Reports

The Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the Czech Technical University in Prague has secured two international research projects under the prestigious European QuantERA initiative, which supports the development of quantum technologies. The ICON and EXCEL-QKD projects will focus on new generations of quantum communication systems and secure networks prepared for the advent of quantum computers. The Faculty of Electrical Engineering at CTU has thus secured half of all Czech projects funded in the field of applied quantum research in this year’s call for proposals.

How can we make use of the finest fraction of concrete waste, for which it is currently difficult to find a recycling application and which often ends up in landfill? Researchers from the Faculty of Civil Engineering at the Czech Technical University in Prague and the Faculty of Food and Biochemical Technology at the University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, have demonstrated as part of a research project that this concrete dust can be bound into a cohesive material using bacterially controlled processes – without the use of cement. The research, however, yielded an unexpected finding: bacteria utilising a different biomineralisation mechanism – one that does not produce ammonia as a by-product – proved to be more effective than the ureolytic bacteria originally tested. The project was rated as ‘outstanding’ by the Czech Science Foundation, and further basic research is now building on these results.

RNDr. Marie Kovářová, Ph.D. studied mathematics and received her doctorate from the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University. She subsequently completed a miniMBA at the American consulting company McKinsey, where she led projects in Germany for six years, mainly in the fields of foundry, metallurgy and energy.

The team from the Knowledge Management Center of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, CTU in Prague is participating in the DEUSS (Decentralised EU Securities Service) project, which aims to create a single digital platform for issuing and trading digitised bonds across the European Union. The project, which is funded by the Ministry of Industry and Trade from the National Recovery Plan, is now in the final phase of development.

A delegation from the National Defence College (NDC) of the Sultanate of Oman visited the Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics and Cybernetics (CIIRC) of the Czech Technical University (ČVUT). The visit focused on presenting the research and technological capacities of CIIRC CVUT and on finding areas for long-term cooperation between Czech and Omani institutions. In addition to defense and security, opportunities are also opening up in a number of civilian areas where advanced technologies, artificial intelligence, robotics, autonomous systems and digitalization can support the development of Oman.

Three hundred medals, twelve different designs, and the requirement that the final product should not only be visually striking but also easily distinguishable by touch. PhD students from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the Czech Technical University in Prague have designed special medals featuring embossed graphics and Braille for the National Sports Games for Visually Impaired Young People.

The Simona Kijonková Foundation is becoming a new partner of the CTU Interdisciplinary Near Future Challenge (INFC) program and will support its development with 6 million crowns. The donation, which is the largest one-time support the foundation has provided to date, will enable young scientific teams to develop interdisciplinary research with the potential to create new technological spin-off companies and transfer scientific results into practice.

Entrepreneurship and transfer at CTU will be helped to accelerate by Sintija Meissner, a star of the startup scene. Since the summer, she has been working as the new head of the Department under which this agenda falls.

How can architecture create places where people genuinely feel good? According to Kateřina Goryczka from the Klokner Institute at CTU, knowledge of buildings, materials, and technologies alone is not enough. Architects need to understand more deeply how the environments in which we live affect our mental health, behaviour, relationships, and everyday lives. Thanks to a Fulbright-Masaryk Scholarship, Kateřina is now heading to MIT in Boston, where she will further develop this approach through a next-generation tiny house concept. In the interview, she also discusses cities designed genuinely for people, sustainability, and the conditions required for meaningful collaboration across disciplines.

The Chief Industry Relations Officer does not come from academia, but from the business sector.