Masaryk University (MUNI) is well on the way to completing the basic construction phase of the MUNI BioPharma Hub, an educational and scientific research facility that will serve the Faculty of Pharmacy and other related departments. The project, which began about a year and a half ago and represents the second largest investment in MUNI’s history, is now reaching the so-called “climax” of the building’s structural framework – the moment when the building’s highest point has been built.
With a total cost of more than CZK 4 billion, the facility is designed to support activities in education, scientific research, pharmacy, molecular biology and related biotechnological fields. More than half of the funding – approximately CZK 2.4 billion – is being provided by the Czech Republic’s National Recovery Plan, a component of the European Economic Recovery Fund, which was established in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
MUNI Rector Martin Bareš highlighted the importance of the MUNI BioPharma Hub for the institution and its long-term development: “I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to building something so extraordinary that will change our university for decades to come and, in turn, contribute to the further development of the Bohunice university campus area. The MUNI BioPharma Hub will have a fundamental impact on the development of many areas on a national and international level, but also for a good position in the next period of the Structural Funds.”
Once operational, the MUNI BioPharma Hub will support more than 2,000 students and dozens of academic and research staff from various faculties, including Pharmacy, Natural Sciences and Medicine, as well as PhD students involved in research-led education.
The facility will include the Preclinical Centre, the Centre for Molecular Medicine, and laboratories for the CEITEC MU research institute. It is being developed with support from the Czech Ministry of Education and the European Union through the National Recovery Plan and the Jan Amos Comenius Operational Programme.
The west wing of the building will house the Faculty of Pharmacy and a high-performance IT centre managed by the Masaryk University Institute of Computer Science. The east wing will focus on research, including facilities for housing up to 7,000 laboratory mice in a sterile environment and a zebrafish laboratory.
The complex will also include BSL-3 (Biosafety Level 3) laboratories, enabling research involving high-risk pathogens with established prophylactic measures. These laboratories will be physically isolated and hermetically sealed, with ventilation systems divided into pressure-regulated sections. Decontamination will be managed via autoclaves and a hydrogen peroxide chamber, and the entire ventilation system will have full backup to maintain safety standards.
The building has also been designed with energy efficiency and environmental sustainability in mind. The primary source of heating and cooling will be geothermal energy supplied by four groundwater heat pumps connected to 53 deep wells, each 199 metres deep. These wells extract low-potential thermal energy without disturbing the groundwater system.
Additionally, it will also feature green roofs to help moderate indoor temperatures, reduce thermal stress and retain rainwater, which will be collected in cisterns and reused to flush toilets and for irrigation. An intelligent building management system (BMS) will oversee the coordination of the various technologies to optimise energy and water use.
The construction work is still on schedule with the project timeline, with handover scheduled for the end of June 2026. Current activities include the installation of mechanical systems including air conditioning, heating, cooling and plumbing, as well as electrical wiring. Construction teams are also building internal partitions and installing windows and cladding.
“Work is currently underway on the installation of air conditioning, cooling, heating, plumbing and electrical systems,” said Robert Suchánek, Chairman of the Board and CEO of IMOS Brno, the main contractor on the project. “At the same time, brick and plasterboard partitions are being built and windows and facade elements are being installed, with the aim of closing and waterproofing the building as soon as possible in order to eliminate the negative effects of the weather on the next stages.”
