FG5 Core Facilities

About group Group members

The Alliance4Life Core Facilities and Shared Laboratories Focus Group unites experts from member institutions to enhance the operation, accessibility, and sustainability of research infrastructures in life science institutions across widening countries. Members collaborate to share best practices, exchange innovative management strategies, and strengthen their collective expertise in optimizing the performance of core facilities and shared laboratories. Together, they benchmark operational standards, develop strategic frameworks, and implement joint initiatives to improve service quality and maximize the impact of research infrastructure.

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The group facilitates peer training and invites external experts to build skills in areas such as resource optimization, user management, and innovative technologies. Members also identify funding opportunities to address shared challenges, such as upgrading equipment, training technical staff, or expanding user access. Acting as an advisory body, the Core Facilities and Shared Laboratories Focus Group provides guidance to work package and task leaders, ensuring that research infrastructures are efficiently managed and aligned with the needs of the scientific community, driving excellence in life sciences research.

General Contact:
A4Lfacilities@ceitec.muni.cz

Focus group members

Focus group chair

Kateřina Hošková

Central European Institute of Technology

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With extensive experience since 2014 in managing Research Infrastructures and Core Facilities, Kateřina currently oversees procedures related to facility usage, financial planning, and data policy. As Chair of the Focus Group for Core Facilities & Big Data within the Alliance4Life project, she advances research infrastructure management. She is also a member of EU Life and the executive committee of Core Technologies for Life Sciences (CTLS).

Focus group co-chair

Osvalds Pugovics

Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis

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With a PhD in organic chemistry, he is the Acting Director of the Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis. He serves as vice-chair of the FG5 "Core Facilities" and is a board member of the Alliance for Life consortium. An active science administrator, he holds leadership roles in several national and international associations, promoting academia-industry collaboration.

Members of the Focus Group

Lenka Bojanovská

Central European Institute of Technology

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Lenka is a project coordinator at CEITEC Masaryk University, managing administrative and financial operations of core facility labs. She handles pricing, contract renewals, and financial reports, and coordinates user applications for the Instruct-ERIC infrastructure. In the A4L project, she oversees open access applications and financial reconciliation. With international experience, Lenka is fluent in Czech, English, and French.

Ondřej Hradil

Masaryk University

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Michal Štefánik

The International Clinical Research Center of St. Anne´s University Hospital

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The Account Manager for Technology Transfer at the International Clinical Research Center of St. Anne's University Hospital. He holds degrees in Molecular Biology and Genetics, and Animal Biotechnology. With experience in both public and private sectors, he previously worked in scanning electron microscopy and virology, contributing to impactful research. Michal is fluent in Czech, Slovak, and English, with basic German and Russian knowledge. He is also a member of the FG6 Knowledge and Technology Transfer group within the Alliance4Life initiative.

Juraj Kopáček

Biomedical Research Center of the Slovak Academy of Sciences

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Juraj Kopáček is the Director of the Institute of Virology at the Biomedical Research Center of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (BMC SAS). He represents BMC SAS in the Core Facilities and Big Data Focus Group within the Alliance4Life ACTIONS and BRIDGE projects. His research focuses on molecular virology and gene expression. With long-term study stays in the UK, Japan, and Belgium, he has led the Institute for 15 years and contributed to establishing BMC SAS as a leading biomedical center in Slovakia.

Boris Klempa

Biomedical Research Center of the Slovak Academy of Sciences

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Leading virologist and Head of the Department of Virus Ecology at the Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences. He also lectures at Comenius University. As a member of the Core Facilities and Big Tech Focus Group in Alliance4Life, he drives research on emerging viruses. Dr. Klempa has received numerous awards, including the Robert Koch Prize, and made significant contributions to the study of hantaviruses and SARS-CoV-2.

Maria Cichalewska-Studzińska

Medical University of Lodz

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Maria Cichalewska-Studzińska is a researcher in the CoreLab facility at the Medical University of Lodz, specializing in Molecular Biology. She holds a master's degree in Neurophysiology and a PhD in Medical Sciences from the university's Neurology Department. As a member of the FG5 Core Facilities and Big Data group within Alliance4Life, her research interests focus on Immunology and Genetics, with a goal of fostering new collaborations.

Filip Sedlić

University of Zagreb School of Medicine

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An Associate Professor of Pathophysiology and a Specialist of the Laboratory Medicine. He received a PhD degree at the Medical College of Wisconsin as the best student in the Physiology program. Filip leads a research group focusing on the energy metabolism in cardiovascular diseases and cancer. He received several awards for academic achievements, and he was involved in NIH, European and national research grants.

Siniša Škokić

University of Zagreb School of Medicine

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The Head of the Laboratory for Regenerative Neuroscience at University of Zagreb School of Medicine, and works as the chief imaging scientist in its neuroimaging core facility based around magnetic resonance and bioluminescence imaging. He is a member of the Alliance4Life Bridge focus group Core Facilities and Big Data, and has ample experience in laboratory design, practices and management.

Andrius Kaselis

Vilnius University

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A senior specialist at the Medical Research Center of the Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, where he coordinates core facility research and drives translational research. With a PhD in Biochemistry, his research focuses on neurobiology, neuroregeneration, and organoid development. He is the main contact for external collaborations and a member of the FG5 Core Facilities and Big Data group within Alliance4Life.