News
PLASTKO SPECIALIST CONFERENCE AGAIN IN ZLÍN
Polymers and technology in the Context of Sustainable Development. This was the main theme of this year’s PLASTKO 2024 conference, which took place on April 17-18, 2024, at the Tomas Bata University (TBU) in Zlín. The event has been held since 2008, so it is a traditional conference organized by the TBU University Institute, the Technology Transfer Center and the Plastics Cluster.
“The main focus of this year’s conference was on eco-innovation in the field of plastic production. Significant attention was also paid to legislation related to plastic recycling and ecological transformation, which is now a very topical issue for both research and practice,” said Director of the Centre of Polymer Systems at TBU in Zlín, Professor Vladimír Sedlařík.
Over two days, a whole range of very interesting lectures were held presenting news and trends in the plastics sector. The results of research and development in the scientific and commercial spheres were also discussed.
“The main objective of the conference was to inform the professionals about current trends in the field, share best practices and establish cooperation between companies and the academic sphere,” said Ing. Ivana Bartoníková, Director of the Technology Transfer Center at TUB in Zlín.
The event also included poster presentations, all papers presented at the conference have been published as an electronic collection,
https://cps.utb.cz/plastko2024.
PLASTKO SPECIALIST CONFERENCE TO BE HELD AGAIN IN ZLÍN
Zlín, 25 March 2024 – The theme for this year’s PLASTKO 2024 conference is “Polymers and Technologies in the Context of Sustainable Development.” The conference will take place from 17th to 18th April 2024 at Tomas Bata University (TBU) in Zlín. This event is a traditional conference that has been held annually since 2008 and is organized by the TBU University Institute, the Technology Transfer Centre and the Plastics Cluster.
“The primary focus of this year’s conference will be on eco-innovation in the field of plastics production. Significant attention will also be paid to legislation related to plastics recycling and ecological transformation, which is now a very topical issue for both research and practice,” says Professor Vladimír Sedlařík, Director of the Centre of Polymer Systems at TBU in Zlín.
Over two days, the conference will feature interesting lectures on news and trends in the plastics sector and discuss research and development in scientific and commercial spheres.
“The main objective of the conference is to inform professionals about the latest trends in the industry, share best practices, and foster collaboration between companies and academia,” explained Ing. Ivana Bartoníková, Director of the Technology Transfer Centre at TBU in Zlín.
The conference will include poster presentations, and all presented papers will be published as electronic proceedings. For more information on the programme and registration, please visit https://cps.utb.cz/en/plastko2024 .
On February 22, 2024, the Transfera.cz Association’s Members’ Meeting took place
At the members’ meeting of the Transfera.cz association, there were representatives of TTC TBU in Zlín, through which TBU in Zlín is a member of this association. At the members’ meeting, the Activity and Management Report for 2023 and the Audit Report for 2023 were approved. The Draft Budget and Activity Plan for 2024 were also approved, the election of a member of the association’s board of directors and the election of members of the association’s control committee took place.
TBU in Zlín, through TTC, took part in voting on individual items of the Program of the members’ meeting of the Transfera.cz association.
Ing. Ivana Bartoníková was elected as a member of the control commission of the Transfera.cz association for TBU in Zlín.
The XXXIV meeting was held on February 7, 2024. election meetings of the Society of Scientific and Technical Parks of the Czech Republic, z.s.
In accordance with the activity plan as well as with Article 11 of the Statutes of Association of the Society of Scientific and Technical Parks of the Czech Republic, z.s. general meeting XXXIV took place on Wednesday, February 7, 2024 from 10:00 a.m. in meeting room No. 319, CSSTP building, Novotného lávka 5, Prague 1, which was attended by a representative of the TTC of TBU in Zlín on behalf of the Scientific and Technical Park at TBU in Zlín.
At the meeting of XXXIV. electoral general assembly, the election of the mandate, election and proposal commission took place, the Report on the fulfillment of the main tasks of SSTP CR, z.s. from XXXIII. general meeting was approved, as well as Report on management for the year 2023 and Report of the audit committee of SSTP CR, z.s. At the said meeting XXXIV., the election of committee members and the president of SSTP CR, z.s. and the documents Main tasks and Draft budget of SSTP CR, z.s. were approved for the year 2024.
