The “IRAP – Fostering Excellence and Innovation” conference was held at the National Stadium in Warsaw on 12 and 13 October 2023. The Foundation for Polish Science held the event within the International Research Agendas Programme (IRAP) framework with funds from the Smart Growth Operational Programme (SG OP).
The main objective of the conference was to summarise the International Research Agendas Programme, which has been implemented by the Foundation for Polish Science since 2015, thanks to which 14 centres of scientific excellence were established in Poland. During the event, each centre presented its achievements – in terms of scientific activity, innovative solutions or management – developed over several years of operation. The associated objectives of the event were also integrating the beneficiaries of the IRAP and those involved in project implementation, exchanging knowledge and experiences and discussing scientific challenges for the future.
During the two-day conference, participants listened to a panel discussion and keynote speakers from abroad and enjoyed fourteen presentations of the work of the centres of excellence, as well as posters prepared for the occasion as part of the poster sessions. During the conference, the organisers also presented research funding opportunities offered by the FNP from the European Funds for Smart Economy Programme.
Day one of the conference
The event was officially opened by Prof. Maciej Żylicz, President of the Executive Board of the Foundation for Polish Science, and Prof. Andrei Lupas, Chairman of the IRAP Council.
The first keynote speaker was Kjell Håkan Närfelt, Chief Strategy Advisor at Vinnova, a Swedish government agency dedicated to supporting innovation. Närfelt’s speech was about building value based on research and knowledge resources. The speaker stressed that creating this value for society and the economy is a key responsibility of all scientists.
Following the Vinnova representative, the presentation sessions of the five centres of excellence established under the IRAP began. The first to be presented was AstroCeNT, or the Particle Astrophysics Science and Technology Centre, headed by Prof. Leszek Roszkowski. The scholar outlined the research and development work carried out by AstroCeNT. They aim to develop technologies for applications such as research related to the detection of gravitational waves and dark matter and the detection of signals and hidden information coming from space.
The activities and achievements of BRAINCITY, the Center of Excellence for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders, were reported by Prof. Ewelina Knapska, co-founder of BRAINCITY. BRAINCITY is pursuing research into a comprehensive understanding of how the human brain, and the mind that is a product of it, functions. The researchers hope to use this knowledge to develop new solutions to improve the prevention, diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of brain disorders.
CENTERA is the third of the research units discussed on the first day of the conference. The Center for Terahertz Research and Applications was established to develop breakthrough technologies using terahertz (THz) radiation, such as high-speed scanners or chemical composition analysers, suitable for use in various areas of economics and security surveillance. The presentation was given by CENETERA’S Director, Prof. Wojciech Knap.
The following presentation was on ENSEMBLE3, a centre headed by Dorota A. Pawlak, PhD DSc. This centre of excellence combines crystal growth methods with the latest material concepts in nanophotonics, such as metamaterials, plasmonic materials and more.
The last presentation in this part of the conference was given by Prof. Natalia Marek-Trzonkowska, who heads the ICCVS, the International Centre for Cancer Vaccine Science. Its activities focus on research into personalised cancer immunotherapy.
After the lunch break, Maiju Gyran, Senior Science Adviser at the Academy of Finland, gave another keynote speech. The speaker discussed the effects of centres of excellence and research funding in Finland.
Attendees were then introduced to four more IRAP centres of scientific excellence.
ICRI-BioM, the International Centre for Research on Innovative Bio-based Materials, with the help of advanced computational methods, searches for and develops new biomaterials, such as biocompatible polymers, biocatalysts and bioparticles with transport or regulatory functions in the body. The scope of the centre’s activities was presented by Vignesh Kumaravel, PhD.
In turn, the aim of the research at ICTER, the International Centre for Translational Eye Research, is to develop groundbreaking instruments for retinal cell imaging. A presentation on the centre’s achievements was given by the project leader, Prof. Maciej Wojtkowski.
Prof. Marek Żukowski, Director of ICTQT, the International Centre for Theory of Quantum Technologies, presented the work carried out in the next research agenda. ICTQT focuses on research into quantum technologies of the future, in particular, quantum communication and information and the quantum theory itself.
