Strategic Plan of
the Central European
Institute of Technology at
Masaryk University for
2021–2028
Approved by the Rector on 24th
August 2021
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CONTENT
Introduction.................................................................................................................................. 3
Mission ..................................................................................................................................... 3
Vision (2028) ............................................................................................................................ 3
Values....................................................................................................................................... 3
Strategic priorities..................................................................................................................... 3
Fundamental principles .............................................................................................................. 4
Curiosity-driven research performed by independent research groups................................... 4
Profile topics............................................................................................................................. 4
RNA/nucleic acids in health and disease .................................................................. 4
Cancer biology ............................................................................................................. 5
Brain disorders............................................................................................................. 5
Infectious diseases...................................................................................................... 5
Harnessing knowledge of plant biology for crop improvement ............................. 6
At the frontiers of technology: correlative approaches to connect dynamics and
structure of living systems ......................................................................................... 6
Research infrastructure ............................................................................................................ 6
Independent scientific evaluation ............................................................................................. 7
Grant strategy........................................................................................................................... 7
Investing in people (HR Excellence in Research).................................................................... 8
Governance and organisational structure ................................................................................ 8
Societal relevance and recognition .......................................................................................... 9
Key performance indicators.....................................................................................................11
List of abbreviations .................................................................................................................12
Annex: Implementation plan ....................................................................................................13
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INTRODUCTION
Mission
CEITEC MU is a research institute of Masaryk University and a member of CEITEC
consortium that aims to improve quality of life and human health through scientific
research and innovations.
Vision (2028)
 Leading European research institute in life sciences, known for its discoveries
 Centre for using and developing cutting-edge technologies as drivers for interdisciplinary
research
 Strong scientific community with open and interactive internal culture and
governance that gives recognition to all its people
 Active voice in public awareness and debate on societal consequences of life
science discoveries and trends underpinned by them
 Recognized player in knowledge sharing by bridging major European life
science alliances (EU-LIFE and Alliance4Life)
Values
 Excellence based on curiosity-driven
research
 Scientific independence
 Interdisciplinarity and collaboration
 Open science and knowledge sharing
 Integrity, ethics and social responsibility
 Equal opportunities, inclusiveness,
transparency, openness, fairness
Strategic priorities
 Excellent research
 Supporting future leaders in research
 Research infrastructure
 Governance and human resources
 Societal relevance and recognition
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FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES
Curiosity-driven research performed by independent research
groups
CEITEC MU conducts basic research in the area of life sciences and delivers each year over 350
publications, of which more than 55 % are published in Q1 journals. To fulfil institutional vision and
become the leader in the European context in the area of life sciences (in particular, molecular
and structural biology), CEITEC MU will continue building an attractive, research-oriented
environment combined with state-of-the-art infrastructure and transparent, progressive
governance.
A fundamental unit of the institute is a research group headed by a group leader, who formulates
research directions. We believe that unrestrained curiosity-driven research is the best path
towards scientific excellence. Therefore, academic autonomy and scientific freedom of each
research group are paramount principles at CEITEC MU. In such a strategy, the success of the
institution depends on the success of its research groups. The main managerial instruments for
implementing such a strategy are: 1) selection and hiring of top-quality candidates for group leader
positions, 2) providing the best possible support and conditions for curiosity-driven research, and 3)
regular peer-evaluations by renowned international experts to provide feedback on research group
performance.
CEITEC MU will keep its current pace of opening one new research group approximately every
two years, which is a reasonable pace considering the constraints on institutional funding and
physical space. By 2028, CEITEC MU will have appointed 3–4 new research groups. The focus will
continue to be on junior group leader hires, with a high chance of acquiring external funding through a
major individual grant. New hires will be selected based on scientific excellence and with regards to
complementarity to current research programs/disciplines and benefits from the existing instrumentation
and core facilities expertise.
Profile topics
Profile topics are research activities that combine the efforts of several research groups and
provide CEITEC MU with high national and international visibility, competence in frontier
technologies, or lead to a tangible socio-economic impact and innovative applications.
