(Výsledky soutěžě, videa a tiskové zprávy v češtině naleznete níže.) The Best Cooperation of the Year 2016 Award for applied research goes to Sci-Trace, a unique laser-based material analysis instrument. t is a worldwide unique device that has no global competition so far. Project leaders were the Central European Institute of Technology CEITEC based in Brno, the start-up AtomTrace and the company TESCAN. Sci-Trace can analyze any solid, liquid and gaseous samples without any preparation and in just a few seconds. It can be used for the purposes of academic research as well as in the industry, e.g. biology or mining and geology. "Students from the university have the opportunity to acquire practical information...and we acquire new ideas that we were able to bring to life," TESCAN Production Director Petr Tichopádek.

The second place went to the academic network CESNET and a company from Brno Netcope Technologies. The result of this cooperation is a high speed computer card; the hundred gigabite card, one of the first of its kind in the world, allows for processing of high-volume data flows in highspeed networks. In one second, the card can transmit the same amount of data that would fit on three DVDs. More than ten students and academics worked with Netcope Technologies on the project and the cooperation will continue. There are plans to develop cards for two-hundred-gigabite and four-hundred-gigabite Ethernet. "We must follow global trends and prepare for what is coming next," says Netcope Technologies Technical Director Petr Kaštovský.

The third place went to the Center for the Development of Engineering Research VÚTS Liberec and the company TOS Varnsdorf. The result of this cooperation is a new type of positioned milling head for CNC machines. The universal biaxial milling head can be used at any angle, that means even for complicated components that can be found e.g. in the aviation sector and elsewhere. "Our most valuable capial are qualified workers," says VÚTS General Director prof. Miroslav Václavík.

Special Award from the Ministry of Industry and Trade went to the Czech Technical University in Prague, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and the company Honeywell. The result of this cooperation is heat pumps advanced control and process optimization. The innovation lead to an increase in efficiency by 15% of the pump that can be used in the industry or households for heating or cooling. In Europe, a quarter of a million of heat pumps are sold each year. The total operations energy savings could be hundreds of millions of euros annually. "We believe thath within a year we should be able to make the project commercial and start the real work on real pumps," says Leoš Dvořák, Engineering Director at Honeywell. 

Results/Výsledky:

1: Development of Sci-trace (video under the link, video i v češtině)

2.: Distributed System for Complex Monitoring of High-Speed Networks (video under the link, video i v češtině)

3: Continuously positioned milling head (video under the link, video i v češtině)

Special award of the Ministry of Industry and Trade/ Zvláštní cena Ministerstva průmyslu a obchodu: Heat pumps advanced control and process optimization (video under the link, video i v češtině)

The Best Cooperation of the Year 2016 (Nejlepší spolupráce roku) competition organized by the Association for Foreign Investment (AFI) and the American Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic (AmCham) awarded together four projects. The aim of the competition is to select and honor the year’s best projects involving cooperation between companies and the research sphere.

Tisková zpráva v českém jazyce zde,

Press release in English here.