NAWA – Welcome to Poland program

NAWA

Project information:

Funding Agency: Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA)
Programme: NAWA “Welcome to Poland” (PPI/WTP/2022/1/00097)
Project Title: "International Radiopharmaceutical Conference Promoting the Unique Research Infrastructure of NCBJ"
Acronym: NOMRad
Project Duration: 01.06.2023 – 30.11.2024
Funding Amount: 205,867.88 PLN
Project Coordinator: Marek Pruszyński, PhD, DSc

Prof. Marek Pruszyński has been awarded funding from the "Welcome to Poland" programme of the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) to organize an international scientific conference focused on radiopharmaceuticals.

The funded initiative will support the organization of the International NOMRad Radiopharmaceutical Conference in Warsaw (Poland), aimed at promoting the scientific potential of the National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ) and strengthening international collaboration in the field of nuclear medicine and radiopharmacy. The primary objective of the conference is to present to the global scientific community the unique R&D capabilities of NCBJ’s infrastructure, particularly in the:

  • production of medical radioisotopes (via the MARIA research reactor and the soon-to-be-operational CERAD cyclotron),
  • development of innovative radiopharmaceuticals (through units such as NOMATEN Centre of Excellence and the Radioisotope Centre POLATOM),
    and
  • implementation of these compounds in clinical research.
 

A key highlight of the infrastructure is the new CERAD cyclotron, a globally unique facility capable of producing a wide array of medical radioisotopes, including many that are currently difficult to access worldwide. Moreover, it will enable research into non-standard nuclear reactions critical for the development of next-generation radiopharmaceuticals.

Both CERAD and the MARIA Reactor have been proposed for inclusion in the European Union's OFFERR programme, which funds access for international researchers to infrastructures of European relevance. These facilities are highly aligned with one of Horizon Europe's strategic missions: the fight against cancer. The conference is expected to foster new scientific partnerships and initiate international project consortia in this priority research area.

The project will directly support the international visibility of Polish scientific achievements, encourage collaboration with leading global experts, and provide young researchers with opportunities to engage in high-level scientific exchange. In the long term, it aims to establish a sustainable international research community centered around the NOMATEN Centre of Excellence, the CERAD facility, and the MARIA Reactor, enabling participation in collaborative, cross-border research projects in nuclear medicine and beyond.

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NAWA


This project has received funding from the European Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation
programme under grant agreement No 857470 and from European Regional Development Fund
via Foundation for Polish Science International Research Agenda PLUS programme grant
No MAB PLUS/2018/8.
Poland
The project is co-financed from the state budget within the framework of the undertaking of the Minister of Science and Higher Education "Support for the activities of Centers of Excellence established under Horizon 2020".

Grant: 5 143 237,70 EUR
Total value: 29 971 365,00 EUR
Date of signing the funding agreement: December 2023

The purpose of the undertaking is to support entities of the higher education and science system that have received funding from the European Union budget in the competition H2020-WIDESPREAD-2018-2020/WIDESPREAD-01-2018-2019: Teaming Phase 2. in the preparation, implementation and updating of activities, maintenance of material resources necessary for carrying out activities, acquisition and modernization of scientific and research apparatus, maintenance and development of personnel potential necessary for the implementation of activities, and dissemination of the results of scientific activities.