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Life Science Klaster in Krakow

The LifeScience Cluster Initiative in Krakow

The idea to form and sustain a commercially viable cluster dedicated to “life sciences” has been developed based upon an understanding and recognition of the already existing potential of both the Polish life science industry and regional research & development sector.
The LifeScience Cluster in Krakow has been established as a collaborative project of institutions representing six areas of interests: biotechnology and life science business, research & development, science and education, healthcare, business support and local government actively guiding and facilitating the cooperation at the regional level.
The Krakow LifeScience Network is made up of minds dedicated to bringing the best bio-business services and products to a global market. It is a mission driven initiative.

The Mission

• To create and sustain The LifeScience Network to enable effective global connectivity and the optimization of existing potential of individuals and organizations.
• To support innovation and to encourage effective commercialization of research results in the Life Science field.
• To develop the resources and competences in the life science sector in order to effectively explore existing and future opportunities related to development of a knowledge-based economy.

 The Initiative

It is formed as a common project managed and administered by one of its founding members in order to maintain its ongoing activities and secure quality services. This leading role is confined to the Jagiellonian Centre of Innovation Ltd. The LifeScience Cluster office is considered:  

• to be a single point of contact for ease of creating relationships and exploring business and scientific collaborations
• to facilitate cooperation and networking within and outside the region  
• to foster cooperation in the field of life science innovations
• to represent the life science community in contacts with similar organizations
• to initiate and coordinate projects aimed at the development of regional life science resources

Business Opportunities

One of the main reasons for the establishment of the Life Science Cluster has been to increase the dynamics of cooperation between science and the business sector. Presently, a great scientific potential in the field of life sciences remains untapped alongside the promising area of entrepreneurship in Poland. Networked focus on cooperation of science and business allows for the forecasting of an above-average dynamics of innovation in the field of life science. This in turn entails a great potential for investments and development in a wide range of business endeavours located in Krakow and the Malopolska region.

There are various opportunities to expand your business in Krakow and the Region of Malopolska. The Life Science Cluster offers access, with business assistance, to an established network comprising of:

• production and contract manufacturing enterprises
• R&D services including contract research and clinical trials
• universities and R&D institutions with highly-trained staff competent in the area of life sciences
• a modern research infrastructure, including modern laboratories and high quality R&D services
• seed funds dedicated to the support of life science or IT endeavours

Business opportunities in Krakow and the Malopolska Region fall into the following distinct areas:

• In-licensing
• Investment in spin-off ventures or the increase of capital of existing companies with a potential for growth (Business Ventures)
• Establishing contacts on the basis of trade and cooperation (Business Relationships)
• Direct investment in the areas intended for the development of advanced technologies (Greenfield & Real Estate Investments)

The offer of possible business investments of the Life Science Network will increase with the development of its network and of the projects presently being implemented or planned.
To obtain further information on potential investments in spin-off companies or on the increase of capital of existing ventures with growth potential, or for a list of cluster partners and contact information please contact the Cluster\\\'s head office:

Mr Kazimierz Murzyn, Managing Director of Life Science Cluster Krakow
mobile: +48 504 106 466
phone: +48 12 664 63 01
fax: +48 12 664 53 98
e-mail: kazimierz.murzyn@jci.pl

Six Reasons to be in Krakow and the Malopolska Bio-Region

1. Access to talents and qualified labor force

The region’s strength is human capital: Malopolska is one of Poland’s most important academic centers and Krakow holds first place in the country in terms of quality of human resources;

• 13% of the total number of scientists in Poland are employed in 30 R&D institutions and 32 universities or school of higher education. Of these, 5 universities and 10 R&D institutions are involved in life sciences;
• Over 3700 scientists work in the field of life sciences, incl. over 600 professors and over 2000 PhDs
• 13 of the 30 most often cited scientists in this field are from Krakow and 8 of them are from the Jagiellonian University
• Over 200.000 students study in Malopolska, which is more than 10 % of the total number in Poland. Of this number, as many as 16 000 study in the field of life sciences.

