The head of the Division of Molecular Medicine at the IRB, Dr Oliver Vugrek, and his team were approved a project within the European Union REGPOT scheme for the 7th Funding Programme (FP7) valued at EUR 4.8 million and the results of the research could lead to "the future development of possible diagnostic, preventive and/or therapeutic approaches for the major diseases of the world", a press release by IRB notes.

This is the largest infrastructure project with the highest budget in natural sciences ever to be conducted in Croatia and the entire amount will be at the disposal of the IRB to set up the most innovative research infrastructure of personnel and equipment.

The project will facilitate the supply of the most sophisticated equipment which facilitates recording and following genetic codes and contemporary analysis methods of macromolecules and proteins, making the IRB one of the few institutes in the world to have such sophisticated equipment, Vugrek said.

Apart from developing its infrastructure, one of the main objectives of the project is to strengthen scientific capacities and expertise at the IRB. Decades of a lack of finances has meant that the IRB has not been able to engage in experimental research and novice scientists often searched for research work outside of Croatia.

"With the application of this transnational approach to experimental equipment and the ability to finance guest scientists and domestic laboratories, this infrastructure will become an unavoidable European centre which will strengthen research mobility and IRB will fortify its role in Europe's research space", IRB says.