Intellectual capital

We are driven by innovation

The innovative approach to business and its development helps us to respond to market challenges and build our competitive advantage, guaranteeing the high quality of our products and services. Innovative thinking applies to each of the stages of our activity. At the stage of extraction and production, we invest in modern technologies, enter new product markets and expand the company’s offer. At the retail level, on the other hand, we optimize the retail network and introduce innovative products and services. Our refinery in Gdansk is one of the youngest and most technologically advanced and ecologically friendly refinery complexes in Europe.

Initiatives supporting our innovativeness:

LOTOS Vera
implements research and development projects for the LOTOS Group

CORPORATE VENTURE CAPITAL fund
a newly created fund of EUR 40-50 million, with which we plan to finance innovative projects related to the development of key businesses of the LOTOS Group

The EFRA project
at our refinery in Gdańsk we implement the most modern delayed coking installation that will improve processing of crude oil

Alternatives for gasoline

We are conducting research on alternative fuels, such as hydrogen and biofuels, we are exploring the possibility of developing infrastructure for alternative fuels, energy storage, including storage capacity and usage of hydrogen in road transport. We are also active in the field of development of electromobility. This year, we will create 12 fast charging points for electrical vehicles at stations located on the Warsaw-Tricity route. In the nearest future, we also plan to install similar devices at 38 further stations.

In addition, we are modernizing our gas stations so that they are more friendly to our customers on one hand and friendly to the environment on the other. Therefore, among other activities, we are modernizing the infrastructure around the stations and we are testing the fast customer service points, facilitating payments for the fuel directly at the pump.

We are working on the idea of ​​LOTOS Energy HUB, a completely new format of petrol stations, where in the future it will be possible to refuel the vehicle with both traditional fuels and those currently used, such as LNG natural gas, compressed CNG natural gas, electricity or hydrogen cells.

Strength of partnerships

We implement many innovative projects in cooperation with external partners.

We are the co-founder of the Cluster of Hydrogen Technologies and Clean Energy Technologies, we support the National Innovation League. We also actively participate in government agenda programs and cooperate with other companies, incubators and accelerators in the country. As part of the Space3ac accelerator, we develop projects together with start-ups. In 2017, we also commenced preparations for launch of a fund for innovation support ‚Corporate Venture Capital’.

We particularly value cooperation with research centres, both Polish and international. We are heavily involved in researching numerous innovative solutions in our sector. We work effectively with leading research centres, creating their research agenda. Apart from completing the core business, our LOTOS Lab participates very broadly in the development of students’ competencies in secondary technical schools of chemical faculty, as well as university students by providing internships for them. The internships allow both secondary school and university students to learn and familiarize themselves with state of the art research equipment and perform analytical tests on their own.

Flagship projects

Our expenditures on innovative projects are systematically growing, we finance them both from our own resources and those obtained from external sources. Among our flagship projects in the field of innovation, these deserve mention:

cooperation with Electric Power Research Institute

For 2 years, we have been cooperating with one of the world’s most prestigious research organizations in the energy sector, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) from Silicon Valley, developing joint innovative research projects.

EPRI runs, among others, research on electromobility, energy production and energy distribution, development of intelligent energy networks or environmental protection. As part of cooperation with the LOTOS Group, EPRI has so far dealt with the assessment of new energy resources and energy efficiency of industrial facilities.

As a result of cooperation with the LOTOS Group, EPRI has decided to open a representative office in Poland (on the premises of our company in Gdansk), which is the second organization’s office, with Dublin as the main office.

support for young scientists, Polish innovations and education

In 2017, we took patronage over the next, sixth edition of the E(x)plory program, a nationwide educational initiative supporting talented students, young scientists and the development of innovation. The program aims to popularize science and new technologies in Polish society. As part of the last edition of E(x)plory, 5 regional scientific E(x)plory festivals took place in Szczecin, Torun, Wroclaw, Warsaw, Podzamcze near Kielce and the main festival in Gdynia, which gathered 3300 spectators.

6th edition of E(x)plory program:

• 6600 participants of the science festival
• 160 science projects submitted to the E(x)plory program
• 350 innovators participated in the E(x)plory program
• almost 40 young scientists developing and increasing their knowledge within the network of internship programs and study visits
• 70 partners from science and business
• 2 million students covered by the program.

the victory of the joint project of the Grupa LOTOS S.A. and Polymemtech in the competition of the National Centre for Research and Development

The joint project of Grupa LOTOS S.A. and Polymemtech won a grant of PLN 6 million to develop new technology for the management of unreacted oil from the hydrocracking process in the co-financing competition for INNOCHEM sector program, financed as a part of the Sector R&D programs of the Intelligent Development Operational Program. „INNOCHEM”, initiated by the Polish Chamber of Chemical Industry, aims to improve the competitive position of the Polish chemical sector on global markets – by strengthening the ability to generate innovative solutions in cooperation with the science sector for 2023.

partnership with the Pomeranian Special Economic Zone within Space3ac Intermodal Transportation program

In 2017, the LOTOS Group signed a partnership agreement with the Pomeranian Special Economic Zone (PSSE) regarding the Space3ac Intermodal Transportation program (accelerator of satellite technology projects for intermodal transport), the purpose of which is to support start-ups working with satellite technologies and data. In return we can count on innovative solutions suitable for our technological and business challenges.

R&D cooperation with PAN (Polish Academy of Sciences)

In 2017, LOTOS Petrobaltic S.A. and the Institute of Geological Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Geophysics PAS signed a cooperation agreement, concerning joint scientific research or research and development activities in the field of exploration and recognition of energy resources. Its purpose is to develop new solutions, including possible business implementation.

Innovation from within the organization

Innovations in the LOTOS Group are implemented in a quick and fluent manner. There is a system in the company that promotes innovation and motivates to create it. Fast decision making and a dedicated fund allow to effectively test and improve ideas that use and develop our infrastructure. Thanks to the existence of the innovation fund, we are able to create numerous new solutions and business models. Our strategic goal is to become the leader in the implementation of Polish innovations.

We support the culture of internal innovations also by encouraging innovative thinking of our employees. Our internal „LOTOS Inspiration Support Program” enables us to manage our intellectual capital and the innovative potential of our employees while building our competitive advantage.

By taking part in the „From concept to implementation” competition, we encourage our employees to seek and develop ways to improve their work, to then select solutions that meet the challenges of innovation in best way and those that are possible to implement in the current operations. In 2017, the employees of LOTOS Asphalt, LOTOS Oil, LOTOS Petrobaltic and the Grupa LOTOS S.A. took part in it. Working in teams or individually, they submitted nearly 300 projects in total, of which about 20 percent has a chance to be implemented.