Press Releases

The new executive director of CEITEC, The Central European Institute of Technology, is to be Markus Dettenhofer. He was successful against a range of foreign candidates in an international selection process. This experienced manager in the science and research field is a trained at prestigious universities such as University of California at Berkley and Harvard. His priority is to make CEITEC an internationally recognised scientific centre that will attract other top scientists. In the management of CEITEC, Dettenhofer replaces Tomáš Hruda, who has taken the position of Deputy Czech Minister of Education.

The ceremonial laying of foundation stones today officially launched the construction of the Central European Institute of Technology CEITEC, the only research centre in the Czech Republic that integrates the life sciences and advanced materials and technologies. The development will take place at two sites in Brno at the same time: the University Campus of Masaryk University (MU) in Bohunice and the Brno University of Technology (BUT) campus at Pod Palackého vrchem. Researchers will move into the new laboratories by the end of 2014. The Brno universities and research institutions received funding of CZK 5.24 billion from the Research and Development for Innovation Operational Programme.

More than twenty top experts from leading scientific institutes from around the world have arrived in Brno in order to evaluate the work results of over 400 scientists from CEITEC – Central European Institute of Technology. CEITEC organizes evaluations of scientists solely by foreign experts without the participation of Czech evaluators, which guarantees truly independent and transparent evaluations. The aim is to obtain results on the basis of which concrete impacts on individual research groups of CEITEC will be achieved. The proceedings take place from 7^th – 8^th June and 11^th – 12^th June.

Even the smallest cracks or material defects not visible by other methods that could affect the safe operation of an airplane or the accuracy of establishing a dental implant in the jaw, for example, can be uncovered by means of a “v|tome|x” microtomographic station by the GE Phoenix company. This unique device will be installed by trained specialists in the Central European Institute of Technology – Brno University of Technology (CEITEC BUT) laboratories in a few weeks time. There is no other device in the Czech Republic capable of measuring samples of such size. The device will also find use in medical diagnostics where it will help in areas such as prolonging the life of an artificial joint.

Scientists from the Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University (CEITEC MU) and the Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University have for the first time in history proved that the déjà vu phenomenon is linked to structures in the human brain and have unambiguously confirmed the neurological origin of this phenomenon. Their research proved that the déjà vu experience is directly influenced by particular brain structures. They found that these structures are significantly smaller in the brains of people experiencing déjà vu than in those who have had no personal experience with déjà vu. There had been no concrete proof to explain déjà vu in healthy individuals until now. Scientists from CEITEC MU and their colleagues from Brno and University of Exeter from the United Kingdom are the first in the world to prove such a connection. They have contributed significantly to unveiling the mystery of this phenomenon. Their research results were published by the prestigious scientific journal, Cortex, in April 2012.

Experts from the Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University (LF MU), have discovered one of the significant factors that influences the origin and development of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Their latest piece of published work is devoted to the role of a gene specified by microRNA-650, whose presence or increased activity is connected with a better prognosis and is also related to the development of the disease.

Experts from the Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University (LF MU), have discovered one of the significant factors that influences the origin and development of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Their latest piece of published work is devoted to the role of a gene specified by microRNA-650, whose presence or increased activity is connected with a better prognosis and is also related to the development of the disease.

Representatives of foreign research organisations and the Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC) will introduce their activities to about a hundred enthusiastic people that are interested in international fellowships in Brno today. After Berlin and Paris, Brno is the third of seven cities in which representatives of scientific institutions search for successful and talented scientists during their three-month tour. Candidates are offered the opportunity to further their careers in science. The aim of “Marie Curie Actions Road Show 2012” is to introduce scientific centres in the seven participating countries; the outcome will bring about dozens of international research stays for young scientists with the financial support of the EU. CEITEC, which is the only representative from the Czech Republic, will also introduce itself together with other centres in Rome, Ankara, Bucharest and Warsaw.

A minimum of three Nobel Prize winners will be lecturing at the Mendel Museum at Masaryk University (MU) as part of the celebrations of this year’s 190^th anniversary of the birth of the founder of genetics, Gregor Johann Mendel. The programme, which has been prepared by the University and the Old Brno Abbey in cooperation with other 28 partners, will offer a series of lectures for the expert public as well as laypeople and include conferences and exhibitions. The celebrations were launched with a ceremonial blessing of a tramway dedicated to commemorating the anniversary of Mendel’s birth in the streets of Brno all year round. It will feature a graphic interpretation by students and graduates of the Department of Art at the Faculty of Education, MU.

Breakthroughs in biomedical science are a step closer today, with the launch of "Instruct", a new European infrastructure in the field of structural biology. The Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University (CEITEC MU) is joining the project as the only partner for the Czech Republic. The Czech Republic is among the first eight states to establish Instruct. Thanks to this, all Czech scientists within the field of structural biology will be able to use unique technologies and unique facilities in all participating countries. The status of an Instruct affiliated national centre, will be held by the Czech Integrated Infrastructure for Structural Biology, which joins the Structural Biology Laboratories of the CEITEC centre and the Centre of Molecular Structure of the BIOCEV centre.