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This year, CEITEC celebrates the 15th anniversary of the European Commission’s approval of the CEITEC (Central European Institute of Technology) project. What began as an ambitious vision to build a center of scientific excellence in Brno has evolved into an institution that is now one of the most significant research centers at BUT and in the entire Czech Republic. It has become a symbol of a modern approach to science based on international openness, state-of-the-art infrastructure, and an emphasis on research quality. CEITEC BUT: Fifteen Years of Building Scientific Excellence in Brno. | Author: CEITEC BUTFor Brno University of Technology, CEITEC BUT represents one of the most significant investments in science and research in the university’s modern history. It has become the university’s flagship in the field of research and a symbol of the transformation of the Czech academic environment toward international standards of quality, openness, and scientific excellence.
From the outset, however, CEITEC was not a project of a single institution. It was established as a unique consortium of six partners – Masaryk University, Brno University of Technology, Mendel University in Brno, the University of Veterinary Sciences in Brno, the Veterinary Research Institute, and the Institute of Materials Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences. Although Masaryk University and BUT became the two main drivers of the project, CEITEC's key value from the very beginning was its ability to combine the strengths of various institutions into a single joint project. It is precisely this inter-institutional cooperation and shared identity that rank among CEITEC's greatest achievements.
“It was essential to overcome the natural competitive tendencies of the future partner institutions, reach an agreement, and set out to build something unique that would enable us to achieve research excellence and synergy in the future,” recalls BUT Rector Ladislav Janíček, who participated in the project’s preparation from the very beginning, adding that “CEITEC's strength to this day rests on the partnership of institutions that once came together and demonstrated a willingness to cooperate.”
A strong materials and technology branch of CEITEC has gradually emerged at BUT. Today, research groups focused on advanced materials, nanotechnology, microelectronics, cybernetics, and industrial instrumentation operate here. Their work is based on principles that were exceptional in the Czech environment at the time the center was founded—international recruitment of scientists, regular evaluation by independent foreign experts, an emphasis on scientific quality, and open competition for leadership positions in research groups.
CEITEC BUT is not an isolated unit within the university. Researchers from several BUT faculties have long been involved in its activities, and the center’s research activities complement those of other leading research units at the university.
It is precisely these principles that have helped create an environment that today attracts talent from around the world and enables the development of cutting-edge research with international impact. CEITEC BUT has thus become not only a major research center but also a laboratory of modern academic culture, whose experiences are gradually influencing the entire BUT.
A key pillar of success is the state-of-the-art research infrastructure. CEITEC laboratories operate on an “open access” basis and are accessible not only to researchers from BUT, but also to researchers from other institutions and industrial partners. Sharing expensive technologies, specialized know-how, and research capacities has been one of the fundamental principles of the project from the very beginning and remains so to this day. A key pillar of its success is state-of-the-art research infrastructure. CEITEC laboratories operate under an “open access” model. | Author: CEITEC BUT
“CEITEC laboratories operate on an open access basis. It is precisely this openness and the sharing of cutting-edge technologies that are among the reasons why CEITEC has made such a strong impression on the international scientific community,” says CEITEC BUT Director Radimír Vrba.
The large-scale research infrastructure CEITEC Nano is a key pillar of CEITEC BUT and is now also part of the nationwide CzechNanoLab infrastructure, which ranks among the best-equipped centers for nanotechnology research in Europe. It is precisely this open access to the infrastructure that enables new collaborations, accelerates the transfer of knowledge into practice, and increases the competitiveness of Czech research and industry.
In this regard, the RICAIP Testbed Brno laboratory is also significant; it is a unique experimental facility for Industry 4.0 referred to as the “factory of the future.” It allows researchers and industrial partners to test and validate new processes in the fields of robotics, artificial intelligence, automation, and advanced manufacturing in an environment close to real-world operations.
An equally important part of the CEITEC story is educating a new generation of scientists. The CEITEC PhD School, specifically the accredited Advanced Materials and Nanosciences program at BUT, has brought a new model of doctoral education to the Czech Republic based on internationalization, interdisciplinarity, and close ties to cutting-edge research. Here, young scientists gain experience working in an international environment and access to technologies that are standard at the world’s leading research institutions. An equally important part of the CEITEC story is the education of a new generation of scientists. Every summer, the CEITEC PhD School takes place. | Author: CEITEC BUT
The most significant contribution of the CEITEC project, which over its 15 years of existence has proven to be one of the most successful European investments in Czech science, is a culture of collaboration. CEITEC was founded on this idea, and to this day it remains one of its greatest strengths. The consortium is united not only by a common brand or organizational structure, but above all by shared values – openness, mutual trust, the sharing of infrastructure and knowledge, and the conviction that cutting-edge science flourishes more easily where individual institutions collaborate rather than where they compete. This philosophy is supported by joint professional meetings, student conferences, networking events for research groups, and programs aimed at fostering new interdisciplinary collaborations. One example is the Jaroslav Koča Bridge Fund, a financial support program for interdisciplinary research named after Jaroslav Koča, the first scientific director of the CEITEC consortium. It is precisely this ability to connect people, disciplines, and organizations over the long term that ranks among the most valuable legacies CEITEC has created over its fifteen years of existence.
