The Closing conference of the Chaperon project took place on Thursday, April 25, in Parkhotel Plzeň. CHAPERON – ERA Chair Position for Excellent Research in Oncology started in August 2019. Thanks to this project, not only financial support of approx. 2,5 million EUR was acquired, but most importantly prof. Kari Hemminki, leading scientist in cancer epidemiology and genetics, joined the project to support scientific excellence in our faculty. He also founded and leads the Translational Cancer Genomics Lab in the Biomedical Center.
During the past 5 years, prof. Hemminki with his team managed to publish over 100 papers, 40 of which were published in 1st quartile journals. His team also gained several grants (GAČR, AZV) which ensure that research initiated during Chaperon will continue even after its ending.
The Closing Conference was opened by prof. Milena Králíčková, the rector of Charles University. „I am very pleased by the success of the Chaperon project. I am certain that its results will lead to better care and prevention in oncology. Moreover, this project improved several internal processes within the Medical Faculty which helped to make it more open, especially for international researchers and students. This, in turn, will bring better quality of both, research and education,“ says prof. Králíčková.
Several talks by the crucial scientists involved in the Chaperon project and their collaborators were given at the Closing Conference, as planned in the programme. Photodocumentation can be seen in the Gallery.