The U.S. Ambassador visited BUT

On Wednesday, November 13, U.S. Ambassador Bijan Sabet visited the Brno University of Technology (BUT). The meeting focused on presenting the university's activities and cooperation between BUT and American institutions, followed by a discussion on opportunities to further develop this collaboration. The program included a presentation of student creative teams and a discussion on the need for STEM fields and support for innovation.

The presentation of student teams took place in the atrium of the BUT Rectorate. The U.S. Ambassador viewed works designed and created by BUT students in technology fields such as automotive, aerospace, space, and robotic applications. The visit then moved to the rector's meeting room, where the main meeting was held.

The purpose of the visit was to introduce the U.S. Ambassador to the university’s profile, technologies, educational and research activities, and expand cooperation between BUT and American universities and institutions. Topics included the university as a whole and its strategic areas, such as electron microscopy, space and aviation technologies, sustainability, automotive industry and electromobility, nanotechnology, nuclear energy, and semiconductor technologies.

Collaboration with industry was also discussed, as U.S. multinational companies like Thermo Fisher Scientific, Honeywell, onsemi, GE Aviation, AT&T, and Microsoft are among the university’s key corporate partners, and cooperation with them is essential for its development and strategic direction. For example, the U.S. company onsemi, which has had a long-standing collaboration with BUT, is expanding its chip production in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm by more than 40 billion CZK, with BUT as a key academic partner. The expansion will bring significant changes, including increased BUT capacity in educating new experts in the newly opened bachelor's and master's degree programs in Chip Design and Advanced Semiconductor Technologies at FEKT.

Ambassador Sabet highly appreciated the university’s partnership and industry collaboration. Bijan Sabet, who has served as the U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic since February 2023, is also a businessman and, apart from politics, is interested in Czech business. He personally visited onsemi’s facility in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm: "Onsemi has high expectations for good reasons. They are excited about the upcoming plans and aim to hire more than a thousand new experts, which will require strong collaboration with universities. The Czech Republic's technological strength is significant and outstanding, and there is a real opportunity to establish a Semiconductor Hub in Europe here."

Brno University of Technology is an integral part of the semiconductor value chain and coordinated the preparation of the project National Competence Center for Semiconductors and Chips, which aims to support the "Chips for Europe" goals and will be part of the emerging European network of competence centers (currently awaiting the evaluation of submitted projects, editor’s note).

The discussion also emphasized the symbiosis between the university and the Brno Technology Park and the South Moravian Innovation Center for business support and development, including two technology incubators and one creative incubator to support entrepreneurship.

A major topic was also internationalization, the number of international students at BUT, English study programs, and the mobility of both students and faculty. The topic of artificial intelligence was also discussed, an area in which the Czech Republic has the potential to excel and which offers opportunities for expanding collaboration as well as knowledge transfer and support for spin-offs and start-ups.

"We also discussed the possibilities of expanding cooperation in academia, education, and research with partners in the U.S. and accessing U.S. supply chains in various areas of technological collaboration. Ambassador Sabet highly appreciated the efforts of our Ambassador to the U.S., Mr. Miloslav Stašek, which we also see reflected in our business missions to the U.S. The entire visit was highly constructive and expressed interest in further collaboration, which I believe this visit has significantly encouraged," added BUT Rector, Ladislav Janíček.

“I am thrilled with today’s visit to Brno University of Technology. I had high expectations, and I must say I am impressed. BUT is a special place that honors its history and legacy. What you do here is impressive, whether in research and innovation, education, or the excellent global rankings,” said Ambassador Sabet, commending the university's work.

In the afternoon, Thermo Fisher Scientific Vice President Daniel P. Shine (USA), who is also the President of the Analytical Instruments Group, which includes the development and manufacturing of electron microscopes, spectrometers, and mass spectrometers across Thermo Fisher’s branches, also visited BUT. The visit took place at CEITEC BUT and included discussions on science and research at BUT, STEM education support, and collaboration with Thermo Fisher Scientific with BUT’s faculties and departments. Both existing cooperation and suggestions for further development were discussed. Representatives from the university and faculties — FIT, FEKT, FSI, and CEITEC BUT — were present, and the visit also included a tour of CEITEC Nano, the largest academic nanocenter in the Czech Republic with clean lab facilities. Thermo Fisher Scientific, a key strategic partner of the university, is a world leader in products and services for science and one of the best employers in the South Moravian region. The company’s Brno technology center produces top electron microscopes and spectrometers that are supplied worldwide.