Institute of Experimental and Applied Physics

On Friday, March 21, the Minister of Transport of the Czech Republic, Martin Kupka, visited the Institute of Experimental and Applied Physics of the Czech Technical University (IEAP CTU). At a meeting with the institute's executives, he was presented with strategic projects in the field of space – especially Timepix-based detectors used on satellites and the International Space Station (ISS), as well as the latest research results in neutrino physics and micro-CT imaging.

The Minister of Transport Martin Kupka was welcomed by the Director of IEAP CTU Ivan Štekl. In his opening remarks, he emphasized the international character of the Institute, which has been given from the beginning by the participation of important world scientists in the Institute's Scientific Board and by the participation of IEAP scientists and engineers in foreign projects. As he emphasized, the interest is mutual, as evidenced by the fact that dozens of foreign scientists and doctoral students work at the institute. I. Štekl also emphasized the importance of fundamental research in space as a source of new innovations.

As a strategic vector of IEAP CTU's work, Ivan Štekl underlined the support of research at smaller facilities in the Czech Republic and the subsequent application of its specific results in international projects and collaborations within research infrastructures of the Czech Republic. He also emphasized the focus of IEAP CTU on working with students (e.g. supporting the winners of the Physics Olympiad) and beginning scientists, and explained how the institute can attract and motivate them to cooperate.

Minister of Transport Martin Kupka described IEAP CTU as a very active scientific workplace. He especially appreciated the results in the development of space detectors, which enabled the Institute to establish itself at the international level and represent the Czech Republic in many international space projects and missions.

"The ability to generate, even in more modest conditions, new technologies, especially detectors that can be used in space, but also in the field of radiation protection and sensors, represents an extremely high level of expertise, quality and added value in this respect," said Martin Kupka.

The participants of the meeting also agreed on the importance of developing spin-off cooperation. The Minister of Transport was informed about its current status by Martin Tyburec, a representative of ADVACAM, which was founded in 2012 by former collaborators of IEAP CTU and which is now the most important spin-off industrial partner of the institute in the field of space and micro-CT imaging.

Martin Tyburec believes that it is necessary to unify excellent sub-projects in the field of Space, which are being created in different institutes and companies, and to look for a unifying vision and policy for them. According to him, the Czech Republic should know what share of the space use pie it wants to secure for itself and what it wants to be involved in.

 "From our point of view, the Czech Republic could help international space projects to effectively predict space weather. It is the measurement of space radiation that is the domain where the Czech Republic could establish itself at the global level thanks to IEAP and ADVACAM. In other words – to create a global space 'weather station' and then sell the measured data to the whole world," Martin Tyburec believes. According to him, this is feasible if the Czech Republic took such a project as its clear vision and strategy and gave it political support.

The spin-off activities of IEAP were also appreciated by Minister Martin Kupka:

"Thanks to spin-off cooperation, what is created at IEAP CTU in basic research is being used in the world. And I see this as a great example of how science can contribute to the growth of the Czech economy with high added value," he said.

According to him, one of the main directions of cooperation between IEAP CTU and the Ministry of Transport may be the ministerial program in the field of space activities. Thanks to the contribution of the Czech Republic to the European Space Agency (ESA), it is possible to support not only commercial activities, but also scientific teams working in the field of space technologies, which can thus participate in specific missions and receive funding for them. This helps both to increase the specialization of domestic sites and to deliver partial but highly advanced solutions for larger international projects. The Minister of Transport Martin Kupka described the high added value of IEAP CTU as its ability to work inventively, introduce new procedures and innovatively handle data.

At the end of his visit to IEAP, Minister of Transport Martin Kupka met with two dozen Czech and foreign students who are working on their master's and doctoral theses under the guidance of IEAP scientists. The possibilities of their future involvement in space projects of the Ministry of Transport and the challenges posed by the rapidly changing geopolitical situation for Czech science were discussed.

At the end of the meeting, Ivan Štekl appreciated the results and work of the responsible people at the Ministry of Transport who take care of the involvement of the Czech Republic in space activities. He also pointed out that there are several groups from different parts of CTU that are actively involved in space-related research and innovation.

Media contact:

PR and Communication Department of IEAP CTU

Jan Machonin

machonin@seznam.cz

+420 777834476