Year 2023 at Łukasiewicz – PORT

In 2023, Łukasiewicz – PORT achieved significant milestones, acquiring 17 projects, establishing four new research groups and first start-up. The year was marked by numerous scientific events hosted by the Institute. Let’s remind the key highlights from the past year.

New Institute Director

In February 2023, Ph. D., Eng. Alicja Bachmatiuk took up the position of Institute Director of Łukasiewicz – PORT, replacing Phd. Andrzej Dybczyński, who was appointed as the president of the Łukasiewicz Research Network. Phd. Bachmatiuk continues the mission of developing the Institute as a dynamically acting scientific research center in this part of Europe, bridging the gap between science and industry.

New Research Groups

In 2023, Life Science and Biotechnology Center at Łukasiewicz – PORT expanded with the addition of four new research groups. These include the Research Group on Mechanisms of Neurodegeneration (led by Ph. D. Agnieszka Krzyżosiak), Innate Immunity Research Group (led by Ph. D. Marek Wagner), Cancer Neurophysiology Research Group (led by Ph. D. Mateusz Kucharczyk) and Immunotherapy Research Group (led by Ph. D. Grzegorz Chodaczek).

Prestigious Scientific Projects

In 2023, Łukasiewicz – PORT acquired 17 projects, individually and in consortiums, with a total value exceeding PLN 122 million. The Institute received over PLN 50 million in funding. One of the notable grants was the SAUFEX project (Secured Automated Unified Framework for Exchange), funded under the Horizon Europe program. The project, aimed at countering foreign manipulation and informational interference, will be conducted in collaboration with institutions from Finland, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Poland.

Researchers at Łukasiewicz – PORT were successful in competitions announced by the National Science Center, by winning grants as OPUS 24 ( Ph. D. Patrycja Gazińska, Ph. D. Muhmmad Danang Birowosuto) and SONATA BIS 12 (Ph. D. Heng-Chang Chen, Ph. D., Marek Wagner, Ph. D. Łukasz Krzysztof Janicki). The Biobank Research Group, as part of consortium, received two grants from the Medical Research Agency (ABM) totaling nearly 60 million PLN. These projects involve collaboration with other research units, including 4th Military Clinical Hospital with Polyclinic in Wrocław and University Teaching Hospital in Opole. More informations about ABM grants.

First start-up at Łukasiewicz – PORT

The past year was also successful for the team of Magdalena Wilk-Kozubek, Ph. D., Eng. and Bartłomiej Potaniec, Ph. D., Eng., who received a major award from the Łukasiewicz Accelerator for their INDICATO project in the field of Material Engineering. On the basis of this project, scientists founded a start-up focused on commercializing their technology based on visual thawing indicators. They enable monitoring conditons of storage and transportation for products requiring specific temperatures.

Three Scientific Conferences

In 2023, Łukasiewicz – PORT organized three international conferences, which have become a platform for exchanging knowledge in the fields of neurobiology and bioinformatics. These conferences were: PORT for Health: Neuroscience 2023, IB 2023 and ISBRA 2023. In total, nearly 330 participants took part in these three conferences, both on-site and online.

Third WIB Competition – 380 Million for Polish Science

On July 10, 2023, the third competition of the Virtual Research Institute was announced. Its aim is to fund innovative research projects with high commercialization potential in the field of medical biotechnology. 5 applications were submitted in the competition for a total amount over PLN 223 million. Substantive evaluation of applications is ongoing. The winners will be announced in March 2024. Łukasiewicz – PORT is the managing entity of the WIB program.

Active Industry Contact Point

In 2023, the team from the Industry Contact Point for Medical Technologies and Health participated in over 20 events, organizing six of them independently. Their efforts aimed to familiarize attendees with the opportunities for obtaining funds from European Partnerships in the health and medical technology sector, fostering relationships with entrepreneurs, scientists, and representatives of public and private institutions. A highlight of 2023 was the co-organization of Horizon4Poland`23—the largest matchmaking event in Poland.

Social Responsibility of Science

An important area of Łukasiewicz – PORT activity is the popularization of science. In 2023, the Gardens of Experience team organized 901 workshops for children and youth in the Lower Silesia region, engaging nearly 8,400 participants of various age groups. Additionally, the Gardens of Experience implemented the project “Future Competencies as the Key to Technological Development of Poland,” funded by the Ministry of Education and Science. This project, targeting teachers, representatives of local government units, and organizations involved in active youth education, aimed to introduce participants to the latest methods for developing creativity, soft skills, and motivation for learning.

Another intense and exciting year lies ahead of us. We invite you to observe our activities!