In the area of laboratory devices, and particularly those linked with the nanotechnology field, Czech Republic belongs among world leading producers. The reason for that is to be found in decades-long tradition of laboratory devices manufacturing in the Czech Republic but also in the mere fact that groundbreaking technology of electrospinning method for nanofiber production was developed in 2003 by Professor Oldřich Jirsák’s team at the Liberec Technical University. Therefore it is clear that Czech nanotechnology related laboratory devices aim to be present in world’s leading laboratories.

That is why Mr. Karel Smékal, Deputy Consul General of the Czech Republic in New York and Head of the Economic Section of the Consulate, presented Mr. Vladimir Bulović, MIT School of Engineering Associate Dean for Innovation, with letter of Deputy Prime Minister for Science, Research and Innovation of the Czech Republic Pavel Bělobrádek addressed to Professor Rafael Reif, President of the MIT. Deputy Prime Minister Bělobrádek points out in the letter various successes of Czech scientists in the field of nanotechnology and identifies an opportunity for broadening existing contacts between Czech R&D institutions and MIT.nano in this promising area of research.

Apart from the letter of the Deputy Prime Minister, Czech diplomat also presented Professor Bulović with presentations on six devices of Czech companies that MIT might find interesting for the newly constructed MIT.nano facility. Presented materials contained information on companies Elmarco (Nanospider device – electrospinning based nanofiber production), Contipro (4SPIN device – electrospinning based nanofiber production), Tescan (GAIA3 device – UHR imaging), AtomTrace (Sci-Trace device – LIBS multi-elemental chemical analysis), NenoVision (LiteScope device – Scanning Probe Microscope) and Crytur (CRYPIX device – Hybrid Pixel Imaging Detector). Furthermore, information on academic research center Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC), and particularly its core facility CEITEC Nano, were overhanded for possible future collaboration between the two facilities. Presented companies and devices were carefully selected by the Consulate General in cooperation with Sector Specialists of the CzechInvest Agency and the Czech Nanotechnology Association to cover most relevant Czech devices for MIT’s nanotechnology facility.

 

Karel Smékal
Head of Economic Section
Consulate General of the Czech Republic in New York