The University Centre for Environmental Studies and Sustainable Development (UCES)is an inter-disciplinary unit, established in 1989 as the part of the  University of Warsaw. The University Centre is a unique scientific and implementation institution in the field of education and policy for environment and sustainable development. It is the only one unit of the University of Warsaw with commitment to the issues of sustainable development expressed in the recently change name.

UCES has only 5 permanent employees but through wide inter-faculty cooperation engages in a wide range of University activities including Master’s specialization in the field of sustainable development (more than 30 graduates) and wide-range of lectures for students in Inter-faculty Studies for Environmental Protection. The important Centre’s activity is an open cycle of lectures on “Selected Issues of Sustainable Development” addressed to students from all Faculties and also journalists, teachers and all interested academic staff.

UCES is widely recognized academic unit through close cooperation with many Polish and European institutions of higher education, teachers associations, environmental NGOs, Polish Committee of UNESCO, the Ministry of Environment. The UCES is also recognized in European and international institutions through cooperation with REC, IUCN and NATO. The Centre develops training programmes, thematic conferences and participates in the preparation of major national government documents including the Environmental Education Strategies, programmes and expertizes e.g. Environmental Impact Assessment and different level school curricula. UCES regularly produces papers and textbooks on education and management for sustainable development, biodiversity and climate change and is coordinating the National Platform for UN Decade on Education for Sustainable Development. A special activity of the Centre is the popular among educators website ( www. ekoedu.uw.edu.pl) supporting education for sustainable development.

University Centre has strong networking with the most active NGOs and Regional Environmental Educational Centres which are specialized in education for sustainable development.

The accounting is within the University of Warsaw system and it will be proceeded through the University Financial Department.

Role of UW in the project:

• Contribute to the mapping exercise in Poland.
• Assist in the development of an online platform of resources as well as get familiarised and review the online tool.
• Translate project materials into the national language.
• Contribute to the bi-annual newsletters.
• Provide feedback to the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) framework.
• Contribute to the dissemination and exploitation of the project outputs, outcomes and future network activities.
• Participate and actively contribute to the discussions generated in regional and annual meetings, seminars and conference.

Operational and financial management:

• The project team will coordinate the above administrative and academic project activities.
• Financial administration will be handled by project team who will liaise internally with the institution’s finance department.