Formulation of such topics is important for shaping the profile and visibility of the institute, showing its
impact on society, guiding future infrastructural developments and strategic partnerships, and providing
a frame and topics for future large-scale institutional projects.
RNA/nucleic acids in health and disease
RNA/nucleic acid biology is a research topic that includes many research groups and in which CEITEC MU
has reached critical mass for becoming a leading European centre in this field. The particular strength of
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CEITEC MU in this area is in the variety of approaches and questions addressed by the research groups, spanning
from basic research to clinics, bridging atomic resolution to molecular functions and whole organisms, connecting
molecular principles with disease and therapy. Excellence and the critical mass of CEITEC MU is further
demonstrated by its track record in major individual and institutional grants, recognition of its people by scientific
bodies, and by its record of being host to international research conferences. With the support of the H2020
Twinning project, CEITEC MU has also established a consortium with four leading European institutes with the aim
to further integrate knowledge and expertise in the area of RNA biology.
Taking into consideration the enormous applied potential of RNA/nucleic acid biology as exemplified by
CRISPR-Cas9 technology or the development of diagnostic tools and vaccines during the COVID pandemic,
as well as its integrative aspect within the institute, CEITEC MU will aspire to become a leading European
research centre in this area.
Cancer biology
Cancer biology is a key topic at the department of molecular medicine that includes the development of diagnostic
tools for blood and solid tumours, using next generation sequencing approaches, mechanistic research on blood
malignancies with the aim of developing new methods for therapeutic interventions, as well as basic research of
molecular pathways contributing to tumorigenesis. Research that is relevant to cancer biology is not limited only to
the department of molecular medicine. Approaches developed by computational chemists and structural biologists
are important for drug design and their specific delivery, and several research groups work on the development of
pharmacological compounds with applications in cancer treatment. In addition, a number of groups working on
mechanistic aspects of gene regulation and genome stability consider the impact of their research primarily in
cancer. Part of the cancer-related research at CEITEC MU will be integrated into the National Institute of
Oncology, whose features are currently being negotiated.
Brain disorders
CEITEC MU is currently well positioned and internationally acknowledged in neurodegenerative diseases, epilepsy,
stress and behavioural disorders research. These topics are carried out in the neuroscience department, which has
been actively engaged in the search for early diagnostic and prognostic markers, using multimodal MRI imaging,
EEG and neurostimulation methods. The groups also work on the deep characterization of distinct phenotypical
profiles and study their underlying neural correlates and mechanistic pathways, all of which are important for the
development of drugs and drug trial designs, and identification of optimal candidates and targets for invasive (deep
brain stimulation surgery) and non-invasive brain stimulation approaches. Some groups also have expertise in
animal research of various animal models of brain diseases such as Parkinson’s disease or epilepsy. This could be
developed further with The Bio Pharma Hub in cooperation with other faculties of MU and with core facilities at the
campus. In the long-term perspective, however, keeping this capacity may require a strategic arrangement towards
better consolidation of the field across Masaryk University.
Infectious diseases
An emerging profile topic at CEITEC MU is infectious diseases. The COVID-19 pandemic reminded us of how
devastating infectious diseases are for human society and demonstrated the importance of research in this
field. The major threats are posed not only by the emergence of new zoonotic viruses, but also by antibiotic-resistant
strains of pathogenic bacteria. As a reaction to the current situation, the Czech government decided to establish
the National Institute of Virology and Bacteriology (NIVB). The institute will be based on several CEITEC MU
research groups working on structural aspects of virus biology, phage-based antimicrobial therapies, and
development of new antibiotics. We plan to recruit several new research groups with expertise in this area to support
of NIVB, which will help to shape the profile of CEITEC MU in this direction. This initiative may establish CEITEC
MU as a national leader in this highly relevant research topic.
