It will be renamed the University Center Litvínov ICT - FS ČVUT - ORLEN Unipetrol. All three parties agreed on this when signing the memorandum of mutual cooperation. The university center is located in Chempark and cooperates significantly with the Unipetrol Research and Education Center (UniCRE), which offers students a number of opportunities to participate in real projects. 35 university students are studying at three bachelor's and one follow-up program. Chempark in Záluží near Litvínov is the largest production plant of the Unipetrol Group and employs 2.5 thousand people.
"We are pleased that the basis of our development is gaining another dimension in the form of mutual cooperation of the University Center on our campus and with the faculty. Together, we are taking another step on the path of Czech industry to a more intensive connection between theory and practice. At the same time, by expanding our study opportunities in the Ústí nad Labem region, we will contribute to increasing the attractiveness and competitiveness of this region within the Czech Republic, ”says Tomasz Wiatrak, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Unipetrol Group.
"The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering has long regarded itself as, within its competencies, co-responsible for the competitiveness of industry, and thus the economy of the Czech Republic in global markets. Our benefit is to prepare enough suitably prepared graduates, to offer knowledge with innovative potential for industry and to actively build ecosystems of cooperation with industrial partners, "says the Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering prof. Michael Valášek, and adds: “The signed memorandum is an expression of this position of CTU, which goes beyond the behavior of ordinary universities. The expanded University Center Litvínov ICT - FS ČVUT - ORLEN Unipetrol is actually an ecosystem where the role of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering ČVUT is to contribute to the transfer of knowledge of colleagues from the ICT to industrial facilities in Unipetrol, our joint industrial partner. The scope of this University Center is, of course, wider and will affect the entire segment and the entire region. "
"Education is a basic prerequisite for raising the living standards of every nation in the future. It is essential to educate new professionals and managers who will build on the efforts of current and past generations. As a major employer, and one of the largest companies in the Czech Republic and part of the critical infrastructure of this country, we are aware of our responsibility and invest in the support and promotion of education at all levels. In the five years of its operation, 112 students have successfully graduated from the University Center. I am very glad that this number will be multiplied thanks to the new stage that we are just opening, "explains Tomáš Herink, a member of the Board of Directors of the Unipetrol Group, a graduate of the Institute of Chemical Technology, a scientist and a university teacher in one person.
"The Litvínov University Center enables higher education with an individual approach to students, as is a good tradition of the entire ICT, in extremely close contact with the industrial practice of the chemical company Unipetrol and the research-oriented center UniCRE. The aim of the ICT is to further develop its activities in the Litvínov University Center ICT - FS ČVUT - ORLEN Unipetrol with regard to the requirements of modern industrial companies operating in the region, so that the center is attractive for those interested in university studies and provides them with education with promising application. I am pleased that the newly confirmed cooperation with the faculty will enable both a wider range of subjects for students and the development of joint research activities that are integral to the university environment. For the benefit of all stakeholders, we will cooperate in submitting proposals for domestic and foreign scientific research projects, including European Union program calls. As a native of nearby Louny, I am glad that the extended cooperation of the University Center will support opportunities for quality education and top applied research in the beautiful, albeit historically difficult, Ústí nad Labem region, "recalls prof. Pavel Matějka, Rector of the Institute of Chemical Technology in Prague.
Video from the memorandum signing can be watched here: https://youtu.be/UFbKKr2AeSU
