On 27 November 2023, Minister of Agriculture Marek Výborný visited the Veterinary Research Institute as part of his tours to all departmental research organisations of the Ministry of Agriculture. Minister Výborný was accompanied by his Advisor Doc. Kučera; Director of Section of Organic Agriculture, Commodities, Research and Education Ing. Jílek; Secretary Mgr. Wolf; and Press Secretary Mgr. Bílý.
The guests were welcomed by the Director Dr. Faldyna, along with representatives of the research Departments and the VRI Board. Dr. Faldyna briefly presented the current research programmes, the results achieved and plans for the future. The Leaders of each Department were provided with the opportunity to briefly describe the professional focus of their Department and the achieved results. Minister Výborný was also interested in the aspects of mutual overlapping of scientific activities with other research organisations. Due attention was also given to the practical impact of the results of the Institute's research activities and their contribution to the agriculture sector. Minister Výborný appreciated the extent of the Institute's participation in international projects. Space was also allocated for the presentation of the current project proposal to establish a shared European scientific centre CENAGRIVET prepared for the TEAMING call of the Operational Programme Johannes Amos Comenius. The project proposal was presented by Prof. Adam from Mendel University in Brno. The discussion was joined by the Rector of the University, Prof. Mareš, and the Dean of the Faculty of Agronomy, Prof. Pavlata.
During the remaining time of the visit, Minister Výborný and his staff inspected a part of the accredited experimental facility and a pilot prototype workplace, the construction of which was completed in 2023 with the aim of enabling scale-up of research results and subsequent pilot production of biotechnology products.
"Although the intended programme encompassed a tour of various workplaces and, undoubtedly, many aspects of applied research in the agriculture sector could have been further discussed, the limited time available to the Minister did not allow the completion of the full programme. Nevertheless, we believe that this brief stay enabled the Minister and his staff to form a clear picture of the Institute's activities as a scientific institution that transfers research results to end users," said Dr. Faldyna.
