The Polish Academy of Sciences (, PAN) is a Polish state-sponsored institution of higher learning. Headquartered in Warsaw, it is responsible for spearheading the development of science across the country by a society of distinguished scholars and a network of research institutes. It was established in 1951, during the early period of the Polish People's Republic following World War II. History The Polish Academy of Sciences is a Polish state-sponsored institution of higher learning, headquartered in Warsaw, that was established by the merger of earlier science societies, including the Polish Academy of Learning (Polska Akademia Umiejętności, abbreviated PAU), with its seat in Kraków, and the Warsaw Society of Friends of Learning (Science), which had been founded in the late 18th century. The Polish Academy of Sciences functions as a learned society acting through an elected assembly of leading scholars and research institutions. The Academy has also, operating through its committees, become a major scientific advisory body. Another aspect of the Academy is its coordination and overseeing of numerous (several dozen) research institutes. PAN institutes employ over 2,000 people and are funded by about a third of the Polish government's budget for science. Leadership The Polish Academy of Sciences is led by a President, elected by the assembly of Academy members for a four-year term, together with a number of Vice Presidents. The President for the 2019–2022 term was Prof. Jerzy Duszyński (his second term in the post), together with five Vice Presidents: Prof. Stanisław Czuczwar, Prof. Stanisław Filipowicz, Prof. Paweł Rowiński, Prof. Roman Słowiński, and Prof. Romuald Zabielski. On 20 October 2022, General Assembly of the Polish Academy of Sciences elected Prof. Marek Konarzewski to become the new President of the Academy for the 2023–2026 term. On 8 December 2022, another session of General Assembly of the Academy elected four Vice Presidents at the recommendation of the President Elect; as such Prof. Mirosława Ostrowska, Prof. Natalia Sobczak, and Prof. Dariusz Jemielniak, and Prof. Aleksander Welfe were elected as Vice Presidents of the Academy for the 2023–2026 term. All the Presidents of the Polish Academy of Sciences to date, by term, are as follows: 1952–1956: Jan Bohdan Dembowski 1957–1962: Tadeusz Kotarbiński 1962–1971: Janusz Groszkowski 1971–1977: Włodzimierz Trzebiatowski 1977–1980: Witold Nowacki 1980–1983: Aleksander Gieysztor 1984–1990: Jan Karol Kostrzewski 1990–1992: Aleksander Gieysztor 1993–1998: Leszek Kuźnicki 1999–2001: Mirosław Mossakowski 2002–2003: Jerzy Kołodziejczak 2003–2006: Andrzej Legocki 2007–2014: Michał Kleiber 2015–2018: Jerzy Duszyński 2019–2022: Jerzy Duszyński