Poland’s cleanest laboratory is being built in Warsaw

Eight Warsaw research centres formed the CEZAMAT consortium to create one of the most advanced R&D centres in Europe. It will consist of a central laboratory, and several additional labs, all of them equipped with unique research equipment.

"The heart of CEZAMAT will be +cleanrooms+, high-purity air laboratories" - said Warsaw University of Technology Vice-Rector for Science Prof. Tadeusz Kulik.

The air in "cleanrooms" will be purified of tiniest dust particles, bacteria and chemical contaminants. They will meet the highest quality standards with in terms of the stability of microclimatic conditions, ensuring constant temperature and humidity.

Head of the architectural office Dedeco Piotr Hoffman explained that to meet all the requirements, the laboratory was built to be resistant to vibration. It will also almost completely windowless. It was also necessary to design an air circulation system, with air pumped into the "cleanrooms" through a special filter system to eliminate further contamination.

Before entering the rooms, scientists will have to wear appropriate clothing. CEZAMAT’s Vice President for Research Prof. Romuald Beck said that the purpose is not to protect personnel, but rather protect the rooms from contaminants employees could bring in. A person can bring surprising amounts...

"Every year we lose 15 kilograms of the epidermis. A prosaic activity of exposing a watch dial generates several thousand dust particles, which begin to float around a person" - said Prof. Beck.

Why is it important to maintain such high purity of research facilities? "Failure of one transistor can cause the entire system of 20 million transistors to fail" - said Prof. Beck.

In CEZAMAT labs, researchers will test properties of materials even before actually materials themselves are made, they will develop next-generation solar cells, work on electronic paper. The specialty of the nanomaterials lab will be so-called functional materials to be applied, for example, in biosensors used for detecting cancer cells.

"We will also work on new structures that will allow the volume of one bottle to hold the content of a dozen traditional bottles" - described Prof. Beck.

"We hope that CEZAMAT will generate innovation for society" - said Prof. Kulik. Prof. Beck noted that the creators of the consortium are interested in cooperation with both Polish and foreign research centres, but also with the business community. Therefore, not only to employees of institutions affiliated in the consortium will pursue work in the laboratories.

CEZAMAT project manager Mariusz Wielec said that in addition to laboratories CEZAMAT will also offer administrative support for researchers. Its task will be to "relieve scholars of organizational work, so they can focus on their research".

CEZAMAT consortium is formed by Warsaw University of Technology (the project coordinator) and the University of Warsaw, the Military University of Technology, four institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences (Institute of Physics, Institute of Physical Chemistry, Institute of High Pressure Physics and Institute of Fundamental Technological Research), and Institute of Electronic Materials Technology.

The building will be built by 2015 at Poleczki 19 in Warsaw and will be part of high-technology campus. The project, worth about 385 million, is being carried out under the EU Operational Programme Innovative Economy.

PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland, Ewelina Krajczyńska

agt/ mrt/

tr. RL