Jana Klánová: Developing International Collaboration Takes a Lot of Time

In research, we can’t act as if we’re the best and don’t need anyone else. We must stay in touch with the international community, draw inspiration from its direction, build on the latest findings, and at the same time contribute our own ideas and unique expertise, says Jana Klánová, director of the RECETOX research center at Masaryk University’s Faculty of Science.

In the field of international cooperation, RECETOX is among the institutions from which others—not only at Masaryk University—can learn. In addition to a wide range of international activities, the center is responsible for coordinating the European research infrastructure E.IRENE It is currently the only European infrastructure whose concept originated in the Czech Republic and whose implementation is also coordinated from here.

Success in international projects cannot be achieved by strengthening administrative structures, but rather through the efforts of researchers.

What exactly is EIRENE?
EIRENE is an international network of institutions building capacity for research into toxic exposures and their impacts on public health (the so-called human exposome). This includes the development of laboratories for measuring toxic substances in natural matrices and human tissues, as well as biomarkers indicating their harmful effects; monitoring networks; long-term population studies; related biobanks for sample storage; and data systems for managing and analyzing the collected data. The proposed structure builds on our long-term experience in developing national infrastructure, during which we have gradually progressed from monitoring activities through accredited trace analysis laboratories to population-based data. Since 2021, EIRENE has been a priority project on the map of the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI).

How did you come to lead a European research infrastructure? Did you build on your own scientific expertise?
Undoubtedly. We’ve been working on our professional expertise, interdisciplinary connections, and international visibility for the past quarter-century. First, our research plans and then projects funded by the European Structural Funds contributed to building research capacity and attracting foreign experts. But we have also devoted equal attention throughout this time to European Framework Program projects; we coordinated the first of these as early as 2003. It was actually our first Center of Excellence project, within which we established the tradition of an international summer school in 2005—a tradition that continues to this day and has brought hundreds of participants from around the world to the center over the years. Since 2008, we have been the official regional center for capacity building and technology transfer for the United Nations Environment Program, and since 2011, the RECETOX national research infrastructure has been providing an ever-expanding portfolio of services to the international scientific community. The idea to establish a new European infrastructure focused on the health impacts of environmental exposures therefore logically originated right here with us.

Why is research on the human exposome so important?
Each of us is born with a specific genetic makeup. However, our health is largely determined by non-genetic factors to which we are exposed from the moment of conception. These include air pollution, chemicals in water, food, cosmetics, and everyday objects, various infections, medications, as well as socioeconomic status and psychological stress. Unlike genetics, however, we can influence the effects of these factors through our behavior: diet, physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption, and drug use. A better understanding of the mechanisms underlying the development of chronic diseases and the effects of these preventable factors could contribute to the further development of personalized medicine and prevention. We would then not have to focus solely on the early detection of diseases, but could actively prevent them. It is clear, however, that the relative contributions of genetic and non-genetic influences vary among individuals and across disease types, and that the comprehensive characterization of the human exposome represents a research challenge on a much larger scale than the Human Genome Project once did. This requires not only research capacity but also political support.

Over the past 15 years, European Structural Funds have been the main driving force behind the development of Czech science, particularly the building of research capacity. This presented a tremendous opportunity to invest in the future, build new centers, attract foreign scientists, and participate in international programs.

How do you plan to achieve this?
The concept of the human exposome is twenty years old, and over the past decade, both the European Commission and the U.S. NIH have invested significantly in research in this area. Last year, the Global Exposome Forum was established in Washington, bringing together scientific institutions, clinical centers, companies, and funding providers. And last month, the European Exposome Alliance was founded at the European Parliament, with the goal of placing prevention in the field of human health at the center of European policies. We are involved in both of these initiatives.

You are among the leaders in international collaboration at Masaryk University and in the Czech Republic—how did you achieve this?
It’s a long-term effort and a matter of priorities, the center’s strategic leadership, and the personal commitment of the researchers. Success in international projects cannot be achieved by expanding the administrative staff, but rather through the efforts of the researchers. If researchers want to succeed, they must have the ambition and motivation to compete in international competitions. If we want to strengthen the international standing of the entire university, senior researchers who are recognized in the scientific community, in particular, must devote part of their time to building international contacts and opening doors for younger colleagues. If we want to coordinate European projects, we must understand not only specialized topics but also European priorities and funding schemes. This requires involvement in the work of strategic bodies, program committees, and evaluation panels. Only in this way is it possible to influence the future direction of European research. A sound strategy and effective research management are among the fundamental prerequisites for an institution’s success, but it simply cannot happen without the active participation of researchers. However, we must create the right conditions for them to engage in such activities.

In the past, European funds have contributed significantly to the development of Czech science and the building of infrastructure. Will this continue to be the case?
Over the past 15 years, European Structural Funds have been the main driving force behind the development of Czech science, particularly the building of research capacity. It was a tremendous opportunity to invest in the future, build new centers, attract foreign scientists, and participate in international programs. And many institutions made good use of it. However, it is important to realize that investment in science cannot be a one-time event and that technology becomes obsolete. Given the economic situation, similarly massive investments from the Structural Funds can no longer be expected, and in the future, the state budget must assume responsibility for strategic investments in science; otherwise, the entire system will collapse. The European Framework Programs are a different story. There, the window of opportunity is not closing, and our success in the coming period depends entirely on us. However, here too we need a smart national strategy, because European funding will increasingly flow only to areas that are also supported at the national level. This, of course, also applies to research infrastructures.

The current global situation does not paint a very optimistic picture for the field of science. Is the current political situation reflected in any way in RECETOX’s projects?
Science will always be needed, but priorities have shifted several times in recent years, as have financial opportunities and technical threats. We are now very likely on the brink of another crisis. Looming inflation will further impact research centers that are already significantly underfunded. We are not only threatened by rising oil and gas prices; the helium market, for example, is also affected, and without helium we cannot operate the equipment in our laboratories. And then there is the political dimension: over the past decade, we have collaborated closely with universities and centers in the United States, but now we are not entirely sure whether the U.S. remains a partner for us or is more of a competitor. On the other hand, our field of research remains in the spotlight. Europe has a new strategy to support the life sciences, is investing in the development of research infrastructure, and is expanding cooperation with Canada, Australia, Japan, and other countries. Now it will come down to smart strategies.