UWB and Scientific Diplomacy. Rector Addresses Ambassadors at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Představitelé Ministerstva zahraničních věcí ČR seznámili 28. února diplomaty s nabídkou a kapacitami českých výzkumných institucí.

Representatives of the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs briefed diplomats on February 28 about the offerings and capacities of Czech research institutions.

Miroslav Lávička, the Rector of the University of West Bohemia (ZCU), spoke on Wednesday, February 28, at a meeting of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which for the first time introduced scientific diplomacy as one of its priorities to foreign diplomats.

The meeting was attended by nearly a hundred ambassadors and representatives of diplomatic missions.

The ZCU Rector represented Czech universities and leading research centers along with the head of the Czech Institute of Research and Advanced Technologies CATRIN-RCPTM at Palacký University in Olomouc, Michal Otyepka.

Miroslav Lávička highlighted, for example, ZCU's involvement in the European University Alliance for Peace (EUPeace), aimed at improving the quality and competitiveness of European higher education. "The fact that we are part of this alliance, also supported by the European Union, is proof of successful, fulfilled, scientific diplomacy. However, we don’t want to stand still, and we don’t believe that this is all that we can do. That’s why at our university we are currently developing and emphasizing new trends and focusing on new challenges, such as quantum technologies, semiconductor and microchip technologies, modern energy, artificial intelligence, and the related economic, legislative, and social aspects," said the rector.

For more information, read the press release from the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs.