:

Dr. hab. Paweł Kaczmarczyk, Prof. UW, Director of the Centre of Migration Research / University of Warsaw Faculty of Economic Sciences

p.kaczmarczyk@uw.edu.pl

 

More information about the Center’s activities can be found at: https://cess.idub.uw.edu.pl/en/home-page/