The main asset of MUNI Ventures is its direct link with the commercial sector, which brings with it a number of advantages in terms of practical application.
“By working with companies, innovations can be turned into commercial products or services and brought to market more quickly. Commercial partners provide valuable feedback that helps optimise technologies to meet market needs. Financial support from investors allows us to cover the costs of experimentation, prototyping, testing and incubation, which significantly accelerates development,” explains MUNI Ventures CEO Dagmar Vágnerová Linnertová, who is also a member of the Department of Finance at the MU Faculty of Economics and Administration.
Dagmar Vágnerová Linnertová has extensive experience in the field of investment and financial markets, as well as in the evaluation of investment projects in terms of their profitability and feasibility. She understands the financial strategies and risks associated with investments, and her knowledge of economics and finance enables her to help design financially sustainable strategies, assess return on investment, and build relationships with investors, venture capitalists, and others. All this significantly strengthens MUNI Ventures’ position in the investment ecosystem and accelerates the development of innovative projects.
“By working with the private sector, we have the opportunity to find out about the potential of our researchers’ work and at the same time set project goals to increase its potential marketability,” adds Vágnerová Linnertová. In addition to medicine and pharmaceuticals, where projects are financially demanding and development and testing can take many years, MUNI Ventures will also focus on the social sciences and IT. “It is all about knowledge transfer, for example through applications and software solutions that can make life easier for businesses and individuals. These projects usually combine technology with scientific knowledge and offer practical solutions to real-world problems based on the work of Masaryk University researchers. As these applications or software are commercialised, there is the potential for further improvement and development in response to market needs or changes in legislation. The solutions can also complement existing commercial products that lack some essential functionalities,” explains Vágnerová Linnertová.
MUNI Ventures also focuses on the creation of new university spin-offs. “We are currently working on several projects that may lead to the establishment of future spin-off companies with the participation of Masaryk University. One such project is a telemedicine-enabled diagnostic tool that evaluates antigen tests and transmits the results via Bluetooth to an app through which users can easily send them to their doctor. This technology is flexible and can be easily adapted to diagnose various types of diseases according to current needs,” says Vágnerová Linnertová. The eventual app would not offer a specific medication, but would allow selected conditions to be diagnosed without the need to visit specialist clinics.
Another interesting example, developed by MU researchers, is a new method that makes it possible to design special peptides that can target the cell membranes of specific pathogens without damaging human cells. “These antimicrobial peptides disrupt the protective membrane of pathogens, leading to their destruction. The application of this method may lead to new antibiotics for use in human and veterinary medicine,” concludes Dagmar Linnertová Vágnerová.