The Academy hosted a two-day UK–Czech Republic Bilateral International Meeting

Discussed topics included sustainable agriculture, biodiversity conservation in the age of climate change, and epigenetic therapy for cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and diseases of civilisation. Opening remarks were made by the President of the CAS Eva Zažímalová and David Honys from the Academy Council as well as Ian Wiggins from the Royal Society. The event was held on 31 January and 1 February 2024 at the headquarters of the Czech Academy of Sciences on Národní Street in Prague.

The programme included presentations by Miroslav Trnka from the Global Change Research Institute of the CAS – CzechGlobe, Aleš Pečinka from the Institute of Experimental Botany of the CAS, and Petr Pyšek from the Institute of Botany of the CAS. Guests from the UK included David Baulcombe and Rhys Green from the University of Cambridge and Lars Østergaard from the University of Oxford.

The participants had the opportunity to present the activities and results of their research teams and laboratories, discussing and searching for intersections or new approaches that could lead to the establishment of long-term bilateral cooperation.

🔹 On 31 Jan – 1 Feb, we are hosting the UK–Czech Republic Bilateral International Meeting. 🤝 The aim of the meeting is to re-establish scientific contacts following Brexit and to set up long-term bilateral cooperation between 🇨🇿 and 🇬🇧 researchers.

🔹 The topics discussed… pic.twitter.com/05JHbORIeg

— Czech Academy of Sciences (@CzechAcademy) January 31, 2024

The presentations were held in two conference halls at the Academy headquarters and were complemented by plenary sessions where topics common to both groups of experts, such as new gene techniques (e.g., CRISPR) and epigenetic regulation, were discussed.

The group of Czech and British experts was also welcomed by the UK Ambassador to the Czech Republic, Matt Field, at the British Embassy’s residential premises.

The meeting was attended by experts from 11 institutes of the Czech Academy of Sciences and 13 British institutions, including Imperial College London, the University of Cambridge, and the University of Oxford.

Prepared by: Leona Matušková and Jana Whalen, External Relations Division, CAO of the CAS
Translated by: Tereza Novická, External Relations Division, CAO of the CAS
Photo: Jana Plavec, External Relations Division, CAO of the CAS
 The text and photos are released for use under the Creative Commons license.

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