Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences

What Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences does

The Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences (ICHB PAN, legal name: Instytut Chemii Bioorganicznej Polskiej Akademii Nauk) is a public, non-profit research institute founded in 1969 and headquartered in Poznań, Poland, operating under the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN). It conducts interdisciplinary research at the intersection of chemistry, biology, and computer science, organized across 28 research departments and 14 specialized workshops, with a workforce of approximately 775 staff including ~380 at the affiliated Poznań Supercomputer and Networking Centre (PCSS), 112 research scientists, 15 full professors, and 25 habilitated doctors. Core research domains include bioorganic chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, systems biology, synthetic biology, and bioinformatics, with a particular focus on the synthesis, structure, and function of nucleic acids and proteins and their mutual interactions.

ICHB PAN develops and maintains proprietary research infrastructure and tools including the AGAMEDE bioactivity data system (awarded the IF Product Design Award and IDA), the RNAsolo 2.0 multimodal RNA database, RNAtive and graph-neural-network/diffusion-based RNA 3D structure prediction tools, DNAzyme technology, G-quadruplex research platforms, CRISPR-Cas9 cellular disease models, and ARC protein research platforms. The institute participates in major European consortia including Genome of Europe, EU-OPENSCREEN ERIC, COST, the International Pathogen Surveillance Network, and the LifeTime European Consortium, and jointly operates the European Centre for Bioinformatics and Genomics (ECBiG) with Poznań University of Technology.

The institute's economic model is grant-funded rather than commercially priced. Revenue streams include Polish state budget allocations, competitive grants from the National Science Centre (NCN), the National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA), the Ministry of Education and Science, EU programs including the European Funds for Modern Economy (FENG), the Agency for Medical Research (ABM), and large multi-year consortium partnerships such as the 7-year RNA therapeutic platform project with Polfa Warsaw. Additional income comes from specialized laboratory services (NMR, crystallography, sequencing, bioinformatics), publishing (the BioTechnologia quarterly journal and the RNA Technologies book series with Springer), conference hosting at the Turwie Palace complex, and science popularization programs. Customer-facing engagement spans academic and biomedical research communities, agricultural and plant science sectors, pharmaceutical partners, and educational outreach to the general public.

Name

Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences

Legal name

Instytut Chemii Bioorganicznej Polskiej Akademii Nauk

Website

https://portal.ichb.pl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences (ICHB PAN) is a public, non-profit research institute in Poznań, Poland, conducting interdisciplinary work in bioorganic chemistry, molecular biology, and bioinformatics across 28 departments, serving academic, biomedical, and pharmaceutical communities through grant-funded research, proprietary tools, and consortium partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biomedical Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)

akta.pro primary industry

Protein Engineering & Directed Evolution Platforms (enzyme/therapeutic protein optimization) (HLAAAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scientific & Laboratory Reference (Chemistry, Biology, Physics; Methods & Protocols) (EDAGAGAG), Method Development & Validation (ICH/USP) (HLAGADAB)

Keywords

• Bioorganic chemistry research
• Molecular biology studies
• RNA therapeutics development
• Genomic research services
• Bioinformatics database tools

Headquarters

HQ city

Poznań

HQ country

Poland

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Research Grants: Primary funding source from Polish and EU public grant programs including National Science Centre (NCN), National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA), Ministry of Education and Science, and European Funds for Modern Economy (FENG). Grants fund specific research projects, infrastructure, and doctoral programs.
2. State Budget Funding: Core institutional funding from the Polish state budget, including statutory activities, as well as international co-funded projects.
3. Clinical Research Partnership (RNA Technology): Funding from the Agency for Medical Research (Agencja Badań Medycznych) for the RNA-based therapeutic platform project, a 7-year commercial clinical study partnership with Polfa Warsaw. ICHB PAN received up to 35,207,716.16 PLN as consortium partner.
4. Research Services and Infrastructure Access: Specialized laboratory services offered through specialized workshops (Pracownie specjalistyczne) including screening, NMR, crystallography, and bioinformatics services to external researchers and industry.
5. Publishing Revenue: Revenue from the Publishing House (Ośrodek Wydawnictw Naukowych) including the quarterly BioTechnologia journal and the RNA Technologies book series published by Springer, as well as online bookstore sales.
6. Science Popularization and Public Engagement: Educational programs including 'Mikroświaty wyobraźni' (Microworlds of Imagination) combining biology, chemistry, and art for youth; outreach events and conferences open to public.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ICHB PAN is a public research institute conducting interdisciplinary research at the intersection of chemistry, biology, and computer science, focused on the synthesis, structure, and function of nucleic acids and proteins. It provides advanced research infrastructure, specialized laboratory services, computational and bioinformatics tools/databases, scientific publishing, and research training across 28 research departments and 14 specialized workshops in Poznań, Poland.

