On December 3, we launched the fourth Virtual Research Institute (WIB) call for innovative research projects with high commercialization potential. This is as much as PLN 142 million for the best scientists working in the field of medical biotechnology.

The call is addressed to research teams that develop modern technologies and will have a real impact on the emergence of innovative drugs, medical therapies and marketable solutions that potential investors might be interested in.

The WIB programme is funding from the Polish Science Fund, which, through the Wroclaw-based research institute Łukasiewicz – PORT, goes to teams conducting world-class research. WIB provides not only 5-year funding, but also a significant share of profits from the commercialisation of research results. In fact, its idea is to combine science and business in a way that benefits each side, and as a result, to increase the competitiveness of the Polish biotechnology industry on the international market.

– ‘We are facing the fourth edition of the call, to which we are inviting research teams specializing in medical biotechnology and developing therapeutic applications in all areas of medicine,’ says Prof. Jarosław Bosy, director of Łukasiewicz – PORT, which is in charge of implementing the programme and manages the Virtual Research Institute. – The WIB programme is undoubtedly a great opportunity for Polish scientists to obtain research funding, develop more business-like thinking and appear in abrader context. The emphasis on the high commercialisation potential of projects remains unchanged, as in previous calls, he adds.

The fourth WIB call starts with the consultation and advisory phase. The submission will run fr4om March 31 to April 11, 2025. Submitted applications will pass a formal evaluation, followed by a substantive evaluation based on scientific and socio-economic criteria. A panel of international experts consisting of specialists in both biotechnology and commercialisation will conduct the substantive evaluation.

A total of 11 units from all over Poland are participating in the three projects already implemented under the WIB. That’s 3 research teams consisting of 142 people.

The HERO project (‘Horizon for Excellence in messenger RNA applications in immunoOncology’), led by Prof. Andrzej Dziembowski of International Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology in Warsaw, which focuses on the application of mRNA technology in cancer immunotherapy, is nearly three years old. In 2024, the INTERCEPT (‘Targeted single-cell technology for cancer diagnostics – towards cell-oriented interceptive medicine’) and ADEVASCO (‘Targeted single-cell technology for cancer diagnostics – towards cell-oriented interceptive medicine’) projects received funding. In total, all these projects received funding of nearly PLN 190 million. A total of PLN 142 million in funding awaits the teams selected in the fourth WIB call.

All documents related to the call are available at: Call announcements

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