Biological Research Centre
Encyclopedia
The Biological Research Centre (BRC) of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
is located in Szeged
, Hungary
. The research center
was founded in 1971, created by Brunó F. Straub
, who was director until 1977. As of 2011, the director is Dénes Dudits and the deputy director is Ormos Pál. The five institutes of the BRC employ about 260 scientists, whose work is used in international scientific publications and patent
s. Research topics include several fields of molecular
and cell biology
: from the industrial use of bacteria
, through controlled improvement of cultivated plants, to human health and environmental protection
. The BRC is primarily a scientific research centre; however, scientists at the BRC play a role in the foundation and promotion of biotechnological
companies and education. The activities and scientific research pursued at the BRC have been acknowledged by the European Molecular Biology Organization
(EMBO); in 2000, the BRC was awarded the title of "Centre of Excellence of the European Union" by the EU
.
Hungarian Academy of Sciences
The Hungarian Academy of Sciences is the most important and prestigious learned society of Hungary. Its seat is at the bank of the Danube in Budapest.-History:...
is located in Szeged
Szeged
' is the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county town of Csongrád county. The University of Szeged is one of the most distinguished universities in Hungary....
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. The research center
Research center
A research center is a facility or building dedicated to research, commonly with the focus on a specific area. There are over 14,000 research centers in the United States...
was founded in 1971, created by Brunó F. Straub
Brunó Ferenc Straub
Brunó Ferenc Straub was a biochemist. As a young scholar he was a research assistant of Albert Szent-Györgyi at the University of Szeged, and subsequently worked at the Molteno Institute, Cambridge, UK. He discovered actin. He founded the Biological Research Centre in Szeged...
, who was director until 1977. As of 2011, the director is Dénes Dudits and the deputy director is Ormos Pál. The five institutes of the BRC employ about 260 scientists, whose work is used in international scientific publications and patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
s. Research topics include several fields of molecular
Molecular biology
Molecular biology is the branch of biology that deals with the molecular basis of biological activity. This field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry...
and cell biology
Cell biology
Cell biology is a scientific discipline that studies cells – their physiological properties, their structure, the organelles they contain, interactions with their environment, their life cycle, division and death. This is done both on a microscopic and molecular level...
: from the industrial use of bacteria
Bacteria
Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
, through controlled improvement of cultivated plants, to human health and environmental protection
Environmental protection
Environmental protection is a practice of protecting the environment, on individual, organizational or governmental level, for the benefit of the natural environment and humans. Due to the pressures of population and our technology the biophysical environment is being degraded, sometimes permanently...
. The BRC is primarily a scientific research centre; however, scientists at the BRC play a role in the foundation and promotion of biotechnological
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
companies and education. The activities and scientific research pursued at the BRC have been acknowledged by the European Molecular Biology Organization
European Molecular Biology Organization
EMBO stands for excellence in the life sciences. The EMBO mission is to enable the best science by supporting talented researchers, stimulating scientific exchange and advancing policies for a world-class European research environment....
(EMBO); in 2000, the BRC was awarded the title of "Centre of Excellence of the European Union" by the EU
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
.
Institutes
- Institute of BiophysicsBiophysicsBiophysics is an interdisciplinary science that uses the methods of physical science to study biological systems. Studies included under the branches of biophysics span all levels of biological organization, from the molecular scale to whole organisms and ecosystems...
- Institute of BiochemistryBiochemistryBiochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
- Institute of Enzymology
- Institute of GeneticsGeneticsGenetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
- Institute of Plant Biology