Mediterranean Institute for Life Science (MedILS) is a private, non-profit research institute focused on discovering and understanding of the fundamental processes of biology of aging and age-related diseases. Founded in 2003 by Profs Miroslav Radman and Marija Alačević, it represents an embodiment of founders’ long-lasting initiative to establish an international centre of excellence, leading in the area of life sciences, in Split, Croatia.

Research Capacity - There are currently 4 research groups at MedILS, led by exceptional scientists who all moved from research positions in EU to MedILS. Research interests of the in-house groups have gathered around the main research theme - aging and life under extreme conditions. The current groups are: Basic Biology of Aging (A. Kriško), Biology of Robust Organisms (M. Radman), Skin Aging (F-X Pellay) and the Proteomic Platform for the Study of Protein Damage (F.A. Martin). In addition, MedILS is hosting and collaborating with the Interdisciplinary Centre for Advanced Science and Technology (ICAST).

MedILS is the co-founding institution with the Split University, of the new Biophysics graduate study, which involves three current and former MedILS members. Such activity allows for the access to young talents who already now complete their Masters and PhD research in MedILS. 

In August 2010 MedILS has become a member of the Croatian Researchers' Mobility Network – EURAXESS – Researches in motion, as Local Contact Points at Croatian universities and research center.

A number of international scientific symposia, meetings and conferences organized by MedILS and held in MedILS, bring together international lecturers in fields of bioinformatics, genetics, molecular biology, medicine, astrobiology, physics and chemistry. Scientific workshops each year include more than 100 participants from different countries. Scientific objectives of these workshops are to brain storm on most diverse scientific subjects and issues, including science communication with journalists to draw the science closer to the public. Workshops tend to attract scientists from Croatia and abroad and present an opportunity for initiating new collaborations.

Summer Science Factory is a workshop intended for children from 10 to 18 years of age, which have a desire to spend their summer holidays investigating science trough interaction with other children and young scientists. This type of workshop was organized, for the first time in 2007. Our goal is to give motivated children, through the process of discovering the world around them, the possibility to become conscious, of themselves and their intellectual capabilities. Scientific areas covered range from experimental biology, zoology, and bioinformatics to inorganic, organic chemistry, physics and informatics.