Skip to main content

Poland

Introduction

System landscape: Poland has a largely centralised higher education and research system overseen by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. Universities are the main employers of researchers, alongside the Polish Academy of Sciences and research institutes. Competitive funding is primarily provided by the National Science Centre (NCN) for basic research and the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR) for applied research.

Postdoc: Postdoctoral researchers are typically employed on fixed-term contracts funded by universities, national research grants (e.g. NCN), European programmes, or externally funded projects. Recruitment is competitive and increasingly values international mobility, publication record, and research independence.

Career progress: Academic careers usually progress from PhD to Assistant Professor (adiunkt), followed by University Professor and Full Professor. Promotion is based on research output, teaching, supervision, service, and success in obtaining competitive research funding.

Salaries and working conditions: Salaries are based on nationally regulated minimum pay scales and vary by rank and institution. Early-career researchers are commonly employed on fixed-term contracts, while permanent positions are associated with senior academic roles. Academic staff combine research, teaching, supervision, administration, and grant acquisition.

Openness to non-nationals: Poland is increasingly open to international researchers through European research programmes and university internationalisation. English is widely used in research, although Polish may be required for teaching and long-term academic careers.

Job search: Academic vacancies are advertised on university websites, EURAXESS, national recruitment portals, and the websites of research funding agencies. Research positions are also circulated through professional networks and European academic platforms.

Higher Education Overview

Poland's higher education system is part of the European (Bologna-aligned) framework and is characterised by a largely centralised governance structure. Responsibility for higher education and research policy rests with the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, while universities enjoy considerable institutional autonomy in teaching, research, and internal governance. The system has undergone significant reforms in recent years, particularly following the 2018 Law on Higher Education and Science, aimed at strengthening research excellence and international competitiveness.

Polish universities are predominantly public institutions and constitute the core of the country's higher education and research system. Alongside universities, the sector includes universities of applied sciences (akademie nauk stosowanych), which focus primarily on professionally oriented education with more limited research activity. Private higher education institutions also operate in Poland, although they generally have a smaller role in research and postdoctoral education.

Research and postdoctoral employment are concentrated mainly within universities, the institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN), and specialised research institutes, including the Łukasiewicz Research Network. Competitive research funding is provided primarily by the National Science Centre (NCN) for basic research and the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR) for applied research and innovation. These organisations support doctoral and postdoctoral researchers through research grants, fellowships, and international collaboration programmes, while universities increasingly employ postdoctoral researchers through nationally and internationally funded research projects.

Academic Career Structure and Progression

The Polish academic career system is characterised by a largely centralised legal framework combined with institutional autonomy in recruitment and promotion. Higher education and research policy are overseen by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, while universities determine appointment procedures within national regulations. Academic careers generally progress from doctoral training to professorial positions, with research performance, teaching, publication record, grant success, and increasing internationalisation shaping career advancement.

Typical academic career pathway

1. Doctoral researcher (PhD candidate)

Doctoral researchers are usually enrolled in doctoral schools and receive scholarships rather than being employed as university staff, although some are hired through externally funded research projects. Doctoral education normally lasts four years and combines dissertation research with professional development, teaching, and research training. Funding is provided through university scholarships, competitive research grants, and European programmes.

2. Postdoctoral researcher

Postdoctoral positions are typically fixed-term appointments funded through competitive research grants from the National Science Centre (NCN), the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR), the Foundation for Polish Science (FNP), European programmes, or externally funded projects. Postdoctoral researchers are expected to strengthen their publication record, develop research independence, supervise students, and contribute to grant applications and international collaborations.

3. Assistant Professor (Adiunkt)

Assistant Professor is the first permanent or long-term academic rank following the PhD, although some researchers first complete postdoctoral appointments. The role combines research, teaching, supervision, and administrative responsibilities. Academics are expected to establish an independent research profile, publish internationally, obtain external funding, and contribute to university life.

4. University Professor (Profesor uczelni)

Promotion to University Professor is based on demonstrated research excellence, teaching achievements, supervision experience, and institutional service. Academics at this level often lead research groups, supervise doctoral candidates, manage research projects, and take on greater leadership responsibilities within their departments.

