Puławy, April 24th 2008

Puławski Park Naukowo-Technologiczny – Science and Technology Park of Puławy

Today, on April 24th 2008, a letter of intent has been signed at the offices of Zakłady Azotowe Puławy S.A. concerning the establishment of Puławski Park Naukowo-Technologiczny (Science and Technology Park of Puławy). At the meeting, a Coordination Team was appointed, whose role will be to implement the project. The objective of the initiative is to create a broad platform for cooperation between the science and business worlds with regard to research and implementation of new technologies. The project is due to commence in 2010. Its cost is estimated at PLN 85m, of which 85% is to be sourced from the EU funds, while 15% will be provided by the Puławy Municipality.

Signatories of the letter include the Municipal Authorities of Puławy, Zakłady Azotowe Puławy S.A. research institutes from Puławy, such as Instytut Nawozów Sztucznych (Fertilizers Research Institute), Instytut Uprawy, Nawożenia i Gleboznawstwa (Institute for Soil Science and Plant Cultivation), Fundacja Puławskie Centrum Przedsiębiorczości (Puławy Entrepreneurship Centre Foundation), representatives of the Polish Parliament and the local government. The letter has an open form and its purpose is to ...invite all scientific institutes, schools, research and development centres, companies and other representatives of the business world, local governments and business-related organizations to commit themselves to the project and actively contribute to the creation of the Science and Technology Park.

Today we have agreed upon taking quick actions which should result in the Science and Technology Park coming to existence, said Włodzimierz Karpiński, Member of the Polish Parliament, after the working meeting held at the offices of Zakłady Azotowe Puławy S.A. We want to initiate projects aimed at transferring new technologies to the industry sector, and we are hoping to establish comprehensive cooperation in the field of science and technology. We have all we need to make things which happen in highly-developed countries happen in Puławy too.
 
The Science and Technology Park of Puławy will have a modern research and implementation centre which will be established near Zakłady Azotowe Puławy S.A. Puławy needs modern facilities for scientific, research and implementation work in the area of high-tech technologies, says Cezary Możeński, Head of the Fertilizers Research Institute. The European Union will provide funds to build research facilities, which thanks to the location near Zakłady Azotowe Puławy would be able to use all the utilities and technical means necessary for their functioning.

Janusz Grobel, Mayor of Puławy, perceives the Science and Technology Park of Puławy as a centre for development of technologies which could be applied, for instance, at Puławski Park Przemysłowy (Puławy Industrial Park). I am convinced that the Park will be a driving force for the development of the town and the businesses located there.

ZA Puławy is interested in the project primarily with a view to obtaining modern technologies for new products requiring a significant amount of scientific knowledge. At the meeting, Paweł Jarczewski, President of ZA Puławy’s Management Board, announced the intention to materially increase the Company’s expenditures on research and development.