Mgr inż. Mateusz Piejak – 1st year of education at the Doctoral School
Mgr inż. Michał Arciszewski – 4th year of education at the Doctoral School
Discipline: Biological Sciences
University of Cagliari, Centre for the Conservation of Biodiversity (CCB)

From 13 to 17 April 2026, we completed a scientific internship at the Centre for the Conservation of Biodiversity (CCB) of the University of Cagliari, Italy. The aim of the visit was to develop research and fieldwork competencies related to biodiversity conservation and to learn about methods applied in active and ex situ conservation.

During the mobility period, we participated in meetings with the research team of the host institution, during which we became acquainted with the Centre’s scope of activities and its ongoing research projects. We also took part in discussions concerning research methods and opportunities for further scientific collaboration.

An important component of the internship was work at the seed bank, where we learned about procedures related to the collection, preparation, and storage of plant material. We also participated in laboratory studies focused on assessing the quality of biological material.

As part of the internship, we took part in fieldwork involving the observation of natural habitats and the monitoring of selected plant populations. We also participated in activities related to assessing threats to habitats and evaluating the effectiveness of ongoing conservation measures.

The internship enabled us to expand our knowledge and competencies in field research methods, environmental monitoring, and practical measures related to biodiversity conservation. The experience gained will be used in our further scientific work and in the implementation of our doctoral research.

The PROM program – short-term academic exchange is funded by the European Union as part of the project entitled “Short-term academic exchange as a way to improve the quality of education at institutions of higher education and science” with the number FERS.01.05-IP.08-0218/23.

Pic. 1. Staff and the director of the Centre for the Conservation of Biodiversity (CCB) and Seed Bank

Pic. 2. An introduction to the research projects being carried out at the CCB.

Pic. 3. Seed bank – isolation of Opuntia ficus-indica seeds

Pic. 4. Sardinian Germplasm Bank (BG-SAR)