The Scientific and Technical Park at TBU in Zlín, through the TTC TBU in Zlín, took part in voting on individual items of the XXXIV. electoral general assembly program and STP was a member of the draft committee at the XXXIV. general meeting of SSTP CR, z.s., too.
Zlín, December 14, 2023 – The 2023 Honorary Innovation Award went to a volleyball designed at the Tomas Bata University (TBU) in Zlín. This prestigious competition is announced regularly since 1996 by the Innovative Business Association of the Czech Republic.
The new type of volleyball was designed by the researchers of the Footwear Research Center (FRC), which is part of the University Institute, Tomas Bata University (TBU) in Zlín. The new ball called Handshake is intended for top international competitions – Olympic Games, World Championships, qualifying matches for these competitions, national competitions under the banner of the International Volleyball Federation in indoor volleyball.
“The name “Handshake” reflects the appearance of the ball, where the red and blue fields “shake hands” each to other and refers to fair play in sports. The ingenious design, thanks to which the load is evenly distributed over the entire surface of the ball, also ensures optimal aerodynamic properties, and the color and shape arrangement of the fields creates a very attractive visual effect during flight and rotation,” explains the designer and researcher Dr. Zuzana Oharek Bahulová. Thanks to the combination of three colors, the ball is clearly visible during the game not only for the players but also for the spectators.
“At first glance, the new design looks modern and authentic. The “handshake” element that creates the red and blue part fits perfectly into the sports world and is perceived very positively by users. The ball meets the most demanding game requirements, which is confirmed by the certificate of the International Volleyball Federation. It has excellent flight characteristics and good visibility,” describes the project researcher Dr. Martina Černeková.
“All ball fields have the same shape – this fact influenced significantly economic and ecological savings. “The economical one regards saving time, because we have one mold for all panels, and the ecological one regards material consumption, since off-cuts amount is significantly reduced during the cutting of panels,” says Ing. Alena Grmelová, sales representative of the company Gala Prostějov, which now manufactures the balls
“A contract on the assignment of IP rights to this industrial design was just concluded with the company Gala, a.s., the only European manufacturer of top volleyball balls. The company is already mass-producing the ball. The design of this volleyball has been awarded before, namely the prestigious German Innovation Award for 2021 in
“A contract on the assignment of IP rights to this industrial design was just concluded with the company Gala, a.s., the only European manufacturer of top volleyball balls. The company is already mass-producing the ball. The design of this volleyball has been awarded before, namely the prestigious German Innovation Award for 2021 in the category Excellence in Business to Consumer – Travel, Sports & Outdoor Goods,” says Ing. Ivana Bartoníková, director of the Technology Transfer Center (TTC) of the University of Zlín, adds: “The company GALA a.s. responded to market demands for innovation in the design of the volleyball ball and to the needs of athletes to improve gaming characteristics of the ball. Both of the conditions were met, which is evident from the first enthusiastic feedback of volleyball players and an increase of customer demand. All this leads to the belief that the demand for this product will rise and a minimum 20% annual increase in sales is planned for the next three years”.
The construction and design proposal of the volleyball was solved with the support of the Technological Agency of the Czech Republic. The transfer of knowledge from research to production was achieved by the staff of the Technology Transfer Center as part of the commercialization project, which was handled at the Tomas Bata University in Zlín. The company Gala Prostějov became the manufacturer.
Two technologies from Tomas Bata University in Zlín made it to the finals of the Transfera Technology Day
A total of 12 projects advanced to the final itself, two of which were from the Tomas Bata University in Zlín. Specifically, “Method of preparation of gel-type polymer electrolyte for lithium-sulfur battery”, which was presented by dr. Tomas Saha. “The use of Lithium-Sulfur (Li-S) batteries continues to grow worldwide. However, current batteries show deficiencies in impregnation with a non-aqueous solution that contains an electrolytic salt. For this reason, we focused on a formulation without any solvents in the photo-initiated cross-linking reaction, which makes it possible to prepare gel polymers that are environmentally friendly. In addition, the use of simple equipment
and undemanding operating conditions translates into low production costs,” explains dr. Tomas Saha.
