The Third Role of the university

In addition to its educational and research activities, the University also plays a third role. Its essence is that the university has the potential to influence society at large, not only at its local level but also on a much wider scale. This influence affects many areas such as employment, industry, business, cultural events, the popularisation of science, the social role and functioning of civil society, the concept of lifelong learning and many others.

Science promotion

We do not just keep the new knowledge and innovations that our scientists come up with to ourselves, but also try to communicate them to the general public. Every year, we take part in the popular Czech European Researchers' Night event, which makes the University and its laboratories accessible to everyone. We regularly inform about what we do at the BUT, for example on the NewsFromBUT.com portal, but we do not forget about the fans of audio content, for whom we regularly prepare a podcast Technically Speaking (in Czech only). Its leitmotif is "We'll tell you like people", i.e. so that we can present even complex topics in an accessible and understandable way.

Knowledge transfer

As a highly technically oriented university, knowledge transfer is very important for BUT. It ensures that knowledge, innovations and other results of scientific research find their way into practical applications. The path from the university laboratories thus leads, for example, to manufacturing companies, the non-profit sector or other research organisations. An integral part of the knowledge transfer issue are also support activities addressing e.g. issues related to intellectual property, patents, licences, etc. Intellectual property generated at the university can then be used for commercialisation by companies. Depending on the degree of involvement of the university in their activities, we then talk about spin-off or start-up companies.

University of the Third Age

The concept of lifelong learning has found its practical application in the University of the Third Age programme. It offers educational courses, lectures and other joint activities to interested seniors. These cover a wide range of topics in the fields of science, history, culture and more. The U3V has undeniable benefits for its students on several levels. Participation in educational activities helps to maintain or develop the mental fitness of older people, helps them to navigate today's technology-driven world through practical lessons, and enables them to spend time together with peers and make friends. This is one of the reasons why this form is a very popular way for seniors to spend their free time.

BUT junior

BUT junior is a concept of a children's university designed for primary school pupils and students in the lower grades of multi-year grammar schools. They have the opportunity to get a glimpse of what a university environment looks like and works like, what the researchers do and to try out the workings of many technologies and principles using practical examples. The aim is to get pupils interested in technical education in particular. The juniors participate in a total of 10 Saturday meetings during the school year, during which, in addition to the initial matriculation and final graduation, they will visit the faculties and other departments of the BUT, which have prepared a special programme for them.

Summer schools, suburban camps

At the BUT, the opportunity to learn new things certainly does not end with the onset of the holidays. The faculties and units have prepared a rich programme for those interested, which introduces attractive topics of today and thus offers an opportunity to actively use their free time. The summer schools are designed especially for secondary school students who want to encourage and attract students to study mainly technical fields. Especially for female students, the Faculty of Information Technology organizes the traditional IT Summer School for Girls (Czech only), which is designed to help female students get rid of the fear that the IT field is too complex for them and is the domain of the male part of the population. Other areas covered by the summer schools include 3D printing, robotics, artificial intelligence, engineering, biomedicine, sports technology, etc. The Sports Activities Centre organises suburban camps during the holidays to provide sports and physical activities for children. Sports clubs are also available during the year.

Volunteering and emergency aid

Students and staff at the University have shown on more than one occasion that they are willing to provide help when it is needed. This was demonstrated, for example, during the coronavirus pandemic, when the BUT got involved in dealing with this crisis situation in many ways: from the development and production of various types of protective equipment (face masks for 3D printing, production and distribution of antibacterial gel, production of protective face shields) to volunteering to sew drapes. In the field of technology, this has included freeing up computer capacity for research activities, providing technology to hospitals and other institutions, helping to design the organisation and operation of vaccination centres, etc.
In June 2021, a tornado hit several villages in South Moravia, causing enormous damage that had to be addressed immediately. The BUT was involved in this crisis situation not only by volunteering to help in the clean-up of the tornado, but also by assisting rescue units with, for example, image-taking of the damaged region, expert work in damage assessment and structural assessments of damaged buildings.
BUT students are regularly involved in various charity and volunteer events, such as blood donations or clean-ups as part of garbage collection.

Sports activities

Not only to its students and employees, but also to the general public, the BUT offers the opportunity to use its rich sports facilities of 30 thousand square meters. The Sports Activities Centre, which has the offer of physical activities in its competence, not only provides teaching of more than 70 sports specialisations in two performance levels, but also organises sports representation of the BUT, organises various courses and sports competitions, and participates in the teaching of the Sports Technology study programme. Students have the opportunity to enroll in 2 hours of sports activities per week each semester free of charge.