One of the strategic investment projects of the Czech Republic, the construction of a new BioPharma Hub at Masaryk University’s campus in Bohunice, has received approval from the Czech Ministry of Education for financial support amounting to CZK 2.4 billion from the European Union’s National Recovery Plan fund for the Czech Republic. The facility, now entering its main implementation stage, is the second-largest investment in the history of Masaryk University, and is expected to bring significant value at the national level in education, science and research, pharmacy, molecular biology, and other biotechnological fields.
“The European Union is investing in the Czech Republic to support the revival and modernization of the Czech economy,” said Monika Ladmanová, head of the Representation of the European Commission in the Czech Republic. “Part of the funds goes to research, because world-class science needs adequate conditions, and can make a fundamental contribution by, for example, strengthening the resilience of society through the development of new drugs or therapeutic procedures.”
As part of the National Recovery Plan, the Czech Republic has committed to building at least 100,000 m² of new university campuses by the end of June 2026, with the MUNI BioPharma Hub being one of the three selected projects.
“Czech universities must prepare for the arrival of the population’s strongest cohorts, and therefore they need to increase their capacities, especially in fields that train experts in key professions to ensure the care of the population’s health and to solve key issues such as the ageing of the population,” added Mikuláš Bek, Czech Minister of Education.
The construction of the MUNI BioPharma Hub, which will provide new facilities for the MUNI Faculty of Pharmacy, is moving forward successfully. “I regularly visit the Bohunice University Campus and am pleased to say that everything is proceeding according to plan,” said Masaryk University Rector Martin Bareš. “The foundations of the building are nearly complete, including the excavation for the pilot plane and wells for the heat pumps. We expect that the MUNI BioPharma Hub will begin to serve students in two years and, with its unique concentration of educational and research capacities and state-of-the-art technological configuration, will be exceptional even by Central European standards. It will contribute to solving key societal issues and strengthening the Czech Republic’s position as a centre of education, research, and innovation.”
However, the development of the Bohunice University Campus does not end with the BioPharma Hub project. Bareš’s plans also include the establishment of a Science and Technology Park, which has recently seen significant progress after a series of negotiations with representatives of the City of Brno and the South Moravian Region.
The infrastructure of the new park will be fully integrated with the MUNI BioPharma Hub, as it aims to accelerate the transfer of clinical research findings into practice, in the form of new treatment procedures, new drugs, and more. Half of the future Science and Technology Park will support the incubation of start-up companies, while the other half will house larger companies.
“We are striving to create a conceptual, comprehensive, and integrated infrastructure with high added value, benefiting not only students but also commercial entities, thereby providing economic benefits for the city and the South Moravian Region,” said Bareš.
