EMBO Director Fiona Watt Visited the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences

The visit was opened by IMG Director Petr Dráber, who introduced the institute, its scientific vision, organisational structure, and research priorities. He highlighted IMG’s broad portfolio of internationally competitive research spanning genetics, genomics, immunology, virology, cell biology, developmental biology, and molecular medicine. Particular attention was devoted to the institute’s dynamic research environment, which combines established senior laboratories with actively recruited junior groups. Several junior group leaders at IMG have already achieved international recognition, including EMBO membership and prestigious EMBO grants.

Petr Dráber also emphasized that creating an excellent scientific environment requires not only cutting-edge research facilities, but also strong support for researchers and their everyday life. IMG therefore actively supports newcomers from abroad, particularly PhD students and early-career researchers arriving in Prague with the goal of conducting world-class research. To facilitate their integration, the institute provides on-campus accommodation with an international and highly diverse community environment.

Special attention is also devoted to supporting young families. IMG offers an on-campus kindergarten, which provides a highly practical solution for working parents by allowing them to have their children close to the workplace and reducing time spent commuting between home, kindergarten, and work. Researchers and students also benefit from sports and wellbeing facilities available directly on campus, including a gym, squash court, and nearby running trails in the surrounding forest, all contributing to a healthy work–life balance and a supportive research environment. The campus also features a popular cafeteria offering several daily meal options, including soups and salads, while meal vouchers provided as an employee benefit further support everyday comfort for staff and students.

The discussion also focused on the importance of research infrastructures and core facilities for modern biomedical science. Petr Dráber presented the institute’s advanced service laboratories in genomics and bioinformatics, light and electron microscopy, flow cytometry, and other cutting-edge technologies that provide researchers with access to state-of-the-art instrumentation and expert support. Large research infrastructures and long-term investments into scientific facilities were highlighted as one of the key strengths enabling high-quality and internationally competitive research at IMG.

An important part of the meeting was an open discussion between EMBO representatives and Czech EMBO members on the current state of research funding and evaluation in Europe. Fiona Watt showed strong interest in the scientific environment in the Czech Republic, including support mechanisms for early-career researchers and the competitiveness of starting packages for new group leaders. Participants discussed ongoing developments in research assessment, including the growing emphasis on qualitative evaluation and broader recognition of scientific contributions beyond publication metrics.

The role of EMBO in supporting researchers in Central and Eastern Europe was also discussed extensively. Czech EMBO members highly appreciated EMBO’s grant programmes, training opportunities, workshops, and long-term support for scientific excellence and international collaboration. The Czech scientific community currently includes 21 EMBO Members, 2 EMBO Young Investigators, 15 recipients of EMBO Installation Grants, and 12 EMBO Postdoctoral Fellows. EMBO has also supported scientific collaboration and mobility through Scientific Exchange Grants and has contributed to the organisation of 23 EMBO-supported courses and workshops in the Czech Republic. Special recognition was given to Vladimír Beneš, Head of the Genomics Core Facility at EMBL Heidelberg, for his longstanding support of the Czech scientific community and researchers working in genomics and sequencing technologies.

The conversation also touched upon doctoral education and the importance of creating a stimulating and supportive environment for young scientists. Fiona Watt expressed particular interest in the motivation and quality of PhD students as an indicator of a healthy research institution. Representatives of IMG explained that students highly value the quality of research projects, access to advanced technologies, and the opportunity to work in internationally competitive laboratories. PhD candidates also appreciate the lively scientific atmosphere at IMG, including scientific seminars and talks shared across the entire campus.

The PhD Studies Coordinator, Ester Jarour, highlighted the successful career trajectories of many IMG graduates, who continue their careers in renowned international laboratories and biotechnology companies. She also emphasized that IMG considers continuous support of the PhD community an important long-term priority — from international recruitment activities such as the PhD Interview Day, where applicants visit IMG and meet potential group leaders, to onboarding initiatives including the IMG Boot Camp for newly admitted students.

The EMBO delegation subsequently visited the laboratories of Ondřej Štěpánek and Vladimír Varga, both recipients of EMBO Installation Grants. Ondřej Štěpánek presented his research in immunology, while Vladimír Varga introduced his work in cell biology and advanced microscopy. The delegation also visited several core facilities, including the bioinformatics, electron microscopy, and light microscopy laboratories. Fiona Watt expressed appreciation for the high level of expertise, collaborative atmosphere, and excellent technological background available to researchers at IMG.

In the afternoon, Fiona Watt and Julie Sollier continued their programme at the BIOCEV research centre in Vestec, a major biotechnology and biomedical centre jointly operated since 2015 by six institutes of the Czech Academy of Sciences (Institute of Molecular Genetics, Institute of Biotechnology, Institute of Microbiology, Institute of Physiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, and Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry) and two faculties of the Charles University (Faculty of Science and First Faculty of Medicine). Members of the Czech EMBO community subsequently gathered for an afternoon programme hosted and moderated by BIOCEV Scientific Director Pavel Martásek, focused on scientific exchange, networking, and presentations of EMBO opportunities for researchers at different career stages. The event brought together principal investigators, postdoctoral researchers, and PhD students from several institutes of the Czech Academy of Sciences as well as Charles University.

The visit of the EMBO leadership to IMG in Prague-Krč and BIOCEV highlighted the strong international position of Czech biomedical research and provided an important opportunity for discussion on scientific excellence, research evaluation, career development, and the future of European life sciences. Fiona Watt expressed appreciation for the scientific quality, collaborative atmosphere, and international outlook of IMG, further strengthening the long-standing relationship between EMBO and the local scientific community.