No fewer than three strategic research infrastructures involving the Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Wrocław have been included on the updated Polish Research Infrastructure Map. This is a significant honour for the Institute and confirmation of the importance of the research it conducts and the research infrastructure it is developing.
The following have been included on the Map:
- The Polish Microbiological Resources Network (MIRRI-PL) – a national research infrastructure contributing to the international infrastructure included in the ESFRI ‘roadmap’. The applicant and the entity responsible for this infrastructure is the Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Wrocław (person in charge: Agnieszka Korzeniowska-Kowal, PhD).
- Polish Infrastructure for Translational Research in Cell Therapy (PolCeTh) – a national research infrastructure contributing to the international infrastructure included in the ‘roadmap’ of the EATRIS ERIC infrastructure network, developed by a consortium of six institutions, of which the IIET PAS is one of the partners (person in charge: Aleksandra Klimczak).
- Centre for Bioimaging and Precision Phenotyping for Translational Medicine (PrecBioMed) – a national research infrastructure being developed by a consortium led by the Łukasiewicz Research Network – PORT (Polish Center for Technology Development) in Wrocław. The consortium’s partners are the Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Wrocław Medical University (person in charge: Joanna Wietrzyk).
MIRRI-PL – the Institute’s infrastructure on the Polish Map
Being included on the Map of the Polish Network of Microbiological Resources (MIRRI-PL) is of particular importance to the Institute. This infrastructure brings together 15 research institutions across the country and serves to collect, preserve, characterise and make available microbial resources for scientific research, the development of new technologies and applications in the fields of biological, medical and industrial sciences.
MIRRI-PL also represents Poland’s contribution to MIRRI – Microbial Resource Research Infrastructure, a European research infrastructure featured on the ESFRI roadmap. The integration of Polish microbiological resources into the European research infrastructure system enhances their accessibility to the scientific community and strengthens opportunities for international collaboration.
The inclusion of MIRRI-PL on the Polish Research Infrastructure Map confirms the strategic importance of the Polish Microorganism Collection infrastructure being developed at the Institute, as well as its potential to support research conducted both in Poland and through international collaboration.
PolCeTh – Institute partners with strategic cell therapy infrastructure
The second research infrastructure listed on the Polish Map, in which the IIET PAS participates, is the Polish Infrastructure for Translational Research in Cell Therapy (PolCeTh).
PolCeTh comprises a consortium of six institutions:
- The Mossakowski Medical Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, in Warsaw – consortium leader,
- The Institute of Human Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences, in Poznań,
- the Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Wrocław,
- the Medical University of Warsaw,
- the Jagiellonian University – Collegium Medicum in Kraków,
- the Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin.
The aim of PolCeTh is to create a research and development platform, unique in Poland, supporting the development, validation and implementation of innovative cell therapies, including Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMP), in accordance with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards. The involvement of the IIET PAS allows the Consortium to draw on its expertise and experience in the field of immunology and research into the application of cell therapies in the development of anti-cancer therapies and immunotherapy, which play a key role in the Consortium’s projects.
PrecBioMed – a partnership for translational medicine
The third research infrastructure involving the IIET PAS is the Cente for Bioimaging and Precision Phenotyping for Translational Medicine (PrecBioMed). This is a national research infrastructure established by the Łukasiewicz Research Network – PORT (Polish Center for Technology Development) in Wrocław (consortium leader), the Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy of the Polish Academy of Sciences, and the Wrocław Medical University.
The aim of PrecBioMed is to advance translational research, particularly in the fields of cancer and neurological diseases, by combining advanced bioimaging technologies and precision phenotyping with modern disease models. The infrastructure is designed to support the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies and to accelerate the translation of research findings into solutions with potential clinical application.
165 strategic infrastructure facilities on the updated Map
The Polish Research Infrastructure Map has been updated as part of a process led by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education between 2024 and 2026. A total of 192 applications were received in the call for new infrastructure facilities, of which 183 were referred for substantive assessment. Following a multi-stage assessment, the 104 highest-rated infrastructure facilities were included on the Map.
At the same time, a review was carried out of 70 research infrastructures that had been on the Map since 2020. Of these, 61 remained on the updated Map. In total, it now comprises 165 strategic research infrastructures, 33 of which contribute to the international infrastructure listed on the ESFRI ‘roadmap’.
The inclusion of MIRRI-PL, PolCeTh and PrecBioMed on the Polish Research Infrastructure Map is an important endorsement of the scientific and infrastructural potential of the IIET PAS and its active role in building modern research facilities for Polish science and medicine.
Full list of strategic infrastructures: