The laboratory will be at the Wielkopolska Centre of Advanced Technologies in Poznan where Selvita has leased a 5,500 sqft unit. The facility, which is due to open this summer, will increase the contract services’ firm’s capacity by 20%.
Krakov-headquartered firm said it initially plans to employ 50 chemists and biologist at the laboratory. However, it plans to increase headcount over time and establish the facility as the "second heart of Selvita.”
Board member Dr. Miroslawa Zydron said: “Wielkopolska region has a fantastic scientific potential. We are fully aware that for many talented graduates from local universities, the decision to relocate to Krakow can be very difficult, and for this reason we decided to come to them."
She added that: "Recently we have been recruiting locally in Poznan” explaining that “candidates are being invited to join Selvita for a few months in Krakow, so they can have the opportunity to get to know our company and its organization, before they start working in Poznan."
Selvita said that in addition to offering drug discovery services to customers, the new laboratory will also “actively participating in internal R&D projects.”
The planned expansion is in keeping with the strategy Selvita has followed since completing its initial public offering (IPO) at the end of 2014.
Last year the firm set up two offices in Boston and San Francisco in the US citing proximity to customers as the driver.