The second finalist from the University of Zlín was the “Contact flexible temperature sensor”, which is dealt with in the Polymer Systems Center by prof. Radek Stoček and his team. “Technical products are mainly loaded cyclically and heat up enormously. Depending on the type of material of the product, the heating intensity also changes. As the heat increases, the product material degrades faster. Therefore, it is necessary to know exactly the course of the heating values of the material from which the product is made,” describes Radek Stoček and adds: “Currently, heating analysis can be performed with non-contact infrared sensors, but this method is demanding on the analysis conditions, and if these are not observed, the measured values they can be completely wrong. The accurate method is contact temperature measurement, but this again cannot be performed on cyclically loaded material, because there is no sensor capable of deforming together with the deformation of the measured material. Therefore, the presented technical solution concerns a contact flexible sensor for continuous temperature measurement on the surfaces of bodies in which the position or geometry of the analyzed object changes over time due to an external force acting on it.”
“We are pleased that we are succeeding in connecting Czech science and technology with the business community, thus creating suitable conditions for mutual cooperation. The UTB technology transfer center in Zlín is involved in the actual transfer into practice. Nowadays, it is a difficult and long-lasting process, finding business partners is not easy. We are all the more pleased that we managed to progress to the final with two projects at once,” says Ing. Ivana Bartoníková, director of the Technology Transfer Center.
The winner of the competition was the Palacký University in Olomouc for “AC-tive ENF – innovative needles for electroacupuncture”. Compared to classic passive acupuncture needles, the stimulation with these electro-needles is significantly more effective, and thanks to their special design, their application is also less painful and more suitable for children. In second place came scientists from Masaryk University with research into luminescent enzymes. The so-called luciferases are enzymes that allow living organisms to produce light. Fireflies are a typical example. Experts from Brno have created an artificial enzyme that glows much longer and more stably than the natural one. This can significantly improve the diagnosis and follow-up of some diseases and facilitate further research. “Innovative fully electromagnetic valve” from the University of West Bohemia from Pilsen finished third. This novelty stands out because it is very simple and innovative – it has an extremely fast response and low consumption compared to conventional valves.
The national association Transfera.cz has been operating in the Czech Republic since 2014. It currently has around three dozen members from universities, scientific
research organizations and other entities. Its mission is primarily to connect the world of science and business, to support innovation and to negotiate with the state administration. At the same time, it also provides investors with a database of promising Czech scientific research projects that can be applied on a global scale.
10th meeting of the Innovation Platform ZLINNOVATION in Kunovice
On September 12, 2023, the Kunovice Business Incubator hosted the 10th meeting as part of Tour Zlinnovation – Innovation Platform with representatives of companies and the Zlín Region.
The introduction of the meeting was accompanied by Mrs. Bronislava Kulíšková from the Business Incubator Kunovice, Panský dvůr and Stará škola, together with Ms. Martina Běťáková from the Technological Innovation Center s.r.o.
Mr. Pavel Vardan, the mayor of Kunovice, presented the new activities in the Kunovicke Region, especially the project “Region 2047”, aimed at the development of the region and the creation of an educational campus for secondary vocational education. The largest employers from Uherskobrod and Uherskohradišť take part of the said project.
Opportunities for business, innovation and cooperation in the Zlín Region were presented by Mr. Lubomír Traub, Deputy Governor for Strategic Development of the Zlín Region.
Representatives of the Technological Innovation Center and the City of Zlín informed about technological innovations and new services, about the competition “Innovation Company of the Zlín Region” and education in the field of artificial intelligence as a pilot program.
Mrs. Magdaléna Vrabčeková presented her activities and cooperation with other clusters in the Czech Republic on behalf of the HR Development Cluster.
Mr. Alois Langer from the Crafts Center presented the activities and the range of capacities in Workroom 44 and Space 44.
The TBU Technology transfer center in Zlín informed about the upcoming “Emerging Trends in Medical Plastics” conference on 18 and 19 October 2023, as well as TBU participation in the Transfera technology Day 2023 competition and the offer of services for commercial partners.
Regional representative Mrs. Eva Šviráková from the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic presented the upcoming project challenges.
Ms. Lenka Jakešová from Upper FMK TBU in Zlín presented news from the Center for Creative Industries and Entrepreneurship.
