PASIFIC Fellowship Programme

The PASIFIC Fellowship Programme is a unique opportunity for researchers who want to undertake state-of-the-art research in a dynamic scientific environment. It will enable scholars of all nationalities and across all scientific disciplines to establish their scientific independence and conduct ground-breaking research.

For 2 years, the fellows will be hosted at one of the institutes within the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), which is one of the most prestigious research institutions in Poland. They will have the freedom to choose their research area, research supervisor, host institute as well as secondment organisations best suited for their research and career development.

The PASIFIC Fellows will be offered a monthly allowance of approx. €2,500 net. Those, who decide to come to Poland together with their families, may be entitled to an additional family allowance. In addition, they will be granted a research budget of up to €93,000 per project.

There are many reasons to apply for the PASIFIC Fellowship Programme, for instance:

The chance to conduct research in a dynamic research community

The Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS) is a network of PAS 68 research institutes and the International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology that cover all scientific disciplines. More than 2,000 outstanding researchers from Poland and beyond are employed at PAS institutes. The PASIFIC Fellowship offers an exceptional opportunity to join them!

Excellent research infrastructure

The Institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences offer an excellent infrastructure, supporting the highest calibre of research. The facilities available to incoming fellows include:

1. Field stations and experimental farms (i.e., The Institute of Dendrology, The Institute of Genetics and Animal Breeding, The Polish Primitive Horses Reserve at the Research Station in Popielno)
2. Polar stations (i.e., The Polish Polar Station at Hornsund Spitsbergen and the Henryk Arctowski Polish Station in Antarctica).
3. Research vessel in Oceania (The Institute of Oceanology operates the research vessel Oceania).
4. Botanical gardens and arboretum (The Centre for Biological Diversity Conservation in Powsin, The Mountain Botanical Garden in Zakopane, and The Kórnik Arboretum.
5. Libraries and archives (practically all the PAS institutes offer access to greatly equipped libraries and archives, including The Library of the Institute of Literary Research, The Library and Archive of the Institute of Art, and The Janusz Tazbir Library at the Institute of History.
6. Laboratories (i.e., numerous laboratories at The Institute of Psychology).

Comprehensive mentoring and training

As a PASIFIC Fellow, you will benefit from comprehensive mentoring and training offer as well as various activities supporting your scientific development, including:

• Carrying out a supervised individual research project at one of the institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
• Developing a Career Development Plan that defines your long-term goals and research directions.
• Participation in scientific and complementary workshops at the respective Host Institute of the PAS.
• Optionally, up to 6 months of a secondment to the non-academic sector or short visits to research and non-academic organisations worldwide that will strengthen the intersectoral and interdisciplinary transfer of knowledge.
• 11 types of workshops and seminars tackling issues such as research funding possibilities in Poland and beyond, project management, Intellectual Property Rights, and Big Data analysis.

Enhanced intersectoral cooperation

PASIFIC fellows will be strongly encouraged to serve an up to six-month secondment at a suitable academic or non-academic organisation located anywhere in the world. The fellows will have the freedom to choose an institution at which they would like to be hosted. Among other opportunities, they will have access to over 2400 industrial, governmental, and third sector partners collaborating with institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences, e.g., KGHM Polska Miedź S.A., Proteon Pharmaceuticals, Vista Laboratories, Dr Irena Eris SA, ADR System, hospitals, as well as Polish City Halls and Voivodship Marshal Offices.

Numerous research career opportunities after the fellowship

Research financing in Poland comes in large part from the state as well as from European programs such as Horizon 2020 and the EU structural funds, and to a lesser extent from the private sector. The most important research funding bodies in Poland include the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the National Science Centre, and the National Centre for Research Development.

In 2017, the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) was also established, to support academic exchange and international collaboration aimed at increasing the internationalisation of the Polish scientific community.