The Polish Academy of Sciences maintains the strongest research network in the country, consisting of 68 independent research Institutes (plus the International Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology). The PAS Institutes are engaged in carrying out top-notch research projects in almost all scientific fields. They generate the inventions, patents, and scientific advances that are the Academy’s hallmark, helping to expand humanity’s horizons and change the world in a positive way.  

Like all research institutions in Poland, the Institutes affiliated with the Polish Academy of Sciences are subject to strict period evaluation in terms of the quality of research work done there in particular disciplines. In all, 17 of the disciplines practiced at the PAS Institutes have received the highest category (A+ – awarded to the top elite of Polish science) in the latest evaluation. Another 40 received the next-highest category (A). This is well above the average for research institutions in the country as a whole.

All told, the Institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences employ more than 9,000 people, including nearly 4,100 researchers. The internationalization rate of scientific staff across all the Institutes is 8%, although the ratio is significantly higher at some centers. For example, the PAS Center for Theoretical Physics employs 40% foreign scholars, the Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center employs 31%, and the PAS Institute of Physical Chemistry and the PAS Institute of Mathematics employ 25% (October 2021 data).

The PAS Institutes regularly receive grants from the National Science Center (NCN) and the National Center for Research and Development (NCBR). They have won a total of 103 million euros under the EU’s Horizon 2020 program (implemented from 2014-2020) – the best result among Polish scientific units.

Also noteworthy are the 5 Dioscuri Centers of Scientific Excellence supported by Germany’s Max Planck Society – international research groups established at PAS Institutes and led by prominent researchers.

The institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences (plus the International Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology) have so far won 17 prestigious European Research Council (ERC) grants. Such grants mean not only major funding for projects, but also a globally recognized “seal of approval” for the quality of a scientist’s work.

Taken together, Institutes strongly contribute to the Academy’s reputation and brand. However, they are each separate entities, maintaining their own legal personality. Below is a list of all the scientific institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences (grouped by the Division of the Academy with which they are affiliated).