On December 5, 2022, a delegation from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, consisting of Prof. Karel Frana (Department of Fluid Mechanics & Fluid Energy Machines), Franz Thiele (research associate) and Felix Rothe (laboratory engineer) traveled to the Jan Evangelista Purkyne University (UJEP) in Usti nad Labem (Czech Republic). A meeting was held there with doc. Ing. Jaromír Cais, doc. Ing. Jan Novotný and Ing. Michal Lattner, who in turn represented the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, the Institute of Mechanical and Energy Engineering and the Institute of Technology and Materials.

The aim of the trip was to prepare future student exchange programs and to develop joint, cross-border project ideas in the heart of Europe. After a mutual introduction of the respective university institutions, a tour of the modern laboratories in the new building followed. In addition to interesting experiments on fluid mechanics, the interactive cobot, various hydrogen applications and the wide range of possibilities for investigating materials and surfaces were particularly eye-catching. After the joint lunch, there was an exchange on existing research areas and the synergy effects that can be derived from them. A number of potential interfaces were identified.

The establishment of cross-border, interdisciplinary cooperation within this three-country region should be seen as an essential and urgently needed development. The next step is to plan a meeting at the Zittau site in order to generate initial contacts with local professors and institutes and to intensify networking. In the medium term, this will certainly result in new opportunities, both for the HSZG and for the entire region.