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Supported by the International Visegrad Fund, the scientific and research Summer School in Molecular Biophysics and Systems Biology, was jointly organized by the University of South Bohemia, the Czech National Infrastructure for Systems Biology C4Sys and the Center for Nanobiology and Structural Biology of the Institute of Microbiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. In partnership with the University of Miskolc, Hungary, the University of Warsaw, Poland and Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia, the summer school provided Czech and foreign university students with an opportunity to work with experienced scientists and tutors in internationally respected research teams for a month. During their time in Nové Hrady the students did not only concentrate on research but they also attended an excellent series of lectures that gave them a broad view on cutting-edge methodologies and research.

The 5^th Summer School 2017 was attended by 21 distinguished students from Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, and Slovakia. 10 students were sponsored by the Visegrad Fund and the additional eleven were funded by the University of South Bohemia and the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. The summer school participants had gone through a highly competitive selection procedure and subsequently worked in first-rate fully-equipped laboratories on topics related to systems biology and molecular biophysics. At the end of the summer school, the research teams presented their results in a student conference, where the 3 best presentations got awarded by a scientific committee. All the participants received certificates and promotional gifts  in the final ceremony.

The awarded projetcs were as follows: “Non-Invasive Measurements of Ion Fluxes Across Cell Membranes in Sacchoromyces cerevisiae” by Lucia Kmecová, Tatsiana Kachatkova and Aleksandr  Kalashnikov; “In-Silico Study of a Voltage-Sensitive Transmembrane Protein” by Ibolya Tóth and David Roesel; and “Modelling Interactions in Biomolecules Using Methods of Quantum and Molecular Mechanics” by Weronika Lidwin and Andrea Guljas.

Besides research activities and lectures, the students also enjoyed several social events, such as “80 Minutes around the World” Food Festival, rafting trip down the Vltava River, tour of Budweiser Budvar Brewery and a typical Czech barbeque.

From 27th to 30th June 2017, Prof. Dr. Cecilia Rokusek, Ed.D., M.Sc., R.D., Provost and Vice-President of Academic Affairs, Larkin University, Miami, Florida, visited the Center for Nanobiology and Structural Biology CAS in Nové Hrady, where she met the Center’s Director Prof. Rüdiger Ettrich, Ph.D.  He showed her how the Center works and introduced the C4Sys infrastructure, its development and the services offered. They discussed the possibility of education stays / internships of the Larkin university students at Nové Hrady as well as using the infrastructure by the students. A Memorandum of Understanding is currently being prepared for future signing.

Prof. Rokusek subsequently visited the grounds of the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, where she was warmly welcomed by the former rector Prof. Libor Grubhoffer.

From 21st to 24th June, the Center for Nanobiology and Structural Biology hosted the 7th Visegrad Symposium on Structural System Biology. The Scientific Organizing Committee consisted of Dr.Babak Minofar, prof. Rüdiger Ettrich and Dr. David Řeha from the Center for Nanobiology and Structural Biology, Academy of Sciences, Nové Hrady, Czech Republic; Prof. Ján Urban from Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia; Dr. Béla Viskolcz and Dr. Imre G. Csizmadia from the University of Miskolc, Hungary; and Dr. hab. Joanna Sułkowska from the University of Warsaw, Poland.

The symposium focused on various computational methods used in the study of biologically relevant macromolecules ranging from quantum calculations via atomistic models to coarse-grained molecular dynamics of biological systems. Furthermore, it dealt with experimental techniques (mainly spectroscopic methods) that complement the simulations or can be used for verification.

The first meeting Intergovernmental Working Group took place in Amsterdam on Tuesday 10^th January 2017.

The meeting was organised with support of the BBSRC and NOW, who together co-chaired the Legal and Governance work package of the ISBE’s Preparatory Phase.  The meeting was attended by the representatives of national European funding organisations, including two representatives from the Czech Republic.

Following the completion of the ISBE Preparatory Phase in July 2015, the ISBE partners have started to build a sustainable European research infrastructure. Two parallel tracks are being followed:

1) acquire start-up funding doe the interim phase

2) establish an initial portfolio of web-based services that are labelled ISBE light in three ISBE domains:

• Modelling &Theory
• Stewardship of research assets
• Education & Training

At the meeting, the current progress as well as the process and the time line of building the ISBE was discussed and plans and activities in the context of national investments, priorities and roadmaps were considered.

The Annual Summer school in molecular biophysics and systems biology is supported by the International Visegrad Fund, and jointly organized by the University of South Bohemia and the Center for Nanobiology and Structural Biology of the Institute of Microbiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. In partnership with the University of Miskolc, Hungary, the University of Warsaw, Poland and Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia, the summer school gives the chance to Czech and foreign university students to work for a month with experienced scientists and tutors in internationally respected research teams. During their time in Nove Hrady the students do not only research but also participate in an excellent lecture series that gets them a broad view on cutting-edge methodologies and research.

The participating students had to pass a highly competitive selection procedure and got the chance to work in excellent fully-equipped laboratories on topics related to systems biology and molecular biophysics. At the end of summer school, the research teams present their results in a student conference, where the best presentation get awarded by the scientific committee. In the final ceremony awards and certificates are presented to all participants.

The summer school 2016 is attended by 17 distinguished students from Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Ukraine, Belarus, Bulgaria, and Russia. 10 students were sponsored by the Visegrad Fund and the additional seven were funded by the University of South Bohemia  http://nh.cas.cz/summerschool2016/

August 2nd, 2016, C4SYS successfully submitted an application to the OPVVV call for research infrastructures (Výzva č. 02_16_013 pro Výzkumné infrastruktury). The project aims to complementarily support the construction, upgrade, modernization, enhancement and research activities of the national infrastructure “C4SYS – Center for Systems Biology” and improving the research quality at the institutions involved. This research infrastructure builds on a close collaboration of the Academy of Sciences (Institute of Microbiology in Prague, Center for Nanobiology and Structural Biology in Nové Hrady, Global Change Research Institute in Brno), the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, and Masaryk University in Brno. The proposed project, if awarded, shall start in January 2017.