On March 9–10, 2026, representatives from twelve institutions of the international Alliance4Life (A4L) consortium, including the Biomedical Research Center of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (BMC SAS), met in Bratislava. The goal of this consortium is to contribute to the advancement of life sciences in Central and Eastern Europe. Partners from eleven countries discussed progress toward achieving the goals of the A4L_BRIDGE project, shared successes, and exchanged best practices.
“Cooperation within Alliance4Life is a great inspiration for our academic community. We don’t just share knowledge; we learn a lot not only from each other but also about ourselves,” said the Director General of BMC SAS Silvia Pastoreková, which hosted the event on its premises.
The new A4L leadership took the stage for the first time in their roles: A4L Chair Toivo Maimets (University of Tartu), Secretary General Nikola Kostlánová (CEITEC, Masaryk University in Brno), and A4L_BRIDGE Project Lead Eliška Handlířová (CEITEC, Masaryk University).
The meeting was opened by the new A4L Chair, Toivo Maimets, who outlined future challenges, including political changes in the European Union regarding funding for so-called “widening countries,” which include A4L member countries.
In the A4L_Bridge project, which is supported by a European Horizon WIDERA grant, partner institutions led by CEITEC are working to modernize human resources policies in science institutions, develop mutual cooperation, and improve links between science and the private sector as well as patient organizations.
At the meeting in Bratislava, discussions focused, among other things, on further development of the new joint e-learning platform, the results of a survey on the practical implementation of HR policy in scientific institutions, and support for new collaborative research projects and research fellowships. Together, we sought ways to improve the international dissemination of the successes we have achieved together.
The A4L Board also discussed the alliance’s strategic direction and potential follow-up projects that could further strengthen excellent research and collaboration in Central and Eastern Europe.
The meeting featured prominent guests from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL)—Director of International Relations Plamena Markova and Senior Manager of International Relations Maria Ananchenkova. Marta Agostinho, Chair of the EU LIFE organization, contributed via an online presentation.
Plamena Markova outlined the opportunities available at EMBL for life sciences researchers from our countries, including access to extensive biological data, equipment, training, and internships.
“We have the largest biological databases in the world, and we are also Europe’s biggest training center for life sciences,” said Plamena Markova.
Maria Ananchenkova explained the details of areas where collaboration is possible, as well as the opportunity to utilize unique mobile laboratories.
One of the key outcomes of the A4L_BRIDGE project is a survey on the implementation of HR policies in scientific institutions. Eliška Handlířová presented the detailed results of the analysis at the meeting. “The main conclusion is that we need to measure the impact of measures in practice to ensure real change, and also focus on improvements in leadership.”
The A4L partner institutions agreed that collaboration helps them better harness the potential in biological sciences we have in Central and Eastern Europe. They will strive to continue their activities in order to level the playing field with partners in the West.
Text: E. Rybárová, BMC SAS
Photo: P. Ratajský, BMC SAS; E. Rybárová, BMC SAS
