Cutting Edge Energetics, IT Technologies and a New Beginning for an Unused Mine at VŠB-Ostrava Techn
94 POSITIV 3/2021
extraordinary.
The VŠB-Ostrava Technical University
has developed a new 2021+ strategy for
its future endeavors. Could you specify,
for our readers, what this new strategy is
based on?
This strategy will cover all of the university’s
activities and is built upon three key pillars:
education for practical application, accredi-
ted research, and effective functionality.
The ‘education for practical application’
pillar has the goal of stabilising our student
numbers by offering interesting study pro-
grammes. We aim to become a university
that is attractive not only to Czech students
but also to students from abroad and edu-
cate graduates who can be used in practi-
ce as desirable employees or courageous
entrepreneurs.
I daresay that for the first time in history
we have clearly defined fields in which our
university aims to propagate and reach the
number one spot within the ‘accredited re-
search’ pillar. These fields include energetics
incl. environmental technologies and new
materials and information technology and
informational technologies led by our super-
computer center and laboratories focused
on Industry 4.0.
We also often work with PhD students and
this September we are launching a new
programme called PhD Academy. This is
essentially a large offer of courses across
the university which may be used by PhD
students to further their studies.
All of these pillars are imbued with the pre-
mise of internationalisation, meaning that
everything we do has a global impact. This
has the purpose of changing the percepti-
on of our university. The stereotype of VŠB
being solely connected with the coal mining
industry has not been accurate for quite
a while.
The changes you have set in motion also
include a new logo along with a new
visual style of the university, is that
correct?
Yes, the update to the entire visual style
of the university is what started it all. We
would like to present ourselves as a modern
university; a large financial investment
has been put into this project and we are
preparing new study programmes. We try to
get as close to students as possible, we have
a completely digitized admission procedure,
mobile application, we have built a number
of relaxation zones on campus, etc. We are
a modern technical university.
Your university also spawned the
REFRESH project in conjunction with your
partners. It is one of thirteen strategic
projects chosen by the Moravian-Silesian
Region for possible support from OP
Spravedlivá transformace. Could you give
us a closer look at its content and vision?
What impact will REFRESH have on
education? Is there going to be a larger
student involvement?
REFRESH is part of our SMARAGD strategy,
which includes several projects aimed at
aiding the revitalization and restructuring
of the Moravian-Silesian Region. The
name is an acronym for ‘Smart And
Green District.’ As part of the SMARAGD
strategy, our university carries several key
projects: REFRESH, Underground Lab,
European Digital Innovation Hub and the
development of the supercomputer center.
Overall, SMARAGD should offer the region
a new knowledge base and technologies
that help bridge developments in energetics
and the heating industry, support the
founding of new innovative companies as
well as attract scientists and students from
foreign countries.
You mentioned REFRESH as a key
project. What exactly is the focus of this
project, and who are you collaborating
with on it?
The REFRESH project is composed of three
so-called ‘Living Labs.’ - ‘living laboratories’
with a strong connection to industrial
partners and effective transfer of results
into practice.
Unikátním nápadem v celosvětovém
měřítku je plánovaný projekt
Underground Lab, kterým chcete využít
prostory bývalého dolu Staříč. Můžete
nám přiblížit, jaké s ním máte plány?
Tento projekt cílí na vytvoření podzemní la-
boratoře v bývalém dole Staříč. Vybudovat
takový důl je otázka miliard; proč ho tedy
zasypávat, když ho můžeme smysluplně vyu-
žít? Jednalo by se o jediný důl, který by v kraji
po čtvrt tisíciletí zůstal, byť by nesloužil své-
mu původnímu účelu k těžbě uhlí, ale sloužil
by zejména pro vědu a výzkum.
V oblasti čisté energetiky komunikujeme
se skotskou firmou Gravitricity, která má
patent na gravitační elektrárnu, což si
můžeme představit jako mnohatunové
závaží, které je v době nedostatku elektři-
ny spuštěno do jámy a v době nadbytku
elektřiny naopak vytahováno na povrch.
Ideální pro kombinaci s jinými obnovitel-
nými zdroji energie.
Dále tady máme mnoho firem, např.
Huisman, které mají enormní zájem pod-
zemní prostory využít. Podobně jako celá
řada výzkumných organizací a univerzit.
Devízou tohoto projektu je i to, že zde
budeme moct nadále vzdělávat studenty
v programech, které jsou vázány na podze-
mí. Například se teď hodně mluví o těžbě
lithia či zlata. A jediná univerzita, která stále
produkuje odborníky na těžbu a zpracová-
ní surovin, je VŠB-TUO s Hornicko-geolo-
gickou fakultou. Těžba surovin není o uhlí,
ale o rudách, stavebních surovinách a ve fi-
nále i o vodě.
Pane docente, děkujeme Vám za rozhovor