Address

4 Ks. Trojdena Street

02 - 109 Warsaw, Poland

Tax No. PL 526-22-78-704

REGON 013082798

Phone & E-mail

tel. (+48 22) 597 07 00

fax (+48 22) 597 07 15

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The main character of the Be Healthy as a Fish educational campaign is the zebrafish, which helps scientists find the cause of certain human diseases and discover new-generation therapies and medicines. The program is directed towards children aged 9-12 years old.

Be Healthy as a Fish 2019 

Workshops

For the young target audience, the workshop is an opportunity to visit a real scientific institute. During the classes, the participants are introduced to the zebrafish as a model organism that is used in basic and applied research because of its high genetic similarity to humans, transparent embryos, very short reproduction cycle, access to experimental manipulations, a large collection of mutant/transgenic lines, and low maintenance cost. Therefore, the zebrafish is an attractive alternative to mammalian in vivo models and can be used to implement the “3R” principles (reduction, replacement, and refinement). To empathize with the role of scientists, the students observe 1- to 2-day-old zebrafish embryos under a stereoscopic microscope. They have the opportunity to see the beating heart of a small fish and living brine shrimp (Artemia) larvae and rotifers. They learn that zebrafish development is very similar to the embryogenesis of higher vertebrates. In contrast to mammals, zebrafish develop from fertilized, transparent eggs outside the mother’s body, which allows scientists to observe the embryogenesis process.

Participants of the workshop learn how much the human body is similar in its genesis and development to the body of a small fish. They learn that when scientists observe the zebrafish, human embryogenesis, and the mechanisms of the human body, various functions can be better understood. By explaining the concept of the homology of genomes, they are shown the importance of animals in the multi-stage process of discovering new drugs and therapies. We also show participants how we breed zebrafish and how we tend to their welfare. We familiarize children with the issues of ethics in research that is performed with animals. The participants independently investigate water properties by performing calorimetric tests and measuring the pH and hardness of tap water and aquarium water that is used in the facility. Water analyses are supervised by animal caretakers who work at IIMCB. The children are permitted to perform water tests themselves and have the opportunity to ask questions about zebrafish husbandry, fish biology, operation of the fish facility, and other tasks. At the end of the workshop, the students are given the Be Healthy as a Fish book and a three-dimensional bookmark with images of zebrafish.

 

Movie

The aim of the movie is to familiarize viewers with IIMCB’s facilities and scientific interests and show the everyday work lives of scientists. This 6-min movie is mostly animated. However, part of it shows real images of various locations within the institute (e.g., laboratories, fish facility, the office of the Director of IIMCB, and a lecture hall where the workshops are held). The storyline of the animation consists of a humorous tour around the institute that is guided by two cartoon characters: the Professor and a zebrafish. During the tour, the children are told the reason why the zebrafish facility was established, and they can witness the formation of a new international team of scientists. The viewers are informed that science has no borders, and new discoveries result from joint efforts of scientists around the world who exchange information during seminars and conferences. Both Polish and English versions of the movie are available on the IIMCB YouTube channel.

 

Book

The book brings the complex world of science closer to young readers. Because the book is geared toward primary school children with an elementary knowledge of life sciences, it is illustrated with cartoons to make the content more interesting for a young audience. Moreover, to help readers absorb the story’s message, the book provides engaging assignments. A short glossary defines terms that are used in the book that may be difficult for some readers to understand. Importantly, the factual content was created in consultation with an educational biology expert to ensure that the message of the story is both understandable and inspiring for a young audience.

The book is distributed to all of the participants of the workshop as an invitation to broaden their knowledge beyond the topics that are discussed in their classes. The content of the book was written such that it can be regarded as an independent story from which those who do not participate in the workshops can benefit. The Be Healthy as a Fish book can be interesting additional material for teachers to support discussions about the evolution of life, cell biology, heredity, and anatomical similarities between humans and animals.

