World's top scientists from all over the world to work in the Moravian-Silesian Region

The Moravian-Silesian Region (MSR) draws excellent scientists who have been working outside the Czech Republic for a long time to its universities and offers them attractive conditions for conducting their research in the region thanks to the "Global Experts" programme. The funding from the MSR budget will not only support the research work of globally successful experts in the region and contribute to the long-term growth in the quality and relevance of research at local universities. Still, it will also increase the attractiveness of university studies and the development of the entire region. “The Moravian-Silesian Region is changing dynamically. We are intensively preparing for the implementation of strategic projects from the Fair Transformation Fund. Our vision emphasises, among other things, the connection between modern technologies and educated people. That is why we appreciate the Global Experts programme, through which world-renowned scientists will come to us and participate in the transformation process in their way. They will help to create the conditions for the emergence of cutting-edge scientific teams and strengthen research on new, globally attractive topics. I believe this will also increase the success of projects from the region in European grant schemes,” said Ivo Vondrák, the Governor of the Moravian-Silesian Region.

The first university in the region to receive a grant from the Global Experts programme is VSB - Technical University of Ostrava, specifically the IT4Innovations National Supercomputing Center, where the first grant project will run for the next three years. “With its involvement, VSB - Technical University of Ostrava further confirms its quality as a scientific institution where world-class experts would like to work. Global Experts is also a great example of how we are collaborating with the Moravian-Silesian Region on topics in which we aim to raise our profile as a university and region,” said Václav Snášel, the Rector of VSB - Technical University of Ostrava.

At IT4Innovations, the “Experimental and theoretical studies of near-infrared emitting chiral carbon dot luminophores” project will be carried out under the auspices of Global Experts. The excellent scientist Andrey Rogach, who has been researching luminophores for three decades, will bring the know-how of its research group to Ostrava: „We will aim to improve and widen carbon dots' already promising optical and sensing performance within the project. The project, supported by the Global Experts programme, will serve as a vehicle to transfer the know-how of my research group into IT4Innovations, importing our material and characterization skills and opening direct access to the Czech teams’ expertise. I am excited to work with Czech researchers, contribute to the region transformation, and strengthen the carbon dot luminophores research transnationally.“

At IT4Innovations, Andrey Rogach will build a new research team and a new scientific base for the development of these nanomaterials of the future. The theoretical, computational studies, aimed at studying the effect of the complex structure of carbon dots on their optical properties, will be led by Professor Michal Otyepka, the Head of the Modelling for Nanotechnologies Lab at IT4Innovations, with whom Professor Rogach has been collaborating since 2014 and who adds: “This is a great opportunity to bring a new and fascinating topic to VSB-TUO and to combine experimental research with computer simulations. Carbon dots are easy to prepare from cheap and available chemicals (e.g., citric acid, urea, and amino acids). They can be used in applications ranging from medical diagnostics to imaging techniques due to their extraordinary luminescence. I believe that together we will be able to push the state-of-the-art in this exciting area of nanomaterials research and create new opportunities for the younger generation.”

The project launch ceremony took place on 3 May at IT4Innovations. It included a workshop on the future of carbon dots. The workshop featured experts from IT4Innovations and the Czech Institute of Research and Advanced Technologies (CATRIN) at Palacký University in Olomouc, who have been collaborating on some of the projects for a long time.