University of West Bohemia strengthens ties with the space industry

The Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Pilsen has partnered with the Czech Space Alliance, making it the first university in the country to do so. This opens the door for students to join real-space missions and helps connect academic research directly with the space industry.

Internships at specialized companies, space missions, and the development of rugged devices for extreme conditions. These opportunities await students and researchers from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering (FEL) at the University of West Bohemia. Dean František Steiner and CSA President Richard Pavlica signed a memorandum of cooperation on May 14 in Brno.

“This partnership is a great opportunity for the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, not only for its researchers but also for its students. It opens up possibilities for expanding cooperation and involving the younger generation,” said FEL Dean František Steiner during the signing of the memorandum. He sees huge potential for young talents. This includes, for example, the possibility of collaborating on the design of electronics for extreme space conditions, with temperatures as low as -200 °C, as well as participation in the preparation of the European Space Agency (ESA) mission to Enceladus, Saturn’s sixth-largest moon. The faculty is already looking for a PhD student for this project.

“We expect our formalized partnership with the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the University of West Bohemia to help steer engineering students toward the space industry. Space is a specialized sector that needs new, technically skilled people with high motivation. Involving students and young researchers from the university environment in space projects can thus help expand the alliance’s personnel base,” said Richard Pavlica, president of the Czech Space Alliance. This connection with industry will also provide students with internship opportunities at alliance member companies.

The partnership between the CSA and FEL is no coincidence. Experts and students from the University of Pilsen have already successfully developed, for example, communication systems for the Czech VZLUSAT 1 and 2 satellites, FITPix Lite particle detectors for NASA, and a radiation monitor for the miniature student satellite Pilsen CubeSat. Currently, FEL is participating in the development of an e-textile muscle activity monitor. It is one of thirteen experiments that Czech astronaut Aleš Svoboda plans to take with him to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Czech Journey to Space project.