REFRESH reviews its mid-term progress and sets the course ahead

How has the REFRESH project, funded by the Operational Programme Just Transition, impacted Ostrava’s universities, the city, the region, and ultimately the Czech Republic in its first half? This was the central topic of a meeting in Celadna, where REFRESH Director and Rector of VSB-TUO Igor Ivan, the scientific directors of the four living laboratories, and other project representatives presented their achievements to officials from the Ministry of the Environment, the State Environmental Fund, the Moravian-Silesian Region, the project’s board of directors, and other partners.

“One of REFRESH’s key goals was to attract talented people and top experts to the region, who would, in turn, inspire and draw young scientists and students. The aim is to build an environment that fosters collaboration between academia, technology companies, and public administration. I am proud that we have brought 166 new researchers to Ostrava’s universities—more than half from abroad—and 49 of them are excellent researchers,” said Igor Ivan, highlighting one of the project’s major achievements so far.

To date, REFRESH teams have invested CZK 300 million in new equipment out of a total of CZK 687 million and nearly CZK 80 million in construction. These investments have enabled the establishment of advanced laboratories, including new microscopic and spectroscopic facilities at the Materials and Environmental Laboratory, a new building for the Center for Advanced Innovative Technologies – TL4 to support Industry 4.0 & Automotive Lab, an anechoic chamber at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and a laboratory for safe human-robot collaboration at the Faculty of Safety Engineering. The project has also seen a sharp rise in publications, European projects, contract research volume, and patents filed. Scientific directors of the living laboratories showcased several tangible outcomes, including successful collaborations with industry partners.

“I could spend weeks here just exploring what’s going well, and I’d still be amazed. For us, this is strong motivation and proof that our work is meaningful,” said Radana Leistner Kratochvilova from the Ministry of the Environment.

Positive feedback also came from Katerina Kupkova, Vice President of the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic and a member of the project’s board of directors. “We need to create products with real added value—and that can’t happen without technology transfer. What you’re doing here is crucial. I’ve followed the project from the start, and the progress has been remarkable,” Kupkova said.

Alongside the evaluation of the first half, the participants discussed plans for the project’s continuation and its long-term sustainability. The goal is to build on the developed infrastructure and human potential to drive further transformation and tackle new challenges that arise.

With a total subsidy of CZK 2.5 billion, REFRESH stands as the largest project in VSB-TUO’s history. In cooperation with the University of Ostrava and other partners, it addresses regional issues and contributes to the region’s ongoing economic, energy, and environmental transformation.