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Harnessing knowledge of plant biology for crop improvement
The research profile of CEITEC MU is unique at a national level due to a strong plant sciences department, whose
research is relevant for sustainable primary production, agriculture and food security. Due to climate change and
an increasing human population, achieving sustainable agricultural production is an important societal
task and its solution will require major innovations. One approach is a rational design of new breeds of crops
with better yields, nutrition value, and more eco-friendly cultivation. Genome editing enables the knowledge
obtained in plant model species to be applied to crops. This creates an unprecedented opportunity to exploit the
vast knowledge we gained on molecular underpinnings of plant physiological processes for crop improvement.
CEITEC MU aims to organize a national network focused on exploiting genome editing in crop research and
breeding. This could result in the establishment of a technology pipeline focused on nationally important crops that
would greatly facilitate experimental work with crops and promote collaborations between basic and applied sectors.
At the frontiers of technology: correlative approaches to connect dynamics and structure of
living systems
Advances in microscopy have been an important driving force for discoveries in life sciences. On one hand,
we can study cell ultrastructure at near-atomic resolution by electron microscopy (EM), on the other hand
fluorescence microscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM) enable the observation of dynamic
processes and biochemical changes in living cells. The combination and correlation of these different
readouts from one specimen opens opportunities to understand structure–function relations in living
systems. However, this approach is still far from being routinely applied in life sciences. Correlative microscopy
requires customized instrumentation and poses technical challenges concerning sample preparation and handling
and data analysis.
Development of correlative microscopy is a great opportunity to accelerate research at CEITEC and to gain unique
advantages in technology. Cryo-EM is already one of CEITEC´s technology strongholds, we also possess expertise
in AFM, and during the past five years we have managed to concentrate capacities in light microscopy by
establishing Cellular Imaging Core Facility (CELLIM). Brno is a word-wide centre of electron microscopy production
with important companies based in the region. Therefore, it is natural that CEITEC MU in cooperation with CEITEC
consortium partners will aspire to establish an R&D platform in correlative microscopy.
Research infrastructure
The large research infrastructure at CEITEC MU is operated by core facilities (hereinafter also referred
to as 'CF') that focus primarily on serving CEITEC researchers, who form the core of their user base,
but also support scientists from Masaryk University and the Brno region. The state-of-the-art
equipment enables our scientists to perform ground-breaking research. Anticipating and
keeping up with technology development is a necessary precondition for the success of CEITEC
MU in producing excellent research.
The majority of CEITEC core facilities are associated with Large Research Infrastructures for Research,
Experimental Development and Innovations on the Roadmap of Czech Republic for the years 2016-
2022 and with ESFRI Roadmap. We aim to have all core facilities being included in research
infrastructure consortia both at national and international level.
The Institute will continue improving its core facilities and will prepare a strategy to optimally employ the
resources available for their further development. Great attention will be paid to the re-investment
strategy for key instruments, principles for allocation of new equipment to core facilities, and
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mechanisms to involve researchers in defining the needs for new infrastructure. CEITEC will develop
its IT resources and connected services in data management and software support by establishing an
IT core facility.
Core facilities will undergo the evaluation procedure with a similar periodicity as research groups.
The aim of the regular evaluation is mainly to increase the quality of provided services and to provide
management with the information required for the formulation of the re-investment plan as well.
Independent scientific evaluation
The evaluation of research groups, performed approximately every four years, remains a very powerful
and necessary tool for the management and development of the institution that has a direct impact on
the continuation of research groups at the institute. At the same time, it provides space for individualized,
highly qualified feedback on the performance and possible development of each research group. Both
of these aspects support the excellence and long-term prosperity of the institute.
CEITEC MU takes advantage of the consortial evaluation of scientific excellence, and uses an
international panel of experts chaired by the International Scientific Advisory Board (ISAB) members for
informed peer-review evaluation based on scientific performance and other criteria which constitute high
quality research.
Grant strategy
National grant schemes are at present, and most probably will be in future, the single most important
type of research funding available. CEITEC MU must keep the current rate of acquiring national grants.
