FIP at VSB-TUO received praise from the Supervisory Group and a number of recommendations for further development

Members unanimously recognised the necessity for more intensive collaboration with industry, emphasising contract research, supporting strategic initiatives, and expanding the involvement of more University and Fraunhofer departments.

"The Fraunhofer Innovation Platform at VSB-TUO has quickly met its project goals, demonstrating a good level of collaboration. With a high number of proposals submitted and projects approved, it has significantly strengthened our cooperation and partnership. Looking ahead, we anticipate the engagement of other departments and their expertise, further enriched by the outcomes of our completed and ongoing projects. Success in approving more projects will likely increase colleagues' interest in collaboration," said Emilia Regina Inone-Kauffmann from Fraunhofer ICT.

Wilhelm Eckl, Deputy Director of Fraunhofer ICT, also evaluates the success of the FIP-AI@VSB-TUO. "Despite the first years of our FIP being impacted by pandemics, international crises, and economic stagnation, we developed strong research collaborations, largely thanks to the dedication of our core FIP management team. Recently, we have started to see our first scientific and acquisition successes. Reflecting on our involvement in four FIPs within Fraunhofer ICT, I can confirm that the innovation platform at VSB-TUO has quickly made a significant impact. In the future, our focus will be on expanding contacts with industry, initiating research projects, building a scientific community, and increasing staff participation," Eckl said in a written statement.

The Supervisory Group meeting has also resulted in a number of recommendations. These include, for example, the promotion of cutting-edge scientific results, the expansion of contacts and projects with industry, not exclusively, but with a focus on contract research, the development of a strategic plan for the use and dissemination of information on the scope of FIP research in order to awaken the interest of the industrial sector. Examples of successful collaborations, which need to be communicated to the commercial sector, as well as clarification of the specific benefits that FIP partnerships can bring to them, could be of interest to companies. One of the other opportunities for closer contact with companies is the cooperation with the VSB-TUO REFRESH project from the Operational Programme Just Transition, which is based on close links between scientists and companies. Regular meetings with industrial partners from the Czech Republic could be arranged through the Administrative Board of the REFRESH project, whose members include, among others, the vice-president of the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic, Kateřina Kupková, and the director of the Regional Chamber of Commerce of the Moravian-Silesian Region, Jan Skipala.

FIP-AI@VSB-TUO was founded in June 2021. VSB-TUO brings to this collaboration in particular its expertise in artificial intelligence and next-generation computing, Fraunhofer ICT in materials research and energy systems and Fraunhofer IWU in manufacturing technology and production. The combination of these competencies enables the partners to offer particularly powerful solutions for the entire industrial chain. Since the start of the collaboration, 36 joint projects have been submitted and four joint publications have been produced. The platform has also presented itself at numerous events and conferences.

Text: Martina Šaradínová, PR specialist for R&D
Photo: Petr Havlíček