WARSAW HEALTH INNOVATION HUB – THE BEGINNING OF THE POLISH MEDIAL VALLEY

On June 10, 2021 there was launched the Warsaw Health Innovation Hub (WHIH). This, first in the Eastern (and Central) Europe, initiative between public and business sectors will bring together leading global medical, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. According to the funders’ intention, it should be a beginning of the Polish Medical Valley which was created concurrently with the WHIH. The WHIH is intended to be just a first step of this huge, innovative enterprise.

WHAT IS THE WARSAW HEALTH INNOVATION HUB?

The Polish WHIH is the first business initiative in the Central Europe that brings together co-working between public sector with business entities in order to create innovative medical, technological and legal solutions for patients’ health improvement and for enhancement the capability of Polish health- care system. This unique conception (co-working conception) will allow to provide the conditions for rapid transformation of ideas into products, processes and services, taking into account the development interests of the Polish biomedical sector and Poland’s need to be independent in terms of drug and medical products safety. It is also an opportunity to invest in Polish technologies and the best research teams in the country, according to the Medical Research Agency.[1]

This is a joint initiative between the Medical Research Agency (Agencja Badań Medycznych)[2] EIT Health[3] and global medical industries players: AstraZeneca, Microsoft, Polpharma, Roche. The launching ceremony was held at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland with his patronage.

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Purpose of existence

The main task of the Polish Platform for Handling Investment Projects (POPI) is fast and accurate implementation of broadly understood investment projects, which is (as the Polish Ministry of Health maintains) one of the most important activities of the Ministry of Health. In order to bypass many entities that would be involved in the implementation of a given investment, the Ministry of Health brought to life the POPI platform, which automated the above-mentioned process and thus facilitated navigation in the area of investment projects and increased the number of investment projects implemented in the area of health. The platform for servicing investment projects of the Polish Ministry of Health is a place bringing together entities that are directly involved in the process of launching investment projects. As part of this platform, entities can apply for funds for any investment co-financed by the Ministry of Health. Additionally, the POPI platform can function as a place where applications are assessed, and the given investments are monitored and settled. It should also be remembered that mutual contact regarding the implementation of specific investments is also part of POPI.

The Investment Project Support Platform (POPI) is available at the following address:

e-inwestycje.mz.gov.pl

It is also important that in order to fully use the POPI platform, it is required to set up an account through a certified profile, and to submit the application with the use of a qualified electronic signature.

What can POPI enable?

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FOOD LAW AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES IN POLAND

When we are currently witnessing a constantly changing environment, the phrase ‘food law’ or ‘agriculture law’ is not sufficient to describe the situation by legal terms. What can be observed in the market is that the food sector and new technologies sector have stepped up cooperation and co-work. Such new products as vegan meat, soya, coconut, almond milk, mechanic bees are a result of food-tech cooperation. The food tech cooperation comprises a considerable part of the market in Poland, effecting in the creation of a number of start-ups, such as for example:

• Qurczak which produces a unique plant- based alternative to poultry meat, made of fibers that resemble chicken breast;
• Frens which produces a hypoallergenic and easily digestible food for dogs containing insect protein;
• KuMin.Sys which is an IT tool for catering industry to help better plan production volumes, optimization of costs and reduction of food waste.

The above start-ups function in the Foodtech accelerator https://foodtech.ac. This is one of the many examples of enhanced cooperation between food and technology (especially IT) sectors. Behind these innovative ideas there is always specific legal regulation which controls and moderates the business reality.

POLISH AND EUROPEAN FOODTECH LEGAL FRAMEWORK

In Poland there are the following main legal acts which contain the relevant provisions in the discussed sector:

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On 29 July 2021 KIEŁTYKA GŁADKOWSKI KG LEGAL took part in the webinar ‘Cell and gene data innovation and multi-stakeholder data transfer’ (Plan, capture and set the infrastructure for data sharing across the value chain, to optimize commercial strategy), organized by Reuters Events in participation and partnership with Salesforce. The scope of the webinar is within life science and digital health specialization that constitutes one of the core specializations of our law firm.

Some of the panelists included:

Augusto Penjasoff – Business Partner, Global Cell Therapy IT Head in BMS (Bristol Myers Squibb),

Curt Fitzgerald – Director- Service Delivery- C&GT in Novartis,

Gary Gabriel – Global Advisor for Healthcare and Life Sciences in Tableau,

Neary Detrick – Senior Director, Data Management & Analytics in Bluebird Bio,

and Beth Hayes as a moderator- healthcare and lifesciences business consulting – Pharma Lead, Industry Transformation (Salesforce).

The mission of Salesforce company (a partner and a participant of the webinar) is to empower companies to connect with the customers, providers of services and patients in the new and reimagined way. Salesforce serves leading organizations across the industry, including pioneers in CGT (cell and gene therapy).

Important question posed during the webinar concerned personalized medicine.

The response is that the latter is the future of the medicine (so-called a Medicine 2.0). A deliberation about personalized medicine is not a discussion about future in about 10 or 15 years. It drives a magnificent impact across the industry. There was also discussed the question of the difference between the traditional medicine and personalized medicine.

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PLAN, CAPTURE AND SET THE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR DATA SHARING ACROSS THE VALUE CHAIN, TO OPTIMIZE COMMERCIAL STRATEGY.

On July 29, 2021 KG Legal Kiełtyka Gładkowski will take part in webinar ‘Cell and gene data innovation and multi-stakeholder data transfer’ organized by Reuters as part of the activities of Pharma Boardroom (the global platform for C -level healthcare executives) in partnership with Sales force. This online-conference will focus on the life-changing cell and gene therapies and related with it value chains of these therapies and data transfer between the stakeholders.

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