Ten years of RICE. FEL scientists design eco-transport and advanced medical tech

The RICE research center at FEL UWB is celebrating its 10th anniversary. In its modern building, scientists develop technologies for clean transport, safe energy, gentler medicine, and advanced sensors.

Ten years ago, the University of West Bohemia opened the modern RICE (Research and Innovation Centre for Electrical Engineering) complex on its campus. The building first welcomed scientists and students in June 2016 and immediately became the beating heart of research at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering (FEL). Today, research teams in the RICE laboratories develop technologies that save lives, simplify everyday life, and secure safe energy. “RICE put us firmly on the global research map. Even after ten years of operation, our laboratories remain unique worldwide. We have a young, highly experienced team, and we are doing great,” said the center’s director, Zdeněk Peroutka. He added that the center built an excellent reputation among more than 150 industrial partners in the Czech Republic and abroad.

RICE experts design highly sensitive detectors for medical scanners that more accurately identify serious illnesses and expose patients to lower radiation doses. Other teams prepare the Czech Republic for an eco-friendly future, modern energy, and the industry of the third millennium. They research safe hydrogen storage for clean transport, build electric machines and vehicle drives, increase the safety of nuclear power plants, and invent advanced sensors. They also develop and analyze new materials, program robots, automate industrial processes, model physical systems, and test high-voltage electrical equipment. Smart textiles and intelligent vehicle communication systems complete their portfolio. Technologies from FEL also help astronauts and scientists design them for future fusion reactors to secure a virtually endless source of clean energy.

Reaching today’s success did not come easy. According to Jiří Hammerbauer, one of the founders and current Vice-Rector of UWB, the road to the grand opening was long. The biggest challenge was not the construction itself, but building a vast infrastructure, acquiring top-tier equipment, attracting experts, and starting effective cooperation with the industry. “We wanted to create an internationally competitive research center focused on smart industrial systems that links top science with practical needs. For that, we had to build modern laboratories and, above all, assemble strong multidisciplinary teams,” recalled Hammerbauer.

The current dean of FEL, František Steiner, views the center as an excellent scientific institution that connects international research with the education of a new generation of experts. He wants to strengthen this position even further. "In the coming years, the center must transfer cutting-edge science into industrial practice even more intensively and set the trend in key areas of modern electrical engineering. This synergy will bring the faculty international prestige and high academic credit," stated Steiner.

UWB established the Research and Innovation Centre for Electrical Engineering in 2010 as part of FEL. Scientists officially opened the standalone building with top laboratories on June 15, 2016. Today, over 200 researchers work at the center on more than 100 projects and contracts annually. During its existence, RICE managed research and industrial projects with a total budget exceeding two billion Czech crowns.