Bogdan MARCINIEC ? Adam Mickiewicz University Centre of Advanced Technologies, Poznań Science and Technology Park of the Adam Mickiewicz University Foundation, Poznań, Poland

Please cite as: CHEMIK 2013, 67, 3, 180-185

The establishment of policies supporting the development of science, and technology, and even more importantly linking the policies to Poland?s strategies and economic development, are the country?s primary task in the creation of knowledge-based economy. The priority strategy concept adopted by the world?s most developed countries was first formulated in 1987 in the famous document ?Our Common Future?, also known as the Brundtland Report, drawn up by the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development. Essentially, it is a 21st century challenge for the scientific community to devise its own strategy that would clearly outline the policy of research and technology encompassing integrated studies in the field of technology, ecology, economics and social science. The above-mentioned Report contains the first official mention of ?sustainable development? to refer to the desirable model of civilization development defined as ?development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs? [1].

Unfortunately, the European Union has been falling behind the USA and Japan in terms of the effectiveness of innovative policy, which has a major impact on innovative development. In 2000, the average level of funding for R&D activities across Europe was GDP (1.9%), whereas in the USA it reached 2.7%, in Japan 3.1%, and in Poland just 0.6%. Aware of the discrepancy, in 2000 the European Union adopted the Lisbon Strategy with a view to making the EU, by 2010, the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world. The foundations of the strategy included innovation and an increase in R&D spending (both in the public and enterprise sectors) to 3% of GDP [2]. Unfortunately, virtually nothing was done to implement the strategy and it has ended in a spectacular failure. There are concerns that the same fate might await the current growth strategy Europe 2020, which also comprises the target of investing 3% of GDP in research and development.

Scientific discoveries, which enjoy the highest esteem and prestige in the society, contribute to the creation of a new body of knowledge that is shared worldwide on non-commercial principles. However, the economic growth of individual countries is directly determined by development studies which are based on existing scientific knowledge resources, and innovations (i.e. dissemination of that knowledge) in the fields of science, technology and industry. Innovation does not belong solely to the domain of science. In fact, it should be treated as an important element of economic and social policies, principally because its central goal is to intensify the implementation of new technological and organizational solutions in the sphere of material production, utilization and services. Knowledge-based economy represents knowledge which has been translated into innovative solutions and advanced technologies. Its new dimension also involves a multidisciplinary character of novel ideas for the development of modern technologies.

The strategic development of science and technology in Poland for the period until 2015 comprises a range of priorities: health, environment and agriculture, energy and infrastructure, advanced technologies for the economy, and society in the conditions of accelerated yet sustainable socioeconomic development. All these areas influence and permeate one another, making up the consistent National Programme for Scientific Research and Development [3]. In the domain of science, the main driving force for development will be ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES. The foundation of the comprehensive knowledge transfer model developed and implemented in the city of Poznań is building an effective relationship between invention (pursued at universities and research institutes) and innovation (as in the Poznań Science and Technology Park of the Adam Mickiewicz University Foundation) by creating all elements which are necessary for the effective transfer of knowledge, especially Polish scientific and technological achievements, into business practice [4].

At the core of the model lies the establishment, in Poznań, of the Wielkopolska Centre of Advanced Technologies (WCAT) [5] which is scheduled to commence its operations on 1 January 2014, as a separated international centre of science and technology brings together the best specialists in exact, natural and engineering sciences, and represents an infrastructural venture of the Poznań scientific community [6]. The Centre is a consortium of five universities, four institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences, one research institute and the Poznań Science and Technology Park of the Adam Mickiewicz University Foundation.

The mission of this multidisciplinary establishment of high international standing, which has a team of the best specialists in exact, natural and engineering sciences, is oriented towards new materials and biomaterials designed for multiple applications. The Centre aims to achieve this mission by conducting large-scale scientific and R&D projects which make use of existing technology platforms, EU framework programmes and ? first and foremost ? strategic programmes coordinated and managed by the National Centre for Research and Development.

The objective of the multidisciplinary activity of the WCAT will be to develop original methods for synthesizing chemicals, biochemicals and agrochemicals, called fine chemicals, and a new generation of biomaterials and nanomaterials and their precursors, followed by the development of advanced technologies and biotechnologies for the production of these materials, with the ultimate goal of using them in optoelectronics, ceramics, medicine, pharmacy, agriculture and many other branches of hi-tech industry [7].

Another purpose of research will be creating a technology base supporting a number of applications for bioorganic chemistry and biotechnology in healthcare (e.g. molecular and cellular therapies and medical diagnostics) as well as applications in agricultural engineering and in the food industry (DNA tests in plant and animal production, biodegradable packaging, etc.). The WCAT will comprise four major sections (Fig 3): Centre of Biomedical Technology (incl. Animal House), Centre of Industrial and Plant Biotechnology (incl. Greenhouse), Centre of Chemical Technologies and Nanotechnologies, and Centre of Materials Research (incl. Regional Laboratory of Unique Equipment). The Laboratory will be provided with highly specialized equipment that will be put at the disposal of scientists and SMEs. The main facility ensuring efficient coexistence and collaboration between all the WCAT sections will be the Science and Technology Office and its constituent Centre of Technology Transfer. WCAT?s specialist laboratories will be used for the synthesis of required materials, for the development of nanotechnology and biotechnology solutions, and for inter- and multidisciplinary research in a number of fields of science including biophysics, biochemistry and materials engineering. In this aspect, it is vital to provide the most advanced infrastructure that would meet the needs of multidisciplinary research and be used to full capacity by specialists representing various areas of science.

