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At the end of October, the Industry Council BUT, an advisory group to the rector composed of representatives of companies and university partners from the application field, met for further discussions. The meeting and subsequent discussion focused on presenting the strategic goals for the next term of office of BUT Rector Ladislav Janíček and how the council will contribute to their implementation. Prior to the main meeting, projects with commercial potential were also evaluated as part of an innovation support project funded in cooperation with the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic.
The meeting of the Industrial Council BUT focused on presenting the strategic goals for the next term of Rector Ladislav Janíček. | Author: Václav Koníček"Industrial partners are today absolutely essential and key stakeholders for BUT as a leading technical university. They are employers of our graduates and partners in education and research. The Industry Council is currently made up of representatives of companies that are at the forefront of technological development. The composition of the Council covers the entire spectrum of our education and research. What is new is that we have made it a fully-fledged body of the university and not just a formal body. We have invited our partners from industry to participate in identifying educational needs and shaping the profile of graduates in technical fields. Within the framework of the Internal Evaluation Board, they also contribute to the design, evaluation, and now also the approval of study programs, and many of them are directly involved in teaching. We also collaborate with them on research projects and consult with them on the results achieved, their applicability or commercial potential, and commercialization. Above all, however, we support each other and give each other honest feedback, which contributes to harmonious cooperation on both sides. Industrial partnership is a strategic necessity for BUT today, and we appreciate the provision of real support and cooperation," said the rector, highlighting the role of the Industrial Council BUT and industrial partners. Meeting of the Industry Council BUT. | Author: Václav Koníček
The Council meeting began with consultations on the commercialization of research results submitted to 2nd call for the Acceleration of Proof of Concept Activities project, which is co-financed by the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic. For this purpose, a working group within the Industrial Council dealing with the support of knowledge transfer, known as the Commercialization Council, assessed eleven applications, of which seven were recommended for financial support.
All sub-projects recommended for support have the potential to bring BUT's research results closer to practical application in industry and the public sector. "This is one of the main and natural directions of cooperation with the Industrial Council, which has proven to be support for research project investigators and their motivation to transform research results into marketable products. Researchers consult with industrial partners on the commercial potential of their results, including intellectual property protection, and gain valuable insights for further steps. The transfer of results into practical application is a strategic priority for BUT and the best way to verify the applicability and relevance of the research being conducted," said Rector Ladislav Janíček.
In the following agenda of the Industry Council meeting, the rector presented the University's Strategic Plan 2026-30 and outlined specific areas of involvement for the BUT Industry Council. Meeting of the Industry Council BUT. | Author: Václav Koníček
BUT cooperates with industrial partners in profiling strategic areas of research and significantly strengthens the positions of their coordinators. Among other things, these coordinators serve as a gateway for industry, facilitating communication across faculties and institutes, connecting experts from across the university in specific areas for the purpose of concentration, but also to expand the interdisciplinary scope for the implementation of joint projects.
University representatives are discussing the optimal graduate profile with industry partners. Given the interdisciplinary nature of today's fields of study, industry is calling for a more general focus among graduates and a strengthening of engineering thinking skills to grasp and seek creative and systemic solutions. Together with industry, BUT is also considering ways to support applicants' interest in technical and natural science studies and, for example, as part of the STEM project (covering natural sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics, ed.), it is promoting the image and prospects of modern engineers. It is also important to consider the number and overlap of study programs, inter-faculty cooperation, and the involvement of industry experts.
STEM project (CZ only), in which BUT, the South Moravian Region through the JIC Innovation Agency, and industry represented by more than a dozen hi-tech industrial companies operating in the region are participating, aims to increase the proportion of students in STEM fields by 30% by the end of 2030. In this context, the rector recalled a recent meeting of the network of European technical and research universities CESAER at BUT, which had support for STEM education in Europe as one of its priority topics. The trend of declining interest in STEM fields is perceived not only in European countries but also in the USA, which was represented at the event by the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology, whose representative gave one of the main presentations on the topic. Rector Ladislav Janíček presented the University's Strategic Plan for 2026-30. | Author: Václav Koníček
In connection with the reform of doctoral studies, the discussion focused on the use of so-called industrial doctorates by industrial partners, based, among other things, on an evaluation of previous experience. Although the term "industrial" may be misleading, the rector clarified that this refers to standard academic doctoral studies extended to include the possibility of using the research infrastructure of companies, which provides an opportunity to connect and strengthen applied and industrial research and to strengthen its capacity and potential directly in companies. He cited successful models from Denmark, Norway, and the United Kingdom, where it is also necessary to more thoroughly address intellectual property, trade secrets, and the publication obligations of doctoral students in view of the competitive environment surrounding industrial research.