However, CEITEC MU fully supports, and will strongly encourage, group leaders aspiring for
prestigious individual grants, which bring holders incomparably greater international visibility
and reputation. Major individual research grants (such as ERC, ERC-CZ, GAČR EXPRO, etc.)
represent optimal convergence between scientific excellency and financial sustainability. A decision by
an external funding provider to place a bet with a significant amount of money (approximately 10 mil
CZK a year) on a scientific plan strongly demonstrates credibility, viability and competitiveness of a
research group´s plan, and represents an additional form of independent external evaluation. CEITEC
MU should aspire to achieve the level where cumulatively about one half of its research groups
would hold such major individual grants by 2028, perhaps by stating a formal expectation that
a senior group leader should regularly submit a proposal for a major individual grant every five years.
Institutional grants are essential in supporting research infrastructure and strategic development
initiatives. CEITEC MU will have the ambition to undertake large scale projects towards the fields of
virology and bacteriology, as well as within the Masaryk University's aim of establishing The Bio Pharma
Hub at the university campus.
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Investing in people (HR Excellence in Research)
Since its establishment, CEITEC MU has considered people the most important factor for building
a successful research centre and carrying out high-quality research. CEITEC MU keeps the trend as
stated in its HR strategy and HR Excellence in Research Award action plan that fully implements
the principles of the European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of
Researchers. Notably, further attention will be paid to strengthening group leaders and core facility
leaders in their managerial and supervision role.
It is our responsibility to increase the employability of early-stage researchers that spend their PhD
or postdoc stay at CEITEC MU before they leave the institute or change their career trait according to
the career system. We aim to further reinforce our training program for early-stage researchers to
provide them with the crucial skills to become future scientific leaders. Besides having established thesis
advisory committees as a standard of the CEITEC PhD School for PhD students, postdocs should have
the opportunity to take advantage of working closely with a mentor. Continuing in close and systematic
discussion and cooperation with the Faculty of Sciences and Faculty of Medicine on common standards
of PhD programmes is essential, aiming to ensure the same quality of PhD experience to all CEITEC MU
PhD students.
One of the important tools of human resources management will be a retirement and outplacement
policy. It is not expected that CEITEC MU could grow above its current size of 31 research groups
(as of 1 January 2021) in the period up until 2028. Dissolution of research groups will be realized on
performance-based evaluation or due to the departure (outplacement or retirement) of a group leader.
During the implementation period of this strategic plan, a number of CEITEC MU research group leaders
will be eligible for retirement under relevant legislation. The challenges arising from this fact will need to
be addressed as part of a broader process of generational change of science leaders
at the institute.
In the previous period of 2016–2020, the institute began structural changes aimed at the elimination of
the so-called “inbreeding” practice by changing the career system and formulating a new recruitment
policy following the OTM-R principles. In the following period, the challenge of proper implementation of
the recruitment policy and managerial evaluation of head group leaders is ahead of us.
Governance and organisational structure
The current size of no more than about 30 research groups gives the opportunity to consider
flattening the structure and re-organizing institutional governance so that the role of the
research group leaders’ meetings increases. The interaction between group leaders, core facility
heads and the management might be supported by a few select committees (a successful case currently
is the IT committee). Consideration will be given to the role of departments (research centres) as the
intermediary organizational level, and their organizational model. A model of departmental leaders
(heads of centres) holding their positions on a basis of rotation among senior research group leaders
might be considered, so that departments could better function as platforms facilitating collaboration
among groups rather than as part of the line-management structure.
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CEITEC MU research groups are currently organized in four research departments: Centre for
Structural Biology, Centre for Molecular Medicine, Mendel Centre for Plant Genomics and Proteomics
and Centre for Neuroscience. This stratification reflects the structure of the four life science research
programs that jointly formed CEITEC. Originally, these research programs formed semiautonomous
units with their own budget that was further allocated to research groups. Because the budget is now
directly allocated to individual research groups, the internal organization of CEITEC MU into
departments is no longer tied to finances and has become more flexible. CEITEC MU departments can
currently be perceived as units that organize research groups with similar research interests and
infrastructural needs. Such stratification facilitates the organization of field-specific seminars and PhD
studies, management of joint infrastructure, or presentation of the field to outside stakeholders. Many
researchers at CEITEC MU are active in the area of molecular and cellular biology, but this is not
reflected in the current departmental structure. Therefore, we are considering the establishment of a
department of molecular and cellular biology in the near future. We may also establish a new
department for infectious diseases, due to the participation of CEITEC MU in the National Institute of
Infectious Diseases.
