In 2017, Poznań-based research and development institutions achieved many scientific successes.
At the headquarters of the Poznań Supercomputing and Networking Centre, a nuclear clock, a so-called caesium fountain, was launched, built in the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington, near London, under the direction of Dr Krzysztof Szymaniec. The caesium fountain has joined the group of the most accurate atomic clocks in the world and is the second of its kind in Poland.
In the Poznań Science and Technology Park, the Fieldworker app has been developed as part of a seed capital fund – an application which makes it easier for companies to manage their employees. The PSTP Seed Fund was established in 2012. It allowed several young innovative companies operating in the chemical, biotechnological and ICT sectors to receive co-financing for the development of their activities and the support of experts.
Solaris, based near Poznań, is working on a new 24-metre bi-articulated trolleybus. The production platform for the trolleybus would also be used for hybrid and electric buses of the same length.
The Rail Vehicles Institute “TABOR” is working on a light rail bus for regional traffic.
The Institute of Logistics and Warehousing runs the project “Platforma pośrednicząca elektronicznego fakturowania dla sfery finansów publicznych” (“Intermediate platform for electronic invoicing in the sphere of public finance”), the aim of which is to introduce electronic invoices in relations with public administration.
At the Institute of Human Genetics of the Polish Academy of Sciences, 2 combined populations of stem cells (of marrow origin and precursors of a series of myogenic skeletal muscles) collected from parents were implanted using the “high density injection” technique implanted in children with hereditary Duchenne dystrophy.
The Greater Poland Cancel Centre is running the project “Wykorzystanie indukowanych komórek pluripotencjalnych (IPS) w regeneracji chrząstki stawowej” (“The use of induced pluripotent stem cells (IPS) in the regeneration of joint cartilage”).
At the Wiktor Dega Orthopaedic Rehabilitation Hospital, Poznań orthopaedists lengthened the leg of a five-year-old. It was the first such operation in Poland. Previously, patients with femoral underdevelopment had to go to the United States to undergo such operations.
In the Franciszek Raszeja Municipal Hospital, the first peroral surgery to reduce the stomach was performed in Poland (without the need to open the abdomen). This type of treatment allows the patient to leave the hospital even within 24 hours from the surgery.
A consortium of Poznań-based scientists from the University of Life Sciences, the University of Medical Science, the Institute of Natural Fibres and Medicinal Plants, and the PozLab company, under the direction of Prof Ryszard Słomski, developed a method of obtaining analgesics from cannabis, supporting the treatment of cancer patients.
The Poznan Supercomputing and Networking Center won the Smart City Competition in the Smart City Solution category. The PSNC was awarded for providing and operating an electronic information and service platform for the Municipal Multimedia Guide for the City of Poznań. The platform, serving nearly 6 million users on average per month, provides a number of e-services dedicated to residents, tourists, and officials.
The PSNC also established cooperation with Volkswagen Polska, within the framework of which a concept and a proof-of-concept prototype of an innovative visual support system for employees on the assembly line was developed. This system is an example of an augmented reality solution, which is part of the current works related to Industry 4.0.
The Institute of Agricultural and Food Biotechnology won a gold medal at the INTARG International Invention and Innovation Show for developing pollen with an increased content of bioactive ingredients available.
The Institute of Organic Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences, in cooperation with the Faculty of Biology of the Mickiewicz University, has discovered the genetic material of fossil bacteria, typical for human flora and pathogenic ones, in human remains dating back to the first and eleventh centuries of our era.
Poznań-based archaeologists discovered a mass grave from 8 thousand years ago in Çatalhöyük, Turkey. This place is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world. The Archaeological Museum in Poznań conducted research in Egypt.
The Poznań scientific and research community implements new inter- and multidisciplinary organisational solutions, e.g. centres of excellence, centres of advanced technologies, technological platforms. It also participates in the implementation of national and international research projects.
The Poznań Supercomputing and Networking Centre is a member of HPDMnet consortium, performing experimental transmissions of digital multimedia in fibre optic networks.
The Institute of Molecular Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences, together with ETH Zűrich (Switzerland) and the Uppsala University (Sweden), is working on permanent magnets with no rare earth elements. The Institute of Molecular Physics also belongs to the C-MAC network, whose main objective consists in joint research on metallic alloys (e.g. newly discovered high-entropy alloys), intermetallic compounds, and aperiodic crystals.
The Institute of Human Genetics of the Polish Academy of Sciences participates in the work of the international EU network BEAT-PCD, a project concerning the development of research on causes, diagnostics, treatment and clinical studies of primary ciliary dyskinesia.
In 2017, the Centre of Excellence of the Plastics Processing Institute continued its activity, cooperating with all significant scientific and research centres dealing with powder metallurgy on the domestic and foreign markets.
The Institute of Logistics and Warehousing takes part in the EU project Strengthening European Transport Research and Innovation Strategies – SETRIS, which is aimed at enabling the cooperation of research units and companies operating in the field of transport and logistics in terms of the competitiveness of intermodal freight transport.
The Wood Technology Institute was a member of a consortium consisting of 15 entities from EU countries, which implemented the programme “Eco-innovative, Safe and Energy Efficient wall panels and materials for a healthier indoor environment” (ECO-SEE) under the 7th Framework Programme. Within the framework of the programme, the Institute has developed wood-based panels with a formaldehyde content similar to natural wood, which are characterized by resistance to moisture and biological degradation.
The Poznań Science and Technology Park is a member of the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), which helps companies to establish international cooperation. Thanks to the support of the EEN network consultants, 6 innovative companies located in the PSTP have concluded international agreements and started cooperation with foreign partners.
At the “Asteroid, Comets, Meteors” conference in Uruguay, 4 Poznań-based astronomers were awarded with 4 new planetoids. The honoured scientists included dr Anna Marciniak (planetoid no 10 471), dr Przemysław Bartczak (10 470), dr Toni Santana-Ros (10 472) i dr Magdalena Polińska (72 447).
Cooperation between the City of Poznań and the Poznań Supercomputing and Networking Center (PSNC):
- expansion of the “Atmosphere for Poznań” website – in 2017 it concerned the creation of mechanisms allowing for the implementation of the information obligation resulting from the resolution related to the establishment of free trips via public transportation due to exceeding the levels of PM-10 pollution
- continuation of the project co-financed from the funds of the Operational Programme Knowledge Education Development “Wielkopolski Inkubator Innowacji Społecznych – usługi opiekuńcze dla osób zależnych” (“Wielkopolska Incubator of Social Innovations – Care services for dependent persons”) (WINS project); the coordinator of this project is the Regional Centre for Social Policy in Poznań
- participation in the creation of an interactive information service of the Wielkopolska Museum of Independence
Western Institute in Poznań – a leading analytical, scientific and educational centre; it provides knowledge about the processes taking place behind Poland’s western border and about Polish-German relations; it gathers, prepares and provides public authorities with information about important political, social and economic events and processes, prepares analyses, expert opinions and forecasting studies.