The new building on the University Campus in Bohunice is sure to catch the eye thanks to its aluminium windows and the visible changes to its facade.
By the end of October, the building will be completely sheathed in alucobond cladding to protect it from the elements. Big changes are also taking place inside, where a spacious atrium is being created with a magnificent glass skylight. There will also be a spacious screening hall and a staircase leading from the first floor down to the atrium. The main steel staircase to the top floors is now being constructed in the central part of the building and is awaiting its final wooden cladding. Construction of the plasterboard partitions in the underground and above-ground sections is also ongoing, revealing the future division of each floor into laboratories, classrooms, technical rooms and offices. Similarly, the layout of the meeting rooms can be seen, as can the future offices of the study department and the Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy on the ground floor. The Dean’s staff will move into the new building at the beginning of the 2026/27 academic year. Other units and departments are taking shape as well. The facility will house a clean room pilot line, which will focus on the development and low-volume production of pharmaceuticals.
“I have never doubted the success of this project – ambitious even by European standards – but I must say that I am still amazed at what the joint project and investment team of the Rector’s Office and the faculties and institutes involved have achieved in cooperation with the contractors,” said Radim Polčák, MU Vice-Rector for Development, Legal & Information Technologies, commenting on the progress of the construction work.
Inside the building, work on installing technical equipment and wiring, and laying structural and insulating floor layers, is ongoing. Of interest is the fact that 75 kilometres of data cables will run through the building, stretching into every room before being concealed within the floor layers. This will form the foundation of the building’s data infrastructure, comprising server rooms, backbone network, and high-speed data transmission components that are essential for the operation of laboratories, offices, and teaching spaces.
Designed to be highly energy efficient, the MUNI BioPharma Hub building has three underground floors and five above-ground floors, and makes maximum use of renewable energy sources while keeping its environmental footprint low. For example, the project includes over 50 geothermal boreholes, each almost 200 metres deep, which extract low-potential thermal energy without disturbing the groundwater. The design also includes solar panels and a green roof to absorb rainfall and help cool the building during heat waves.
“By incorporating elements of sustainability, including the latest technologies, into the development of this strategic project, we believe that we are setting a new trend for building research infrastructures in the Czech Republic. Aspects such as savings on operating costs and support for environmental initiatives are essential for the long-term functioning of the entire science and research ecosystem,” said MU Bursar David Póč.
The MUNI BioPharma Hub will feature innovative catering facilities for students, based on the university management’s current work aimed at fulfilling the 24/7 catering concept. Masaryk University wants to embrace modern trends, especially those from Scandinavia, and work with suppliers offering fresh, locally sourced produce in the “farm-to-fork” model. The aim is to minimise waste and complexity, from the cooking process to the serving of food. The concept combines an open space with the option of either purchasing food on site or reheating your own food from home. From the academic year 2026/2027 onwards, the new MUNI BioPharma Hub building on Studentská Street, near the Faculty of Medicine and the Biology Park, will provide research and study facilities for over 2,000 students and dozens of members of staff from the Faculties of Pharmacy, Science and Medicine, as well as the CEITEC MU research centre. The infrastructure will also include the Preclinical Centre and the MU Centre for Molecular Medicine. Full-scale teaching of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes will begin there in autumn next year.
“Our university showed great courage in committing to the implementation of such a substantial and demanding investment in high-quality educational and research infrastructure within the timeframe required by the National Recovery Plan. But we were confident, and the previous and current Czech governments also showed confidence in us,” added Vice-Rector Radim Polčák.
The newly equipped infrastructure will enable experts to be trained in courses such as Industrial Pharmacy, which will enable graduates to work as pharmaceutical production specialists. The project will therefore significantly advance education, science and research, as well as areas such as pharmacy, molecular biology and other branches of biotechnology, at a national level. From autumn 2026, the MUNI BioPharma Hub will begin to fulfil the strategic roles and priorities set by the Czech government. That is why the project is being built with significant financial support from the Czech Ministry of Education and the European Union within the framework of the National Recovery Plan and the Operational Programme Johannes Amos Comenius.
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