Polish Basalt Technologies Cluster with a New Manager and New Areas of Development
September marked a period of significant organisational change for the Polish Basalt Technologies Cluster, as well as the beginning of work on new areas of activity. In September, Piotr Hańczyc, PhD Eng., took up the role of Cluster Manager. He will be responsible for developing the Cluster’s ongoing activities, strengthening cooperation among its members, and fostering collaboration between the research and business sectors.
The handover of the Cluster’s management took place in September during a meeting with the Cluster Coordinator, the New Chemical Syntheses Institute (INS) in Puławy. The meeting provided an opportunity to review the activities carried out to date and to discuss the Cluster’s further development and technological potential.
New Cluster Manager – Piotr Hańczyc, PhD Eng.
Piotr Hańczyc, PhD Eng. He is a researcher and manager specialising in new technologies, the commercialisation of research results, and cooperation between academia and business. His experience combines academic research with a practical approach to the development and implementation of innovative solutions.
He earned his PhD at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden and Wrocław University of Science and Technology. He also conducted research at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he worked in a team led by Nobel Prize laureate Alan Heeger. He is currently involved in projects related, among other areas, to materials spectroscopy at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW).
He is the author of numerous scientific publications and has received scholarships and grants awarded by, among others, the European Commission, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the National Science Centre and Swedish institutions.
Basalt in Composite Materials – A New Development Direction for the Cluster
In September, representatives of the Cluster took part in the International Defence Industry Exhibition (MSPO) in Kielce, where one of the key topics discussed was the potential use of basalt in composite materials. Given the experience and professional profile of the new Cluster Manager, the development of this area will be one of the main pillars of the Cluster’s activities during its initial operational phase. The aim is to combine the technological potential of Cluster members with the needs of businesses and to identify projects that can lead to tangible industrial applications.
Based on information gathered during meetings and discussions with Cluster members, plans are underway to prepare funding applications for development projects. One of the instruments currently being considered is the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP) call “Development of Cluster Services for Companies”.
As part of the planned activities, we intend, among other things, to develop services supporting communication and cooperation between Cluster members, as well as to carry out pre-implementation research on basalt-based composite materials.
If your company is interested in participating in such a project, has an idea for a joint initiative, or would like to become involved in developing this area, we encourage you to get in touch.
Basalt Applications in Fertiliser Technologies
As we develop new areas of activity, we are also exploring the potential of basalt in fertilisers and fertiliser technologies. During our visit to the New Chemical Syntheses Institute in Puławy, we had the opportunity to learn more about the Institute’s research and technological infrastructure. Its facilities enable work on fertiliser technologies and their scale-up to the level of finished products, creating favourable conditions for projects with strong implementation potential. We therefore encourage companies interested in developing or scaling up fertiliser technologies to contact the Cluster. Our aim is to connect the needs of businesses with the expertise of scientific and research institutions and to jointly develop projects that make use of the potential of basalt.
Building an Ecosystem of Science and Business
The coming months will be a period of intensive work on building a collaborative ecosystem at the intersection of science, technology and business. Our aim is not only to strengthen cooperation among existing Cluster members, but also to actively seek new partners and projects that can harness the potential of Polish basalt technologies. At the same time, we will be analysing available national and European funding instruments in order to develop research, development and implementation projects together with Cluster members. If you have an idea for a project, technology or application of basalt that could be developed jointly, we encourage you to get in touch.