The Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry is an integral part of the Faculty of Agronomy of Mendel University in Brno, and has over 100 employees conducting research in more than 800 m2 of laboratories with world-class equipment.
The basic activities of the institute are divided into the following three areas:
- pedagogical activities
- research activities
- providing central laboratory services
Pedagogical activity
The Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry provides education to students of a wide range of study fields in the study programs of three faculties of Mendel University in Brno and thus actively participates in creating the profile of their graduates.
The Institute provides education to students of bachelor’s, follow-up master’s and doctoral programs of university studies. A wide range of study subjects guaranteed by the Institute allows students to become familiar with the elementary concepts and skills of general, inorganic, organic, analytical chemistry and biochemistry at the beginning of their studies. They can then expand this basic knowledge by completing other specialized subjects. Teaching is presented to students in the form of professional lectures, seminars and practical laboratory exercises. Laboratory teaching of students takes place in specialized laboratories equipped with modern equipment that ensures high-quality teaching and includes the necessary elements of student work safety.
At the Faculty of Agronomy, the Institute’s staff teaches students in six bachelor’s degree programs and ten fields of study, five follow-up master’s degree programs and seven fields of study. At the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Science, it teaches subjects in six bachelor’s degree programs and seven fields of study. At the Faculty of Horticulture, it teaches students in two degree programs and three fields of study. In addition to mandatory and mandatory elective courses, it also provides teaching of eight elective courses, which take place in the form of lectures, seminars and practical laboratory exercises.
The Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry also provides teaching of 31 subjects for doctoral study fields and teaches six subjects in English for foreign students. As part of doctoral studies at the Institute, several students successfully complete their studies each year and publish their results in renowned impact journals. In this way, the institute sustainably generates scientific strength that not only remains at the institute and works as postdoctoral researchers, thanks to which it is possible to continue solving research projects and their sustainability, but also goes to cooperating foreign workplaces.
Research activities
Supporting advanced procedures and technologies in biological chemistry – this is the brief description of the research, development and innovation vision of the Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Five research groups, divided into nineteen laboratories, are working to achieve this, focusing on key areas such as bioanalytical chemistry, algal and plant biotechnology, and, last but not least, experimental microbial and animal biochemistry and biology. The research activities of the institute are thus divided according to specialization into individual research groups and laboratories that work closely together.
Space Agri Technologies Research Group
Biomarkers Research Group
Molecular Biology and Nanomedicine Research Group
Synthesis and Chemical Analysis Research Group
Plant and Microalgae NanoBiotechnologies Research Group
Scientific research is an integral part of the work and the institute achieves very successful results in this field. This is evidenced primarily by the amount of financial resources received for research from grant agencies and the number of publications by the institute’s employees.
In addition to solving its own basic and applied research projects, the Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry has long been involved in grant tasks of many Czech and foreign universities, including Charles University, Masaryk University; School of Physical Sciences and Australian Centre for Research on Separation Science, University of Tasmania, Australia; CESAM – Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar & Departamento de Quimica, Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal; Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Great Britain and many others.
Provision of research services
As part of its scientific and research activities, the Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry is also a provider of services primarily related to the performance of chemical analyses, not only to applicants from individual institutes of the Faculty of Agronomy, but also to interested parties from other organizational parts of MENDELU and possibly also to external clients. Thanks to the ever-expanding top-notch research infrastructure and investments in increasing the experience and qualifications of our operators, the spectrum of services offered is constantly expanding so that we can satisfy the growing demand to the greatest extent possible.
For more information on specific analyses, please contact Mgr. Roman Guráň, Ph.D. more information on the page.