The Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN) is a national research institution founded in Warsaw in 1952. Its mission is to work comprehensively to further the advancement of science, in the service of society and for the enrichment of Poland’s national culture, while adhering to the highest standards of research quality and ethical norms. The Academy is an elected body of scholars, including national members (ordinary and corresponding members) and also foreign members. The number of national members is limited to a maximum of 350. New members of the Academy are chosen by the General Assembly from among candidate scholars who have made outstanding contributions to their fields and command respect among the scientific community.

As a community of scientists, the Academy is structured into a set of Divisions, Territorial Branches, scientific and task-force committees, a Polish Young Academy that promotes the research and development work of outstanding young scientists, a Committee for Ethics in Science, and an Audit Committee that oversees the financial and economic activity of the Academy. The affairs of these various Academy-level institutions are the responsibility of the Deans of the Divisions, whereas the research units themselves are overseen by the chair and deputy chair of the Council of Provosts of each Division.

Challenges

The Polish Academy of Sciences try to satisfy the urge to seek the truth, a desire deeply rooted in Polish culture, to expand the horizon of knowledge beyond the current limits, and to be actively involved in shaping reality. By presenting systematic data gathered through observation, experimentation, and deduction, the academy scientists and members respond to the human yearning to better understand both the world around us and the mechanisms that govern the inner world of the human mind.

Sharing knowledge is one of the most important challenges we face nowadays. To meet it, PAN strives to make effective use of new means of communication, in a way that ensures that such modern-day tools benefit all generations of researchers by promoting Polish research and opening up new inroads for science to enter the business, cultural, and social realms.

PAN mission is thus to act, but also to encourage others to act. The Academy wants to inspire and motivate people – both young people and those already a bit older – to seek answers for themselves. It stimulates their sense of engagement, encourages them to commit themselves to learning and education, to the pursuit of knowledge, to working for the common good, and also to enjoy themselves at science festivals, exhibitions, and meetings with scientists organized throughout the country and beyond.

Academy members work together with the entire research community. They try to integrate that community and, by setting standards of action, to facilitate public discussion of science-related issues, which in today’s world must be cherished as a global good.

PAN continued betterment and development as an institution is made possible by people – by the recipients of what it does, by the country’s scientific cadre, and by collaborators throughout the world, with whom PAN engage in joint projects and jointly promote science. And also by a huge number of institutions, colleges and universities, organizations and companies, who share the passions and devotion.

Missions

• pursuing advanced research at its scientific units, of strategic importance for the development of science and the economy;
• organizing large, frequently interdisciplinary research teams, involving the concentration of modern research hardware;
• integrating Poland’s research community in close cooperation with universities and research units;
• supporting various forms of international research cooperation;
• educating young scholars in doctoral and post-graduate programs and supporting those just starting out on a career in research;
• putting the results of scientific research to innovative use, including via cooperation with the business community;
• formulating opinions and producing expert studies on science and policy issues of fundamental importance;
• promoting greater public awareness of science.