The University of Ostrava has announced a public procurement for the general contractor for the construction of a new science research centre LERCO – Life Environment Research Center Ostrava worth nearly 700 million CZK. The total budget of the strategic project, which will significantly help UO in the field of science, amounts to 1,874 billion CZK (approx. 80 million EUR). On January 30, 2023, the university submitted the project to the call of the Operational Programme Just Transition to secure funding. The LERCO research centre in Ostrava – Vítkovice area should house nine research teams in the fields of biomedicine, natural sciences, and behavioral health, with world-class ambitions. The university has been preparing the project for several years, all project documentation and building permits are ready, and the construction can begin in autumn 2023. The opening is planned for the turn of 2025 and 2026, and full completion in 2027.

Several weeks ago, on January 30, 2023, the LERCO project was submitted to the OPST call of the State Environmental Fund of the Czech Republic, which is to become the source of funding. This is the second project submitted in this call in the region.

Overall, the project is working with the budget of 1,847 billion. From the project funds, more than 700 million will be used to build a new research building on the premises of the Faculty of Medicine, located in the former Ostrava-Zábřeh hospital. It will be equipped with cutting-edge equipment.

Part of the project of the scientific research centre LERCO on the premises of the Faculty of Medicine in Ostrava-Vítkovice will also be the best instrumental and technical equipment. A total of 9 scientific teams in the fields of biomedicine, natural sciences, and behavioral health will work there, bolstered by excellent scientists and international experts. Experts from the Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Science, Faculty of Education, Technical University of Ostrava, and University Hospital Ostrava will be able to meet here. Connection to the commercial sector will be ensured by cooperation with MSIC – Moravian-Silesian Innovation Centre.

“It is necessary to provide quality infrastructure facilities for the research teams that will operate in LERCO, which is still lacking in the region. Overall, the project is working with the budget of 1,847 billion. From the project funds, more than 700 million will be used to build a new research building on the premises of the Faculty of Medicine, located in the former Ostrava-Zábřeh hospital. It will be equipped with cutting-edge equipment,” says professor Roman Hájek, former Vice-Rector for Strategy and Development of the University of Ostrava.

Science and research are the basic pillars supporting the transformation of the Moravian-Silesian Region. The LERCO research centre of the UO is one of the strategic projects.

“Through the LERCO project, the Moravian-Silesian region will develop focal points of research with a broader impact, such as improving the health care of the population, expanding the education by adding new, attractive fields of study to the labor market, increasing the attractiveness of the region for experts in the field of biomedicine, as well as linking with the commercial sector and increasing the prestige of the region,” adds Roman Hájek.

We have secured a building permit and all the necessary project documentation for the construction. On Thursday, February 23, we announced a public procurement for the general contractor and construction should start this autumn at the latest.

Every area of the project has already been worked out to the smallest detail. One of the last steps in the three-year preparation is the announcement of public procurement for the general contractor of the five-floor building costing almost 700 million.

The project was in the planning stage for three years. Biomedical research teams with high professional potential were carefully selected, with the ambition to become an international centre of excellence. We have secured a building permit and all the necessary project documentation for the construction. On Thursday, February 23, we announced a public procurement for the general contractor, and construction should start this autumn at the latest. The opening is planned for the beginning of 2026 and full completion in 2027,” concludes Roman Hájek.