Mr. Tomáš Hasík presented the activities of WEB3 HUB Zlín in cooperation with the Zlín Region, the City of Zlín and the Faculty of Applied Informatics of TUB in Zlín.
At the end of the meeting, there was a guided tour of the “Old School” business incubator building.
Photo: Zlín region
Patent application filed for a new R&D result in Romania with claiming priority for Czech Republic
A collective of employees of the Faculty of Applied Informatics of the Tomas Baťa University in Zlín under the leadership of Professor Karel Kolomazník and Associate Professor Jiří Pecha created within the framework of the EUREKA project, E!12610 FERTI-MAIZE (project INTER-EXCELLENCE LTE219003) “Innovative foliar fertilizer for corn based on protein by-products” , in cooperation with foreign partners, a new R&D result: an innovative fertilizer – an auxiliary material based on calcium, sulfur and nitrogen for soil fertilization. This auxiliary fertilizer is obtained as a by-product of the biostimulator preparation process by hydrolysis of waste collagen, and it has been proven that its application can significantly increase the yield of corn and positively affect the overall health of the plants.
For this reason, the patent application was filed for the R&D result in Romania and subsequently this patent application in the Czech Republic was filed with claiming of priority from Romania. Technology Transfer Center drew up an Agreement on the use and protection of results between the project partners from the research and commercial spheres, including the ensuring of the required signatures of the TBU, and further carried out the filing of this patent application in the Czech Republic.
ZLINNOVATION tour started in the region
A meeting of the ZLINNOVATION innovation platform recently took place – on Thursday, May 11, 2023. Members of the platform were invited to Valašské Klobouky and the new incubator House on the Corner by one of its founding members – Valašské Klobouky Business Center.
All services in one place. This is the ZLINNOVATION platform, which offers almost 90 kinds of service. They can support the creation, growth and assistance of business as well as provide a supply of innovation for budding entrepreneurs, startups, enterprising students, as well as established companies from the Zlín region.
“The emergence of the platform was initiated by the Technological Innovation Center thanks to the Zlín Region Smart Accelerator project. Member entities and establishments use the platform internally to share information, data sets as well as for collaboration. They are presented together under one brand. Externally, towards clients, ZLINNOVATION works as a place that offers all services under one brand, in one place, and any client thus has easy access to information,” says Martina Běťáková, RIS3 ambassador of the Technological Innovation Center.
The development of strategic innovation projects and the environment is supported by the Zlín Region for a long time.
Support being provided for innovation and entrepreneurship is an important part of our region. We are a region that needs to develop its territory, to innovate and engage in activities that attract the attention of the rest of the country. This is also ZLINNOVATION, which is a network of entities that helps innovation processes. ZLINNOVATION services are primarily used by budding entrepreneurs, startup entities and companies from our territory. Members of this platform also cooperate with villages, cities, schools and are active partners in the territory. The Zlín Region is also one of the members of this platform and supports its activities “, adds Lubomír Traub, Deputy Governor for Strategic Development, Spatial Planning, Subsidies and Tourism of the Zlín Region.
Petr Kozel, director of the Valašské Klobouky Business Center, sees clear benefits of cooperation within ZLINNOVATION and says: “Valašské Klobouky has been a member of the platform since its beginning. Cooperation between members and entities, passing on contacts, experiences, or planning joint events is a matter of course for us, because we are much stronger altogether. This is also perceived by entrepreneurs from the region, for whom it is a good address to be settled within the innovative infrastructure of the city of Valašské Klobouky. Branding is important here, which is why the Klobuck Business Incubator also appreciates products which alike the ZLINNOVATION innovation platform contribute to the common presentation of the region. Another example is the LIVE IN ZLIN marketing campaign, presenting the benefits of living, study and enterprise in the Zlín Region, which was created thanks to the Technological Innovation Center and the Zlín Region last year. Among others, also thanks to this joint effort we are still managing to keep both business incubators fully occupied in Valašské Klobouky. “
The ZLINNOVATION platform will visit other places in the region this year. “Individual members of the platform are situated in all corners of our region, so it seemed logical for us to go on the ZLINNOVATION tour and get to know the environment from which the member carries out his activities. Therefore, after Valašské Klobouky event, further meetings will take place in Kunovice and Holešov,” adds Martina Běťáková. More information about the platform and services can be found at www.zlinnovation.cz.
