- GoodAI Research has provided funding to the ESET Foundation to support the research of scientists Miroslav Baláž and Martin Venhart.
- The donation is a contribution to the general advancement of science in Slovakia.
GoodAI has allocated €20,000 from its grant program to the ESET Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to education, research, and science in Slovakia. The funding is intended to support the endeavors of scientists Miroslav Baláž and Martin Venhart in their respective fields of biology and physics. Baláž and Venhart both studied and worked abroad for several years before returning to Slovakia to make contributions in their home country.
Miroslav Baláž’s research seeks to understand how metabolic activation of fat cells occurs and identify the molecular pathways and key genes that control the metabolic activity of brown adipose tissue. This natural physiological mechanism could be used to increase energy expenditure, particularly in obese patients. The acquired knowledge holds promise for new therapeutic options in the treatment and prevention of obesity, potentially leading to improved metabolic health, and offering insight into associated diseases.
Martin Venhart and his team have been working on the structure of atomic nuclei and its properties to understand the phenomena of nuclei deformation. As he explains, this ‘deformation’ is one of the most basic properties of the atomic nucleus and a potential key factor in our very existence. A basic building block of the human body is carbon-12, whose atomic nucleus is very strongly deformed. Central to Venhart’s research are new types of decay discovered in gold isotopes as well as the properties of radiation emitted by atomic nuclei. Mapping their behavior could bring knowledge for the field of nuclear medicine and the treatment of cancer.
Funding for Baláž and Venhart’s work comes from the GoodAI Grants initiative which, to date, has provided over $770,000 to researchers and research groups worldwide. In accordance with the program’s ethos of community and collaboration, the donation departs from the standard Badger-focused research profile to acknowledge the value and role of science for the benefit of the public and society.
“Basic science needs support from the private sector as well as from the government. It’s a long-term investment into our future, and yet its funding is often underserved. We want to send a message that this is important and we hope that others will follow,” states founder Marek Rosa.
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