The Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University currently comprises more than seventy research workplaces and thirty-one research groups. Its scientific activities cover virtually the entire spectrum of biomedicine, and researchers affiliated with the faculty publish around seven hundred scientific papers annually in prestigious international journals. This year’s Research Day showcased the very best of the faculty’s scientific achievements in 2025, while also presenting ongoing projects. During the pilot edition of the event, the Dean’s Awards were presented for the first time in selected categories.
“The aim of the event was to present excellent research carried out at our faculty and affiliated clinical workplaces within a single day, create an opportunity for active presentation of research results before the scientific community, and also enable meetings and discussions with colleagues from Brno’s research, innovation, and clinical environment,” says Tomáš Kašpárek, Vice-Dean for Research, PhD. Studies and Institutional Development at the Faculty of Medicine.
Nearly 150 registered participants comfortably filled the conference facilities of the campus library. The event opened with an inspiring presentation by guest bioinformatician Karel Břinda, who, after graduating from the Czech Technical University in Prague, travelled through Paris and Harvard before settling in Rennes, where he now focuses on research into antibiotic resistance. His remarkable story demonstrated that science knows neither geographical nor disciplinary boundaries.
This was followed by a series of presentations featuring eighteen projects conducted by researchers from the Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University and completed in 2025, supported by the Czech Science Foundation, the Czech Health Research Council, or the Internal Grant Agency of the Faculty of Medicine MU. The presentations were also carefully evaluated by a special expert committee established for Research Day, which selected six projects to receive the Dean’s Award of the Faculty of Medicine MU. The awards were also presented for the first time in the categories of Best Applied Research Result, Best Publication, and Excellence in Doctoral Studies, with the winners selected by the Dean’s Award Evaluation Committee.
What was likely the greatest concentration of science, scientists, and researchers per square metre at the Faculty of Medicine was further complemented by presentations of current infrastructure projects of the Faculty of Medicine MU, including the Preclinical Centre, BioPharma Hub, and the CREATIC Centre of Excellence. Two projects that have already successfully reached practical application were also introduced: Miroslav Světlák, Head of the Department of Medical Psychology and Ethics at the Faculty of Medicine MU, shared experience with implementing eHealth solutions, while Filip Růžička, Head of the Department of Microbiology at the Faculty of Medicine MU and winner of the award for the best completed project in the clinical category, presented new methods for treating infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacterial strains.
The first edition of Research Day demonstrated not only the breadth and quality of the scientific and research activities at the Faculty of Medicine MU, but also the importance of personal meetings and interdisciplinary exchange of experience. The new event created space for inspiration, future collaborations, and recognition of outstanding achievements, while also suggesting that it could become a permanent part of the faculty’s annual calendar.
Complete list of recipients of the MU Faculty of Medicine Dean’s Award
New research from Masaryk University shows that light promotes photoreceptor maturation in retinal organoids. The findings could improve models of inherited retinal diseases, drug testing and future cell therapies.
A specialist in musculoskeletal disorders, a university professor, a hospital director, a Social Democratic senator, and an avid motorcyclist. And perhaps also the only graduate of Masaryk University’s Faculty of Medicine to have earned his degree without ever taking the entrance exam. In the case of Miloš Janeček, as the saying goes, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree - and his impact has been felt far beyond the Czech Republic.