An original book for children was created on the premises of the University of Zlín
Zlín 2. 5. 2023 – How feet affect the behavior of the whole body, how they work, why they sometimes hurt, how to procure the right shoes and why to prefer sometimes barefoot-walking. These and other questions are answered in a picture publication called “Nezapomeň na nohy”. It is intended for children and their parents, but also for kindergarten and elementary school teachers.
A richly illustrated book with practical advice and examples of how to take care of your feet properly was created at the Institute of Marketing Communications and the Animation Studio of the Faculty of Multimedia Communications (FMK) of the Tomas Bata University (TBU) in Zlín in cooperation with the Technology Transfer Center (TTC) and with the support of the Footwear Research Center (FRC). It is divided into nine chapters that deal in detail with the issue of children’s feet.
“This book is educational, so it is assumed that an adult will work with the child. It’s either a parent, or perhaps a kindergarten teacher, or the children get to know her in clubs or in first and second grade classes,” says Radomila Soukalová, one of the authors.
In addition, a detailed manual is prepared for each chapter for adults, who can study the issue and theory in advance before starting to work with the book itself and with children.
“The position of the feet and their proper functioning is extremely important, because the way how we stand and walk affects the position and functioning of the entire body. Improper use of the feet already in childhood, one-sided loading and unsuitable shoes can be the cause of a whole range of health problems in later years. The book is intended to be a guide and at the same time a prevention, so that children and their parents can realize that the feet are the basis of our body, a pillar that needs to be well taken care of ever from an early age,” explains co-author Jana Vašková. “Children will learn in a playful way how to stand correctly, how to move correctly, and for example how to correctly do such a seemingly simple movement as a squat. Because even many adults do not master the technique of performing a squat, by doing it incorrectly they overload the knees and back, which used to be a frequent cause of pain, the development of arthrosis and various movement difficulties,” he adds.
There is a QR code on each double page, under which children, together with their parents or teachers, can find animations and practical videos with exercises. According to them, they can then exercise together. Readers will learn how feet work, how to use them correctly, how to take care of them, how to perform a pedicure, or even why walking barefoot is healthy, when and how to walk barefoot, where not anymore and when it is better to take shoes. A separate chapter focused on footwear as such describes how the right shoe should look like and, on the other hand, what footwear is not suitable for the feet. “All this is depicted in beautiful pictures. We also clarify to readers any risks of diseases that can affect the feet when we use them incorrectly or wear inappropriate shoes. It is important to remember that every foot is individual and not each shoe is suitable for it. Even the best shoe on the improper foot is a bad shoe. In order to keep our feet health we must not forget about regular movement and exercise,” says Jana Vašková.
The illustrator of the book, Eliška Chytková from the Animated Creation studio, was left relatively free to do her own creative work, but under the strict supervision of experts in the field of podiatry. “After so many consultations, I am sure that the drawn positions of the children and the accuracy of their movements are correct. Within testing the book through the children in the family, it was gratifying to observe their interest in getting moving and exploring how their legs affect the functioning of the whole body,” she says.
“Footwear is associated with a person almost from the first steps and accompanies us throughout our lives. It is therefore an integral part of everyday life, and therefore it is necessary to pay great care to this area. The most important factors from the point of view of footwear are functionality and comfort, which undoubtedly contributes to the healthy development of the feet of the young population. I perceive the book “Nezapomeň na nohy”, its content and balanced content to be very beneficial from the point of view of familiarizing and educating the young generation with this issue. In terms of content, it appropriately complements and follows on from the activities of the Footwear Research Center,” says Tomáš Sáha, director of the Footwear Research Center at TBU.
Thanks to the Technology Transfer Center of the Tomas Bata University in Zlín, we managed to find a publishing house with which a license agreement was subsequently concluded. The book will be published by Host publishing house on May 18, 2023. Besides, the book was created also thanks to the support of the Technological Agency of the Czech Republic (TAČR). “It is exactly the good example of transferring knowledge into practice. And the fact that we finally managed to sign the license agreement and publish the book makes us very happy,” said Ivana Bartoníková, director of the TBU Technology Transfer Center in Zlín. “In addition, the prototype of the book is protected as the industrial design,” added Přemysl Strážnický, TTC specialist.
