Cooperation with universities was appreciated even by the Ministry – BioVendor Academy brings talented students into practice!

The BioVendor Academy project supports cooperation with universities, whose students can thus connect their dissertation, diploma or bachelor’s work with real practice in the research and development of BioVendor Group . For example, we cooperate with Masarykova univerzita Brno and Mendelova univerzita v Brně .

The area of so-called industrial PhD theses connects the academic and business spheres and brings very important innovations in the field of research and diagnostics.?

This was also appreciated by the (now former) Minister for Science, Research and Innovation Helena Lang?ádlová, who recently visited us.

“Among other things, the ex-Minister praised the concept of the BioVendor Academy and the close cooperation with universities in the new area of the so-called professional (industrial) PhD,” says Martina Hlo?ánková , director of BioVendor Research & Diagnostic Products .

“We agreed that the South Moravian Region and the Statutory City of Brno have a very well-set regional innovation strategy and, thanks to this, a functionally set environment for innovation and cooperation between the academic sector and industry,” adds Michal Kostka , CEO of BioVendor Group .

As part of the ADDIT-CE* grant project focused on research and development of innovations in the diagnostics and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, a pilot program for talented doctoral students was created.

We welcomed two PhD students from Masarykova univerzita Brno within the ADDIT-CE Industrial PhD program, Aneta Kozeleková and Aneta Va?ková . Young researchers cooperate with our CriCo department under the leadership of Daria Strouhalová.

Aneta Kozeleková is a 3rd-year PhD student at CEITEC - Central European Institute of Technology and deals with the structure and interactions of the Tau protein involved in Alzheimer’s disease. Thanks to our laboratory, methodological and technological background, she is able to prepare a biologically relevant form of Tau protein in mammalian cells, which would be difficult to achieve in her home laboratory. For the obtained Tau protein, Aneta Kozeleková plans to characterize its post-translational modifications and clarify their influence on Tau protein aggregation and its interaction with the 14-3-3 protein.

Aneta Va?ková is studying 2nd year of PhD program at RECETOX and explores biochemical and structural functions of apolipoprotein E and its role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. The goal of her work is to develop new approaches in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease by studying the interactions between ApoE and small molecules using mathematical models and computer simulations. Cooperation with BioVendor enables her to produce the ApoE protein in human cells, which is a great benefit for her work.?

BioVendor Research & Diagnostic Products and its CriCo Department provide excellent laboratory, methodological and technological background for industrial PhD students, which is also confirmed by Iveta K?epelková, who started working on her dissertation with us already in 2017. At the Department of Molecular Diagnostics Development within BioVendor Research & Diagnostic Products , she currently works as an independent research and development worker focusing on the development of detection kits for the determination of short RNAs as well as the application of short RNAs in clinical diagnostics.

Her dissertation is among the pioneers of industrial doctorates. The aim of the work was the development of a prototype diagnostic kit for the early detection of colorectal cancer based on the determination of short RNA molecules in the serum of the examined persons.

We see great potential in close cooperation with students and universities, which is why we have become proud signatory of the STEM projekt!

The South Moravian region, the city of Brno, universities and hi-tech companies will work together to popularize technical education in our region.

Around 25,000 young people are currently studying in the so-called STEM (science – technology – engineering – mathematics) fields at Vysoké u?ení technické v Brně , Masarykova univerzita Brno and Mendelova univerzita v Brně .

The aim of the memorandum, which was signed by representatives of almost 20 large private companies, universities, the city of Brno and the South Moravian region, is to increase the number of applicants in these fields by 30%** by the academic year 2028/29.

The ambition of the joint effort is to obtain a greater number of experts in the field, which has a long-term need and demand for experts. FabLab Brno will be the coordinator of activities aimed at greater popularization of STEM fields.?

“The STEM projekt is another example of a functioning innovation ecosystem in Brno and the South Moravian Region. We are glad and it fills us with pride that we have the opportunity to do business in this environment,” says Michal Kostka , CEO of BioVendor Group .

The memorandum, which is supposed to support technical and natural science education, was created on the initiative of Brno technology companies, universities, the city, the region and other entities.

“Thanks to the cooperation with FabLab Brno , a few weeks ago, students from the gymnasium in Brno and Blansko achieved a huge international success at the NASA Space Center in Houston. In addition to Brno, within three years we will also have a FabLab at the Polytechnic Secondary School in Kyjov, and I believe that key technology companies across the region will be able to show young people that STEM can also be fun and, above all, has a clear and practical application,” adds Jan Grolich , Governor of the South Moravian Region.

And what does Markéta Vaňková , the mayor of Brno, say about the project? “The development of STEM fields in the region will give us a strategic advantage in the future. Brno is already a bastion of big technological players, and we need to move in the direction of their further success and bring up children for technical education already in elementary schools.”

Tomas Mejzlik , managing director of FabLab Brno aims to go deep within the information campaign and dispel even the biggest myths about technical education: “For example, that these are not fields for girls or that a trained technician stands by a fifty-year-old machine in a factory. The opposite is the truth – today we are talking about high-tech operations with modern technologies, micro-technologies, we are talking about well-paid positions with great potential.”

Due to the experience with the female part of the target group, the organization Czechitas also joined the project, which should not only help dispel myths, but also actively prevent us from ever having to meet them in the future. We very much agree with this and want to be an example for others, as the number of women working in BioVendor Group is around 66%, and many of them are also in the management of the company, which was also appreciated by ex-Minister Helena Lang?ádlová during her visit.

We are proud to co-shape a future that will offer amazing opportunities for both students and companies. We are looking forward to all the amazing collaborations that will be created through the BioVendor Academy and the STEM projekt !

*ADDIT-CE: Alzheimer’s Disease Diagnostics Innovation and Translation to Clinical Practice in Central Europe, 101087124

**Thanks to the project, the number of students enrolled in technical fields should increase by 30% within five years – a fifteen percent increase will probably be ensured by the demographic curve, another fifteen should be added by the project’s activities. However, the evaluation is also planned after ten years, when the number of graduates will be monitored.