Innovative Prague IX
Prague is not only an amazing historical city with a wealth of monuments, excellent gastronomy, cordial residents, and a wide range of events. It is also a modern and innovative science hub. Prague excels in many fields, such as artificial intelligence and robotics, biomedicine, low-carbon technologies, data technologies and selected creative industries, providing ideal opportunities for holding conventions and conferences with the matching topics.
In the ninth edition, we will explain why Prague focuses on biotechnology, how the Czech capital wants to attract digital nomads, or how AI systems are used to develop autonomous vehicles or tools for translators.
A Biotechnology Cluster Emerges in Prague, Building on the Legacy of Professor Holý
In order to fully exploit the potential of the Czech capital in the field of biotechnology Prague.bio is coming up: a new platform connecting scientists focused on medical technology, diagnostics and drug development with investors in the field. The cluster was founded by the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (IOCB CAS), where Professor Holý, IOCBTech, the i&i Prague incubator and the i&i Bio fund worked. For example, IOCB scientists have now discovered how to direct drugs used to treat cancer more accurately, for example, to specific sites in the body, eliminating their presence in other tissues and thus the development of side effects. The first international Prague.bio conference, which is the first of the key projects of new cluster, will focus on such topics. The event will take place at the Liechtenstein Palace in Prague on 26 September. More information about the conference and the creation of cluster can be found in the „Ze Zdravotnictví“ magazine interview with Jana Žaludová from Prague.bio.
Two months later, the Science Communication 2023 conference will take place in Prague. The fourth ennual edition of the event, which will focus on the transfer of information from scientists to PR experts, will take place under the under the direction of Vědaavýzkum portal, on 23 November.
Czech Republic Attracts Digital Nomads
The Czech government recently approved a programme proposed by the Ministry of Industry, which aims to attract so-called digital nomads to the country: the highly qualified workers, especially in the IT field, who usually provide their services across borders on a project basis. If they decide to move to the Czech Republic, the local community will gain valuable know-how. In order for the programme to help with their resettlement effectively, the support concerns not only the nomads themselves, but also their family members. The topic of the programme has not been selected randomly: Prague has long been one of the most popular destinations that digital nomads prefer for their stay. In the "Cities Best Facilitating Remote Work" index of the WorkMotion HR platform, Prague is even ranked as the best destination for digital nomads in Europe and the fourth best in the world. The Czech capital scored especially in terms of transport infrastructure, public education system, gender diversity and affordability of housing. You can learn more about the new program from an interview with Lucia Legáthová from the Expat Centre in Prague for Czech Radio (the interview was conducted in English).
Translations of Technical Texts Using AI? No Problem for Czechs
13 years ago, the Czech start-up Memsource entered the field of translations industry with the aim of developing a translator that would learn to translate clients' texts using artificial intelligence to translate their professional texts. Since 2010, the start-up has undergone significant development and is now a multinational company Phase, which, however, still retains one of its main centers in Prague. In July this year, the company announced a significant investment of almost CZK 300 million into advanced development of its AI-based translation tools. Learn more in the article on the E15.cz website.
Prague is Home to Innovations in Autonomous Driving
The Prague-based company LPP Soft scored in the competition of autonomous ground vehicles in Estonia. The vehicle of this company was the only one able to drive through unknown terrain, without any intervention of the driver - operator. AI-guided vehicles are used in areas affected by natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods, but also by armed conflicts. You can read more about this success on the Denik.cz website.
However, Prague is not only home to fully autonomous vehicles, but also of the driver assistance technologies for passenger cars. The French company Valeo has chosen the Czech capital to build its research centre, which it has expanded over the years. The technologies are thus tested on their unique high-speed test polygon. A large number of sensors, radars, detection cameras and driver monitoring systems come from this Prague centre. You can read about the latest achievements of the centre, which also uses artificial intelligence to a large extent, on the website of Hospodářské noviny.
Would you like to learn more interesting facts? Read the three previous issues of Innovative Prague: