CENTRUM BADAN KOSMICZNYCH PAN

Their core work

CBK PAN (Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences) is Poland's primary institution for space science and Earth observation research. They develop radar and remote sensing instrumentation for planetary exploration and Earth monitoring, operate within the Europlanet research infrastructure for planetary science, and build capacity in space weather monitoring using radio telescope networks and ionospheric observation systems. Their work spans from designing UAV-mounted radar for Mars and Earth surface prospecting to training the next generation of Earth observation scientists.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In 2015–2019, CBK PAN focused on foundational planetary science infrastructure (Europlanet), space weather research, and space education outreach. From 2019 onward, they shifted toward applied Earth observation — coordinating their own capacity-building project (EOTiST), developing radar instrumentation for both planetary and terrestrial use (FlyRadar), and expanding into crisis response systems (HERoS). The trend is clear: moving from pure space science participation toward applied remote sensing and building independent research leadership in Poland.

CBK PAN is transitioning from a contributing partner in space science consortia to a self-directed leader in Earth observation and dual-use (Earth/planetary) radar technology — expect them to coordinate more projects in these areas.

How they like to work

CBK PAN operates predominantly as a consortium participant (8 of 10 projects), with one coordinator role in EOTiST — their largest funded project, signaling growing ambition to lead. With 156 unique partners across 34 countries, they maintain a very broad European network rather than relying on repeat collaborators. This makes them an accessible partner: well-connected, experienced in large research infrastructures, and comfortable working across diverse consortium configurations.

Extensive network spanning 156 unique partners across 34 countries, built primarily through large research infrastructure projects like Europlanet. Their reach extends well beyond Central Europe into pan-European and international collaborations.

What sets them apart

CBK PAN is one of very few institutions in Central-Eastern Europe with deep expertise in both planetary radar instrumentation and Earth observation applications — bridging space science with practical terrestrial monitoring. Their dual-use radar work (FlyRadar) positions them uniquely at the intersection of planetary exploration and UAV-based Earth sensing, a combination rarely found in a single research centre. For consortium builders targeting Widening Participation calls, they offer genuine space science credentials from a Polish Academy of Sciences institute.

Highlights from their portfolio

• EOTiST
  Their only coordinator role and largest single grant (EUR 372K) — a Widening Participation project building Earth observation training capacity at CBK PAN itself, signaling institutional growth.
• FlyRadar
  Develops lightweight UAV-mounted radar for both Mars exploration and Earth prospecting — a distinctive dual-use technology bridging planetary and terrestrial applications.
• PITHIA-NRF
  Part of a major ionosphere/thermosphere research infrastructure network using incoherent scatter radar and GNSS receivers — connects CBK PAN to Europe's upper atmosphere monitoring backbone.