On 24 October in the Palace on the Water in Royal Łazienki Park a ceremony was held to sign an agreement initiating the creation of an interdisciplinary Programme of Studies on Contemporary Poland at Oxford University. The agreement was signed by Dr Leszek Czarnecki and the rector of Oxford University's St. Antony's College, Margaret MacMillan.

The Programme at Oxford was set up in response to the challenge to strengthen Poland's position in international relations. It is to be a workshop of "ambassadors and friends of contemporary Poland" – a place where the future leaders and decision-makers from all over the world studying at this most prestigious of European educational institutions will be able to learn about Poland as a regional leader and economic power house. The initiators at Oxford are prominent authorities, e.g. Professor Timothy Garton Ash and Professor Norman Davies. The project is funded by Dr Leszek Czarnecki and Getin Noble Bank, who, when making the initial donation to the Programme, announced that private banking clients would be engaged long term in the project. To this end, the St. Antony’s College Oxford Noble Foundation has been set up. Honorary patrons of the Programme are former Polish prime minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki and Professor Zbigniew Pełczyński.

The signing of the agreement saw the official start of St. Antony’s Oxford Noble Foundation's activities to promote a positive image of modern-day Poland abroad, particularly among future elite and opinion leaders studying and researching at Oxford University. The aim is for the Programme to be run in other centres too and the Foundation's role is also to raise funds for the Programme, the development of new ventures, grant initiatives and other educational and academic purposes.

DZP had the pleasure of participating in the process to set up the Foundation and in work on regulating the legal relations between the Foundation, the funding entities and St. Antony’s College. The project was run by lawyers from the Capital Markets and Financial Institutions Practice: Andrzej Foltyn, Piotr Jackowski and Maciej Zajda.