Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: An Exhibition of Polish Scientific Legacy opens up in Brussels

Six foreign stations of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS) jointly conceived and developed the exhibition titled ‘Standing on the Shoulders of Giants. Polish Scientist and Scholars in Europe – legacy and present day’ — a visual and intellectual journey through the legacy of Polish science, and its living connections to the challenges and priorities of Europe today. The exhibition was inaugurated in Brussels on 23^rd June 2025 and it will soon embark on the passage via selected European capitals.

EXHIBITION CELEBRATING THE CONTINUITY OF POLISH SCIENCE IN A EUROPEAN CONTEXT

The idea for the exhibition arose from the need to jointly showcase the achievements of Polish scientists in a European context, with particular emphasis on Poland’s historical heritage and its contemporary presence in the European research area. It aims not only at presenting the profiles of outstanding scientists, but also at showing their contemporary successors and linking their work to the priorities of European Union R&I policies, including the Horizon Europe programme.

Drawing on the metaphor made famous in the Middle Ages — standing on the shoulders of giants — the exhibition invites us to reflect on how today’s discoveries are anchored in the foundations laid by pioneering figures of the past. It is through the lens of historical and cultural continuity that we connect the early visions of Maria Skłodowska-Curie, Jan Czochralski, or Zofia Kielan-Jaworowska with the groundbreaking work of their modern successors.

The exhibition is divided into several thematic sections that illustrate the achievements of Polish scientists in few priority scientific areas, referencing at the same time key R&I areas of the Horizon Europe programme:, i.e.:

• Medicine & immunology linked to Cluster I – Health
• Culture & history linked to Cluster II – Culture, society and democracy
• Physics & chemistry linked to Cluster IV – Industry and digital technologies
• Climate science & biodiversity linked to Clusters V and VI

By doing so, the exhibition showcases the continuation of ideas and values via development of new research concepts by contemporary scientists and / or research centers. Moreover the presented examples are embedded in the context of European funding, with examples of researchers who have participated in mobility fellowships, research networks and international projects supported by the EU, in particular MSCA instruments, ERC grants and EU partnerships.

STRUCTURE OF THE EXHIBITION – INTERGENERATIONAL PAIRINGS

With the above in mind, we’re honoured to highlight Polish academic personalities of the past and of modern days, who were carefully selected to become protagonists of the exhibition.

SUMMARY

By highlighting these intergenerational connections, the exhibition underscores the virtue of heritage as a living force in science. It reminds us that progress is not a rejection of the past, but a conversation with it — one where ideas evolve, but values endure. In this way, the Polish Academy of Sciences affirms its role not only as a scientific institution, but as a guardian of memory and builder of the future, ensuring that excellence, mobility, and cooperation remain at the heart of Europe’s research agenda.

EXHIBITION PREMIERE IN BRUSSELS

The exhibition had its premiere at the Transnational Science Cooperation: Fostering Collaborative Research in Europe and Poland conference organized by Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange – NAWA that was held on 23 and 24 June 2025. The conference brought together about 100 researchers, policy-makers and institutional leaders to discuss the evolving landscape of international science cooperation. The event was hosted at the NCBR Office Brussels  where, thanks to NCBR’s exceptional hospitality, the exhibition will be presented until mid-July 2025.

On 30th June 2025, at the very end of the Polish presidency, the exhibition was presented at the cocktail party that was hosted by Magdalena Kula, Polish Research Attaché at the residence of the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Poland to the European Union. The event gathered research attachés from other EU/EFTA countries that work the Council of the EU in the Working Party on Research. The representatives of General Secretariat of the Council and DG for Research and Innovation of the European Commission were guests at the reception.

While the inauguration took place in Brussels, the exhibition will begin a European tour in the second half of the year, with stops planned especially in cities hosting the PAS foreign stations — including Berlin, Kyiv, Paris, Rome, and Vienna — thus reinforcing its pan-European reach and diplomatic visibility.

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The driving force in developing the concept was Prof. Igor Kąkolewski (director of CBH PAs in Berlin) and Dr Tomasz Poprawka (director of PolSCA PAs in Brussels), while Andrzej Hoja (CBH PAS, Berlin) was responsible for coordinating the curatorial project.

However, all six the foreign stations were involved in gathering materials for the exhibition, searching the archives and contacting the researchers, they are as follows:

Berlin – Centre for Historical Research (CBH PAN)

Brussels – Polish Science Contact Agency (PolSCA)

Kyiv – PAS Representative Office

Paris – PAS Scientific Centre in Paris

Rome – PAS Scientific Centre in Rome

Vienna – PAN Scientific Centre

The whole project was carried out thanks to the cooperation of a team of researchers, curators, graphic designers and experts from scientific institutions in Poland and abroad and was financed entirely with PAS own funds via grant to CBH Berlin. The exhibition will travel to several other European capitals later this year.

GALLERY below: