We are building a foundation supporting young people shaping optics and photonics in Poland
To achieve it we need
We are PhD students, employees and alumni of the Faculty of Physics at the University of Warsaw. We represent various circles of young scientists who are developing optics and photonics in Poland. We met at the Student Association of Optics and Photonics at the University of Warsaw which has been actively helping students and PhD candidates for 10 over years.
This year we want to use the experience we have gained and take our involvement to a higher, national level by establishing a foundation. We have gathered a team of experienced people who care deeply about the development of optics and photonics in Poland.
Our ambition is to make a tangible difference in the Polish scientific community within the next decade towards world-class quality of education and development of light sciences.
• What is optics and photonics? •
The name Candela refers to one of the basic physical units. A brilliant description of what candela is, what it is not and where it is used is available at the website of NIST: National Institute of Standards and Technology. We chose this name because we wanted the name of the foundation to be directly connected with light itself which is the essence of both optics and photonics.
• What's it all for? •
We strongly believe that supporting optics and photonics is very important
Photonics has been recognized by the European Commission as one of the six Key Enebling Technologies for the future of mankind. Both photonics and optics are being developed very dynamically in Poland which can be confirmed, among others, by the topics of International Research Agendas (IRAs). Those are new research institutions financed by the EU and staffed with outstanding scientists from all over the world. More than half of all IRAs are related to optics and photonics.
We know how to support
We have extensive experience in working with both the optical industry and academia, a full support of some of the most important research institutions in Poland and we are happy do to the work. We started at the Student Association of Optics and Photonics at the University of Warsaw (KNOF) which brings together young people who work in some of the best scientific and industrial centers in Poland and around the world. These young scientists not only publish in the best journals (Science, Nature) but also actively participate in the development of technologies protected by international patents. In recent years, KNOF has organized two of the most important scientific events related to optics in Poland: OPTO2017, which is one of the largest Polish optical conference, and OSA Siegman International Summer School on Lasers – the world’s most prestigious summer school for PhD students who use lasers in their research.
Why are we doing it?
In research work institutional support changes literally everything. In recent years, a few initiatives in a similar area have been implemented in the form of programs, research grants, and companies that have the potential to develop the local environment.
However, we know first-hand that none of them are focused on substantially and successively supporting newly graduated PhDs of science, scientists who are young parents, student organizations or international students and employees.
The main goal of the foundation is to effectively fill these gaps based on many years of experience of the team which includes representatives of both the industry and academia.
We know what needs to be done in order to make implementing projects enjoyable. We will create a foundation which will allow the polish optical society to develop more efficiently than ever. We want Poland to be the place where even the most ambitious scientific dreams can come true.
How you can support us?
Donate on zrzutka.pl – https://zrzutka.pl/en/h3e937 – to contribute to our fundraiser and help us officially register, launch and keep the foundation alive for the first year. All money raised beyond the goal will be used to fund the foundation’s programs.
• Letters of support •
Our initiative has gained the support of some of the most important R&D organizations in Poland. At our request, they have sent us special letters with declarations of support for the ideas represented by the Candela Foundation.
• Meet our team •
• Our core values •
Transparency
Communication
Efficient communication is the key to the success of every single project. In our opinion, the effort put in communicating science and technology to the public is currently far too small which recently has been especially noticeable. For this very reason, we want Candela to become a hub for science communication which will actively participate in shaping the future communication strategies for polish R&D centers. We plan to share the know-how and contacts to the specialists which we have gathered over the years.
Support for young researchers
Our team consists of young people who know how optics and photonics are developed in Poland. We know that there are many amazing projects which all face similar, non-scientific challenges We realize that it is thanks to the young people who still believe that “it is possible” that projects and technologies of global importance are successfully developed every day.
The series of OPTO conferences is a great example. They began in 2005 and have since become a brand recognized around the world. According to our knowledge, it is the oldest and so far the only conference for young scientists which has been organised every year for 15 years straight.
We are convinced that there are many more such projects and people. Our dream is to make Candela their partner which will make it not only possible but also much more pleasant to implement all their ambitious projects. Within the framework of Candela’s numerous programs we first plan to support students, PhD students, young PhDs and young people working in optics- and photonics-related companies, research units and student orgainizations.
Inclusivity and diversity
In creative fields, which also applies to optics and photonics, the best ideas are generated when they are created by people of different backgrounds who look at a problem from a slightly different perspective. As Candela, we will support initiatives which promote openness, inclusiveness and respect for the variety of voices in the discussion. We believe that promoting diversity is one of the most important challenges of modern science. As a part of this priority, we plan to open an office where foreign people who decided to pursue their scientific career in Poland will be able to receive comprehensive help and assistance. We also plan to publish and update a special guide designed to answer all of the most frequently asked questions on this topic.
Flexibility and efficiency of operation
• Candela's first statutory activities •
Summer internships for students
Our first goal is to create a program which will enable students to take part in summer internships in the best research institutes in Poland. The program will be open to both domestic and international students. Its participants will be provided with financial and logistic support.
Optics and photonics outreach
Polish research on optics and photonics is carried out intensively with a majority of the projects being funded by the government or the European Union. In order to gain public support for this type of innovation, it is necessary to conduct consistent communication tailored to the ever-changing trends. To this end, Candela will initiate and support projects aimed at popularizing these areas of knowledge and facilitate the promotion of Polish achievements domestically and abroad.
Support for international students and employees
The internationalization of science in Poland is progressing as more and more people decide to pursue a part of their scientific career in Poland. Unfortunately, once the move is over they are often confronted with a myriad of problems related to the lack of information in English, unfamiliarity with the common practices or the unfriendliness of the local administration. The Candela Foundation office will create appropriate guides and provide adequate support for such people right here in Warsaw.
Organization of events and networking activities
Candela aspires to be a partner in the organization of scientific events. Using our know-how, contacts and materials we will be able to greatly simplify the whole process. Our goal is to make the act of organizating a conference, summer school or congress focused on the best possible use of the event's potential, rather than on solving some technical and administrative problems. Only this way will it be possible to efficiently facilitate networking, exchange of information and overall integration of the optical community in Poland.
• Sources of funding for the statutory activities •
The matter of finding adequate financing for the statutory activities is crucial to ensuring efficient operating of every foundation. In this case, we have decided that the Candela Foundation will have three sources of raising funds: direct support from the optical community, support from the government and an economic activity. It is worth pointing out that 100% of the profits from the latter will be used to fund Candela’s statutory activities.
Donations and contributions
As an element of the aforementioned transparency we have introduced a provision in the statute which allows the donor to indicate a specific area that he wants to support, in accordance with the foundation’s statute. What is more, the Statues were formulated in such a way that the Board of the Foundation is legally obliged to take into consideration any such request.