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For the past eight and a half years, Sunil Wilfred Dsouza has been working in Pilsen on research into quantum materials. He joined the NTC research center at the University of West Bohemia thanks to a personal connection with Ján Minár, whom he knew from his doctoral studies in Dresden. Another Indian researcher, Yashasvi Mehra, has been in Pilsen for less than two years and is completing part of her PhD research there. Both show that there is a viable path for Indian scientists to come to UWB. At the same time, however, they point to one reason why there are still relatively few such stories.

There are currently 13 Indian researchers at NTC. Sunil Wilfred Dsouza focuses on materials that could help develop new ways of processing information with lower energy consumption in the future. “I am more or less settled here. We are doing really advanced research, and I am happy with my life here,” he said. He therefore plans to stay in Pilsen for some time yet. Yashasvi Mehra, meanwhile, came to Pilsen through a joint doctoral program with a French university. Under Professor Minár’s supervision, she is also looking for ways to develop new materials for technological applications. “Think about how big phones used to be and what mobile phones are like now. Our research helps look for the next step,” she explained. She plans to complete her PhD this year, but does not yet know where she will go next.

It is precisely these kinds of stories that UWB wants to encourage. According to the Indian Ambassador, around 2,500 Indians study in the Czech Republic, but only 9 were enrolled in full-degree programs at UWB during the past academic year. During the Indian Ambassador’s visit to UWB, therefore, one of the main topics was the mobility of students and researchers, particularly the obstacles related to visas. “We are interested in Indian students because they are smart and talented. Many of them also plan to stay in the Czech Republic and strengthen our industry. Unfortunately, their admission to degree programs and research teams is currently being slowed down by visa policy,” said UWB Rector Miroslav Lávička. The Ambassador pointed out that the problem is not only the number of visas issued, but also the unpredictability of the entire process. Indian students are willing to pay tuition fees. They can afford the amount you require. It is not the United States, where you pay 100,000 dollars per semester. But they want transparency. They want to know under what conditions and within what timeframe they will receive their visa,” he said, adding that universities also need to develop a system for selecting the best students from India.

Alongside mobility, the meeting focused on specific areas of research cooperation. NTC, for example, collaborates with Indian Institutes of Technology in the fields of quantum materials and sensors. UWB’s research expertise overlaps with Indian research priorities in several areas – particularly quantum technologies, semiconductors, advanced materials, and energy. “These areas perfectly overlap with what India is also working on, and I believe there are many intersections and opportunities where we could develop further cooperation,” said NTC Director Petr Kavalíř. Cooperation is also opening up with the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and the Faculty of Applied Sciences. The Indian Ambassador offered the university the opportunity to use the INDRA platform, which connects Indian researchers and academics working in the Czech Republic and seeks opportunities for cooperation between Czech and Indian institutions.