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The establishment of a university to offer technical education in the West Bohemian metropolis has been delayed by the economic crisis, the war and the unfriendly regime. Nevertheless, on 17th October 1949, the first students of the University of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering (VŠSE) sat down in Pilsen. At first it was a branch of the Czech Technical University, a year later it was an independent university. Today, the legacy of the VŠSE is continued by the three technical faculties of the UWB - mechanical, electrical and applied sciences - as well as the university research institute NTC, which continues to develop the tradition of technology at the UWB. Their activities in the region will be commemorated by the celebration of 75 years of technical education in Pilsen, which will culminate on Tuesday, 3 December 2024 with the UWB Social Evening.

During its existence, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering (FEL) has become a leader in modern areas of electrical engineering, such as smart technologies, renewable energy sources and robotics. "Our faculty has advanced significantly over the past 75 years thanks to the modern research we do in our own state-of-the-art RICE research centre and our links with industry. We are aware that technical education is key to ensuring the future generation of professionals needed by industry and society as a whole," said Zdeněk Peroutka, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering.

Over the past decades, the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (FST) has taken as its mission education and research in the areas of stable nuclear and renewable energy, new materials, technologies and intelligent manufacturing systems. "Studying at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering has been challenging for 75 years, but our graduates are among the best engineers and can be found wherever something new and exciting is happening," added FST Dean Vladimír Duchek. For example, the faculty is planning a study programme in Environmental Engineering and Technology for the coming years, which will reflect current trends and the young generation's ideas about the world and its future.

Although the Faculty of Applied Sciences (FAV) is not as memorable as the two aforementioned faculties, it has managed to match both of them in its 34 years of existence. The FAV was created in 1990 by separating disciplines such as cybernetics, mechanics or computer science from the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering. Today, it boasts its own cutting-edge research.

But it is not only technical fields that will be in the spotlight this year. Students of the Faculty of Education will start the academic year in a different place than they are used to. The building on Chodské náměstí will undergo a major reconstruction in the autumn at a cost of CZK 325 million. Two thousand students will have to attend most of their compulsory courses at the Borey campus.

News is also waiting in Karlovy Vary and Cheb. On 30 September, the Faculty of Education in Karlovy Vary will open a completely new field of study, Kinanthropology, where students will study movement and physical culture. The Cheb branch of the Faculty of Economics has prepared the Czech-German study program Management and Digital Technology, which will combine management skills with digital innovation. The first-year students will start their studies at the partner university OTH Amberg-Weiden.

At the beginning of the academic year 2024/25, the Rector of UWB Miroslav Lávička also recalled other priorities. This is absolutely essential for future sustainable funding. All this in cooperation with the representatives of the city and the region, which are our strategic partners, and also using our membership in the EUPeace university alliance," he mentioned.

This is also why UWB will enter the public space in early October with a topic that concerns not only all faculties, but also the entire region. In the streets of Pilsen, Karlovy Vary, Cheb and also in the online space, people will come across the UWB & Sustainability campaign. The aim of the campaign is to show the university's responsible approach to science, education and the future of the whole society. The guides will be prominent UWB personalities who are shaping a sustainable future with their discoveries and research.  

Last but not least, one of the continuing themes of this academic year will be safety. UWB is going to invest ten million crowns in 2025 in the security of buildings and its own cyberspace. The university is currently considering, for example, the acquisition of a mass notification system and its own sound detectors. Both were tested at a recent IZS exercise on the Borey campus.