Brno is searching for land for the construction of a research institute

Brno - The leadership of Brno is seeking land on which to build the Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC) - a research center for universities and the Academy of Sciences. Academics originally wanted to place it in the Western Gate area, but city representatives decided on Tuesday that a sports hall should be built there instead. The mayor of Brno, Roman Onderka, told reporters today that the academics might be able to acquire nearby plots in Nový Lískovec for their needs.
    Building the technology institute requires about 5.5 hectares of land, including reserves. Representatives of Brno suggested at the Tuesday meeting that if the center is not built in the Western Gate due to the sports hall, it could be established on the plots currently designated for the Masaryk University campus. The dormitories that were supposed to be built there could possibly be constructed in neighboring Nový Lískovec. According to the mayor, the plots there are close by, and the land use plan already accounts for residential construction.
    Onderka also stated today that Brno would help the academic community in acquiring land for the CEITEC construction. He therefore wants to negotiate with the company A plus Brno, which owns part of the plots in the area. The city would be willing to buy the land from them or exchange it for others. It could then donate or sell them to the universities for a symbolic sum, the mayor noted.
    The Central European Institute of Technology is a project that universities and the Academy of Sciences want to build with the support of European funds. It would serve fields such as biotechnology and medical sciences. During his visit to the city, Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek also expressed support for the project, which could attract investments of between ten and 20 billion crowns to Brno.