MAŁGORZATA SIKORA-GACA – Ph.D. in Humanities, field of specialization: Political Science; Structural Funds Specialist. In 2007, she graduated from Kazimierz Wielki University (UKW) in Bydgoszcz, obtaining a master’s degree – MA major in European Integration. In 2008, she took a research internship at the Polish Embassy in the Republic of Moldova. In the same year, she also participated in the first Polish-Moldavian School organized by the Center for Eastern Studies of the University of Warsaw. In 2010, at the Faculty of Political Science and International Studies at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, she defended her doctoral thesis on the party system of the Republic of Moldova, led by professor Jacek Knopek. In years 2011-2018, she was an assistant professor in the Faculty of Humanities at the Koszalin University of Technology, where she was the patron of the MA major: European Project Management. Since 1st March 2018, she is the assistant professor at the Faculty of Political Science and Administration in the Department of International Relations. Since 2019, chairman of the Council of the field of study: Innovation and Public Sphere Management. The author of the curriculum and head of the postgraduate studies: “Accessibility Management – Accessibility Specialist” at the Faculty of Political Sciences and Administration of the UKW in the 2020/2021 academic year. Supervisor of the Milion Ludzi Wyobraźni (Million People of Imagination) student organization and research clubs at the UKW Faculty in 2018-2021.
She is the head and coordinator of projects co-financed from the EU funds in 2007-2013 and 2014-2020 financial perspectives. In 2009-2012, she was the organizer and participant of many economic missions led in foreign markets (e.g. in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Croatia, Hungary, Russia, Armenia, Georgia, Turkmenistan, Latvia and Mongolia) under the Innovative Economy Operational Program. She is an expert in “hard” investment projects. In the years 2012-2018, she has been the coordinator of projects co-realized with leading cultural institutions in Poland and abroad. An expert in the programs of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage. The author of the project implemented jointly with the Ministry of Investment and Development: “European funds in Poland – political and socio-economic conditions” (Contract no DIP/BDG-II/POPT/215/19). The event took the second place on the ranking list of the Ministry of Investment and Development in the “Together on European funds” competition. The National Scientific Conference was held on October 23-24, 2019, and the entire event was financed from the Technical Assistance Operational Program for 2014-2020. Project manager for: COVID-19 Investment Support Fund implemented in 2020, as part of the Regional Operational Program of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian province, and in ongoing capital grants for the SME sector in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian and Greater Poland provinces.
Małgorzata Sikora – Gaca is the Member of the Polish Society of Political Science, member of the board in the Political Leadership section of the PSPS. Member of the International Political Science Association (IPSA) in 2017-2021 and European Union Studies Association (EUSA) – EU Political Economy Interest Section in 2017-2019. Member of the board of science at Sofra Health Center. Member of the research team in ”Party Leaders Database” international project:(http://party-leaders.eu/). Member of the Regional Development Forum. She is an expert involved in cooperation under the Development Strategy for the Kuyavian-Pomeranian province.
Advisor and supervisor of 53 BA and 34 MA dissertations.
Between 2015-2017: editorial secretary at “Symbolae Europaeae” magazine. In 2016: reviewer at “Pogranicze. Polish Borderland Studies”. In 2018: reviewer at “Studia Gdańskie. Wizje i rzeczywistość” and „Przedsiębiorczość i Zarządzanie”. In 2019: reviewer at “Polish Political Science Review. Polski Przegląd Politologiczny”. Since 2019, she is a member of the Scientific Council of the “Acta Salutem Scientiae” journal.
The main areas of her research interest are: Eastern European party systems (especially of the Republic of Moldova) and European Funds. She has been dealing with the topics of the latter since 2007, which translates into cooperation with private and public sectors.
Key words: Structural Funds, European projects, EU grants settlement, party systems, Moldova