Poland's new Virtual Research Institute to work on new drugs

Poland's first Virtual Research Institute (WIB) will work on the development of new drugs, mainly those to fight cancer, Deputy PM and Development, Labour and Technology Minister Jaroslaw Gowin said at an event which launched the institute on Friday.

WIB will form "a very modern" virtual space for cooperation with the best teams of researchers from Poland and likely from around the world, Gowin told a press conference held jointly with Minister of Science and Higher Education Wojciech Murdzek.

Murdzek told reporters that WIB was among only a few institutes in Europe which function in this way. He also said that the new institute will have a budget of PLN 450 million (EUR 98.6 mln) for research and PLN 22.5 million (EUR 4.93 mln) "for all work related to the functioning of the institute."

Funds for research under the WIB come from the Polish Science Fund established at Poland's state bank BGK.