Structure Polish Academy of Sciences

The PAS Space Research Center, Poland’s only unit dealing with human activity in space, developed and assembled the subcomponents of Lem and Heweliusz – the first Polish research satellites, which are now in Earth orbit. The satellites form part of the Bright Target Explorer (BRITE) international consortium, making precise measurements of the brightest stars in our galaxy.

The European Social Survey (ESS) is one of the largest and most important European research projects in the social sciences. In Poland it is carried out by the PAS Institute of Philosophy and Sociology. Under the EES project, a unique research method has been developed, making it possible to create maps illustrating shifts in social attitudes on key issues, the modification of value systems and human behavior. The survey provides a reliable source of information about the residents of the European Union. The data is available free-of-charge at www.europeansocialsurvey.org.

This new initiative is the largest and most state-of-the-art center of its kind in Poland, studying renewable energy technologies, and one of three such facilities in Europe. It is meant to be a place for scientific research as well as for developing applications in the field of “plus-energy” technologies for homes, settlements, hospitals and schools, which will enable them to generate more energy than they themselves consume. The project coordinator is the Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery, PAS, in Gdańsk.