The Moravian-Silesian region’s economy was heavily based in coal mining, metallurgy and heavy industry for around two hundred years. More recently, the region faced a breakdown of its traditional manufacturing base, high unemployment rates and much of its young talent leaving. This is why it is crucial to embark on the arduous journey of transformation. VŠB - Ostrava’s technical university cannot simply sit by and watch, and that is why it decided to collaborate with the Moravian-Silesian Innovation Center (MSIC) to create a plan that would transform the region into a modern, smart and green one - SMARt And Green District (www.smaragdova.cz). The REFRESH project offers specific solutions aimed at creating an innovative ecosystem in four main fields that are critical for the region. These four fields are: so-called “live laboratories” for modern energetics, automation and digitization, new materials and environmental technologies.

Universities, companies, the local government and the public are all key contributors in this endeavor. Regional development requires well educated experts, which is why investment into university education and leading students towards entrepreneurship and creativity is so important. In this regard, our region has a good head start, as it has three public universities with over twenty thousand students studying a large variety of fields covering a wide scope of key areas.

Cutting edge research is the base for innovation and quality education. VŠB – TUO already occupies a spot in the cutting edge of fields such as supercomputing, energetics and material research, that reach national or even international excellence, however, it is important to keep moving forward. The IT4Innovations national supercomputer center is a testament to our ability to realize large projects and connect them to the industrial sector. We are also the main researchers for the National Center for Energetics Competence.

I am convinced that the top-class infrastructure and know-how concentration in and around the science and technology park, along with investments into cutting edge science at the live laboratories will lead to prosperity. Let us create an innovative ecosystem together and transform our region into a smart and green one.

prof. Ing. Igor Ivan, Ph.D.

Vice-Rector for Strategy and Cooperation