Delegation from TU Graz offered inspiration for further development of BUT

The Rector of Graz University of Technology (TUG) Harald Kainz and Vice Head of the Institute of Automotive Engineering at TUG Mario Hirz visited Brno University of Technology (BUT) on 14 April, where they were welcomed by Rector Ladislav Janíček.

The meeting has confirmed that the two universities share many commonalities, including their historical roots in the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy in the middle of the 19th century and the location of rather smaller European cities representing distinctive regions – the South Moravian Region and Styria. Both universities offer a similar structure of technical degree courses and, according to the QS Rankings, excel in architecture and materials sciences. They are also looking for ways to keep up with current challenges such as digitalisation, sustainability and the decline of interest in studying technical subjects.

Styrian technology is one of the world's top universities (284th place according to the QS Rankings) and is an inspiration for BUT in many areas. The opening presentation by Rector Kainz confirmed this. Here is a selection of its topics.

Study programmes in English
At TUG, they recognise that English is the language of industry and European university networks. 50% of TUG’s master's degree programmes and all of its doctoral programmes are now exclusively in English.

Emphasis on cooperation
The TUG Rector presented a number of successful examples of collaboration at many levels. TUG has the lion's share in the Austrian Competence Centers for Excellent Technologies (COMET, participation in 26 out of 42 centres), which consists of cooperation between scientific institutions and industry. The university offers cooperating companies a seat on its campus, which brings direct and fast communication as well as financial support from the EU, which is dependent on such cooperation. In return for the infrastructure and know-how provided, the industrial companies share their technical equipment with the university, which in particular helps PhD students in their further development.

Research institutes at TUG can only expect a financial contribution from the Rectorate for infrastructure if they cooperate with other institutes. The cooperation between TUG and the University of Graz in the field of natural science teaching is also unique and financially beneficial. Both universities' undergraduate students share the same lectures in chemistry, physics and mathematics.

Excellent science and interdisciplinarity
TUG's research institutes focus on five fields of expertise with an emphasis on excellence and interdisciplinarity (Advanced Materials Science, Human and Biotechnology, and others). By narrowing down these fields, TUG has created research centres and clusters. They focus on four most promising research areas: Hydrogen Research, Machine Learning, Sustainable Construction and Railway Systems. In each of these areas, TUG is one of Europe's leading scientific institutions and has been successful in attracting millions of Euros from collaborating industrial partners.

Business University
TUG strives to pass the entrepreneurial spirit onto its students. An example is the financial and material support of student teams participating in global competitions in various fields. Each year, TUG supports up to 15 student teams successful in robotics or student formula, beating teams from Stanford or MIT. The leaders of these teams in particular are then very successful in establishing start-ups and spin-offs. They are in high demand in industry and business. TUG is also active in the field of industrial patents. In this area, it holds patents that have brought more than 10 million Euros to the university.

Digitalization
Three years ago, TUG was able to obtain and use 12.5 million Euro from the government for projects in the field of digitalization. For example, the university has converted 12,000 lectures into online presentations. They have also been developing the CAMPUSonline university information and management system for a long time, which they have successfully offered to other German-speaking universities.

Sustainability
TUG's goal is to achieve climate neutrality by 2030. They are investing in photovoltaics and have been for ten years constructing university buildings that save 70% energy on heating and air conditioning compared to constructions from twenty years ago. More than 60% of TUG employees bike to work, and more than 25% in the winter. The university's bike-sharing model is very popular. The confirmation is in the interest of other Austrian universities that are adopting it.

Decline in interest in technical education
At the end of the meeting, there was a discussion about the decline in interest of the young generation in studying technical sciences. This trend is evident throughout Europe. Representatives of BUT and TUG agreed that one way to counter this is to reform lifelong learning in the technical sciences.

A visit to the research laboratories of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (FME) and Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication (FEEC)
After the meeting at the Rector's Office, Mario Hirz, the Vice Head of the Institute of Automotive Engineering of the TUG visited the Motor Vehicle Laboratory at the Institute of Automotive Engineering of the FME (IAE). IAE scientists presented the research activities and equipment - simulation tools, measurement technology, the Škoda Enyaq electric test vehicle, as well as some measurement workstations, such as the heat pump circuit tester, which is filled with CO2. Mario Hirz was also interested in the software for processing data from measurements and vehicle simulations that is being developed at FME. There was also an interesting offer of cooperation between TUG and BUT in the field of tyre parameter measurement.

At the FEEC, at the Department of Electrical and Electronic Technology, Mario Hirz saw the laboratories focused on research on Li-ion and Post Li-ion batteries and their electrode materials. Scientists from FEEC presented both research on basic materials and testing of commercial cells and their modelling. There were students from the TU Racing Brno student formula team testing cells for the battery they use in their formulas at international races in one of the laboratories. Mario Hirz concluded by expressing his appreciation for the level of basic research and equipment in the laboratories.