On Monday, 21 October, the Czech Battery Cluster (ČBK) in cooperation with the Central Bohemian Innovation Centre (SIC), the CzechInvest agency (CI) and under the auspices of the First Deputy Mayor of Prague, Mr. Zdeněk Hřibo, organized a public conference on the topic of opportunities in the battery industry, specifically for the Central Bohemian Region and the Capital City of Prague.
Issues of extraction of raw materials for batteries, refining of the materials thus obtained, the actual production of batteries, their subsequent assembly into battery modules and battery systems, output testing, the first life of batteries, continuous safety measurement, but also the second life and subsequent recycling of batteries. All these aspects of the battery chain as perceived by the CBK present opportunities for research, applied research, manufacturing, but also trade and downstream services.
In the premises of the Clam-Gallas Palace, ten well-informed lectures on these topics were given by members of the CBK and affiliated organizations. Their link was the territorial jurisdiction in the Central Bohemia Region and the Capital City. An introduction to the issue of batteries was presented in the form of a cross-sectional lecture on the development of battery technology, but also on economic and geostrategic issues, by a Czech scientist in this field working at the Brno University of Technology and the President of the CBK in one person, doc. Tomáš Kazda. A total of three discussion panels enabled active participation of the audience – a number of questions were raised by the offer of public support to Czech innovative entities presented by Jana Kolomaznikova from SIC.
The conference was also attended by the CzechInvest agency, which presented the achievements of its Technology Incubation project aimed at supporting innovation in key industries. “We see the battery technology sector as crucial for the future development of Czech and European industry, but also as an opportunity for the energy transformation and material self-sufficiency of the EU. CzechInvest will continue to create opportunities for innovative companies that will contribute to the development of this key sector,” said Filip Krůta, director of the EcoTech Hub from the CzechInvest agency.
At the end of the event, the hot topic of the current legislation on charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, which is still under development, provoked a considerable response.The audience could discuss it in detail with an expert in this field and also the secretary of the cooperating organization with the ČBK, Mr. Lukáš Folbrecht from the Electromobility Platform. Overall, the event was evaluated by the participants as very beneficial both in terms of the breadth of the topics discussed and for placing them in the local context. The CBC is already working on the next public event in spring 2025 in one of the other regions of the country.
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