5. Professor (Profesor)

The title of Professor represents the highest academic distinction in Poland and is conferred by the President of Poland following a national evaluation procedure. Professors are expected to demonstrate internationally recognised research achievements, sustained publication excellence, successful grant acquisition, extensive supervision experience, and academic leadership. They frequently lead research centres, shape institutional research strategies, and represent their universities in national and international collaborations.

Career expectations and progression

Across all career stages, advancement depends primarily on:

  • research quality and publication record;
  • success in obtaining competitive national and European research funding;
  • teaching and supervision experience;
  • international collaboration and research mobility;
  • service to the university and academic community;
  • leadership in research projects and academic networks.

Increasing emphasis is also placed on international visibility, interdisciplinary collaboration, and participation in European research programmes.

Employment structure

Academic employment in Poland is concentrated within public universities, the institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences, and public research institutes. Early-career researchers are frequently employed on fixed-term contracts linked to research funding, while permanent appointments become more common at Assistant Professor level and above. Although universities provide institutional funding, competitive external grants play an increasingly important role throughout academic careers.

Recruitment and selection

Academic recruitment is organised by individual universities through open competitions conducted under national regulations. Vacancies are advertised on university websites, EURAXESS, and national academic recruitment portals. Selection typically involves evaluation of research achievements, publication record, teaching experience, research plans, and interviews or research presentations. For senior positions, successful grant acquisition, doctoral supervision, international research experience, and academic leadership are important selection criteria.

Sources: https://www.studies-in-poland.pl/s/4019/76811-Glossary.htm

https://biotech.uwr.edu.pl/en/first-year-students-guide/academic-career-structure-in-poland/

https://english.swps.pl/images/DOKUMENTY/oferty-pracy/Academic_career_path_in_Poland.pdf

Salaries

Academic salaries in Poland are based on nationally regulated minimum salary scales established by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, although universities may offer higher remuneration depending on their financial resources and internal policies. Salaries vary according to academic rank, seniority, qualifications, and responsibilities in research, teaching, and administration. Researchers employed through externally funded projects may receive additional remuneration depending on grant conditions.

Approximate gross monthly salaries (2025 estimates):

  • Doctoral researcher €700–1,200*
  • Postdoctoral researcher €2,300–3,500
  • Assistant Professor (Adiunkt) €2,400–3,800
  • University Professor €3,500–5,000
  • Professor €4,500–6,500+

* Doctoral researchers typically receive tax-exempt doctoral scholarships rather than employment salaries, although some are employed through research projects.

Additional benefits may include:

  • comprehensive social security coverage (for employees) and pension contributions,
  • paid annual leave and public holidays,
  • parental leave and family-related benefits,
  • annual salary adjustments following changes to national minimum academic salaries,
  • access to internal research funding, mobility grants, and professional development programmes,
  • reduced teaching loads for academics leading major externally funded research projects.

Salaries and benefits vary depending on:

  • academic rank and seniority,
  • institution and available university funding,
  • source of funding (institutional versus externally funded positions),
  • administrative or leadership responsibilities,
  • discipline and faculty-specific policies,
  • success in obtaining competitive research grants.

Although salary negotiation is limited, academic careers offer stable employment conditions, particularly after obtaining permanent appointments. Career progression is primarily achieved through promotion to higher academic ranks, while externally funded research grants can provide salary supplements, additional research resources, and teaching relief.

Sources: https://eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu/eurypedia/poland/conditions-service-academic-staff-working-higher-education

https://www.academicjobs.com/pl/salaries

https://ug.edu.pl/news/en/6727/significant-salary-increases-ug-employees

Job Security

Permanent academic positions in Poland are relatively limited and highly competitive, particularly compared to the large number of temporary doctoral, postdoctoral, and project-based research roles available at earlier career stages. Academic careers are typically characterised by extended periods of fixed-term employment linked to research grants before securing stable or permanent university appointments.

Unlike systems with a single national accreditation body, Poland relies on institutional recruitment and promotion processes operating within a national legal framework overseen by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. Career progression is strongly shaped by research output, publication record, teaching experience, doctoral supervision, international mobility, and success in obtaining competitive funding from bodies such as the National Science Centre and European programmes like MSCA and ERC. Tenure-like stability is typically associated with promotion to Assistant Professor (Adiunkt) and higher ranks, but permanent positions remain limited and competitive.

