Reports

For the fourth time, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of CTU hosted the finals of the Technology Olympiad, organized by the company Technological Literacy s.r.o. Almost 1,400 students entered the school round and 72 students and female students from secondary schools and grammar schools from all over the Czech Republic, who were divided into 24 teams, made it to the one-day finals in Prague. During the day, students had to develop a project on one of ten topics that the organisers consider to be current challenges in the world of technology.

The Czech Republic has taken a strategic step to strengthen its position in the semiconductor sector. The newly established Czech Semiconductor Centre (CSC) will connect academia with industry, promote innovation and facilitate chip development for small and start-up companies. It will offer them mentoring, financial advice and access to pilot lines, thus contributing to the development of the semiconductor ecosystem in the Czech Republic. At the same time, it will become part of a European network of centres that aim to strengthen Europe's technological self-sufficiency.

The CLARA Centre, which focuses on the intersection of artificial intelligence, quantum computing and neuroscience research, has received key funding to upgrade the facilities involved. The total budget is CZK 1.057 billion, of which the European Union has already approved the provision of almost EUR 15 million (CZK 357 million) from the Horizon Europe programme last year. The Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MEYS) has now decided on complementary funding for the second part of the budget from the Jan Amos Komenský Operational Programme (OP JAK) with eligible expenditures totalling nearly CZK 700 million (EUR 26.4 mil.), of which the subsidy is CZK 665 million (EUR 27.9 mil). The purpose of this part of the budget is mainly to modernise laboratories and build unique infrastructure at research sites in Prague, Brno and Ostrava.

The final presentations within the EuroTeQ Collider project course took place at Faculty of Electrical Engineering of Czech Technical University (CTU) in Prague. The challenges were formulated by CTU's industrial partners and the EuroTeQ alliance and focused on the broad theme of "Enhanced Connections for Sustainable Futures". This was further broken down into three key categories, People, Nature and Economy.

Scientists from CTU have found a way to improve the accuracy of distance measurements in space by up to 100 times A team from the CAPADS laboratory at Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering at CTU in Prague has made a breakthrough measurement in the field of intensity optical interferometry, which is essential for accurate measurement of directions and distances in space. Improvements in accuracy could reach several orders of magnitude and contribute significantly to a deeper understanding of cosmic structures and phenomena.

A new institute dedicated to artificial intelligence, computing, and robotics - the Marik Institute of Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Cybernetics (MICARC), was officially inaugurated at NIMS University in Jaipur, India on April 1, 2025. The institute is named after Professor Vladimir Marik, a leading Czech scientist and the founder of the Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics, and Cybernetics (CIIRC) at CTU in Prague. This significant step not only strengthens scientific ties between the Czech Republic and India but also opens new opportunities for collaboration between scientific and industrial partners in the field of technology, especially in the rapidly growing area of artificial intelligence.

Minister of Defence Jana Černochová and Czech Technical University (CTU) Rector Vojtěch Petráček, together with University of Chemistry and Technology (UCT Prague) Rector Milan Pospíšil and Brno University of Technology (VUT) Vice-Rector Martin Weiter, participated as panelists in a discussion titled „Increased Defence Spending as a Challenge for the Involvement of Scientific Research and Innovation of Czech Technical Universities in Strengthening National Defence.“ The audience, composed of CTU students and faculty, engaged in a nearly hour-long Q&A session with the speakers.

The Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering of CTU has been talking for years about the fact that its two fission nuclear reactors VR-1 and VR-2 should not be relegated to the outskirts of Prague in Troja on the grounds of the MFF UK. Therefore, the faculty held an internal referendum, and in view of the clear result (100% in favour) decided to make a radical cut. The move to the FJFI headquarters opposite the Government Office is expected to take place later this year.

Greater integration of theoretical teaching with practice, the creation of new teaching programmes, strengthening of scientific research activities and more effective recruitment of laboratory staff. These are the main reasons why the Central Military Hospital - Military University Hospital Prague (ÚVN) and Faculty of Biomedical Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague (FBMI) have decided to further develop their long-standing cooperation and to open a new Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Haematology and Transfusiology at CTU FBMI and ÚVN on 1 April 2025.

The second edition of the student Construction Hackathon, held at the Brno Building Fair and as part of the Architecture Festival, expanded its reach beyond the Czech Republic this year. The entire event was organized under the leadership of the National Centre for Construction 4.0. In addition to six Czech technical universities – Czech Technical University in Prague, Brno University of Technology, VSB – Technical University of Ostrava, Mendel University in Brno, Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, and the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen – the Technical University of Košice joined this year, giving the competition an international dimension. Students in mixed teams searched for solutions in modular and serial housing that is affordable, technologically advanced, and sustainable.