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Fourteen experts in physics, business, engineering, rescue services, teacher education, law, mathematics, energy, and other fields have stepped out of the shadows of their laboratories and workplaces to bring residents of the regions closer to the solutions their work offers for the everyday life of society.

“Quantum materials will change the world. In Pilsen, we are making history,”  says physicist Jan Minár, who is studying the structural, electrical, and magnetic properties of new prospective materials at the University of West Bohemia’s New Technologies Research Center (NTC UWB). These materials lead to new types of chips and energy savings. People can now find him with this slogan on selected advertising spaces in Pilsen, where UWB showcases the leading figures of its sustainable research.

From mechanical engineer Ivana Zetková, people will learn more about 3D metal printing, which can be considered the sustainable lathe of the 21st century. Its advantage lies in the production without waste and leftovers. However, the university also understands sustainability to include those research areas that focus on the future functioning of society and the region from a social perspective. Therefore, the campaign also features economist Petra Taušl Procházková from the Faculty of Economics, who teaches young entrepreneurs to build strategies, plan, and think sustainably and responsibly, as well as Stanislava Reichertová, a long-time nurse specializing in intensive care, who provides public education in first aid at the Faculty of Health Care Studies.

The main message of the online and offline campaign is to connect science, education, and the university’s everyday functioning with an emphasis on responsibility towards future generations. “At UWB, we believe that science and research must serve society. The university is and wants to continue being a leader in the regional context, facilitating the development and dissemination of know-how, social changes, and changes in thinking across all areas of life—from education to the economy to interpersonal relationships,”  said Miroslav Lávička, the rector of UWB, who is one of the faces of the campaign.

For students at UWB and the general Generation Z, sustainability has become the number one topic in recent years. “Within the campaign, we aim not only to understand the perspective of this emerging generation but also to support them in realizing their visions. Increasingly, prospective students are also interested in this approach of the university,”  said Jan Váně, UWB's vice-rector for external relations. “The university, as an institution, has the responsibility to create a platform where their ideas and initiatives can develop, which is why the university is also preparing a sustainability strategy that will focus on the everyday functioning of the university,”  he adds.

In the streets of Pilsen, Cheb, and Karlovy Vary, personalities from the fields of science and education at UWB who significantly contribute to a sustainable region will appear on advertising billboards throughout October, November, and December. The campaign brings to the forefront the scientific, technological, and social contributions of the university. It shows how modern technologies and research in the fields of natural and social sciences can positively influence sustainability. The UWB & Sustainability campaign also commemorates 75 years of technical education in Plzeň and the importance of UWB's technical faculties not only for Plzeň.

People can read more on social media or on the website udrzitelnost.zcu.cz. The campaign will culminate in the UWB Social Evening, which is scheduled for December 3rd.