SYLICA – Synergies of Life and Material Sciences to Create a New Future concentrates on unlocking and developing research potential of CEITEC – Central European Institute of Technology located in Brno, Czech Republic. The SYLICA project applicant is Masaryk University, the main beneficiary of CEITEC, and the second largest Czech university. CEITEC concentrates the best teams (51 research groups and 7 scientific programmes) in life sciences and advanced materials research, including interdisciplinary interactions with a promising scientific potential. It is both interdisciplinary and international scope, which create the major added value of SYLICA, and which also need further endeavour based on an international evaluation. SYLICA creates important synergies with the EU Structural Funds; CEITEC expects a large investment worth € 163 mil. from the ERDF into the state-of-the-art infrastructure with national and international significance. By combining ERDF and FP7, the EU added value is created, and a strict complementary approach is followed. SYLICA principally concentrates on the missing expertise for the new core facilities of CEITEC. Through a series of workshops, seminars, postdoctoral and expert inter-ships and visits, and reintegration of experienced nationals, the project will strengthen our research potential on one hand in methodologies and techniques needed for the infrastructure, and on the other hand in the interdisciplinary research fields including studies of novel biomaterials and composites with enhanced biological and mechanical properties. SYLICA will foster strategic partnerships with prestigious EU research institutions and attract external users of the infrastructure and research results including industry. It will contribute to the vision of CEITEC as a flourishing research centre well-networked and integrated in the ERA, training a new generation of researchers, and delivering research results of top level European quality and significance.