The Minister of Health Awards for Medical Research and Development 2025 have been presented

On December 9, 2025, the Minister of Health Awards for Medical Research and Development were ceremoniously presented at the Pražská křižovatka church. The awards were received by the research teams of the ten highest-rated projects supported by the ČR Health Research Agency ČR AZV ČR) and successfully completed in 2024. The awards were presented by Minister of Health Prof. Vlastimil Válek together with the agency's chairman, Prof. Ondřej Slabý.

"Today's awards are a tribute to the outstanding work of our scientists and doctors, who are advancing Czech healthcare with their expertise and determination. The results of the award-winning projects prove that investments in research have a direct impact on the quality of patient care and the international prestige of Czech medicine. I am proud that we can support teams that bring real innovation and help shape the future of healthcare," said Health Minister Vlastimil Válek.

Last year, 88 projects supported by AZV ČR were completed. Expert evaluation panels selected sixteen of the highest-rated projects as candidates for the Minister of Health Award for Medical Research and Development in 2025. The researchers involved in these projects presented their results at the AZV ČR annual conference in September, which has become a traditional platform for sharing inspiring findings across medical disciplines.

"Each of the projects presented confirmed the growing quality of Czech medical research and its ability to deliver results that often have a direct impact on clinical practice. The members of our agency's presidium and scientific council thus had the very difficult task of selecting the ten best projects in a secret ballot, which they then recommended to the Minister of Health for awards," noted Ondřej Slabý, adding: "I sincerely congratulate all the award winners, their colleagues, and research teams and thank them for their extraordinary efforts, which contribute to the development of medicine, strengthen the international prestige of Czech science, and inspire future generations of scientists."

The trend toward increasing quality and competitiveness in Czech medical research is reflected at the international level this year. In joint transnational calls for proposals by European partnerships in health research – specifically ERA4Health, PerMed, THCS, and ERDERA – in which the Czech Republic participated through the Ministry of Health and AZV ČR, a total of nine projects with Czech participation were successful in 2025. The projects, which are expected to start in 2026, focus on a variety of topics within the current health challenges: from clinical studies on metabolic diseases and personalized medicine to projects exploring ways to strengthen primary and community care.

The year 2025 also brought phase significant phase the development of national research infrastructure. On April 30, 2025, the ČR government ČR the extension of the program to support applied medical research (2024–2030) with Subprogram 4 – Support for national authorities in priority areas of medical research. Its aim is to maintain the research capacities built up between 2022 and 2025 under the EXCELES program of the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports in the long term. Only consortia that have successfully implemented these national authorities will be eligible to apply for support; funding will be provided through a single public tender from the state budget for research, development, and innovation.

The Minister of Health Award for Medical Research and Development was awarded to:

* Prof. Jan Zuna, MD, PhD ( Charles University, Second Faculty of Medicine) for the project Clinical and Biological Issues of BCR-ABL1-Positive Leukemias

* Prof. Pavel Dundr, MD, PhD ( General University Hospital in Prague) for the project Rare Gynecological Sarcomas (REGYS study)

* Prof. Martina Živná, Ph.D. ( Charles University, First Faculty of Medicine) for the project Identification and Characterization of Genetic Factors in Hereditary Tubulointerstitial Kidney Disease II

* Prof. RNDr. Ivo Rudolf, Ph.D. ( Institute of Vertebrate Biology, ČR Academy of Sciences) for the project Hidden zoonoses – discovering new pathogens in the wild

* Doc. MUDr. Michal Zápotocký, Ph.D. ( Motol University Hospital) for the project Molecular genetic characterization of pediatric brain tumors associated with cancer predisposition syndromes

Honorary recognition of the Minister of Health for medical research and development was awarded to:

* Prof. Vojtěch Havlas, MD, PhD ( Charles University, Second Faculty of Medicine) for the project Biologically degradable magnesium-based implants with optimized microstructure and controlled absorption rate

* Prof. MUDr. Evžen Růžička, DrSc. ( General University Hospital in Prague) for the project Gait, postural stability, and cognition disorders in Parkinson's disease: presymptomatic detection and targeted rehabilitation

* Prof. Jiří Moláček, MD, PhD ( Charles University, Faculty of Medicine in Plzeň) for the project Biomechanically defined absorbable materials for cardiovascular surgery

* Jakub Cvek, MD, PhD ( Ostrava University Hospital) for the project Stereotactic Ablative Radiosurgery of Recurrent Ventricular Tachycardia in Structural Heart Disease

* Prof. Ivan Čunderle, MD, PhD ( St. Anne's University Hospital in Brno) for the project Breathing Muscle Training as a Method of Prehabilitation Before Lung Resection Surgery