Once secured, stable academic employment, particularly at senior levels, offers strong job security within the public university system. Academic staff benefit from public-sector employment protections, predictable salary structures, and social security coverage. However, advancement to permanent and senior positions is often slow and depends on institutional needs, funding availability, and periodic recruitment competitions rather than automatic tenure-track progression.

Barriers for International Scholars

Poland is increasingly open to international researchers and actively participates in European research and funding frameworks. Many doctoral schools and postdoctoral positions are open to international applicants, and English is widely used in research environments, particularly in larger and more internationalised universities.

However, several structural and practical barriers may still apply:

  • While English is common in research, Polish is often required for teaching duties, administrative responsibilities, and long-term institutional integration.
  • Career structures and promotion procedures can vary between universities, with differences in expectations and internal regulations.
  • Permanent positions are scarce and typically filled through highly competitive open calls based on research excellence, teaching experience, and institutional fit.
  • Informal networks and prior collaboration with institutions can play a role in recruitment, especially for senior academic roles.
  • Many academic careers remain dependent on continued success in securing competitive external funding, particularly in early and mid-career stages.

At the same time, Polish universities are increasingly internationalised in research activities and actively participate in EU-funded projects and mobility schemes. While research environments are often English-friendly, long-term career progression may require deeper integration into national academic structures and, in some cases, proficiency in Polish.

Sources: https://www.euraxess.pl/poland/science-poland

https://researchinpoland.org/key-figures/

https://nawa.gov.pl/images/Poland-My-first-choice/PMFC_NAWA_EN.pdf

List of Universities and Research Institutions

List of Universities in Poland

Poland has a medium-sized but increasingly research-intensive higher education system fully integrated into the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and aligned with the Bologna structure (bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate). The system is primarily public and centrally regulated, with governance and funding coordinated at the national level by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. Universities enjoy institutional autonomy in research and teaching, but operate within a national legal and funding framework.

Alongside universities, Poland has a strong system of public research institutes, most notably the institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences, as well as sectoral and applied research organisations such as the Łukasiewicz Research Network. Research activity is strongly shaped by competitive project funding and European integration. Universities and research institutes are the main employers of doctoral and postdoctoral researchers, with increasing participation in EU-funded research collaborations.

Among Poland’s most prominent universities are:

  • University of Warsaw
  • Jagiellonian University in Kraków
  • Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań
  • SGH Warsaw School of Economics
  • Warsaw University of Technology
  • AGH University of Kraków
  • University of Wrocław
  • Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń

In addition to the public higher education sector, Poland also hosts a number of private higher education institutions and specialised international academic institutions that may offer postdoctoral opportunities, often through project-based or institution-specific recruitment procedures. These positions may not always appear in national recruitment systems, making it worthwhile to monitor individual institutional websites and career pages. Examples include the College of Europe (Natolin Campus), Kozminski University, and SWPS University, particularly in the social sciences, humanities, law, and business.

Major Research Organisations and Funding Bodies

National Science Centre (NCN) – The main agency funding basic research in Poland. NCN supports competitive research grants that often include funding for doctoral candidates and postdoctoral researchers embedded in project teams. It is the most important source of postdoctoral-level research funding in the humanities, social sciences, and basic sciences.

National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR) – National Centre for Research and Development focuses on applied research, innovation, and industry collaboration. It funds large-scale research projects that often employ postdoctoral researchers within research teams.

Foundation for Polish Science (FNP) – Foundation for Polish Science is the most prestigious private-public science foundation in Poland. It supports researchers through competitive schemes such as START (early-career), First Team, and international mobility-focused programmes. It plays a key role in supporting excellence-based research careers.

At the European level, programmes such as Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions and European Research Council are central for postdoctoral funding. Polish universities are highly active in these schemes and frequently host MSCA fellows and ERC-funded projects.

