On October 2-3, 2025, the opening ceremony of the Advanced Protein Biotechnology Consortium (APBC) project took place at the GES Club Košice – a unique scientific and innovation project that represents a significant step in strengthening cooperation between academia and the biotechnology industry in Slovakia.
Project goal: connecting science, innovation and industry
The APBC project has an ambitious goal – to develop excellent research in the field of protein biotechnology, support innovative solutions with high added value, and at the same time create conditions for young scientists, doctoral candidates and students who want to build their scientific careers at home.
At the same time, it seeks to prevent the outflow of talent abroad and support the return of Slovak experts back to the research environment. The project therefore has not only a scientific and innovative dimension, but also a significant social and regional impact – it contributes to the development of the start-up ecosystem, to the strengthening of the competitive high-tech sector and the economic growth of eastern Slovakia.
With financial support of 15.6 million euros, APBC is one of the largest scientific projects of Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice (UPJŠ), financed by the EU NextGenerationEU initiative through the Recovery and Resilience Plan of the Slovak Republic (project no. 09I02-03-V01-00021).
Kick-off meeting: The beginning of an ambitious journey
The event was held under the auspices of the Rector of UPJŠ, Prof. MUDr. Daniel Pella, PhD., and was focused on presenting individual so-called “work packages”, determining specific activities, schedules, milestones and responsibilities for the following period. The kick-off meeting was officially opened and moderated by the Director of the Technology and Innovation Park (TIP-UPJŠ), RNDr. Andrej Miroššay, PhD.
Project coordinator and head of the Center for Interdisciplinary Biosciences of the Technology and Innovation Park UPJŠ (CIB TIP-UPJŠ), Prof. RNDr. Erik Sedlák, DrSc. stated that he sees the ongoing kick-off meeting as a significant milestone in the project solution – the teams involved in the project from both academic and industrial environments are given the opportunity to get to know each other, align expectations and jointly set the future direction of the project.
He also added that thanks to its multidisciplinary focus, APBC has the potential to bring innovative solutions in the field of biomedicine, biopharmacy and diagnostics and to strengthen the transfer of research results into practice not only in Slovakia, but also in the international environment.
Strong partnerships across the scientific and industrial spheres
The APBC project connects top academic and industrial institutions, which together create a platform for the effective exchange of knowledge and experience.
Academic partners – Faculty Hospital of St. Anne in Brno (ICRC), Institute of Neuroimmunology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, University of Bayreuth, University of Groningen, University of Oxford and Institute of Experimental Physics of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Košice – bring top expertise in the field of protein engineering, biopolymers, biochemistry and biophysics, while industrial partners Enantis and JUHAPHARM ensure the connection of scientific research with practice in biotechnology, pharmacy and cosmetics.
UPJŠ as project leader
The main beneficiary and coordinator of the project is Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, specifically the Center for Interdisciplinary Biosciences (CIB TIP-UPJŠ). The team from UPJŠ, in close cooperation with experts from the Institute of Physical Sciences and the Institute of Chemical Sciences of the Faculty of Science, ensures administrative and professional management of the project, organization of trainings, workshops, symposia and summer and winter schools, as well as communication with partners, the agency and the European Commission.
Importance for the region and Slovakia
The APBC project brings a new impetus to the scientific and research environment in eastern Slovakia. It supports the creation of modern workplaces, top-notch infrastructure and new jobs for scientific and technical workers. The Director of TIP-UPJŠRNDr. Andrej Miroššay, PhD. concluded that these partnerships will ensure that the APBC project will combine standards of excellent research, technical excellence and commercial use. They will thus support the excellence of science in Slovakia and at the same time create opportunities for the creation of highly qualified jobs in the region.
