BUT Innovation Day brought together experience, ideas, and support on the path to practical application

From the first idea through prototyping to launching a company. BUT Innovation Day showed students and researchers what opportunities are available to them if they want to put the results of their work into practice. Support for innovation at BUT does not end with a single event – the university is also actively involved in the nationwide Innovation Week, where it serves as one of the main academic partners.

Supporting entrepreneurship is one of BUT's priorities. | Author: Václav Koníček

A university is not only a place of education, but also an environment that actively supports students and professionals in bringing their ideas to life. As a result, research outcomes may lead not only to publications or patents, but also to licences, products or new companies. According to the BUT Rector, supporting entrepreneurship and technology transfer is one of the university's priorities and has also been incorporated into its strategic plan for the next four years.

The rector of Brno University of Technology also spoke at Innovation Day. | Author: Václav Koníček

Innovation Day demonstrated what this support looks like in practice, presenting the support opportunities available to BUT students and researchers at different stages of developing their ideas. These include an initial assessment of an idea's potential, intellectual property protection, Proof of Concept, prototyping and entrepreneurship support, as well as cooperation with industry and assistance with establishing a university start-up or spin-off.

An important part of the programme was dedicated to the experiences of those who have already made the journey from an idea to practical application. Nine newly established BUT start-ups and spin-offs were presented – Sportera, LR SmartWater, BeamShape, Grixi, ELEDU, LogSolve, cyrcID, RailCAD and Ceraprint – whose representatives introduced not only the innovative technologies and projects they had successfully brought into practice over the past year, but also the stories behind their creation.

The founders' experiences showed that there is no single path to entrepreneurship. Sometimes it begins with a research project, at other times with a specific real-world problem or the gradual validation of an idea with potential customers. However, accessible support, opportunities for consultation and an environment in which people are not afraid to develop their ideas further all play an important role – and these are things the founders have always found at BUT.

The founders' experiences were followed by a round-table discussion addressing the question of what BUT and its partners can do to help turn more good ideas into successful innovations. Representatives of the university leadership, JIC and company founders themselves took part in the discussion.

This year marked the second edition of this event. | Author: Václav Koníček

The programme also included the announcement of the winners of the Pojď podnikat! 2025 student competition and a presentation of the winners of this year's Booster Challenge 2026. Another new feature of this year's Innovation Day was the Innovation Match, which gave participants the opportunity to discuss their own ideas individually with experts from the BUT Knowledge Transfer Centre and JIC.

Innovation Day created a space for networking and sharing experiences both across the university and beyond. It brought together students and researchers from different BUT faculties and units with representatives of technology companies and the South Moravian Innovation Centre. The event demonstrated that the path to innovation does not have to begin with a finished technology or a decision to establish a company – the first step can simply be a good idea and a search for ways to take it further.

The event is also part of BUT's broader activities supporting innovation. This year, the university is once again participating in the nationwide Innovation Week in Prague, which focuses on innovations shaping the future. Both events thus provided an opportunity to demonstrate how the results of science and research can be transferred from academia into practice and developed into new innovative projects.

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