Fifteen years after the project’s approval, CEITEC is a respected part of the European Research Area. It is a place where new knowledge is generated, where scientists from dozens of countries around the world meet, and where it is confirmed every day that institutions based on the highest standards of scientific quality can be built even in Central Europe.
“As an inter-institutional project, CEITEC has fulfilled the role we wanted centers of excellence to play. It has created a world-class scientific infrastructure while also bringing about structural change in the regional economy and education,” reflects Ladislav Janíček, now rector of BUT, fifteen years later. At the time CEITEC was established, however, he served as bursar of MU and was actively involved in negotiations among the consortium partners. CEITEC is not the project of a single institution. It was established as a unique consortium of six partners. | Author: CEITEC BUT
Over the course of its fifteen-year existence, CEITEC BUT has produced hundreds of high-quality scientific publications, carried out dozens of international projects, and its researchers have been successful on several occasions in European Research Council ERC competitions. CEITEC’s research has also given rise to eight technology startups.
For BUT and other consortium members, today’s CEITEC is proof that a long-term vision, openness to international cooperation, and a consistent emphasis on excellence can yield results with an impact far beyond the university and the Czech Republic.
Pavel Krečmer, Deputy Director of CEITEC BUT
“CEITEC BUT is proof that excellent science can be built in Central Europe as well, provided that talented people, cutting-edge infrastructure, openness, and international ambition come together. After years spent abroad, I find it exceptionally valuable that Brno has succeeded in creating an environment that is truly competitive on both a European and global scale.”
Tomáš Šikola, Coordinator of the Advanced Micro- and Nanotechnologies Research Program
“Working at BUT during the establishment of the CEITEC research center was an invaluable experience for those of us working in the field of applied sciences—an experience we could not have even dreamed of at the beginning of our scientific and teaching careers. It allowed us to participate in building the CEITEC research center according to our vision, in line with the latest international trends, and then to conduct research that paved the way for collaboration with leading international research groups and companies. This made it possible to improve the quality of our teams at CEITEC and the level of results achieved.”
Markéta Kaiser, researcher in the Advanced Instrumentation and Methods for Materials Characterization group
“For me, CEITEC BUT is a place where people from various fields come together with a common goal—to push the boundaries of knowledge. What I value most is precisely the interdisciplinary nature and the international environment. It’s not uncommon for me to sit in the lab with colleagues from FME, FEEC, or FCH and together we think about how to connect technical fields with biological research. At the same time, we collaborate with international partners on a number of projects, thanks to which our ideas do not end at the borders of the Czech Republic but are part of international research activities. It is precisely this ability to connect various scientific disciplines, institutions, and countries that I consider one of CEITEC BUT’s greatest strengths.”
David Rose, a student from Ireland, works in the Bioelectric Materials and Systems group
“My research interests require my team to be truly interdisciplinary. I focus on a topic that bridges basic neuroscience, biomedical engineering, neurology, and physics with the aim of developing new technologies and methods for treating neurological diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease. Finding the right research group and institution that truly facilitate such interdisciplinary collaboration is not easy. I was fortunate to receive support from the Jaroslav Koča Bridge Fund, whose primary goal is precisely to connect researchers across disciplines and institutions. Thanks to this, I can collaborate with colleagues from CEITEC MU. This is exactly what CEITEC BUT and CEITEC in general mean to me—the opportunity to engage in meaningful and socially beneficial research in an environment of exceptionally talented colleagues.”
Jan Bogdan, grant department staff member specializing in European projects
“For me, CEITEC BUT represents an environment that enables research teams to be confident partners and successfully hold their own in international competition. Since joining the grant department in 2017, I have had the opportunity to observe how teams are moving from participating in international projects to leading them, and how CEITEC BUT is becoming an increasingly significant player in the European Research Area. Beyond the professional aspect, I also appreciate that CEITEC BUT is built on trust, collaboration, and respect for work-life balance.”