About

The Institute of Advanced Studies of the University of Warsaw (IAS UW) is a university-wide organizational unit established to initiate and support large-scale, highly innovative research. Its mission is to create a space where different research traditions meet and intersect—from the exact and natural sciences to the humanities and social sciences.

The mission of IAS is to initiate and support large-scale interdisciplinary research requiring advanced infrastructure and/or complex organizational and financial support. The Institute seeks new research areas, fosters flexible forms of collaboration among scholars, supports the development of outstanding researchers from early and mid-career stages, and strengthens the international position of the University of Warsaw.

The Institute serves as an interdisciplinary hub, a platform for exchanging ideas and experiences, a place for establishing collaborations and building research teams. By combining different perspectives and methodologies, IAS encourages crossing disciplinary boundaries, inspires the creation of new research directions, and opens space for projects that do not fit within traditional institutional frameworks.

The goal of IAS is to shape a research environment capable of carrying out breakthrough scientific projects, to increase the university’s competitiveness on the international stage, and to promote the University of Warsaw’s scientific achievements in the global circulation of ideas and innovation.

Tasks of the Institute:

1. Shaping an environment conducive to scientific excellence:

• • supporting top-quality research,
  • initiating high risk–high gain projects that open new research directions and generate breakthrough results,
  • creating an environment that encourages bold and unconventional scientific initiatives.

2. Initiating and supporting interdisciplinary research:

• • creating conditions for projects that cross the boundaries of individual disciplines,
  • developing collaboration between the exact sciences, humanities, and social sciences,
  • promoting new research areas and risky but groundbreaking initiatives.

3. Supporting large-scale research projects::

• • coordinating research initiatives beyond the capacity of individual UW units,
  • managing projects requiring complex organizational and infrastructural support,
  • coordinating applications for large national and international research grants,
  • supporting the acquisition of external funding for the development of interdisciplinary research.

4. Development programs for researchers:

• • organizing fellowship-type programs for outstanding researchers at all career stages,
  • supporting mobility of staff and doctoral candidates through placements at renowned institutions,
  • creating conditions for the career development of early-stage researchers.

5. Creating a platform for exchange and collaboration:

• • organizing meetings, workshops, and seminars that bring together diverse academic communities,
  • building networks and spaces for sharing experience,
  • supporting the formation of interdisciplinary research teams,
  • co-organizing international scientific conferences,
  • building lasting research partnerships with leading scientific centers worldwide.

6. Promoting research and achievements of UW:

• • disseminating UW’s research achievements and strengthening the university’s international prestige,
  • promoting interdisciplinarity as a hallmark of the University,
  • shaping the image of UW as an open, innovative, and collaborative institution.