Product overview

Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry PAS (ICHB PAN) is an interdisciplinary research institution operating at the intersection of chemistry, biology, and informatics. The institute offers a portfolio of research infrastructure services including OMNIPLANT (plant imaging and analysis), POL-OPENSCREEN (chemical biology screening platform), computational tools, and research funding instruments (Research Vouchers). Additionally, the institute operates publishing services through the Ośrodek Wydawnictw Naukowych (Scientific Publishing Center) which publishes the BioTechnologia quarterly journal and scientific books in the 'RNA Technologies' series.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Poznańskie Centrum Superkomputerowo-Sieciowe (PCSS): Affiliated supercomputing and networking center providing computational infrastructure and services.
• Kwartalnik BioTechnologia

Products and services

• OMNIPLANT - National Research Infrastructure for Plant Imaging and Analysis National research infrastructure providing advanced visualization and analytical capabilities for plant biology research, offered to plant science researchers and academic groups as shared infrastructure.
• POL-OPENSCREEN - Polish Screening Infrastructure Platform for Chemical Biology Polish Screening Infrastructure Platform for Chemical Biology offering screening services for bioactive compounds and therapeutic discovery to academic researchers and industry partners.
• BioTechnologia - Journal of Biotechnology, Computational Biology and Bionanotechnology A scientific quarterly journal published by ICHB PAN covering biotechnology, computational biology, and bionanotechnology research, distributed to researchers and academic libraries.
• Ośrodek Wydawnictw Naukowych ICHB PAN (Scientific Publishing Centre) Scientific publishing centre offering books and publications including the 'Instytut Chemii Bioorganicznej PAN poleca' and the 'RNA Technologies' book series (Springer), with online bookstore sales.
• Narzędzia obliczeniowe (Computational Tools) Computational tools and resources provided by the institute for research purposes, including proprietary databases such as AGAMEDE and RNAsolo 2.0 and analytical tools such as RNAtive for the global research community.
• Bony Badawcze POL-OPENSCREEN (Research Vouchers) Research vouchers supporting experimental projects, hypothesis verification, and screening of chemical compound libraries, awarded to external researchers via the POL-OPENSCREEN platform.
• Conference Centre and Turwie Palace Venue (Centrum konferencyjne) Conference centre at the historic Palace and Park Complex in Turwie (near Poznań), hosting scientific conferences, seminars, public lectures, and outreach events.

