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2. July 2025
What happens when researchers from Europe’s top scientific institutes come together, mix in a dash of courage, a sprinkle of creativity, and a touch of music? CEITEC Masaryk University hosted a competition unlike anything the Czech science scene has seen before.
The EU-LIFE Science Vision Talk Contest blended the best of scientific TED-style talks with the wild energy of Eurovision. One by one, 18 scientists from 15 leading European research institutions took to the stage in Brno. Their mission? To convince the audience – in just four minutes – that their research can be understandable, fun, and genuinely exciting. There was rapping, drumming, dancing, and even some Shakespeare-style drama – all wrapped around themes of biology, medicine, and data security.
The contest was part of the community meeting of EU-LIFE, an alliance of research institutes from Western and Central Europe aimed at improving research conditions across the continent. Representing CEITEC Masaryk University was bioinformatician Vojtěch Bystrý, head of the Bioinformatics Core Facility. His research focuses on genomic data, and through European initiatives like Genomic Data Infrastructure and Genome of Europe, he collaborates with partners across Europe to build secure environments for genomic data sharing. In his talk, he emphasized that the future of personalized medicine depends on how we handle sensitive genomic data – not by sharing it directly, but by allowing analyses to “travel” and only sharing clinically relevant answers.
“Science is fascinating in itself – but if we can’t explain it to people around us, it might as well not exist. Genomic data and secure data sharing are essential for the future of healthcare, and I wanted to show that even such a complex topic can be both accessible and engaging. And for me, it was also a personal joy – a fusion of two things I love: science and music. I truly enjoyed it,” says Vojtěch Bystrý.
And the result? A thrilled audience, scientists already asking for future editions of the contest, and – most importantly – a wave of inspiration proving that science doesn’t belong only in labs and spreadsheets. It can shine just as brightly in the spotlight.
Want to soak up the contest vibe? Watch the aftermovie (1 min)
Check out Vojtěch Bystrý’s full performance (6 min)
And read the interview with the contest winner, Eleonora Ocaña from the Babraham Institute in the UK.
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