Press Releases

The project of the construction of a state-of-the-art scientific centre CEITEC in Brno worth over EUR 200 mil. was sent to Brussels for the final assessment by the Ministry of Education yesterday afternoon. The finance for creating modern laboratories and facilities for 800 scientists is applied for by the Masaryk University, Brno University of Technology, other Brno universities and research institutes.  It is one of the highest amounts that the Czech Republic will be applying for from the European funds within the program of Research and development for innovations. If the European Commission approves of the project, it will represent a significant move for Brno, from the view of growth of economy and position on the map of scientific centres.

South Moravian Innovation Centre (JIC) has launched international biotechnology conference Gate2BrnoBiotech website www.gate2brnobiotech.com and opened registration to this unique meeting of R&D workers from both academia and industry. The conference will be held on 21st October 2010 in Brno as a part of the accompanying programme of the International Fair for Medical Technology, Rehabilitation and Healthcare Medical Fair Brno Central Europe 2010. The conference follows the success of the three previous conferences held in 2006, 2007 and 2008 that were attended by around 150 participants each year.

CEITEC project representatives took an active part in a Brussel´s seminar on “Innovation & Green Economy”. Tomáš Hruda, project director, presented the project, it´s plans and future potential. He pointed out the role of regional innovation strategies and cooperation of business, education and public/regional authorities in this respect.

V pátek 11. června proběhla v bohunickém biotechnologickém inkubátoru INBIT jedinečná akce. Nejlepší brněnští vědci se zde setkali se zástupci českých a italských firem z oblasti nanotechnologií, biotechnologií a obecně zdraví. Hlavním úkolem bylo sjednotit představy vědeckých pracovníků a firem o tom, jakým směrem by se měl výzkum v nejbližší budoucnosti ubírat, co by mohlo být firmám prospěšné, případně co mohou vědci průmyslu nabídnout. V mnoha případech našli společnou řeč a díky tomu bude mnohem jednodušší získat od firem nemalé prostředky na výzkum a vývoj nebo se spojit do konsorcií za účelem podávání společných projektů do českých i evropských programů výzkumu a vývoje.

Brno scientists, whose team has one of the highest shares of the total budget within the CEITEC project, are organizing a meeting of leading teams from the Czech Republic researching in the field of nanotechnologies and nanosciences.
This meeting takes place in the South-Moravian metropolis. They want to agree on further direction of research in this area, find out what makes the individual projects unique, how they could cooperate, resp. what they could offer together to companies. It is a way to further use of billions acquired from the structural funds of the European Union. It is the research from these resources which governs the Czech Republic now. Some projects are already running, some have been approved or are waiting for approval. The aim is to coordinate the research activities of present and future projects in such way that they connect and cooperate.

The representatives of Central European Institute of Technology participated at an annual meeting of the INSTRUCT initiative (an Integrated Structural Biology Infrastructure for Europe), which is a part of ESFRI (European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures) in Hamburg.  The construction of a new centre for integrated structural biology, which is planned within the project, will significantly strengthen the position of CEITEC in the European context and its involvement in the European scientific-research activities.

The Czech assessment of projects applying for amounts in billions for science is finishing. The project of the Central European Institute of Technology – CEITEC got ninety-nine points from the Ministry of Education. With this result the Brno project of Masaryk University and University of Technology took first place among major projects. The vision of several billion crowns into science and research of Brno is again closer to reality. In the case of the approval by the European Committee the building could be started in Bohunice campus and Pod Palackého vrchem at the beginning of next year.

The representatives of CzechInvest have negotiated with the management of CEITEC about future cooperation. In it they see a unique opportunity on how to bring other foreign investors into Brno. The access to latest instruments, technologies and laboratory equipment, combined with experienced staff can be a big attraction for companies with their own research and development. There are many factors when deciding whether to choose Brno or another town, one of them is the facilities and specialists who will be interested in working for the company. CEITEC is able offer all this to potential investors and CzechInvest can significantly support CEITEC in this direction.

On the occasion of the exhibition of nanotechnologies, which has been held in the Technical Museum in Brno since December, scientists from CEITEC are initiating the general public into the world of nanotechnologies. The world that is invisible to the eye only, its secrets and possibilities are introduced to the public in six blocks. Nanotechnologies are expected to govern the world in the future. For instance nanomagnets, which will help with the treatment of cancer, can be a success.