Pioneer of technology transfer in Czechia Martin Fusek hands over his position as CEO of IOCB Tech to Milan Prášil
Prof. Martin Fusek, the CEO of the tech transfer company IOCB Tech, subsidiary of IOCB Prague dedicated to the transfer of scientific discoveries into practice, is stepping down to be replaced by Milan Prášil, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of i&i Prague. Prášil will also serve as the new Vice-Director of IOCB Prague for Translational Research.
IOCB Tech was founded in 2009 under the name IOCB TTO. Its main task has been to support the introduction of results of scientific research into practice, commonly referred to as knowledge and technology transfer. The system by which it is done is based on identifying promising projects at IOCB Prague that are worth patenting and helping pave their way to the market. IOCB Tech offers scientific groups support with securing patents, project management, legal services, guidance on preparing licence agreements and assistance in seeking out commercial partners. The aim is to fully exploit the potential of cutting-edge basic research conducted at IOCB Prague and to support the financing of the institute through successful licensing.
The company was founded more than fifteen years ago by Martin Fusek, who is one of the pioneers of technology transfer in Czechia. The green light for the whole process was given by the director of IOCB Prague at the time, Zdeněk Havlas. For his contributions to Czech science, Martin Fusek has received a number of official accolades. These include the Gold Medal of Charles University and the most prestigious award given by the Czech Academy of Sciences – the honorary medal for merit De scientia et humanitate optime meritis. A trained organic chemist, he has written more than fifty original scientific papers, which have been published in international journals, and has also worked in the private sphere for several years of his career. He has been associated with IOCB Prague for his entire professional life and is currently on an expert mission as a member of the Czech government’s Research, Development and Innovation Council.
“Initially, IOCB Tech was kind of an experiment, so working for it was hugely interesting. I am grateful to everyone that has helped us in our efforts, which have made it a successful and in many ways revelatory experiment. I am absolutely certain that Milan Prášil will further elevate the quality and performance of the IOCB Tech team and help ensure the long-term financial stability of IOCB Prague,” says Martin Fusek.
The director of IOCB Prague Prof. Jan Konvalinka remarks the following about the planned departure of Martin Fusek: “As Karel Čapek has written, it is impossible to replace a man in his right place. Another man can only create a different place that will be right for him. Martin Fusek was definitely a man in his right place, and I thank him for his work for the institute and for the transfer of technology. I am glad that he has decided not to leave altogether and that our cooperation can continue. And I am convinced that Milan Prášil will indeed create a new place for himself. I’m looking forward to it.”
Up until now, Milan Prášil has led the company i&i Prague, a subsidiary of IOCB Tech. The role of i&i Prague is to represent IOCB Prague in spin-off companies that arise from its research and to seek out projects with innovation potential outside the institute. To selected projects it then provides preliminary financial support and business expertise. Milan Prášil himself assesses his change of job within the IOCB family as follows: “I am taking up the new position with great humility and awareness of the commitment that stems from the successful history tied with the work of Martin Fusek. I would like to paraphrase his favourite quote, which comes from another Martin, this time John Martin, one of the fathers of the commercial success of the antivirals developed by Prof. Antonín Holý: We have to work hard so that it is us who replace our own successful products with better ones, otherwise others will do it for us…”
To date, IOCB Tech has been involved in the process of negotiating and concluding more than a dozen key licensing agreements with major pharmaceutical partners. These include Gilead Sciences, Merck, Novo Nordisk and SHINE Medical Technologies. The current portfolio of IOCB Tech includes projects focused on conditions of the central nervous system (epilepsy and neuropathic pain), inflammation, cancer, microbial resistance, separation methods and research tools. In addition, the company has opened the unique translation research centre PharmTheon in May last year, which provides access to state-of-the-art laboratories and expertise in organic chemistry, molecular biology and AI. The PharmTheon plays a substantial role in strengthening innovative research and the development of new, more effective medicines.
Milan Prášil, Director of IOCB Tech, Vice-Director of IOCB Prague for Translational Research
Milan Prášil has extensive experience in both the commercial and academic sector. He graduated from the First Faculty of Medicine at Charles University (1995) and received an MBA degree from the Rochester Institute of Technology (1996). Since then he has been furthering his expertise in the pharmaceutical industry. He worked in sales and marketing at Novo Nordisk and Bayer and was responsible for the expansion of Genzyme Therapeutics in selected countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Later he served for eight years as Chancellor of Charles University, where he focused on technology transfer and the commercialization of academic research.
In November 2023, he joined i&i Prague, a subsidiary of IOCB Tech, as chairman of the board of directors. Since April 2025, he has been the director of IOCB Tech and at the same time the deputy director of IOCB for translational research.
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