The Confucius Institute will open at the University of Gdańsk in the new academic year 2015/2016.  After several years of effort, Gdańsk now joins the élite group of four cities in Poland to run a Confucius Institute (the UG’s is the fifth).

Efforts to establish a Confucius Institute at the UG have been going on since 2009. The concept was realised thanks to the UG’s active cooperation with Chinese universities, institutions and businesses in the field of academic research and education. In April 2014 a contract was signed in China, on the strength of which the UG would establish the fifth Confucius Institute in Poland in partnership with the China Youth University of Political Studies. The setting up of the Institute is the culmination of the UG’s work with China – in total 13 contracts on cooperation, exchange of undergraduate and doctoral students and academic staff, the introduction of Sinology at the UG and of Polish Philology for Chinese students at Chinese universities, as well as dozens of symposiums, conferences, meetings and events to promote Chinese language and culture.

The opening ceremony of the UG’s Confucius Institute will take place on 21 September at 10.30, but it has been functioning since 7th September. The Institute will take on the promotion, in its widest sense, of Chinese language and culture in the Pomeranian region, as well as supporting the UG’s Sinology studies. This includes Chinese language teaching, certified courses and classes, and meetings and exhibitions to introduce the culture and customs of China. The best students will be able to travel to China on a Confucius grant. The  services of the UG’s Confucius Institute are open to anyone with an interest.

The Confucius Institute in Gdańsk is located at ul. Bażyńskiego 1a in the UG’s Oliwa campus (in the old rectorate building).