The discussion focused in particular on the concept of contract financing, which the Ministry of Education has also announced for selected technological qualifications in strategic fields of the economy, currently in the areas of semiconductor technologies and nuclear energy. The aim is to strengthen the education of qualified engineers and eliminate the widening gap between their need and availability on the labor market. The discussion converged on a declaration of joint efforts to generally support technical and science education.
The Brno University of Technology has long faced the consequences of declining levels of mathematics knowledge among students graduating from secondary and primary schools. The government's decision to keep mathematics as an optional subject in the school-leaving examination does not help. In 2024, only 18% of high school students took the mathematics exam, and this year only 12%. The university faces the need to compensate for the level of mathematics knowledge in the first year. In cooperation with industrial partners (such as onsemi), initiatives are already underway to collaborate with mathematics and physics teachers and secondary and primary school principals. In connection with the university's strategic plan, the rector reported on a meeting of BUT mathematicians on the topic of teaching methods in the first year that would ensure the required level of mathematical knowledge and not lead to an increase in student failure. At the same time, he announced the preparation of a BUT study program for STEM teachers in cooperation with Masaryk University.
In connection with the trend toward generalizing studies and expanding interdisciplinary overlap, there is a renaissance of continuing or postgraduate education, which enables professional specialization. Currently, BUT is expanding its offer of short forms of education completed with microcredentials, which can be recognized in regular studies, but also offers three qualification programs Master of Science programs (cybersecurity, civil and environmental engineering). The offer is intended to help those who need to specialize or further their education within their current professional field. The rector of BUT invited industrial partners to search for relevant topics for further professional education, but also to cooperate in the development and teaching of such advanced specialization programs. He cited a successful example of cooperation in the emerging field of systems engineering.
Global university rankings, such as QS Ranking or Times Higher Education, are key to strengthening BUT's reputation. It is in the university's interest to further involve representatives of industrial partners in the role of evaluators, especially for the criterion of graduate attractiveness to future employers (so-called Employer Reputation). The Rector also emphasized the university's clear focus on the internationalization of studies in order to expand study opportunities for foreign students. He recalled the role of the European University EULiST, composed of 10 European universities, which BUT chairs as one of the European University Alliances, and which is an excellent platform for supporting student and teacher exchanges and bringing together excellence in various fields. He stated that, thanks to BUT's initiative, the EULiST Alliance has adopted STEM education and its support as the main focus of its activities.
Meeting of the Industry Council BUT. | Author: Václav KoníčekOther areas of cooperation development mentioned by the rector at the meeting with members of the Industry Council include, for example, support for university creative activities and teams, commercialization and transfer, support for contract research, and the university's involvement in large industrial research projects. He appreciated the offer of industrial internships provided by industrial partners, which give students the opportunity to work at partner companies during their studies and earn extra money directly in their field of study instead of looking for unskilled jobs.
The BUT Rector also emphasized the need to strengthen communication within the university to coordinate joint activities. He also highlighted the role of the Industrial Council in co-creating the image of BUT as a socially responsible, apolitical, and independent institution that primarily fulfills its mission in the field of education and socially relevant research and development.
Tomáš Mejzlík, managing director of the digital workshop FabLab Brno, and Anna Kruljacová, secretary of the Industrial Council, familiarized the meeting participants with the ongoing project My Machine Czechia (CZ only), which aims to combine children's creativity with the knowledge and skills of secondary school and university students. Companies are also expected to get involved by providing advice, materials, or facilities for the realization of children's dream ideas.
Tomáš Mejzlík (middle), managing director of the FabLab Brno digital workshop, introduced participants to the ongoing My Machine Czechia project. | Author: Václav Koníček Currently, the creative phase is underway, during which members of university teams, such as the TU Brno Racing student formula team, visit elementary school children and guide their ideas toward feasibility. After this phase is complete, university students will process the children's ideas into specific technical designs, and finally, high school students will create functional prototypes based on the designs of students from Brno University of Technology, which is the main university partner in the project.
Tomáš Mejzlík also informed the meeting about another initiative within the ongoing STEM project, which VUT also supports as a partner. The aim is to offer BUT students a university course that would build on their technical expertise and teach them how to communicate it to young people in an attractive way. Graduates of the course could participate in visits to schools, for example as part of the aforementioned My Machine project and other popularization projects.