01999nas a2200169   4500008004100000022001400041245008600055210006900141260001200210300001200222490000600234520132500240653012701565100001801692700001901710856010001729       2017                        eng d  a2300-168200aDeveloping the Academic Careers of Foreign Scholars in Poland: The Case of Krakow0 aDeveloping the Academic Careers of Foreign Scholars in Poland Th  c07/2017  a141-1620 v63 a<p class="Abstrakt"><span lang="EN-US">This article discusses the professional careers of foreign scholars in Krakow, one of the leading academic centres in Poland and a regional &lsquo;silicon valley&rsquo; (toutes proportions gardées). Central and Eastern Europe is understudied as an immigration region for highly skilled migrants (HSMs). To bridge this gap, we concentrate on three interrelated topics: (a) the perception of Polish science and its infrastructure; (b) careers of international staff employed in Polish academia; and (c) their perception of their achievements in Poland. Foreign scholars come to Poland for various reasons. Two of the most important are the cultural proximity between Poland and their country of origin, and research interests focused directly in Poland. Our findings show that Poland attracts first and foremost scholars with average scientific achievements. We discuss major problems they encounter (e.g., shortage of funds, uncomfortable office space, restricted access to books and papers) and their expectations of life in a semi-periphery country. The paper is mainly based on in-depth interviews with 23 foreign scholars working full time at four universities in Krakow and, as a secondary source, on the analysis of websites of these universities.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></p>10aPolish academic centres; foreign researchers; mobile academics; cross-border higher educa-tion; self-initiated expatriates1 aMucha, Janusz1 aŁuczaj, Kamil  uhttp://www.ceemr.uw.edu.pl/sites/default/files/Mucha_Luczaj_Developing_the_Academic_Careers.pdf