On Thursday, January 14 2021, Martin Bareš, Rector of Masaryk University (MU); Vlastimil Vajdák, Director of the St Anne’s University Hospital in Brno; Šárka Pospíšilová, Vice-Rector for Research and Doctoral Studies at MU and Pavel Iványi, Executive Director of the International Centre for Clinical Research at St Anne’s University Hospital in Brno (FNUSA-ICRC), signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in the field of science and research.
“Both institutions are already very closely connected in science and research, which allows us to achieve quality results. We are keen that this cooperation between researchers and doctors should continue. The field of medicine and pharmacy is, and will definitely continue to be, one of the main research priorities of our university”, said MU Rector Martin Bareš.
St Anne’s University Hospital Brno has been involved in teaching students at the Medical Faculty since Masaryk University was first established. “Cooperation with Masaryk University was and is one of my big priorities. I am very happy that it is taking a step further and I believe that it will be to the benefit of both parties”, said Vlastimil Vajdák.
After the establishment of FNUSA-ICRC, cooperation with Masaryk University deepened even further. A significant group of scientists and doctors now participate in research efforts at both MU faculties and FNUSA-ICRC, including Jiří Damborský, holder of the ‘Czech Mind’ (Česká hlava) award; biochemistry expert Lumír Krejčí and Robert Mikulík, who undertakes research and also treats stroke victims. One notable output of such joint research efforts has been a patented substance with potential for use as a prostate cancer drug, not to mention numerous publications in prestigious professional journals.
The memorandum emphasises these requirements and defines the roles of joint scientific teams in order to optimise research activities. One benefit of such an agreement is the possibility of presenting joint grant applications, which maximises grant opportunities and thus supports research in Brno.