AN OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH PROJECT PROPOSALS SUBMITTED AT THE VRI IN 2016; INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROJECTS OBTAINED

In the first half of 2016, researchers at the VRI together with its project managers and external co-applicants have submitted 31 proposals to open calls, programmes of agencies and grant titles. The VRI is thus currently participating in public contests under the Operational Programme Research, Development and Education (OP RDE) of the Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports; Czech Science Foundation (GA CR); Czech Agency for Healthcare Research (AZV CR); Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (TA CR); Rural Development Programme (RDP) of the Czech Ministry of Agriculture; and Horizon 2020 (H2020). In the near future, the first round of the NAZV EARTH programme will be open, in which VRI researchers will also get involved.

Photo: Chaloupka, J. - VRI Brno

Three projects have so far been submitted to the OP RDE in the calls under Priority Axis 1, aimed at

promoting research teams and research excellence:

CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/15_003/0000495: FIT (Pharmacology, Immunotherapy, nanoToxicology) Applicant/Co-investigator: RNDr. Jaroslav Turánek, CSc. Time span: 01/2017 – 12/2022 Total budget/VRI participation: 221 008 thous. CZK CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_019/0000869: Sustainable production of healthy fish in different aquaculture systems – PROFISH Applicant/Co-investigator: MVDr. Martin Faldyna, Ph.D.; MVDr. Veronika Piačková, Ph.D.; doc. MVDr. Miroslava Palíková, Ph.D.; prof. Dr. Ing. Jan Mareš Time span: 09/2017 – 08/2022 Total budget/VRI participation: 119 235 thous. CZK/58 109 thous. CZK CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_019/0000798: Zdravé stárnutí populace v průmyslovém prostředí/Healthy Aging in Industrial Environment Applicant/Co-investigator: prof. MUDr. Vladimír Janout, CSc.; MUDr. Radim Šrám, DrSc.; prof. MVDr. Jiří Rubeš Time span: 01/2017 – 12/2022 Total budget/VRI participation: 250 871 thous. CZK /24 352 thous. CZK

Results of the aforementioned 1st OP RDE calls will be known in the forthcoming months.

Photo: Chaloupka, J. - VRI Brno

To the public competition of the Czech Science Foundation, researchers submitted 12 project proposals this year, incorporating internally set priorities of the VRI research in the fields of genetics and reproduction, biomedicine, infectious animal diseases and zoonoses, resistance to antimicrobials, monitoring of animal health and the environment, chemistry and toxicology.

To the public competition of the Czech Agency for Healthcare Research (AZV CR), VRI researchers submitted 12 project proposals in the first half of 2016. These are related to VRI research priorities in the fields of biomedicine, infectious diseases of animals, zoonoses, resistance to antimicrobials and feed production, food safety and adulteration.

Out of the project proposals submitted in 2015, eleven were selected for funding this year, with the support of the Czech Science Foundation, Czech Agency for Healthcare Research, Technology Agency of the Czech Republic and the National Agency for Agricultural Research In the last year´s public competition of the Czech Science Foundation, three projects were selected for funding beginning in 2016:

16-20054S: Advanced studies of the West Nile virus fever pathogenesis aimed at new therapeutic strategies Applicant/Co-investigator: doc. RNDr. Daniel Růžek, Ph.D.; Mgr. Radim Nencka, Ph.D.; prof. RNDr. Zdeněk Hubálek, DrSc. Time span: 01/2016 – 12/2019 Total budget/VRI participation: 11 284 thous. CZK/ 5 535 thous. CZK

16-26655S: Comprehensive cytogenetic and mutation analysis of canine mastocytomes Applicant/Co-investigator: Mgr. Miluše Vozdová, Ph.D. Time span: 01/2016 – 12/2019 Total budget/VRI participation: 7 930 thous. CZK

16-24043J: Elucidation of CDK13 function in embryogenesis, gametogenesis and neural development Applicant/Co-investigator: Mgr. Jiří Kohoutek, Ph.D.; Ming-Ji Fann Time span: 01/2016 – 12/2019 Total budget/VRI participation: 5 867 thous. CZK

Five projects submitted last year were selected in the public competition of the AZV CR for funding, beginning in 2016:

16-31488A: Molecular epidemiology of listeriosis with the use of next-generation sequencing methods Applicant/Co-investigator: doc. MVDr. Renáta Karpíšková, Ph.D. Time span: 04/2016 – 03/2020 Total budget/VRI participation: 5 513 thous. CZK

16-34152A: Sensitization of ovarian cancers to experimental therapeutics by targeted inhibition of CDK12 kinase activity Applicant/Co-investigator: Mgr. Jiří Kohoutek, Ph.D.; MUDr Jaroslav Klát, Ph.D. Time span: 04/2016 – 03/2020 Total budget/VRI participation: 9 427 thous. CZK /8 312 thous. CZK

16-30299A: Nanoliposomal systems for rapid diagnosis of thrombi using MRI Applicant/Co-investigator: RNDr. Jaroslav Turánek, CSc.; RNDr. Petr Malý, CSc.; Ing. Radovan Jiřík, Ph.D.; doc. MUDr. Robert Mikulík, Ph.D. Time span: 04/2016 – 03/2020 Total budget/VRI participation: 11 994 thous. CZK /5 121 thous. CZK

