Our company, VÚTS, has secured funding to build the Centre for Robotics and Composites (CRK) and we are now commencing its construction. The project, with total eligible expenditure of nearly 100 million CZK, involves a new building and two technology laboratories, which will expand VÚTS’s current research facilities in the fields of robotics, artificial intelligence and advanced materials. The centre is due to be completed by 2028.

The Robotics and Composites Centre is being established with the aim of expanding VÚTS’s capabilities in tackling technically demanding industrial tasks that involve the application of multiple different technologies. Robotics intersects with artificial intelligence and machine vision, whilst the development of new manufacturing solutions combines design, automation and advanced materials. At the new centre, VÚTS aims to further develop these technologies, experimentally verify their potential and seek specific applications for them in industrial practice.

The centre will build on the working methods already in use at VÚTS today. Its research teams combine calculations and numerical simulations with mechanical design, mechatronics, automation and experimental measurement. This enables them to work on a new solution from its design and calculations right through to practical verification. The new centre will extend this approach to further areas – from intelligent robotics and artificial intelligence to advanced materials and manufacturing technologies.

Two interconnected technology centres will be established in the new building. The Centre for Robotics and Intelligent Automation will focus on industrial robotics, collaborative and autonomous robotic systems, digital twins, machine vision and the application of artificial intelligence. The Centre for Composite Technologies will focus on the development of advanced materials and manufacturing processes, prototyping and the experimental validation of new structural solutions.

“VÚTS’s strength has always lain in our ability to bring together different technical disciplines to solve a specific problem. The Centre for Robotics and Composites builds on this approach whilst enabling us to make further progress in areas that are rapidly developing today. We want to gain our own experience, verify what new technologies are truly capable of, and translate the results into concrete solutions for our industrial partners,” says Jiří Václavík, Director General of VÚTS.

The total eligible expenditure for the project is close to CZK 100 million and is primarily directed towards the construction of new research infrastructure and technological equipment for robotics, artificial intelligence, advanced materials, smart manufacturing technologies and the experimental validation of new industrial solutions.

The centre will not be used solely by VÚTS research teams. It will operate as an open research infrastructure that can also be utilised by companies, universities and other research organisations. It is expected to play a particularly significant role for small and medium-sized enterprises, which often lack access to comparable technological facilities.

The project will be implemented between 2026 and 2028. Work is currently underway to finalise project planning, prepare public procurement procedures and take further implementation steps. This will be followed by the construction of the building, the installation of technical equipment and the commissioning of the centre.