Space availability is the main limiting factor not only for CEITEC MU development but also for
keeping its performance at the current level. The institute will address this issue using a variety of
approaches, some of which were already stated above, such as keeping the size of the institute at the
level of approximately 30 research groups, optimizing use of the current premises through space reallocations
(with a priority allocation to internal groups). The issue of space availability needs to be
accordingly discussed with the university management.
Societal relevance and recognition
We aim to be an active voice in public awareness campaigns on the importance of basic research for
society; and to participate in the debate on societal consequences of life science discoveries, and
trends underpinned by them. Using recruitment policy and campaigns focused on building a strong
employer brand, we aim to improve the visibility of CEITEC as an employer of choice, and of the
prestige of the CEITEC PhD School and postdoc program.
CEITEC MU is striving to build a strong CEITEC brand and maintain good relations with all
stakeholders at national and international levels. Building a strong CEITEC brand has a synergic
effect and strengthens the university’s visibility and prestige as well. The communication strategy
of the institute is based on its values and strategic goals. Our values are not only being communicated
outwards but are also alive within our organisation. CEITEC is proud to be an international research
institute and therefore puts a great emphasis on communication in the English language.
CEITEC MU pursues the strategy of a strong institutional profile successfully through strengthening the
international recognition. The position of CEITEC MU is visible on the European research map primarily
through two strategic alliances: EU-LIFE and Alliance4Life. CEITEC joined EU-LIFE in 2013 as one of
the founding members, and founded Alliance4Life in 2018. Based on systemic work in these
alliances and gained work done in the previous period, CEITEC MU strives to become a bridge
for transferring good practice and governance experience between both alliances,
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interconnecting in this way the western and eastern parts of Europe, and meeting the societal
role of a truly Central European institute.
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KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
Indicator Target value (2028)
Share of top-quality publications (T10) 20 % of publications in T10
Number of newly awarded prestigious individual grants 10
Number of large scale institutional projects 5
Number of newly appointed group leaders 3–4 new research groups by 2028
Total number of research groups 30 research groups
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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
CEITEC Central European Institute of Technology
CF core facility
ISAB Independent scientific advisory board
MU Masaryk University
NIVB National institute for virology and bacteriology
OTM-R open, transparent and merit based recruitment
RG research group
RI research infrastructure
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ANNEX: IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
The implementation plan is to be specified and updated regularly as part of annual management
planning and reporting.
Goals Key implementing measures Indicators / Outcomes
1. Attract and hire talented
excellent scientists with the
ambition and potential to
obtain prestigious individual
grants in the area of life
sciences
Recruitment (Hiring) strategy
Headhunting
Grant strategy – individualized
approach in providing grant office
services
Number of newly appointed
group leaders
Target value: 3–4 new research
groups by 2028
Number of newly awarded
prestigious individual grants
Target value: 10
2. Keeping the size of the
Institute and managing the
outplacement and retirement
of senior group leaders
Retirement policy
Outplacement policy and
negotiation with faculties
Total number of research groups
Target value: Total number of 30
research groups
3. Strengthening of Institute’s
profile topics:
 RNA/nucleic acids in
health and disease
 Cancer biology
 Brain disorders
 Infectious diseases
 Crop improvement by
genome editing
 Correlative approaches to
connect dynamics and
structure of living systems
Preparation/Implementation of
large scale institutional projects
in the defined profile topics
Specific PR campaigns focused
on strengthening the profile
topics
Number of large scale
institutional projects
Target value: 3
Number of international
conferences promoting Institute’s
profile topics organized by
CEITEC MU
Target value: 2
4. Becoming a national leader
in specific research areas
National institute for virology and
bacteriology
National oncology institute
Number of other large scale
institutional grants
