Prime Minister Sobotka and Chancellor Merkel attend a discussion at the Czech Technical University about the results of a partnership in applied resea

Premier Sobotka and Chancellor Merkel attended a discussion at the Czech Technical University with representatives of research centers and enterprises from the Czech Republic and Germany. The debate concentrated on cooperation between Czech and German specialists in the area of applied research and the digital industry.

The main topic of the debate included the transformation of industrial production brought by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the increasing use of digital technologies, and opportunities for joint projects in applied research that emerge in this field for Czech and German corporations, universities, and research facilities.

"Cooperation with Germany in the area of research and science is of key importance for us, and we pay close attention to ensuring its further development. For instance, we have established a close partnership with the Fraunhofer Society, which is a world-class organization as regards innovations and applied research. In the framework of the Czech-German strategic dialogue, we discuss cooperation between the Fraunhofer Society and Czech universities, where the aim is to enable the Czech Republic to join the ranks of global innovation leaders," explained Pavel Bělobrádek, Deputy Prime Minister for Science, Research, and Innovation in connection with the Chancellor's visit.

After the discussion, Premier Sobotka and Chancellor Merkel witnessed the signature of Industry 4.0 Cooperation Agreement between the Czech Technical University and the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence. The agreement defines areas where both partners will develop joint research and development activities and lays down a commitment to share information and to organize joint initiatives with a view to transferring technologies toward small and medium enterprises.

The discussion was attended by delegates from Czech ministries responsible for research and development, members of the Governmental Council for Research, Development, and Innovation, research specialists from the Czech Technical University and other institutions of higher education, officials from the Czech Academy of Science, and representatives of Czech and German enterprises.

Industry 4.0 refers to the trend of increasing automation and digitization of industrial production that takes advantage of the Internet and possibilities offered by the computer processing of large volumes of data. Referred to as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the trend leads toward the creation of smart factories. The Czech Technical University, on whose premises the conference took place, is currently preparing together with German corporations the launch of an experimental production line that will allow companies to develop and test their products in conformity to Industry 4.0 principles.

The Czech Cabinet approved a document entitled Industry 4.0 Initiative on Wednesday 24 August 2016. The document contains proposals for measures intended to prepare the Czech society for coping with the forthcoming transformation of production methods and work patterns and allowing people to benefit from future developments in order to achieve greater prosperity.

Research and development is one of the priority topics in the framework of the Czech-German strategic dialogue that began in July 2015. The dialogue strengthens contacts between the Czech and German industrial infrastructures. In the fall of 2016, a series of events will be held in Prague, which will focus on Czech-German cooperation in the area of research. One of them will be the Fraunhofer Society Day during which this largest European organization that specializes in applied research.