Connecting universities with industry and AI: UWB shared experience with European universities.

How to use AI in technical education and involve students in corporate projects? These were workshop topics for foreign staff at UWB. This year's International Staff Week attracted academics from 8 European countries to Pilsen.

From research to practice, and down to the specific implementation of artificial intelligence at universities and in companies. Bridging the academic environment with industry was the main theme of this year's 8th annual International Staff Week at UWB. In late April, 17 university representatives from 8 European countries arrived at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen to share their expertise. The event engaged not only international office staff but also engineering and tech professors from partner universities.

"The program was exceptionally beneficial and brilliantly organized. Over a few days, we gained valuable insights and inspiration that we can apply in practice. I truly appreciate the opportunity to participate in this event," said one of the attendees, Chara Astyrakaki from the Hellenic Mediterranean University in Greece. The workshops focused, for instance, on using tools such as Gemini or NotebookLM for teaching, preparing study materials, and administrative tasks. Discussions also covered involving students in real-world corporate projects, as well as the ethical and practical limits of using AI in education. Participants even had the chance to learn the basics of German and, thanks to colleagues from the UWB Institute of Applied Language Studies, compare the differences between Polish and Czech.

Excursions were also a key part of the program. At UWB, participants visited the research center of the Faculty of Applied Sciences: New Technologies for the Information Society (NTIS), and the research center of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering: the Regional Technological Institute (RTI) and the New Technologies research center (NTC). They also toured the Pilsen-based companies ZF Engineering and Konplan. However, the itinerary took them across borders to Bavaria. At the OTH Amberg-Weiden university, workshops were held focusing on innovation and the application of artificial intelligence in academia and industry, led by local academics and researchers. There, participants could even try their hand at assembling a small drone. The visit also included a presentation on bridging research and practice during an excursion to the Technology Transfer Center (TTZ) in Neustadt an der Waldnaab.

The UWB International Office team organized this year's International Staff Week in close cooperation with the Bavarian university OTH Amberg-Weiden and the Polish university Lodz University of Technology (Politechnika Łódzka). According to the organizers, such meetings contribute greatly to deepening cooperation with foreign partner universities, particularly by building personal connections among participants and providing joint training on highly current topics.