The construction of the medical research center in Brno has begun

Brno - Construction has started in Brno for the International Center for Clinical Research (ICRC), a research facility costing around two billion crowns. Doctors from the prestigious American Mayo Clinic will collaborate with local experts on the research here. Construction workers at the site where the center will be located are preparing the ground. They will begin pouring concrete and building the walls of the new complex next year, reported Karel Pluhař, the media coordinator for the project, to the Czech News Agency.
    "The preparation for the construction of the center was briefly delayed due to archaeological research. Now the preparation of the land for the construction of the ICRC has begun, during which the builders will demolish the outdated structures of the Faculty Hospital of St. Anne, relocate engineering networks, and carry out other work," said Pluhař.
    According to Roman Kraus, the director of the Faculty Hospital of St. Anne, the buildings designated for demolition are in a decrepit state. They would need to be torn down even if no research center were being built on the site.
    Director Kraus assured that the construction will not jeopardize the hospital's operations or patient care. “The demolished buildings primarily housed workshops. We have found more suitable locations for medical operations,” he stated. In case there are issues with electricity supply during construction, generators are prepared at St. Anne's.
    The demolition of the buildings and land preparation is being handled by the construction company Imos Brno, which won the open tender. They offered a favorable price and met the criteria outlined in the competition assignment, Pluhař reported. “Winning the competition for land preparation does not give Imos any advantage in securing contracts for the construction of the ICRC buildings. The construction will be subject to a separate tender,” said Roman Kraus, director of the Faculty Hospital of St. Anne. The preparatory work is expected to finish by mid-July of next year, and according to Pluhař, two million crowns are to be invested by the end of the year.
    The project was recently supported by members of parliament, as it is part of the state budget expenditures for the coming year. The ICRC building will take the form of a seven-story structure with three wings. The first two blocks are to be built by 2008, with another around a year later. The center will house clinics for cardiology and cardiac surgery, a research and development clinic, a training and continuing education center, laboratories for the development of new technologies, and facilities for special imaging methods. Accommodations for foreign research teams are also planned.