CERAD — Centre for the Design and Synthesis of Molecularly Targeted Radiopharmaceuticals (NCBJ, Świerk)
A national research infrastructure for the design, production, and study of new radiopharmaceuticals, being built at the National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ) in Świerk near Otwock. At the heart of the complex is a Cyclone 30 XP cyclotron manufactured by the Belgian company IBA, accelerating protons and alpha particles to an energy of 30 MeV and deuterons to 15 MeV — this allows the production of radionuclides (including zirconium-89, astatine-211, copper-67) previously not produced at NCBJ and poorly available in Poland. The project is being carried out by a consortium of six scientific institutions led by NCBJ, and the undertaking is co-financed from the Smart Growth Operational Programme (POIR). The cyclotron arrived in Świerk in December 2023; a three-storey laboratory complex is being built over more than 2,500 m². CERAD complements the production of isotopes from the MARIA reactor with the production of cyclotron radionuclides, giving Poland a unique facility combining both sources.
Timeline
- Construction start Aug 2017
- Original date Dec 2022
Change history
- Dec 2023 status: under construction Cyclone 30 XP cyclotron delivered to Świerk (December 2023); laboratory complex nearing completion. No source from 2024–2026 confirming the start of production.
- Dec 2023 stage: commissioning
Significance
CERAD gives Poland its own cyclotron-based source of innovative radionuclides for oncological diagnostics and therapy (including zirconium-89, astatine-211, copper-67), which until now were not produced in the country or were difficult to access. Combined with the production of isotopes from the MARIA research reactor, this makes NCBJ in Świerk a unique centre combining reactor-based and cyclotron-based production of radioactive preparations. The infrastructure, entered on the Polish Roadmap for Research Infrastructures and co-financed from POIR, is intended to support the design of molecularly targeted radiopharmaceuticals — including preparations tailored to the needs of individual patients. Despite its value being below the PLN 500 million threshold, the undertaking is of strategic importance as a national research and medical infrastructure.
Sources 5
Every fact on this card comes from the sources below. Next to each source — which fields it supports.
- Narodowe Centrum Badań Jądrowych (NCBJ)CostConstruction startOriginal dateDescriptionSignificance
Cost „Wartość Projektu przewidziana jest na 147,8 mln zł z czego ok. 73,0 mln zł będzie stanowiło dofinansowanie z Programu Operacyjnego Inteligentny Rozwój"
Construction start „Realizacja Projektu nastąpi w okresie od 1 sierpnia 2017 r. do 31 grudnia 2022 r."
- Narodowe Centrum Badań Jądrowych (NCBJ) 15 Dec 2023StatusStageStage historyInvestorDescriptionSignificance
Investor „Koordynatorem konsorcjum CERAD jest Narodowe Centrum Badań Jądrowych"
Status „Cały nowy kompleks laboratoryjny CERAD w Świerku jest już na ukończeniu"
Stage „Cyklotron Cyclone 30 XP w tym tygodniu dotarł do swego miejsca przeznaczenia"
Description „W cyklotronie będą rozpędzane protony i cząstki alfa do energii 30 MeV oraz deuterony do energii 15 MeV"
- Mapa Dotacji UE (mapadotacji.gov.pl)Investorstrategiceu_funding_rows
eu_funding_rows[0].value_pln „Project value: 234 177 167,70 zł"
eu_funding_rows[1].value_pln „Co-financing from the EU: 80 706 082,24 zł"
- Narodowe Centrum Badań Jądrowych (NCBJ)strategicSignificance
strategic „Upon project completion in 2024, NCBJ will be a unique center capable of producing radioisotopes both in the reactor and with the cyclotron."
- Nauka w Polsce (PAP)Description