Achievements

• Presentation about the campaign at 9th European Zebrafish Meeting in Oslo, Norway

• Poster prize at 6th European Forum for Marketing of Scientific and Research Organizations in Warsaw, Poland

• Publication in the Zebrafish Journal (Goś et al., 2016, doi: 10.1089/zeb.2015.1195)

• Presentation about the campaign at 7th European Forum for Marketing of Scientific and Research Organizations in Warsaw, Poland

• Publication in the Polish Journal of Environmental Sciences “Wszechświat” (no 10-12 2016)

 

 "Be Healthy as a Fish" book

Book cover

 

"Be Healthy as a Fish" movie


 

Publication in Zebrafish

Be Healthy as a Fish Educational Program at the International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw, Poland
Goś Daria, Szymańska Ewelina, Białek-Wyrzykowska Urszula, Wiweger Małgorzata, and Kuźnicki Jacek. Zebrafish. June 2016, 13(4): 266-271. doi:10.1089/zeb.2015.1195.

Be Healthy as a Fish Educational Program at IIMCB

BioCEN logo

Group members

Head
Mikołaj Cup                                                     		 Laboratory Manager            
Paweł Morga
Project Manager                             
Agnieszka Muśnicka		 Lead Educators
Jakub Tomaszewski   
Małgorzata Malczewska

 

BioCEN - Touch Science!

The Centre for Innovative Bioscience Education (BioCEN) was established in 2002 by the International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw, the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, and the Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics. 

BioCEN exists to bridge the gap between the scientific community and society by providing educational activities that popularize modern experimental natural sciences among the broader community. We use innovative educational methods to provide hands-on experience in topics of interest. Our workshops, presentations, and educational materials are based on scientific findings and the expertise of our collaborators. BioCEN receives financial support from IIMCB, which has been BioCEN’s Strategic Sponsor since 2015. In addition to IIMCB’s support, BioCEN is subsidized by Nencki Institute, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Warsaw Faculty of Biology, and BioEducation Foundation. 

BioCEN Laboratory 

BioCEN workshops cover various areas of life sciences and medicine, with a focus on practical and experimental approaches. Our goal is to cover several scientifically and educationally important topics, such as molecular and cell biology, histology, immunology, biochemistry, biotechnology, microbiology, biophysics, plant physiology, bionics/bioengineering, environmental sciences, medical sciences, astrobiology, and astrophysics. We encourage participating students to express their creativity while working individually on real-life experiments. 

A total of 7,568 students participated in laboratory and outdoor workshops in 2023, and our materials reached ~6500 recipients. Moreover, various BioCEN online activities were viewed over 60.000 times. 

Target audience 

BioCEN's regular workshop offer is available to all primary school students (from the second grade onwards) and high school students from all over Poland. The classes are tailored to the needs and capabilities of students at their respective educational levels. The presented experiments make students aware that the theoretical knowledge found in textbooks directly translates into reality. Thus, BioCEN's slogan "Touch Science!" perfectly reflects our mission. 

You can register for our workshops via the BioCEN website: https://biocen.edu.pl/kalendarz/ 

Customized BioCEN Workshops 

Since our team consists of many specialists from various fields, we can design customized workshops for audiences other than schools. As BioCEN, we have repeatedly offered special classes for kindergartens, educational foundations, groups of adult enthusiasts, and university students. 

As an educational and science popularization institution, BioCEN also designs workshops for the healthcare and cosmetics industries. We conduct classes that can enhance events such as conferences, training sessions, or scientific symposia. Our regular collaborators include renowned cosmetics companies. 

If you are interested in organizing personalized workshops, please contact us by sending email to the Scientific Project Coordinator (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

WORKSHOP OFFER

Classes for primary schools (2h):

  • Microbe Hunters (Primary school)
  • CSI: BioCEN
  • Green Factories of Sweetness
  • Look Inside the Cell (Primary school)
  • See Your DNA (Primary school)

Classes for secondary schools: 

Two-hour workshops:

  • Microbe Hunters (High school)
  • Look Inside the Cell (High school)
  • See Your DNA (High school)

Four-hour workshops:

  • Synergy – The Inner Life of the Cell
  • Histology
  • Sokaris – Introduction to Astrobiology

General Structure of Workshops at BioCEN 

We host our workshops in the BioCEN Laboratory, located at Skierniewicka Street 21 (100 meters from the Płocka metro station). 

The classes are usually divided into a short theoretical introduction, during which we familiarize students with safety rules, workflow in the BioCEN Laboratory and introduce the necessary concepts for conducting experiments. Then our educators instruct students on how to perform the experiments and discuss their individual stages. After completing the experiments, students gather the results of their work and discuss them together, drawing appropriate conclusions. 

