The UWB presented priority areas of research and innovation to the Ministry of Industry and Trade

Representatives of the Ministry of Industry and Trade met with the leadership of the University of West Bohemia and its research centres to discuss the region’s strengths in research, development and innovation. The ministry also presented its new structure and national research support priorities.

The combination of a strong industrial base, research activities extending beyond technical fields, and cooperation among the university, companies, and public administration brought an eleven-member delegation from the Ministry of Industry and Trade to the Pilsen Region on Thursday, 14 May, and Friday, 15 May. On Friday, the delegation visited the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen, where, in addition to meetings with the university leadership, representatives of the Ministry toured the NTC Research Centre and laboratories of the Faculty of Applied Sciences, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, and the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.

“We benefit from being located in a region with a strong industrial tradition. The historical existence of the Škoda Works is one of the reasons why the university in Pilsen was established in the first place,” said Miroslav Lávička, Rector of the University of West Bohemia. According to him, one of the university’s distinctive features is the integration of technical, natural science, humanities, and arts disciplines. “Imagine combining Charles University and the Czech Technical University in Prague. That is the kind of interdisciplinary environment we can offer here in western Bohemia,” he added.

The visit continued cooperation between the national and regional levels aimed at aligning priority directions for support in the field of RDI (research, development and innovation). “The main goal was to become familiar with the specific characteristics of the Pilsen Region, its strengths in the field of RDI, and at the same time to understand the challenges the region faces in this area,” said Tomáš Holinka, Head of the Strategic Management and Research, Development and Innovation Policy Department at the Ministry of Industry and Trade. According to him, the ministry aims to actively support top-level research and innovation developing in the Pilsen Region, thereby contributing to strengthening the region’s scientific potential and competitiveness.

During the visit, the University of West Bohemia presented its four main research centres and their areas of focus. The NTC Research Centre focuses on green technologies, advanced and quantum materials, and energy; RICE on transportation, power electronics, and semiconductors; NTIS on artificial intelligence and cybernetics; and RTI on experimental development in mechanical engineering and energy. At the same time, the university leadership emphasized to the ministry that technological research cannot function without the social sciences and humanities, particularly in areas such as ethics, economics, and design.

Each year, the University of West Bohemia works on more than 200 research projects and cooperates with over 200 partners from industry and the public sector. Approximately 40 percent of the university’s budget is allocated to science, research, development, and innovation. The Ministry of Industry and Trade has long been one of the university’s most important providers of research funding. The university is currently carrying out 54 projects supported by the ministry, with a total value of approximately CZK 250 million.