However, the focus on children’s feet does not end with this book. This is followed by a board game with the same title, which thematically follows the book. It is a board game with cards, where the exercises are shown just like in the book. “Some of the same, some of the new, the board game is again for preschool and school age children. Children will use the knowledge from the book, the game includes figures and characters that they know just from the book. The game is complemented by a mobile game where all the characters from the book appear again,” finishes Radomila Soukalová.
On March 30, 2023, the Technology Transfer workshop took place in the UTB G18 Gallery
Current information on the TBU Technology Transfer Center in Zlín was presented here, especially on protected and unprotected R&D results, among them the book and board game “Don’t forget your feet”, examples of successful TBU projects in the GAMA2 commercialization program, as well as current project challenges of the Czech Technology Agency were presented of the Republic (TA CR) and the CzechInvest Zlín agency. The Technological Innovation Center in Zlín introduced the participants to the plan of events in the Zlín region organized by the Zlinnovation platform.
There was a discussion of current issues related to the planned aims of project challenges, especially industrial rights, but also unprotected results such as functional samples, prototypes and other types of R&D results.
The event supported the topics of cooperation between research organizations and companies implemented through technology transfer aimed for support of innovation and economic growth of companies and was organized by the agency TA ČR, CzechInvest and TIC Zlín.
On March 21, 2023, the Transfera.cz Association’s Members’ Meeting took place
Representatives of TTC TBU in Zlín, which is a member of this association, were also present at the members’ meeting of the Transfera.cz association. At the members’ meeting, the Activity and Management Report and Audit Report for 2022 were approved. The Draft Budget and Plan of Activities for 2023 were also approved, and the association’s bodies were elected for the term of office 2023-2027, including the election of positions in the bodies.
TBU in Zlín, through TTC, participated in the voting of individual items of the Program at the members’ meeting of the Transfera.cz association
Accrediation
The Science and Technology Park at TBU in Zlín defended its accreditation as part of the 16th interim stage of VTP accreditation in the Czech Republic according to the status as of January 3, 2023 for the period until December 31, 2025.
The Science and Technology Park was built in 2008 and based on the “Scientific and Technology Park and Technology Transfer Center at the Technical University of Zlín” project. The project was financed by the European Fund for Regional Development, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic and the Tomas Bata University in Zlín within the Operational Program Industry and Entrepreneurship, the PROSPERITA program
The Science and Technology Park at TUB in Zlín is a member of the Society of Science and Technology Parks of the Czech Republic, z.s. www.svtp.cz and provides a comprehensive infrastructure to support innovative business in the Zlín region and its surroundings.
The handing over of the Certificate of Accreditation took place at the general meeting of the Society of Science and Technology Parks of the Czech Republic on February 22, 2023
25 applications for industrial rights of TBU in Zlín for the year 2022
In 2022, 25 industrial rights applications were filed at the TBU in Zlín, of which: 5 patent applications for the Czech Republic, 1 European patent application, 4 international PCT patent applications, 1 patent application in Romania, 1 patent application in the United States of America, 10 utility model applications for the Czech Republic and 3 Community industrial design applications.
In 2022, 1 European patent, 6 Czech patents were granted, 11 Czech utility models and 3 Community industrial designs were registered.
Newly granted European patent EP3664857
Newly granted EP3664857 A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING A TWO-STAGE CROSSLINKED BIOPOLYMER MEMBRANE AND A BIOPOLYMER MEMBRANE MADE IN THIS PROCESS
Inventors: Rushita Jaswant Shah, M.Sc. Ph.D., prof. Ing. Petr Sáha, CSc., prim. MUDr. Pavel Stodůlka, Ph.D.
The patented method of producing a two-stage cross-linked biopolymer membrane for eye trauma repairs consists in preparing a mixed solution of collagen and chitosan biopolymers, adding a solution of the primary cross-linking agent from the tannin group dropwise to it, and pouring the solution onto a flat substrate and drying it to form a thin primarily cross-linked chitosan-collagen membrane with a thickness of 5 to 10 μm after drying. This is then cross-linked in the second stage by the action of genipin solution as a secondary cross-linking agent.