During the classes, our educators are available to answer students' questions about the experiments being conducted, scientific work, and available pathways of further development. 

Collaboration with IIMCB 

BioCEN supports the outreach activities organized by IIMCB by:

  • Organizing activities for exceptional youth associated by the National Children’s Fund
  • Organizing scientific seminars for schools collaborating with the Institute
  • Co-designing educational resources for scientific projects such as “Degradator - A Game about Protein Degradation”

Collaboration with other entities 

BioCEN co-organizes the annual Symposia for Teachers with the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology (link: Symposia for Teachers), where we share our experience in popularizing science. 

Together with Nencki EduTube (link: //www.youtube.com/@NenckiEduTube">Nencki EduTube), we prepare lectures to introduce students to aspects of the research work of our educators.

BIOCEN EDUCATORS AND COLLABORATORS

Notable members of the BioCEN team include educators and coworkers without whom our educational activities would not be possible. In 2023, the following individuals collaborated with BioCEN:  
Educators: Dasza Babiuk, Julia Brzykcy, Julia Gilewska, Rafał Jabłuszewski, Jakub Janiec, Aleksandra Kowalczyk, Katarzyna Krzyżewska, Paweł Morga, Maksymilian Nowak, Małgorzata Orłowska, Magdalena Pełka, Gustaw Zientarski, Jedrzej Kardasz, Alina Kiedryńska, Kalina Węgrzyn, Adela Jezierska-Suwińska, Hubert Kubiszewski, Zuzanna Napora, Stanisław Szleszkowski, Aleksandra Maciejczuk

Lead Educators: Małgorzata Malczewska, Jakub Tomaszewski 

Laboratory Support Personnel: Paweł Morga, Małgorzata Malczewska

Management Board Members: Mikołaj Cup (CEO), Patrycja Dołowy, Maciej Kotliński

HR Excellence in Research 

HR LOGO

 

Since 2013, the International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw has been a holder of the HR Excellence in Research logo. This prestigious recognition acknowledges IIMCB as an attractive place for researchers to work and develop their careers. IIMCB actively and consciously adheres to the principles of the European Charter and Code for Researchers.

HR Logo Working Group

The HR Logo Working Group is involved in implementing the activities at the IIMCB. The working group is supported by the IIMCB Directors (Decision 4.2025 on appointing HR Excellence in Research Working Group).

HR Working GroupHR Logo Working Group in 2024

Why it's worth working in IIMCB?

  • The official language of communication at the IIMCB is English
  • Internal documents are available in English
  • We have a person dedicated to supporting foreigners, who helps with all the formalities related to arrival in Poland and in-residence issues
  • We offer a wide range of benefits under the Social Fund (including a sports card)
  • We have additional private medical insurance partially funded by IIMCB
  • Researchers work on a task-oriented work system
  • We offer flexible working hours
  • We have a supportive mentoring program and other useful guides available internally

Our recruitment processes are open, transparent and merit-based

Since the start of its activities in 1999 IIMCB has managed open, transparent, and merit-based competitions. Such a recruitment procedure refers to all scientists staff and is one of the fundamental rules governing the functioning of IIMCB. 

  • We advertise in ENG so anyone from anywhere can join us
  • Our offers can be found at IIMCB website, EURAXESS, and international portals
  • We inform our candidates about application status
  • We involve Recruitment Committee in each step of the recruitment process
  • We value people by their merits: creativity, mobility, potential for further development, and level of independence are as much important as scientific excellence
  • We recruit regardless of age, gender, culture, race or disability

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How do we help foreigners who would like to begin working at IIMCB?

A dedicated employee of the HR Unit provides comprehensive support and professional care in the field of legalization of stay and employment of foreigners in IIMCB.

You may find a detailed range of support under the link: support for foreigners

You can contact us at email address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

EURAXESS - Researchers in Motion

We strongly encourage you to visit https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/. EURAXESS - Researchers in Motion is a one-stop shop for researchers and innovators seeking to advance their careers and personal development by moving to other countries. It provides tailored information and support, free of charge, to researchers, entrepreneurs, and research performing organizations. This unique web portal offers job, funding and hosting opportunities, career development guidance, free tools, and much more.