It is estimated that the Centre will create jobs for over 200 researchers who will be employed on a contract basis. The staff will be recruited from the best graduates of doctoral programmes and academic staff members, mostly from Poznań universities and scientific institutes, but also specialists from other European countries. The WCAT will thus create a great employment opportunity particularly for representatives of the young and middle-aged generations of Polish scientists who will be offered excellent working conditions in Poznań in an effort to support them in the process of making world-class achievements.

The WCAT will be cooperating with R&D centres of Polish and European corporations. The Poznań Science and Technology Park of the Adam Mickiewicz University Foundation, on the other hand, will play a key role in the transfer of technologies and their commercialization. The Park, with a group of incubators for innovative spin-offs, is the necessary link needed for the efficient transfer of new materials technologies into practice, especially to industrial parks and high-tech industry. A well organized science and technology park, having close links to the science sector, is the most effective means of paving the way for knowledge-based economy [8].

The Poznań Science and Technology Park (PSTP) of the Adam Mickiewicz University Foundation has created a unique environment for cooperation between the scientific and business communities [9] (Fig 4). In the past decade, the Park?s Innovation Support Centre and then its InQbator have developed comprehensive services to support entrepreneurship among students and residents of the city, and to support businesses: both those operating in the Park and throughout the region of Wielkopolska. Of special significance is the support for the development of relations between universities and businesses that is the transfer of innovation and technologies at the national and European levels.

The Technology InQbator, set up in 2006 as part of the Park, has worked out efficient tools for cooperation with the academic community. Thanks to numerous training courses a host of young entrepreneurs have acquired skills needed to run their own businesses. The courses were both virtual and traditional, including Virtual InQbator, Summer School of Enterprise, TechnoInQbation of Ideas and First Step in Your Business. The InQbator Seed is a recent undertaking intended for those who conduct research in the field of chemistry, biotechnology and IT, have an idea and unique know-how. As part of the project, we offer a service which makes it possible to receive up to PLN 600,000 in financial aid and help from experts in order to support original and modern undertakings. The Chemical Technology Incubator has the infrastructure required for conducting processes on a large laboratory scale and quarterindustrial scale. We have equipment which enables performing both basic and specialist physicochemical and analytical tests (Fig 5).

In addition to modern infrastructure, our business tenants have access to a package of pro-innovation and business services designed to support their expansion. These include advisory services, training, workshops, promotion, technological audit and assistance in acquiring funding from EU research projects. The main task of each science and technology park is ensuring optimal conditions for the operation of innovative enterprises. To this aim, the science and technology park must offer the lease of offices, laboratories and other facilities with specialist equipment that satisfies the needs of these enterprises. In the PSTP, services of this type are delivered both to companies operating within the Technology Incubator (InQbator) and the Chemical Technology Incubator. The creation of favourable conditions for the location and support of innovative companies and spin-offs is currently the key task that needs to be addressed by all science and technology parks in Poland.

Out of over 50 businesses based in the PSTP, a total of 10 enterprises (chiefly microcompanies ? spin-offs and research centres of corporations) specialize in chemistry and biotechnology. The list below includes selected companies and international R&D centres:
? DNA Research Centre is an innovative biotechnology company which provides services in the field of genetic diagnostics and microbiology based on modern technologies of molecular studies
? FutureSynthesis is a company specializing in the synthesis of bio-molecules.
? AdvaChemLab is dynamically developed firm offering high quality products and solutions for chemical and pharmaceutical industry as well as biotechnology
? BioInvents is a biotechnology spin-off specializing in the synthesis of peptides and oligonucleotides, and in protein purification
? Innosil is a small company engaged in the manufacture of fine chemicals, biochemicals and precursors of nanomaterials
? GRACE is a European R&D laboratory of the US company W.R.GRACE working on the development of new innovative technologies in the field of concrete additives, cement admixtures and waterproofing
? Biogaz Zeneris is a biotechnology laboratory which specializes in the study of methane fermentation process optimization and analysis of physicochemical properties of potential substrates for biogas plants.

The above examples of effective invention-innovation relations illustrate the desirable direction of the Park?s development. The latest project entitled ?Building High Technology Incubators, Materials and Biomaterials? [5], and ?Information and Communication Technologies?, carried out under the Operational Programme ? Innovative Economy as part of Priority 5: Diffusion of Innovation, may become a response to market demand for innovation in the area of advanced technologies. At the Complex of High Technology Incubators we will be providing businesses, on preferential terms, with fully professional and well-furnished laboratories and offices designed especially for this purpose, complete with technical infrastructure and advanced IT facilities. The incubators are located in an efficient scientific, business and expert environment.

