On Thursday, September 25, 2025, the first kickoff meeting of the Czech SynBio Node took place at the Bohunice campus of Masaryk University (MUNI) in Brno. The goal of this new initiative is to connect research groups, active students, Czech experts working abroad, as well as science communicators and startup founders interested in synthetic biology and bioengineering. Together, we aim to promote the development of synthetic biology in the Czech Republic through cutting-edge research, teaching, innovative biotechnologies, and strong community building.
We see synthetic biology (SynBio) as an established scientific discipline that accelerates fundamental research, deepens our understanding of living systems, and opens new opportunities for innovation and business. The Czech Republic should play an active role in the global development of this field.
The Brno meeting featured short talks from the founding members: Karel Říha (CEITEC MUNI), Pavel Dvořák (MUNI SCI), Klára Hlouchová and Jiří Zahradník (Charles University), Martin Marek (MUNI SCI), Tomáš Pluskal (IOCB Prague), Karel Sedlář (Brno University of Technology), and David Šafránek (MUNI FI). We also heard presentations from students representing both Czech iGEM teams, who this year will compete at the world’s largest international synthetic biology competition. Tomáš Iliaš spoke for iGEM Prague, while Miroslav Rosputinský represented iGEM Brno. An inspiring talk was also given by Hynek Kasl from Sampling Human, a successful SynBio startup with roots in the very first Czech iGEM team back in 2015.
The research areas of current Czech SynBio Node members cover a wide range — from the origins of life and the discovery of new molecules, through plant research, to protein and metabolic engineering and systems biology. What unites us is the drive to integrate biology with engineering approaches. Together, we are building a strong knowledge platform that can accelerate the development of synthetic biology in the Czech Republic and link it with similar initiatives and networks across Europe and worldwide.
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