APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200070028-8
particular fields of economics, technology, and science. PAN cooperates with the state administrative bodies that supervise higher education in the planning and establishment of the curriculums and in arranging postgraduate courses. The PAN, with headquarters in Warsaw, subsidizes research by scientific workers throughout the country and submits proposals to the government which relate to organization of research, the equipment of scientific centers, and the financing of research in its own facilities and in the universities. It trains scientific workers in its own scientific research establishments, confers doctorate degrees, and grants scholarships in accordance with the requirements of the Ministry of Education and Training and the Ministry of Finance. In Poland and abroad, it organizes scientific meetings and participates actively in scientific conferences.
PAN is organized into six sections: Social Sciences; Biological Sciences; Mathematical, Physical, Chemical, Geological and Geographical Sciences; Technical Sciences; Agricultural and Forestry Sciences; and Medical Sciences. Sixty-three scientific societies, including the Polish Chemical Society, the Polish Physical Society, the Polish Mathematical Society, and the Polish Astronomical Society, are affiliated with the PAN. It supervises approximately 60 research units including 24 institutes and 33 establishments and laboratories, employing about 6,500 persons. While a majority of these research facilities are located in Warsaw, some are located in other urban areas. Many of the PAN institutes, especially the technical ones, cooperate with industry and conduct research for the Ministry of National Defense. Directors of PAN institutes have considerable power, and often an outstanding director will assemble a staff of talented young scientists, thus creating a superior institute. In order to strengthen applied research, plans have been advanced to transfer some of the staff from the Academy's institutes to the higher educational institutions and ministerial research institutes throughout the country. Also, some PAN applied research institutes are being placed under the jurisdiction of industrial ministries, as in the case of the Institute of Electronics Technology, Warsaw, which was transferred in late 1970.
The various government ministries operate about 100 research and development laboratories. These laboratories conduct research aimed at targets set by the ministry concerned; most of the research is applied, although some related fundamental research is undertaken. The research done throughout the country in university departments, laboratories, and other research centers of higher education is of great importance to the progress of Polish science. Much of the research conducted in the higher educational institutions is basic in nature, but the universities and technical universities are also undertaking applied research to promote the national economy. The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare is responsible for the administration of a number of research institutes and 10 medical academies. This ministry has a Scientific Council which is comprised of outstanding representatives of the various scientific branches of medicine who act as an advisory and consultative group to the minister. The Ministry of Agriculture operates a number of agricultural research institutes and experiment stations and cooperates with other scientific institutions in the field of agricultural science. All agricultural research is coordinated by the Interministerial Commission for the Coordination of Scientific Research in Agriculture and Forestry, which includes representatives of several ministries and operates through Section V (Agricultural and Forestry Sciences) of the PAN. With the demise of KNiT, the Ministry of Science, Higher Education, and Technology is now involved, and the national scientific interest is represented by the ministry.
Military research and development are directed by the Ministry of National Defense. Reportedly the Main Council of Military Higher Schools, an advisory body within the Ministry of National Defense, coordinates military research and development for the armed forces. Specific responsibility for actual research rests with Zarzad-IX (Directorate IX), Techniques and Military Technology, of the Polish General Staff.
The nuclear energy program is directed by the State Council for the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy, which has ministerial status. It is chaired by the Government High Commissioner for Atomic Energy and is composed of representatives of the Committee for the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy of PAN, various ministries and institutes, and leading scientists. A reorganization of this body has been anticipated for some time.
The Council of Ministers directs the overall science policy. Research and development are carried out on the basis of central plans for the advancement of science and technology, which are part of the National Economic Plan, based on 5-year and 2-year periods. The science and technology development plan (both 5-year and 2-year plans) include a list of high-priority projects directed toward new technology; a list of important basic research topics in natural, mathematical, and social sciences; and the principal approaches for development of technology in various sectors of the national economy. In 1971 the KNiT,
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APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200070028-8
