The delegation from FEECS, VSB-TUO headed by Prof. Jan Platoš visited Australia and New Zealand.

Dean Jan Platoš and Vice Dean for Science and Research Radek Martink embarked on a working trip to Oceania accompanied by Rector Václav Snášelj and Dr Zdeněk Slanina, where the research team established new relationships and deepened existing cooperation with leading universities and institutions in the field of science and research. During this trip, they met with key partners, discussed joint projects and introduced new research directions.

The first stop in Brisbane was full of interesting meetings and discussions. Team members met with Professor Mirjalili to discuss his involvement in the REFRESH project and to update him on upcoming publications. The main topic of discussion was "Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Electronic Fetal Monitoring" " (more information at the link https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11831-023-10055-6). Thanks to the whole team that contributed to the publication (Radana Vilmkova Kahánková, René Jaroš, Václav Snášel), with special acknowledgement to Kateřina Barnová. In addition, the possibilities of Czech-Australian projects were also discussed.

Subsequently, the team visited the Australian Torrens University at the Fortitude Valley campus in Brisbane, where they met with the Dean of the Faculty and exchanged experiences and suggestions for collaboration. Another nice connection is the fact that PhD student Martin Dratnal, who works under the Vice Dean Radek Martink, had the opportunity to spend half a year on internship at this university, which represents another interesting opportunity for future scientific and research relations between the faculties.

After the Brisbane city tour, the team headed down the coast to Sydney, where they continued their program at Torrens University Australia.

In Sydney, the itinerary included a visit to the Torrens University Australia campuses in Surry Hills and Ultimo. Here the team met with the university's management and discussed collaboration in education and research. They identified a number of common research interests and strategies to enhance the University's outputs.

The penultimate stop on the trip was Christ's University of the Pacific, where the team met with long-term partners and discussed new research directions including artificial intelligence and automated agriculture.

The trip ended with a visit to the School of Media Design in Auckland, where the team presented final project proposals and discussed opportunities for student and academic staff exchange.

This trip strengthened existing collaboration between Czech and Australian/New Zealand institutions and opened up new opportunities for future research and development in science and technology.