About
The Polaris mission is rooted in advancing rigorous, interdisciplinary research while promoting conscious scholarship in service of both humanity and the planet.
We believe that the pursuit of knowledge must be both intellectually courageous and socially meaningful. Our doctoral programs are designed not only to cultivate academic excellence but to empower researchers to address real-world challenges with insight, ethics, and compassion—supporting communities, systems, and individuals in need of transformative solutions.
Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Kraków, Poland, the Polaris Institute for Interdisciplinary Consciousness Studies (PIICS) is a private research institute and postgraduate academic center focused on the evolving interface between consciousness, science, and technology.
Polaris operates at the crossroads of East and West—drawing on Poland’s deep intellectual heritage while engaging with global movements in neuroscience, ethics, and future studies. Our mission is to cultivate rigorous, transdisciplinary research that explores the inner dimensions of human experience alongside the outer challenges of modern civilization.
Our faculty, fellows, and research partners come from around the world to contribute to a diverse academic culture rooted in inquiry, integration, and innovation. Polaris offers doctoral programs, hosted symposia, and collaborative initiatives in fields such as:
Consciousness & Phenomenology
Artificial Intelligence & Ethics
Somatic Psychology & Neurobiology
Posthuman Philosophy & Future Education
Dream Research & Symbolic Systems
Since its inception, Polaris has worked to dissolve artificial boundaries between disciplines, offering researchers the freedom to explore original, system-shifting ideas in an increasingly complex world.
students
MOST TRANSFORMATIVE COLLEGE
years of history
History
In 1920, in the wake of a world reshaped by war and revolution, a group of European thinkers, educators, and scientists envisioned a new kind of academic institution—one committed to the expansion of human consciousness and the reintegration of science, philosophy, and spirit.
Founded in Kraków, Poland, the Polaris Institute emerged as an experimental and visionary center of higher learning dedicated to intellectual freedom, interdisciplinary research, and ethical innovation.
From its earliest days, Polaris championed a bold academic mission: to prepare scholars not merely to study the world as it is, but to imagine—and help build—the world as it could be.
Mission &
Values
At Polaris Institute, our mission is to advance transformative scholarship that deepens understanding of the human experience and equips individuals to contribute meaningfully to a rapidly evolving world.
We prepare researchers, educators, and visionaries not simply for a career—but for a life of inquiry, impact, and inner clarity. Through a supportive and intellectually expansive environment, we cultivate original thought, ethical responsibility, and interdisciplinary fluency.
CAMPUS
Elena Varga
Ph.D. Candidate in Consciousness Studies & Neurophenomenology
“For me, Polaris is a sanctuary for experimental thought. It’s not just an academic institution—it’s a conceptual space where curiosity is honored, boundaries are questioned, and the future is invited to unfold. We recognize that to evolve knowledge, we must also evolve how we think.”
— Doctoral Fellow, Polaris Institute