Quantifiable outcome

• A+ category in both biological sciences and chemical sciences from Polish Ministry of Science
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fundacja Platynowa Drużyna (Platynowa Drużyna Foundation)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 June 2026Partnership between ICHB PAN and Platynowa Drużyna Foundation aimed at shortening the 'diagnostic odyssey' of rare disease patients through genomic infrastructure. The foundation's support enables utilization of ICHB PAN's advanced genomic capabilities for rare disease diagnosis.
• Czeska Akademia Nauk (Czech Academy of Sciences)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 November 2025Continuation of cooperation under Polish Academy of Sciences and Czech Academy of Sciences agreement supporting scientific mobility. Researchers from both institutions exchange visits and collaborate on joint projects.
• Uniwersytet Ekonomiczny w Poznaniu (Poznań University of Economics)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 November 2025Cooperation agreement signed between ICHB PAN and Poznań University of Economics along with Spółka Celowa UEP (UEP Spin-off Company). Aims to bridge research and business/economic applications of institute research.
• Spółka Celowa UEP (UEP Spin-off Company)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 12 November 2025Spin-off company of Poznań University of Economics partnered with ICHB PAN to facilitate commercialization and business development of research outcomes.
• Warszawskie Zakłady Farmaceutyczne Polfa SA (Polfa Warsaw)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 November 2025Consortium partner in a 93.85M PLN project for developing a universal fast-response RNA-based platform for national drug and epidemiological security. ICHB PAN serves as consortium partner (35.2M PLN) in this 7-year commercial clinical study.
• Mapa Mikrobiomu Polski Consortium (Microbiome Map of Poland)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 November 2025Results from pioneering microbiome research project 'Mapa Mikrobiomu Polski' being commercialized. Involves collaboration with industry partners for technology transfer of microbiome analysis methods.
• Genome of Europe (GoE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 December 2024ICHB PAN participating in the largest EU genomic project - Genome of Europe - which addresses growing demand for genetic data across European healthcare and research.
• Wirtualny Instytut Badawczy (WIB) ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 September 2024INTERCEPT project - 5-year initiative (2024-2029) on nucleic acid-based single-cell analysis technology for cancer diagnostics, funded at 40.2M PLN. Led by Prof. Marek Figlerowicz.
• EU-OPENSCREEN ERICcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean research infrastructure consortium providing high-quality services in chemical biology and early drug discovery. ICHB PAN is an active member, hosting the IMPULSE project and participating in POL-OPENSCREEN 2.0 research bonus program.
• COST (European Cooperation in Science & Technology)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean intergovernmental framework for cooperation in science and technology. ICHB PAN participates for international networking and access to European research collaborations. Dr Łukasz Przybył serves as representative.
• Instytut Informatyki Politechniki Poznańskiej (Institute of Computer Science, Poznań University of Technology)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint creation of the European Centre for Bioinformatics and Genomics (ECBiG) - unique in Poland, bridging computer science and life sciences for bioinformatics research.
• Harvard Medical SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThree ICHB PAN researchers qualified for the prestigious ABM and Harvard Medical School program, enabling research exchanges and collaborations with Harvard faculty.
• Poznań University of Medical SciencesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on biomedical research including microbiome studies and infectious disease research.
• Narodowa Agencja Wymiany Akademickiej (NAWA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPolish National Agency for Academic Exchange supporting international researcher mobility. ICHB PAN participates in PROM and Bekker programs for researcher exchanges.
• Fundacja ICHB PAN (ICHB PAN Foundation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe institute's own foundation, led by President Elżbieta Kopińska, supports institute activities, science popularization, and commercialization efforts. Awarded prestigious grants and recognized for outstanding achievements.
• Aquanet LaboratoriumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Mapa Mikrobiomu Polski project - environmental microbiome research together with water laboratory and infectious disease clinic.
• LifeTime European ConsortiumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean consortium of 90+ research institutions and 70+ companies coordinated by Prof. Nikolaus Rajewsky (MDC Berlin). ICHB PAN connected through International Advisory Board member Prof. Rajewsky.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Pasteur Institute: Large French non-profit research institute with deep strengths in molecular biology, genomics, and pathogen surveillance. Overlaps with ICHB PAN's pathogen surveillance network participation and structural biology mission.
• European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL): Intergovernmental life sciences research organization across multiple sites. Operates at far larger scale in structural biology, genomics, and bioinformatics, serving similar academic and translational missions across Europe.
• Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI): German public research center with significant genomics, chemical biology, and infection biology programs. Comparable in EU-funded mission and in operating EU-OPENSCREEN-style infrastructure, but with broader infectious-disease remit.

Direct peers

• Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research: MIT-affiliated biomedical research institute focused on molecular and cellular biology, genomics, and computational biology. Comparable non-profit research mission with elite talent and publication output.
• Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP): Vienna-based molecular biology research institute funded by Boehringer Ingelheim and public sources. Comparable scale and research focus on molecular and cellular biology with strong publication record.
• International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IIMCB): Polish Academy of Sciences–affiliated molecular biology institute in Warsaw. Closest domestic peer with overlapping scope in molecular biology, bioinformatics, and structural biology, and similar funding mix of EU and Polish grants.
• MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB): UK research institute with historic strengths in structural biology, RNA biology, and protein engineering (Nobel-laureate lineage). Comparable in nucleic acid/protein research mission and elite publication output, though larger and longer-established.
• Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics: German research institute focused on molecular genetics, genomics, and bioinformatics. Comparable mission, scale, and funding model (publicly funded basic/applied research) with strong publication output.
• Adam Mickiewicz University, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology: Also based in Poznań, conducting molecular biology and biotechnology research. Comparable in scale and academic mission, with potential overlap in talent pool and collaboration.

Others

• International Pathogen Surveillance Network (IPSN): WHO-coordinated global network for genomic pathogen surveillance in which ICHB PAN is an active member. Not a competitor but an enabling ecosystem that channels funding, data, and partnerships into participating institutes.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ichbpan
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ibchpas

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences