The Czech Republic is building a biotech research park in Brno, on the very place where the Father of Genetics, Gregor Mendel, elucidated the laws of genetics and inheritance based on the pea plant. The Medipark life science facility , housed within the Masaryk University, is estimated to cost about 200 million euros, and will be completed in 2008.

The Czech Republic already has some 65 biotech firms, mainly around Brno and Prague, and the country has attracted a number of big drugmakers, who see it as a cheap, efficient place to do clinical trials and to manufacture biotech drugs and vaccines. In March this year, the renowned U.S. Mayo Clinic also selected Brno's International Clinical Research Centre for a unique U.S.-EU medical collaboration project.

Will Mendel's legacy be able to bring Easter Europe at the forefrunt of biotechnology?

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