CHEMICKY USTAV SLOVENSKEJ AKADEMIEVIED

Their core work

The Institute of Chemistry of the Slovak Academy of Sciences is a national research centre in Bratislava focused on chemistry and structural biology. Their core work involves glycoscience — the study of carbohydrate-binding proteins (lectins), protein engineering, and bioorthogonal ligation techniques for biomedical applications. They also contribute to European structural biology infrastructure through the INSTRUCT network, and have developed diagnostic assay methods for prostate cancer detection. Their research bridges fundamental protein chemistry with applied diagnostics.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their early H2020 involvement (2017) centred on structural biology infrastructure — helping expand access to integrated technology platforms across Europe via INSTRUCT-ULTRA. By 2018, they shifted decisively toward applied biochemistry: glycoscience, protein engineering, and cancer diagnostics. This move from infrastructure support to hands-on molecular research suggests increasing confidence in their own experimental capabilities.

They are moving from supporting research infrastructure toward independent applied biochemistry, particularly at the intersection of protein engineering and diagnostics — expect future work in biosensor or assay development.

How they like to work

With 3 projects split between participant (2) and coordinator (1), they are comfortable in both roles but mostly join existing consortia. Their 32 unique partners across 17 countries show they are well-networked for an institute of this size — they favour broad European consortia over repeated bilateral partnerships. Their willingness to coordinate (the Andrea ERC Proof of Concept) signals they can lead when the science is their own.

They have collaborated with 32 distinct partners across 17 countries, an impressively wide network for just 3 projects. This breadth comes largely from participation in the large INSTRUCT-ULTRA consortium and suggests strong connections across European structural biology and chemistry communities.

What sets them apart

As part of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, they offer deep chemistry expertise from a country that is still underrepresented in H2020 consortia — making them valuable for geographic balance requirements. Their rare combination of glycoscience, protein engineering, and diagnostic assay development means they can bridge fundamental carbohydrate chemistry with real-world medical applications. The ERC Proof of Concept grant (Andrea) signals that their research has reached a stage where commercial translation is feasible.

Highlights from their portfolio

• synBIOcarb
  Their largest grant (EUR 466k) under MSCA-ITN, focused on the niche intersection of synthetic biology and glycoscience — a field with growing relevance to drug delivery and biosensors.
• Andrea
  An ERC Proof of Concept they coordinated, aimed at translating lab research into a reliable prostate cancer detection protocol — signals technology close to market readiness.