The range of topics addressed in the School is related to AMU meeting its obligations as a research university. It also follows from the need to form interdisciplinary specialist teams in the area of social sciences to facilitate the development of diverse and attractive academic offer to promote intensive international contacts, as well as the internationalization of research results. In this way, the topics in this project conform to the development of Polish academia, supporting the pursuit of the goals and priorities identified by the authors of tertiary education reform, for whom the concept of “academic excellence” is justifiably a key concept. Presentation of the meaning and multidimensionality of the concept of “academic excellence”, as well as model examples of its implementation, to doctoral students participating in the project is intended to significantly expand their methodological knowledge. It will inspire School participants to thoroughly consider the obligations of social scientists, as well as how they can effectively design and pursue their own research paths, enabling them to produce knowledge capable of generating interest and recognition within the international academic community. That is why the title of the initiative we propose stresses that the pursuit of academic excellence is a process. For this reason, we try to emphasize that the search for this begins with the accurate identification of potential sources. Additionally, academic excellence requires a well-thought-out program, the implementation of which should result in the research repertoires of young academics contributing to the development of “islands of academic excellence” in the social sciences which our University wants to identify in the coming years. These activities should translate into the multiplication of valuable research results achieved by AMU academics and discussed in prestigious journals and publications, as well as quoted and commented on by specialists of international renown.