2. Strong scientific base

• Poland has a long and proven record of experience in hosting international life science research: discovery and application of prostacycline, anti-melanoma vaccine cell therapy for mayocardial infarction, microbial cellulose and molecular diagnosis of cancer are just some of the most well known examples.    
• With 9,4% of domestic expenditures going to R&D (which is  200 % the national average) Malopolska holds second place in Poland R&D spending.  Krakow is a well recognized scientific centre not only in Poland but internationally as well. There is a strong desire in the Region to foster collaboration between science and industry and to support innovative programs and projects that harness the potential of the region.
• Many innovative research programs are being developed in the region. One of the most promising is The JCET (Jagiellonian Centre for Experimental Therapeutics) which will provide specialized, interdisciplinary research for the development of original endothelium-targeted therapeutics.  Others relate to biomaterials, bioinformatics, bioengineering or nutrigenomics - to name a few.
• Focus of the Regional Innovation Strategy on the development of a research based economy is strongly supported by the complementarity of the life sciences, including medicine, pharmacology, food and agriculture, biology and zoology as well as informatics, nuclear physics or chemistry, to name the most important ones.
• Malopolska is the location of choice for carrying out clinical trials. It has a network of university and public clinics and hospitals, amongst which the University Hospital (Collegium Medicum of Jagiellonian University) is the largest hospital in Poland.  These hospitals provide a wide range of research activities in the pharmaceutical field, running from basic pharmaceutical research to advanced high-tech diagnosis. The advantages of the region in phase II and phase III clinical trials are stem from the high quality of research  staff, relatively low costs and access to a large and diverse population of patients.

3. Investments in Biotechnology Research and Infrastructure

• LifeScience Technology Park and Bioincubator Krakow. Managed by Jagiellonian Centre of Innovation Ltd (JCI), the LifeScience Technology Park is Poland’s first high-value specialist real-estate product for the commercial life science markets, offering  companies a pole-position to take advantage of high-quality investment opportunities, fee-for-services laboratories, and analytical and contract research services ranging across life science areas. Strategically located near Krakow’s major universities, teaching research hospitals and the life-science/biotech cluster, the Park provides a centre of commercial excellence, delivering state-of-the art research space for companies to start or relocate, develop and grow in the life science business.
• Malopolska Biotechnology Center (MCB) will be a centralized research and development park, focused on complex research on the nutritional ingredient-genome interrelations, and the mechanisms of widely occurring aging-related diseases (metabolism-related diseases, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases and others). MCB will lay foundations for innovative cooperation with industry in order to develop new diagnostic methods, incl. nanotechnologies and therapy strategies (personalized nutrition – new types of medicines) for the prevention of diseases. MCB is established as a joint research centre of Krakow’s major universities [Jagiellonian University, Agriculture University, AGH University of Science and Technology and Krakow University of Technology].
• Medical Technology Park will be developed  as joint research center with the leading role of the John Paul II Memorial Hospital.  The mission of Med Park is to support the intellectual and infrastructural potential of the John Paul II Hospital in Krakow and to encourage innovation and cooperation with industry, mainly medical and pharmaceutical. Med Park will enable research teams to generate scientific evidence and developmental projects in the fields of cardiac surgery, cardiology, diagnostic imaging, telemedicine, pharmacy and to translate them into technological innovations to improve the delivery of medical services.

4. Established networks for cooperation and support for innovation

There are several networks of cooperation established and operating within the Malopolska Region. They serve multiple purposes: to be single points of contact for ease of establishing relationships and exploring business and scientific collaboration possibilities, to facilitate introductions to the network members from the global market and to support the network members towards an effective engagement in the global life science market.

• LifeScience Cluster Krakow is the network of regional institutions representing different life science-dedicated entities, ranging from business to research& development to higher education to healthcare to business support with the active participation and help of local government. LifeScience Cluster Krakow is the perfect exemplification of the so-called Triple Helix cooperation. (www.lifescience.pl)
• Polish Platform of Biotechnology (PPB) is the nationwide network of Industrial Partners, Advanced Technology Centers, Centers of Excellence, R&D Institutes, Polish Federation of Biotechnology and  National Contact Point for Research Programs of the EU, IFTR PAS. (www.platformabio.pl)
• Clean Energy Network Krakow was initiated by the AGH University of Science and Technology as a cooperation platform of partners representing science institutions, business sectors and local government. The aim of the network is to develop and implement innovations related to renewable energy, bio-fuels, bio-waste and geothermal energy as well as to increase overall public awareness about clean energy. 
• Tarnow Medical Cluster. The cluster was created in order to facilitate the exchange of information between companies providing medical services and to ensure excellent patient services.
• JCI Venture Ltd., a newly created seed capital firm and  university innovation accelerator, operates as an affiliate to Jagiellonian Center of Innovation Group (JCI Group) in Krakow, Poland.  The major function of JCI Venture is to build innovative, science-based start-up companies, predominantly in the high-tech space.
• Centers for Technology Transfer (CTT) are mainly associated with universities and provide a comprehensive technology transfer system to faculties. CTTs work in line with acknowledged standards: encourage invention disclosure; protect intellectual property; obtain and manage patents, copyrights and trademarks as well as market and license intellectual property and support the establishment of spin-offs. In addition, CTT’s serve as contact points for EU programs, training centers and coordinators of projects aimed at the development of entrepreneurship and innovation.
  • Centre for Innovation, Technology Transfer and University Development ( CITTRU Jagielloninan University); http://www.cittru.uj.edu.pl;
  • Centre for Technology Transfer of the Technical University of Krakow (CTT-PK) http://www.transfer.edu.pl
  • Centre for Technology Transfer of the Science and Technology University (CTT AGH) http://www.ctt.agh.edu.pl
  • Medical Technology Transfer Center & Technology Park Ltd. – associated with John Paul II Memorial Hospital (contact: kamil.kipiel@szpitaljp2.krakow.pl)

