The Mayo Clinic will soon be collaborating with a clinic in the Czech Republic.

Leaders from Mayo Clinic and St. Anne’s University Hospital Brno – International Clinical Research Center, Czech Republic, have signed a legal agreement formalizing research collaborations and a long-term relationship. The action comes after seven years of an evolving research-based relationship and the financial support of a major grant from the European Union and the Czech government, according to a press release.

“We are very pleased and excited at this mutual success and that we can continue to work together for the benefit of patients everywhere,” said Dr. Tomas Kara, ICRC chairman.

Kara and Dr. Virend Somers, Mayo Clinic cardiologist, were instrumental in establishing the collaboration and the ICRC, the release said. Dr. Eric Wieben, Mayo’s associate dean for external collaborations, praised the pair for their “perseverance and hard work, without which this project would not have become reality.”

“Now, as a result, many people will be helped,” Wieben said.

The collaborators were recently awarded a $220 million EU infrastructure grant to construct the new ICRC building in Brno on the site of St. Anne’s University Hospital. The Czech government also contributed. Initial research will focus on cardiology and neurology, but will expand to other clinical areas, according to the release. Kara characterized the ICRC as a “space station for health research” that will draw collaborators from Europe and beyond.