The consortium of the international TwinVECTOR project met in Zlín.

On November 12, 2024, a meeting of the TwinVECTOR project consortium, coordinated by Tomas Bata University in Zlín (TBU), took place. This European project, launched on November 1, 2022, and scheduled to run until October 2025, is supported by €1.3 million from the Horizon Europe program. The consortium includes partners from the Czech Republic, Germany, Finland, and Austria: AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Bavarian Research Alliance GmbH, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd.

“Our goal is to establish Tomas Bata University in Zlín as a center of excellence in energy storage research, focusing on material research as well as socio-economic and environmental analyses. Through collaboration with international partners, we aim to strengthen both the technical and institutional capacities of the university,” said Dr. Viera Pechancová, project coordinator and researcher at TBU. This project, which focuses on new technologies for producing affordable and sustainable batteries, is key to achieving the objectives of the European Green Deal.

The following day, November 13, 2024, a follow-up project workshop titled "Fostering Innovation in the Battery & Automotive Industry" was held in Zlín. Its aim was to promote collaboration between research and industry in the fields of batteries and the automotive sector. Representatives of startups, small and medium-sized enterprises, industry leaders, and innovation agencies participated, discussing research trends, collaboration strategies, and the importance of sustainability and social responsibility.

The workshop program included the following inspiring contributions:

• Libor Dobeš, Autoklastr – "On a Shared Journey Towards New Opportunities in the Automotive Industry" focused on opportunities in the automotive sector and emphasized collaboration among key players.
• Marek Sedláček, ESGROVIA – "Opportunities and Risks of Cooperation Between Universities and Companies" highlighted the possibilities and challenges of collaboration between academic institutions and the commercial sector.
• Joshua Wheeler, Zlín Region Investment Agency – "ZRIA and Its Development Activities with an Emphasis on International Cooperation" presented the development activities of the Zlín Region Investment Agency and its support for international cooperation.
• Petr Kaštovský, Zlín Region Investment Agency – "From Academic Research, Through Commercial Application, to a Company Exit" shared experiences in transferring academic research into commercial practice.

The workshop facilitated the exchange of experiences and know-how between academia and industry, strengthened collaboration, and provided a platform for discussing current trends, sustainability, and social responsibility.