Czech-Israeli University Conference: Cooperation in Education, Science, and Technology Transfer

The University of West Bohemia in Pilsen co-hosted the Czech-Israeli University Conference focused on cooperation in education, science, and technology transfer on June 19 at the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic.

The conference was opened with a welcome speech by Karel Sedláček, Chairman of the Israel Czech Republic Friendship Association. Opening remarks followed from the Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Karel Havlíček, and the Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Science, Education, Culture, Youth, and Sports, Karel Rais, under whose auspices the conference took place. The Ambassador of the State of Israel to the Czech Republic, Anna Azari, and representatives of Czech and Israeli universities also spoke. The Rector of the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen, Miroslav Lávička, presented projects and activities of the University of West Bohemia that are being carried out in cooperation with Israeli universities and other research organizations. He also expressed support and readiness to assist Israeli students, teachers, and scientists in the current complicated situation.

In the afternoon session, Zbyněk Tarant from the Faculty of Arts gave a presentation on the register of Jews from Czechoslovakia in Palestine. Zbyněk Tarant and his team digitized and analyzed the results of an unofficial census of Czechoslovak emigrants in the territory of today's Israel from 1944.

Petr Kavalíř, Director of the NTC Research Center at the University of West Bohemia moderated the science and research block. This block included a joint presentation by Nikita Strelsov and Aleš Doucek from UJV Řež and Palaniappan Subramanian from the NTC at the University of West Bohemia titled "Czech-Israeli Cooperation in the Research and Development of Innovative Fuel Cells with Possible Applications in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles." Besides the Faculty of Arts and the NTC, representatives of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and the Faculty of Health Care Studies also participated in the event.

"The University of West Bohemia in Pilsen is involved in co-organizing the second year of this conference. It is a great opportunity to deepen relations between Czech and Israeli academic and research institutions," concluded the Rector of the University of West Bohemia, Miroslav Lávička.