In addition to the CEITEC consortium, the meeting was also attended by representatives of the University of Technology, Mendel University, the University of Veterinary Sciences, the Institute of Physics of Materials of the Czech Academy of Sciences and the Veterinary Research Institute, as well as MU Rector Martin Bareš and Vice-Rector Šárka Pospíšilová.
Patrick Cramer's visit to the Czech Republic is an opportunity to establish valuable connections at the scientific and political level. The Max Planck Society initiated the Dioscuri programme, which is jointly funded by the Czech and German governments. It supports the establishment of internationally competitive research groups at institutions in Central and Eastern Europe.
“Brno is a world centre for electron microscopy, a technology that Patrick Cramer often uses to unravel the mysteries of life. Brno also aims to become a leading centre for basic research in the Czech Republic, and CEITEC’s cooperation with the Max Planck Society will help to achieve these ambitions,” said Pavel Tomančák, Director of the CEITEC consortium, at the signing of the memorandum.
The Memorandum of Understanding signed with the CEITEC consortium provides for research collaboration in areas of common interest, sharing of expertise and best practices. It also aims to promote and support the mobility of researchers, with a focus on early career researchers, and to explore opportunities for joint funding through external grants.
“Brno has a high concentration of companies and institutions developing electron microscopy technologies, which have a long tradition and support here. The two research institutes in the CEITEC consortium have laboratories equipped with state-of-the-art electron microscopes. It is therefore not surprising that colleagues from these institutes are using them to achieve breakthroughs in the field of life and material sciences,” said Patrick Cramer during his visit.
In the early evening, Patrick Cramer presented his research on genome regulation in the Mendel refectory as part of the Mendel Lectures series. In Prague, Patrick Cramer will meet Czech political and scientific leaders and attend the opening ceremony of the first three Dioscuri centres in the Czech Republic. Find more information here.