Target value: 2
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5. Improvement of research
performance quality through
international peer-review
evaluation
Peer-review evaluation by
independent external experts
approximately every four years
Regular evaluation of junior
group leaders typically after four
years from starting their group
leader position
Support measures aiming to
increase the share of top-quality
publications (T10)
Share of top-quality publications
(T10)
Target value: 20 % of
publications in T10
6. Linking research at CEITEC
MU with research activities at
the university – Bio Pharma
Hub
Teaching collaboration
Sharing the infrastructure
Infrastructure for preclinical
studies
Collaboration with life sciences
faculties
Number of study subjects
organized for the pharmaceutical
faculty
Target value: 2
7. CEITEC MU keeps the trend
as stated in its HR strategy
and HR Excellence in
Research Award action plan
HR strategy and HR Award
action plan
Gender equality plan
(GENDER+)
Target: HR Award re-awarded in
2023 and 2028
8. Systematic support for
open science and responsible
research and innovation
principles
Open science strategy Number of publications in open
access mode
Target value: 80 % publications
are published in OA mode
9. Building bridges to
industry
Cooperation with industry
strategy and action plan(s)
-
10. Transformation of research
departments role in organizing
scientific community life
Field seminars
PhD specializations
-
11. Covering the demand for
educational programs in the
areas of profile topics
Accreditation of new programs
(virology, correlative microscopy)
in collaboration with relevant
faculties or else by decision of
Masaryk University
Number of new study programs
Target value: 2
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12. Reinforce our training
program for early stage
researches (PhDs, postdocs)
and junior group leaders to
provide them with crucial skills
and competencies essential
for their future career
Early stage researchers training
programme
Mentoring for postdocs
Thesis advisory committee as a
standard of the CEITEC PhD
School
Unification of standards across
PhD programs in close
cooperation with the campus
faculties
Training academy for junior
group leaders
-
13. Improving visibility of
CEITEC PhD School programs
and postdocs program to
attract top talented and highly
motivated candidates
Recruitment strategy
Employer branding
Number of candidates per
announced position
Share of recruitment procedures
that are successfully closed
Evaluation of candidates’ quality
by hiring managers (subjective
assessment)
Detailed set of indicators is
included in the annual HR report.
14. State-of-the-art equipment
enables our research groups
to perform ground-breaking
research
National and international RI
roadmaps participation
Re-investment strategy to
optimally employ available
resources
Open and transparent
discussion of (re)investment
plans
Pricing policy
Number of core facilities involved
in the RI roadmap
Target: All CFs are involved in
the national RI roadmap
15. Further development of the
core facility model in planning,
management and operation of
research infrastructure
Defining principles for placement
of research equipment into
CFs/RGs
Evaluation of CF management
and operation
-
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Training opportunities for CF
personnel
16. Bring the Institute and the
campus faculties closer as
stakeholders in the core
facilities
CF user committees
Systemic dialogue at the level of
institutional management of
CEITEC MU and campus
faculties in respect of research
infrastructure planning
-
17. Optimizing the use of
laboratory and office space
and aiming to increase the
space available
Space allocation policy Number of m2 of office and
laboratory space
18. To ensure professional IT
support for research groups
and core facilities in close
collaboration with ICS MU (“IT
as Core Facility”)
Contract based on service price
list with ICS MU
IT Policy
-
19. To increase public´s
awareness about CEITEC and
to strengthen the CEITEC
brand
Value-based communication of
research results and institutional
management through PR and
communication strategy
formulation and implementation
Communication campaigns
promoting importance of basic
research and its transfer to
application
Details are set up in the PR
strategy and action plans/reports.
20. Serving as a bridge in
transferring good practice and
governance experience
Active knowledge sharing with
MU and CEITEC consortium
partners
Active knowledge sharing with
partners from EU-LIFE and
Alliance4Life
Knowledge sharing on national
and international level
Improvement in various aspects
of institutional governance
(CEITEC as well as all involved
partners) based on annual action
plans of EU-LIFE and
Alliance4Life
Activities in research policy fields
on national and international
levels based on annual action
plans of EU-LIFE and
Alliance4Life