Documents

Recruitment rules
Gender Equality Plan

One of the priorities of IIMCB is to foster a working environment in which all individuals are treated equally, with respect, and with fairness therefore, in 2021, the IIMCB implemented the Gender Equality Plan. More information: https://www.iimcb.gov.pl/en/career-education/gender-equality-plan

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IIMCB logo

Technology Transfer Unit - Bio and Technology Innovations Platform (BioTech-IP) was established at the International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in 2010. The foundation of the BioTech-IP was possible thanks to two received grants: one from Operational Programme Human Capital  8.2.1 and the other from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.
The BioTech-IP provides service to all six bio-tech-med institutes forming the BioCenter Ochota. Its main goal is to support entrepreneurial spirit in researchers by offering scholarships for applied research projects, internships in innovative bio-tech companies, practical trainings and legal advice in IPR and tech transfer, assistance in applying for applied research projects.

For more information, see the BioTech-IP WebPage

BioTech-IP

 ABOUT THE IIMCB

The International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw was established under an international agreement between the government of the Republic of Poland and UNESCO and a dedicated parliamentary act of 1997, so it has a unique legal status in the Polish scientific system. The IIMCB is directly supervised by the President of the Polish Academy of Sciences, who appoints members of the International Advisory Board and, upon the Board's recommendation, the Institute's director. The Board provides strategic advice on research directions, approves financial plans, conducts competitions for laboratory leaders and regularly evaluates the scientific outputs of laboratories. For years, the Institute has boasted the highest scientific category (A+) in the evaluation of scientific institutions by the Ministry responsible for science, including the latest one in 2022. To strengthen its international position, in January 2020 the IIMCB joined the EU-LIFE alliance of 15 independent research institutes from 15 European countries. This alliance works for excellence in life sciences, attaching great importance to the quality and integrity of science, while at the same time actively participating in shaping European science policy.

The main research directions at the IIMCB are RNA biology and cell biology, both aimed at understanding the fundamentals of human diseases, which are the basis for creating innovative therapeutic and diagnostic methods. The scientific excellence which we pursue involves the implementation of ambitious research projects and scientific initiatives, and forming partnerships with leading research centers in Poland and abroad. To ensure that the results of this research are translated into clinical applications, the IIMCB is open to cooperation with the pharmaceutical and biotechnological industries, including sharing the resources and expertise of our core facilities. 

The IIMCB is involved in educating PhD students as one of the nine founders of the Warsaw PhD School in Natural and BioMedical Sciences (Warsaw-4-PhD). The School offers international doctoral students an interdisciplinary educational and research program in physics, chemistry, biology, and medicine. Next year we will celebrate the graduation of the first alumni of our School.

Research at the IIMCB is supported by an annual statutory subsidy from the Ministry responsible for science and a budgetary subsidy from the Polish Academy of Sciences. Still, up to 70% of the yearly institutional budget comes from external competitive sources. Since 2000, our scientists have received 354 grants. Many prestigious ones come from European and other foreign sources, such as: the EU Framework Programmes, including European Research Council, EU Structural Funds through the Foundation for Polish Science, European Molecular Biology Organization, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Wellcome Trust, European Economic Area and Norway Grants, and the Polish-Swiss Research Programme. In 2023, the IIMCB has started implementing an institutional project entitled “RNA and Cell Biology - from Fundamental Research to Therapies” (RACE) selected for funding in the Teaming for Excellence programme under Horizon Europe. IIMCB researchers at different career stages also benefit from diverse grants from Polish sources: National Science Centre, National Centre for Research and Development, Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange, Polish Science Fund and Ministry of Education and Science.

The well-being of the members of our community is paramount to us, thus the IIMCB follows the rules put forward by the European Commission in the HR Excellence in Research programme, which the IIMCB joined in 2013. The HR Excellence in Research logo is an accreditation that identifies institutions with a stimulating and favorable working environment. The recently adopted Gender Equality Plan  includes measures to take it a step further: providing an assuring and conducive work culture based on the respect for the principles of equality and diversity. In doing so, we enable all employees to freely develop their scientific and personal skills.

Fourteen research groups comprise the present structure of IIMCB:

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