Tadeusz Andrzej Bonawentura Kosciuszko (1746–1817) was an outstanding military leader and strategist as well as an engineer, thinker, patriot, and a Polish and American hero. Having graduated from the Piarist College and the Knights’ School, he studied art and engineering in Paris. He fought in the American War of Independence and the War in Defence of the Constitution. He was also the mastermind of an uprising he eventually spearheaded. Always thinking in the categories of good of the entire nation, he was a man who perfectly understood the ideas of republicanism and the principles of social solidarity. A man of broad horizons, he endeavoured to unite his fellow countrymen in their fight for freedom, but was also determined to abolish peasant personal servitude and suppress serfdom. When the vicissitudes of fate made him emigrate, he actively engaged in the social and political life abroad setting up a Society of Polish Republicans. Although his views and ideas were often unwelcomed by the majority of prominent, opinion-forming emigration circles, he remained unwavering in his ideals and service to his homeland to the end of his life. He always sought to pursue the notions of liberty, equality, and the good of his country.

By choosing Tadeusz Kosciuszko as a patron for our Institute, we wanted to emphasize that similar values will guide our actions. Just like Tadeusz Kosciuszko, we aspire to develop new ideas and concepts concerning our immediate surroundings, and Poland in particular, through continual improvement, knowledge enhancement, and day-to-day work. We want to take an active part in the public debate to propound and convince to our solutions. We wish to delineate and indicate the possibilities for further development of our country and Europe.