Elite Project Enables VSB-TUO Scientists to Develop Materials and Technologies for Sustainable Development

"The primary goal of the project is to reduce the energy consumption in industry, effectively revitalise existing manufacturing sectors and support the growth of new, highly productive sectors. Our key focus will be on the development of innovative materials and technologies for a wide range of technical applications, which will greatly contribute to reducing energy and raw material consumption. By enhancing production technologies, and finding new design possibilities and technical applications for materials, we aim to decrease carbon dioxide emissions, improve the environment, and positively impact the economy," explained Bohumír Strnadel, the Principal Investigator of the MATUR project at the Faculty of Materials Science and Technology (FMST) at VSB – Technical University of Ostrava (VSB-TUO).

According to Kamila Janovská, the Dean of FMST, the project is a big success for both the Faculty and the whole University. The project will involve researchers from other faculties and scientific centres of VSB-TUO, as well as partners like the Institute of Physics of Materials of the Czech Academy of Sciences, University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, Palacký University Olomouc, Brno University of Technology and the Institute of Technology and Business in České Budějovice.

"I am very proud that we have managed to prepare a joint project on behalf of the University, which will involve not only excellent scientific teams from VSB-TUO, but also other important Czech and foreign institutions. The project's success is due to the collaboration of scientific-research and educational institutions, the project's relevance, the cutting-edge knowledge of the expert teams involved, and its interdisciplinary focus," said Janovská.

The aim of the Excellence in Research Call is to support interdisciplinary research based on excellent teamwork and international collaboration, which has a high potential to deliver cutting-edge and future-applicable results. After the first round of evaluation, out of 74 applications, 56 projects were recommended or recommended with reservation for the next evaluation round, and 15 of them were selected for funding. Eight were awarded to institutes of the Czech Academy of Sciences, other supported applicants are, in addition to VSB-TUO, Brno University of Technology, the University of West Bohemia, Palacký University Olomouc, Charles University, Masaryk University and Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute. The total subsidy of the call was CZK 8 billion; CZK 1.1 billion has not yet been allocated. 

Text: Martina Šaradínová, PR specialist for R&D