The Centre for Computational Solutions in the Life Sciences is a multidisciplinary collaborative research venture situated at the Ruder Boskovic Institute in Zagreb, Croatia. The activities of the Centre range from bioinformatics of entire genomes to quantum-mechanical treatment of small model systems and include efforts focused on docking, proteomics, and mechanistic biochemistry.

The primary objective of this project is to improve and reinforce the research capacities of the Centre. It is from this position of enhanced strength that we intend to work towards our goal of increasing the uptake of computational approaches to the life sciences in the Western Balkan region. We propose to realize our objectives on several different, yet equally important, fronts. Firstly, through the implementation of a novel dynamic recruitment initiative, we intend to complement our existing human resources and combat an important cause of "brain drain" in Croatia.

By improving our material infrastructure, we intend to strengthen our potential to perform high quality research and to increase regional access to hi-tech facilities. We intend to coordinate an extensive programme of exchange and training visits with key partner centres in the Member States and the other Western Balkan Countries. These visits will be strategically timed to maximize the regional impact of our local educational measures. Wider reaching dissemination activities will include the organization of two regional workshops.

The meetings are conceived with the particular emphasis of increasing awareness of, and access to, computational approaches to the life sciences for young researchers from the Western Balkan Countries. Finally, in addition to the aforementioned activities, by carrying out research directed at key thematic areas of the 6th and 7th Framework Programmes, we aim to enhance the participation of Croatia in FP6 and prepare a solid foundation for future involvement in FP7.