On 4 July 2023, the Presidium of the Polish Academy of Sciences made the decision to liquidate the Polish Institute of Advanced Studies (PIASt). After its more than six years of  operation, its results were less than satisfactory. Moreover, given the current difficult financial situation faced by the Polish Academy of Sciences itself, further supporting the Institute from the Academy’s budget has become impossible.

The Institute was intended to secure financing from a number of different sources, but has been unable to obtain funds from outside the Polish Academy of Sciences to cover its operating costs and ensure its development in keeping with its set goals.

The difficult decision to liquidate the PIASt was made after a series of analyses were prepared, with assistance from a team of experts. Various considerations were taken into account – not only the Institute’s performance to date, but also the broader context of its operation and the financial capabilities of the PAS.

The ideas and goals of the PIASt institute, including boosting the global visibility of the research results of Polish scientists and strengthening international cooperation, are certainly worth continuing. They are and will continue to be pursued by other organizational units of the Polish Academy of Sciences – including institutes operating under Division I – Humanities and Social Sciences, the Academy’s foreign scientific centers, and the Office of Foreign Cooperation at the Academy’s head office.

The Polish Institute for Advanced Studies (PIASt) was established in November 2016 and began operating within the structure of the Polish Academy of Sciences on 2 January 2017. Its goal was to facilitate the advancement of knowledge and innovation and to promote scientific progress in Poland. The Institute’s tasks were to engage in scientific research, to conduct and operate scientific projects co-financed with European Union funding and other foreign sources, and to cooperate with domestic and foreign scientific institutions in implementing the scientific research conducted by the Institute. The Institute also focused on organizing scientific meetings, research stays for scientists from foreign universities or other scientific or research units, organizing the recruitment of scholarship recipients, and ensuring that scientists adhere to stringent ethical standards (www.piast.pan.pl).