Prof. Jan Dumanski, leader of the 3P (Preventive, Personalised, Precision) Medicine Laboratory agenda, discussed the centre’s achievements. Researchers working at the laboratory are primarily concerned with investigating the mechanisms by which breast cancer develops in women, prostate cancer in men, colon and bladder cancer in both genders and Alzheimer’s disease in men due to the loss of the Y chromosome in leukocytes.
The last of the research agendas presented on the first day of the conference was MagTop. The centre is headed by Prof. Tomasz Dietl. The scientist presented the unit’s interdisciplinary research into materials science, nanotechnology, semiconductor physics, magnetism and superconductivity.
The first day of the conference concluded with a speech by Michał Pietras, Director of the Programme Division at the Foundation for Polish Science, who discussed the FNP’s programme offer within the framework of the European Funds for Smart Economy Programme.
Day two of the conference
Professor Søren-Peter Olesen’s keynote speech opened the second day of the conference. The speaker is the CEO of the Danish National Research Foundation. He devoted the presentation to evaluation activities in Danish centres of excellence.
The second item on the agenda was a panel discussion, “Key Factors of Successful Centres of Scientific Excellence”, moderated by the Deputy President of the FNP Executive Board, Marta Łazarowicz-Kowalik, PhD. Her guests were keynote speakers at the conference: Kjell Håkan Närfelt, Maiju Gyran, Prof. Søren-Peter Olesen, Prof. Andrei Lupas.
Participants were then introduced to the activities of the last four centres of excellence, operating under the International Research Agendas Programme of the Foundation for Polish Science.
The NOMATEN Centre of Excellence was introduced by Prof. Mikko Alava. It focuses on innovative, multifunctional materials, which are researched, designed and tested at NOMATEN.
Prof. Konrad Banaszek gave a presentation on the functioning of QOT, the Centre for Quantum Optical Technologies, which he heads. The unit was established in collaboration with the University of Oxford to study quantum phenomena, such as superposition and entanglement, among others, in a variety of optical and optically controlled systems.
Prof. Agnieszka Chacińska presented the ReMedy Centre of Excellence, which is dedicated to comprehensive and complementary research on living organisms.
The last of the research agendas discussed was Sano, the Centre for Computational Personalised Medicine. Researchers at Sano’s Centre of Excellence use artificial intelligence, advanced algorithms, computer modelling and simulations and analyse extensive databases to support doctors in the diagnostic and treatment process. The centre’s achievements were presented by Maciej Malawski, PhD.
The two-day conference was summed up by Prof. Maciej Żylicz, President of the Executive Board of the Foundation for Polish Science. He addressed the challenges facing research agencies. Prof. Żylicz stressed the diversity of centres of excellence and the importance of collaboration in research teams, including establishing and developing international research partnerships. The speech was also an opportunity to thank the participants and those involved in hosting the event.
The conference was moderated by representatives of the Foundation for Polish Science: Justyna Motrenko, Head of Awards, Fellowships and International Cooperation Section – on the first day of the conference, and Katarzyna Pronobis, Programme Officer – on the second day of the conference.
- The broadcast of the conference is available on the YouTube channel of the Foundation for Polish Science.
- Information about the posters presented during the conference can be found in the Abstract Book, downloadable from the conference website: irapconference.pl.
Watch the video summary
Speakers’ presentations:
- 1_AstroCent_prezentacja Leszek Roszkowski
- 2_BRAINCITY prezentacja Ewelina Knapska
- 3_CENTRA prezentacja_Wojciech Knap
- 4_ENSAMBLE_prezentacja Dorota Pawlak
- 5_ICCVS prezentacja Natalia Marek_Trzonkowska
- 6_ICRI BioM_prezentacjaVignesh Kumaravel
- 7 _ICTER prezentacja Maciej Wojtkowki
- 8_ICTQT_prezentacja Marek Żukowski
- 9_ 3PLAB prezentacja_Jan Dumanski
- 10_MagTop prezentacja Tomasz Dietl
- 11_NOMATEN prezentacja Miko Alava
- 12_QOT prezentacja Konrad Banaszek
- 13 _ReMedy prezentacja Agnieszka Chacińska
- 14_Sano prezentacja_Maciej Malawski
- FNP_FENG prezenacja Michał Pietras
Photo: Nel Gwiazdowska