16-29937A: Comprehensive analysis of human rotavirus infections in the Czech Republic, including typical and emergent strains, aimed at development of new detection methods Applicant/Co-investigator: RNDr. Jana Prodělalová, Ph.D.; Ing. Veronika Holá, Ph.D. Time span: 04/2016 – 03/2020 Total budget/VRI participation: 8 749 thous. CZK /5 660 thous. CZK

16-28462A: Treatment of chronic periodontitis using resolvins and lipoxins Applicant/Co-investigator: MUDr. Jan Vokurka; MVDr. Eduard Göpfert, Ph.D. Time span: 04/2016 – 03/2020 Total budget/VRI participation: 9 863 thous. CZK /3 185 thous. CZK

One project proposal related to research of effective compounds against the Zika virus was submitted within international collaboration of research teams under Horizon 2020

(the staff of the VRI Department of Virology was internationally recognized for the virus study and published priority results).

734547: Addressing Zika virus’s severe complications by integrating cutting-edge Structural, Immunological, and Genetic tools with Antiviral discovery and novel infection Models Applicant/Co-investigator: doc. RNDr. Daniel Růžek, Ph.D. Partner countries: United Kingdom, Brazil, Sweden, Switzerland and Italy Total budget/VRI participation: 7 706 thous. EUR/338 thous. EUR.

Photo: Chaloupka, J. - VRI Brno

One project proposal was submitted this year to the EPSILON programme public competition announced by the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (TA CR).

TH02010841: New extenders for insemination of swine. Applicant/Co-investigator: Ing. Miroslav Rozkot, CSc.; Ing. Jaroslava Helclová; MVDr. Petra Přinosilová, Ph.D. Time span: 01/2017 - 12/2019 Total budget/VRI participation: 1 263 thous. CZK /1 112 thous. CZK

The following project has been selected this year for funding in the public competition announced by the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic in the programme GAMA, starting in 2016:

TG03010038: Development of the system of support "Proof-of-concept" at the VRI Applicant/Co-investigator: Ing. Ildikó Csölle Putzová, Ph.D., MBA Time span: 10/2016 – 12/2019 Total budget/VRI participation: 17 967 thous. CZK

Another two project proposals in the scope of the VRI Fest aimed at ensuring further continuation of the series of the same name professional seminars for the general agriculture and veterinary public now compete for financial support under the Rural Development Programme (RDP) to start-up in 2017. The proposals extend the VRI intention to continue in transmitting latest findings from the scientific sphere to users of their results.

VRI Fest III - From research to practice: health and production in farm animal herds Applicant/Co-investigator: MVDr. Soňa Šlosárková, Ph.D. Time span: 01/2017 – 12/2017 Total budget/VRI participation: 369 thous. CZK /245 thous. CZK

From science to practice in ruminant herds: a series of independent workshops Applicant/Co-investigator: MVDr. Soňa Šlosárková, Ph.D. Time span: 06/2017 – 06/2018 Total budget/VRI participation: 248 thous. CZK /197 thous. CZK

Two project proposals submitted last year have been selected for funding starting in 2016 in the public competition announced by the National Agency for Agricultural Research: QJ1630210: A certified collection of reference strains of viral and bacterial pathogens for diagnosing significant diseases in cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, horses, poultry, rabbits, fish and bees with regard to the sustainability of valuable domestic breeds of farm animals Applicant/Co-investigator: MVDr. Markéta Reichelová Time span: 04/2016 – 12/2018 Total budget/VRI participation: 6 440 thous. CZK QJ1610219: The use of intestinal microbiota aimed at increasing natural resistance of meat types of domestic fowl to infections with bacterial pathogens Applicant/Co-investigator: doc. RNDr. Ivan Rychlík, Ph.D.; Ing. Richard Mach; doc. Ing. Martina Lichovníková, Ph.D.; prof. MVDr. Alois Čížek, CSc. Time span: 04/2016 – 12/2018 Total budget/VRI participation: 10 245 thous. CZK /4 755 thous. CZK

"I appreciate very much and thank all the VRI staff that they so intensively devote the time to all necessary administrative duties and with high professional erudition prepare and submit project proposals and conduct research projects," MVDr. Miloslav Skřivánek, CSc., VRI Director, comments on the results achieved and adds: "Financial resources derived from research projects (special support) now amount to almost 2/3 of the VRI budget, which is an above average value in comparison with other research institutions. At the same time, it is also a prerequisite for a further increase in publishing activities and production of results, increasing the level of the 1st Pillar of professional evaluation of VRI results (in RIV) and also in the 2nd and 3rd Pillar, thus increasing the value of the institutional support for a long-term conceptual development of our research organization.

In the strategy of further development of the VRI, which is under preparation, we will continue in focusing on the quality of basic research and its support, with the ability to simultaneously provide transfer of relevant results to the agriculture, food and pharmaceutical industries.“

Photo, from left to right:

MVDr. Pavel Bělobrádek, Ph.D., MPA - Deputy Prime Minister for Science, Research and Innovation, MVDr. Miloslav Skřivánek, CSc.. - Director of the VRI, Brno

Photo: Ďurišová, A. - VRI Brno