Postdoctoral funding and career options

Poland does not have a single unified postdoctoral fellowship system equivalent to some Western European countries. Instead, postdoctoral researchers are mainly funded through competitive research projects and targeted grant schemes. The main pathways include:

  • NCN research grants (OPUS, SONATA, SONATA BIS) – These are the most common source of postdoctoral employment. Postdocs are hired as project staff on fixed-term contracts within grant-funded research teams. SONATA BIS is particularly important for building independent research profiles.
  • FNP programmes (e.g. First Team, international mobility schemes) – Highly competitive funding aimed at developing independent research groups and supporting career development, often including postdoctoral positions within larger projects.
  • NCBR projects – Provide postdoctoral roles mainly in applied research, innovation, and industry-linked projects.
  • MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships – A key international route, allowing researchers to bring funding to Polish institutions or join existing EU-funded teams.
  • ERC grants (Starting, Consolidator, Advanced) – While not postdoctoral fellowships per se, ERC projects hosted in Poland frequently employ postdocs as core research staff.
  • University-based internal schemes – Some universities offer limited internal postdoctoral competitions or co-funding schemes (often linked to strategic recruitment or internationalisation initiatives), but these are less central than external grant funding.

Overall, postdoctoral careers in Poland are highly project-based, with employment tied to competitive grants rather than stable fellowship systems. This creates strong opportunities for research mobility and international collaboration, but also means that long-term career stability depends heavily on continued success in securing external funding and integration into large research projects.

Academic Job Portals and Professional Resources

General Academic Job Posting Websites

  • EURAXESS Poland – Main portal for academic and research vacancies, especially for international applicants
  • Research in Poland Job Portal
  • Academic Positions
  • Akademicka Baza Ogłoszen
  • University websites (most Polish universities advertise positions directly on institutional recruitment pages)
  • National recruitment announcements published in accordance with Polish higher education law (open competition requirement)

Funding and Mobility Resources

Discipline-Specific Resources

History

Economics

Law

Political and Social Sciences

Academic Unions and Representative Organisations

  • Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland (KRASP)
  • Polish Academy of Sciences – also acts as a major research institution and academic coordination body
  • NSZZ “Solidarność” – education and academic sector representation, based at individual universities
  • ZNP (Polish Teachers’ Union – Związek Nauczycielstwa Polskiego) – represents academic and education staff in public institutions

Additional Information

Gender and diversity

Polish universities have increasingly developed gender equality and diversity initiatives, partly driven by institutional strategies and European Union funding requirements. Many universities now have equality officers or diversity-related units, and formal policies addressing recruitment fairness, anti-discrimination, harassment prevention, and work–life balance. Participation in EU-funded projects also reinforces the need to demonstrate gender equality plans and inclusive research environments.

Despite these developments, gender inequalities remain visible across academic career stages. Women are well represented at the doctoral and early-career levels but remain underrepresented in senior academic and leadership positions. In response, some institutions have introduced mentoring schemes, leadership training, and family-support policies, although implementation varies significantly across universities. Broader diversity initiatives (e.g. disability inclusion, socioeconomic background, internationalisation) are present but less systematically developed compared to some Western European systems.

Age and career timing

Academic careers in Poland are often marked by extended periods of temporary employment, particularly at the doctoral and postdoctoral stages, where many positions are project-based. Researchers typically progress through doctoral school and several short-term contracts before securing more stable academic appointments such as Assistant Professor (Adiunkt).

As a result, long-term stability is often achieved relatively late, frequently in the mid-30s or beyond. Career progression is highly dependent on publication output, international experience, and success in obtaining competitive funding from bodies such as the National Science Centre and European programmes. While the system remains competitive and funding-dependent, it is relatively structured within national legal frameworks, with formal promotion procedures and clear academic ranks.

Number of positions

The Polish academic system shows a strong imbalance between temporary research positions and permanent academic posts. Doctoral and postdoctoral roles funded through universities, the National Science Centre, the National Centre for Research and Development, and European programmes significantly outnumber permanent or long-term university appointments. Competition for stable academic positions is therefore high, especially in the humanities and social sciences.

At the same time, Poland’s integration into European research funding schemes (including MSCA and ERC-funded projects) generates a relatively large number of short- and medium-term research opportunities. While these positions support mobility and career development, they often do not guarantee a direct pathway to permanent employment within the same institution.

Resources on residence, taxes and social support

https://researchinpoland.org/entry-and-residence/

https://www.euraxess.pl/poland/information-assistance