As a part of the Faculty of Philosophy and Science at the Silesian University in Opava, Czech Republic, the Institute of Physics provides studies and research in various areas of both theoretical and experimental physics.

It guarantees numerous study programmes leading to bachelor's, master's and doctoral (Ph.D.) degrees  in Physics and Applied Physics. The specific areas of studies offered within the bachelor's programmes comprise Astrophysics, Monitoring of Environment, Computer Technics and its Applications, and starting from the academic year 2009/2010 also Multimedia Techniques. The master's degree programmes involve studies in Theoretical physics and Secondary School Teacher Training in Physics and Mathematics, and last, but not least, the Institute also guarantees  doctoral (Ph.D.) studies in Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics. The educational programmes are closely linked to the Institute's  scientific work and students are highly encouraged to participate in diverse research activities carried out by the Institute. The studies of Applied Physics largely emphasize the connection between the physical theory and modern technologies.

In the field of theoretical physics the Institute is oriented on a wide range of areas including the theory of gravitation, theory of elementary particles, quantum field theory, or the quantum physics of molecules. A substantial attention is paid to applications of the above-mentioned fundamental theories in astrophysics and cosmology. The research is particularly focused on collision processes of highly interacting particles, inflationary cosmology, behaviour of particles and fields in the vicinity of compact objects (black holes, neutron stars and white dwarfs), and the theory of accretion discs. In the experimental physics the specific areas of interest are the optoelectronics and physics of ionizing radiation. Essential component of the research is represented by computer implementations of numerical methods, statistical data processing and realistic physical simulations.