Polsko-Holenderska platforma leku roślinnego

Flaga Polski

The Polish-Dutch platform of plant-based products

The Nicolaus Copernicus University – Leiden University

There is a rapid increasing interest in health and functional food, which also is reflected in an increased use of medicinal plants. The 2015 Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physiology was given to research on Nature as a source of medicines. Obviously, this recognition by the medical field results in an increased interest for studies of traditional medicinal plants and bioprospecting of nature for novel drug leads.

A development of the Polish-Dutch platform on plant-based products will broaden the knowledge on medicinal plants. This is an excellent idea which may connect universities with companies and to serve as a direct transfer of knowledge and research commercialization. During the platform development new partners will be invited to strengthen the network in Europe and to broaden research on plant drugs quality. In the future, the analytical tools developed for the quality control may be valuable for herbal manufacturers and other people working in the aera of herbal products. It should be noticed that herbal industry in Poland has had a long tradition of use and the products are of a very good quality.

One of the project’s innovations will be a cooperation with an industrial sector and providing on the market new products. Such undertakings require to develop new networks between academy and industry, between different the EU’s countries as well as a mutual education.

This project will serve as a pilot for workers and students at the Nicolaus Copernicus University and University in Leiden, as well as at other universities throughout the countries. The platform and activities included will strengthen the awareness of people on the problem of a poor quality of plant-based products imported to the EU. It will have a great add-value for the plant-based products’ producers, researchers and for a society in general.