5. Great business climate - best economic potential

• In “The European Cities & Regions of the Future 2008/09” Report, Krakow was ranked 6th  as offering "Best Economic Potential" and 2nd as being “Most Cost Effective“. The Region of Southern Poland  was ranked 7th in Europe in the overall evaluation,  where judging criteria included economic potential, business friendliness, quality of life, human resources, costs, infrastructure, foreign direct investment;
• Malopolska  lies in a convenient location in Poland and Europe, in close proximity to important national and international transportation routes linking the region with the whole world. Complete transport infrastructure makes Malopolska an excellent location for reaching all parts of Europe;
• Malopolska and Krakow have a proven record of successful foreign investments: from large pharma and biotechnology manufacturers such as PLIVA and Biomed to IT Centers (ComArch,  Delphi, Google, IBM Krakow Software Laboratory, Motorola) to Shared Service Centers (Affiliated Computer Services, Airline Accounting Center, CapGemini, IBM BTO Business Consulting Services, IFS, KPMG, Philip Morris, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Shell, British Petroleum) and many others. Joint-ventures employ more than 80,000 people.
• Businesses from all over the world invest in Krakow and the Malopolska region attracted by local economic strengths and a rich cultural environment. Taking into consideration its R&D potential, Krakow is steadily becoming Poland\'s leader in the life science field. It is to be strengthen even more by the regional strategic aims to foster biotechnology, life sciences and IT as key regional economic drivers.
• Malopolska supports direct investments in the field of life sciences. There are all types of options ranging from ready-to-adopt, top-class laboratory space in the LifeScience Technology Park to sites available for “greenfield”  investments  in Special Economic Zones, which offer preferential conditions for investors in the form of tax exemptions and investment grants.
• It is the overall potential for faster than average development which makes the offer of the Malopolska Bio-Region so attractive.

6. Quality of life

• As a result of the development of a knowledge-based economy, living conditions are becoming increasingly significant as a factor affecting the selection of location of business activity. Success in a knowledge-based economy is determined by the human capital factor, adequate resources of which accumulate in locations offering favorable living conditions.
• Krakow is considered the cultural center of Poland due to famous museums and its extremely well-preserved architecture, including castles and cathedrals dating back to the Medieval and Renaissance periods. The cultural life of the city is to a large extent influenced by the numerous museums, galleries, theatres, musical institutions, cinemas, libraries and other cultural and leisure institutions. However, while its roots run deep, Krakow isn’t stuck in the dark ages.  With electrifying lounges, restaurants, and clubs, this bohemian city has become the nighthawk\'s destination of choice. For the last few years Krakow has persisted in being voted by tourists from all over the world and ranked amongst the top popular cities on par with San Francisco, Rome, Paris or  Prague to name a few.
• The Malopolska Region boasts a number of strong advantages which influence living conditions. As regards the natural environment, Malopolska region has rich natural resources. The recreational, touristic and educational characteristics of protected natural reserves ensure the proper development of living conditions. Such protected natural areas in the Malopolska Region occupy an area of 8.8 thousand km2 which constitutes 57.8% of the total land area of the region. This is a very high percentage in comparison with the other regions in the country. The following national parks are considered to be among the most valuable territories: Babiogórski, Gorczanski, Magurski, Ojcowski, Pieninski, Tatrzanski – and due to their unique value have been entered on the UNESCO list of the world\'s biosphere reserves. Besides environmental value, some of the abovementioned territories also have interesting monuments of cultural heritage. From the point of view of creation of favorable living conditions, of particular importance are the locations of the Ojcowski National Park and the Niepolomicki Forest which lie in close vicinity to the main municipal agglomeration of the region