In the recent period, the Poznań Science and Technology Park has received a number of awards and honorary mentions, the most important of which are listed below:
? Title of ?World Best Science Based Incubator 2009? awarded to the Technology Incubator of the PSTP of the Adam Mickiewicz University Foundation
? Title of ?Leader of the Implementation of Regional Innovation Strategies in Poland? in the category ?Services for Innovation? for the completion of project ?Wielkopolska Innovation Network as a platform of cooperation to improve the innovation of the region?
? Honorary Mention awarded by the Minister of Science and High Education to the Regional Contact Point of EU Framework Programmes
? Award of the Minister of Regional Development in the ?ESF Good Practices? competition for ?The Best Investment in Human Capital? for the initiative ?Idea for Business?
? Honorary Pearl of the Polish Economy 2009 for the practical implementation of the motto  science for economy?, and Organic Work Award 2010 granted by the ?Głos Wielkopolski? daily to Prof. Bogdan Marciniec
? ?Poznań Entrepreneurship Leader? statuette awarded to Research Centre DNA, Akustix SQUID Design Studio19 and AdvaChemLab.

The Park is located several kilometres from the Adam Mickiewicz University campus in the city?s district of Morasko which is called the Poznań Science District and where the WCAT is located. The proximity is very important for the transfer of technologies to innovative businesses based in the Park. This showcase institutional solution to the relationship between invention and innovation offers a great chance for keeping in Poznań, and in Poland, the most talented and skilled young people who pursue their ambitions in science and high-tech business.

The integrated approach is consistent with the close cooperation paradigm which has existed for a long time now and which is rooted in the concept of creation of a competitive pole of development which takes the form of the regional Cluster of Advanced Technologies: Materials and Biomaterials (Fig. 6).

An important element in creating the Poznań model for the transfer and commercialization of knowledge is the city?s centurieslong tradition of private enterprise and small business, and the 90-year history of Poznań International Fairs which have been an important forum for international trade in different systems periods and a venue where one could get familiar with the European model for relationships among science, innovation and business.

Summing up, it should be noted that the base for the integration of the Poznań scientific community in the field of advanced technologies ? Materials and Biomaterials is the multidisciplinary nature of scientific discoveries in exact sciences, natural and technical sciences leading to the development of advanced technologies. The proposed model guarantees an appropriate relation between Invention (in universities and research institutes) and Innovation (in the Science and Technology Park) through the delivery of all elements which are necessary for the effective transfer of knowledge into business practice.

It seems that the ?science of the future? designed in this way has finally received a great opportunity to pursue its mission at a worldclass level on the basis of the latest technologies in disciplines which are of key importance for the sustainable development of the region and Poland as a whole.

Literature
1. World Commission on Environment and Development, ?Our Common Future? (1987).
2. Marciniec B., w ?Przestrzenie Nauki?, Fundacja na Rzecz Nauki Polskiej, Wyd. Trio, Warszawa, str. 78-82 (2005).
3. Krajowy Program Ramowy, http://www.pptb.pl/Krajowy_Program_Ramowy.pdf
4. Marciniec B., New ways of business and academia synergies, Polish Market, 2012, 6, 2
5. Project is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund under the Operational Programme Innovative Economy 2007-2013
6. Wielkopolskie Centrum Zaawansowanych Technologii: www.wcat.poznan.pl
7. Marciniec B., Misja Nauk Chemicznych (red), Wydawnictwo Nauka i Innowacje, Poznań, 2011
8. Marciniec B.M., Rola parków nauko-technologicznych w rozwoju małych i średnich przedsiębiorstw, Wydawnictwo Poznańskie, 2007
9. Poznański Park Naukowo-Technologiczny: http://www.ppnt.poznan.pl

Translation into English by the Author

Bogdan MARCINIEC ? (Sc.D.) Professor, at Adam Mickiewcz University, (Faculty of chemistry), coordinator of Wielkopolska Center of Advanced Technologies in Poznań, the member of the Polish Academy of Sciences and European Academy of Arts, Sciences and Humanities. Doctor Honoris Causa of the Technical University in Łódź (2013); Dean of Faculty of Chemistry (1985÷1988) and Rector of the Adam Mickiewicz University (1988÷1990), Founder and Director of Poznań Science Technology Park. His research is focused on the synthesis of organosilicon (also boron and germanium) compounds on the basis of new reactions and new catalysts of known reactions. He published over 370 scientific papers, including 15 books (9 in English), 160 patents and over 17 technologies implemented in industry. He has been given the Prime Minister Award (2001), J. Śniadecki Medal (2003) of the Polish Chemical Society and the Award of the Foundation for Polish Science (Polish Nobel Prize) in technical sciences (2009) and the ?Honorary Pearl? in science awarded by ?Polish Market? (2009).