The Food Structure & Functionality Conference
– 15 years later
is organised by Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research
of Polish Academy of Sciences, Olsztyn, Poland
within the framework of EU-FP7-project REFRESH:

Unlocking the potential of the Institute
of Animal Reproduction and Food Research
for strengthening integration
with the European Research Area
and regional development
7th Framework Programme EU-Research
Potential-Capacities-FP7-REGPOT-2010-1-264103

The Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences is a research centre of  140 people located in Olsztyn, a city 220 km north of Warsaw and 90 km south of the border of Russia’s Kaliningrad Administrative Region, in the Province of Warmia and Mazury, the so-called Green Lungs of Poland. Despite being established only 22 years ago, the determination and enthusiasm of its staff, and the excellence of its science has led to its taking the leading position amongst all Polish research centres in the agricultural sciences.

Just 10 years after its inception, the Institute was awarded the status of Centre of Excellence for Knowledge Transfer, Research and Education in FOOD & HEALTH for Central and Eastern Europe - CENEXFOOD under the EU’s Fifth Framework Programme, and, 4 years later, became a National Centre of Excellence for Bioengineering and Biotechnology in Designing New Strategies for Reproduction Control and Protection of Human and Animal Health – BIOANIREP. Both these distinctions were received in recognition of the excellence in research and training conducted at the Institute and its strong connections throughout the European Research Area.

Thematic domains at the Institute, addressed in an interdisciplinary manner, are:

• Establishing the effect of genetic and environmental factors (nutrition, environment pollution) on regulation of physiological and pathological processes in humans and animals,
• Developing innovative, tailor-made food products with natural bioactive components for optimal nutritional intake and maintenance of well-being of humans and animals,
• Developing and exploiting analytical methods for food components to evaluate food quality and within-product interactions at the level of the organism,
• Protecting biodiversity of animal production and selected species of animals at risk of extinction using advanced bioengineering and biotechnological techniques to prevent and treat infertility, and
• Regulating the ovarian cycle and mechanisms controlling interactions between gametes, embryo, and mother’s body, and the “implantation window” in humans and animals.

The Institute has now received funding from the highly-competitive 2010 FP7 Regional Potential call to develop the project REFRESH - Unlocking the Potential of the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research for reinforced ERA integration and regional development. REFRESH will support visits, exchanges and networking to enable Institute research staff to extend the activities undertaken so far and purchase advanced equipment, and facilitate the recruitment of additional scientific and managerial staff. Whilst the exploitation of biochemistry, physics, genomics, metabolomics, microbiology, biotechnology and bioengineering is still important across the Institute, the main focus has now shifted towards protection and improvement of the quality of life and the health and well-being of humans and animals, and preservation of biodiversity. Investigations will be conducted at molecular and fundamental levels to help implement actions preventing degenerative changes in humans and animals. This focus is of particular significance in view of the dramatically increasing evidence of direct correlations between environment and eating habits, and the etiology of a variety of disorders, commonly described as diet/life style-related diseases.

Address:
Polish Academy od Sciences
Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research
Tuwima 10, 10-748 Olsztyn, POLAND
www.pan.olsztyn.pl