Ostrava, October 2025 – At the latest expert workshop of the National Centre for Energy (NCE II), an agreement was confirmed on a joint strategy for implementing low-carbon technologies in sustainable energy between the Centre for Advanced Nuclear Technologies (CANUT II) and NCE II. With this step, VSB – Technical University of Ostrava (VSB-TUO) is becoming a leading institution in research on renewable energy sources, energy storage, and energy systems management – and newly also in the field of nuclear technologies.
Under the leadership of Stanislav Mišák, Director of the Centre for Energy and Environmental Technologies (CEET) and principal investigator of the NCE II project, the initiative will connect top-level research capacities and foster effective cooperation with representatives of the industrial sector in both non-nuclear and nuclear energy domains. The focus will be on application segments dealing with energy conversion, transmission, storage, and utilisation.
“The integration of these two centres through a shared strategy is a natural first step toward establishing a unified national platform capable of addressing the reliability, safety, and sustainability of the Czech energy system — not only from a technological standpoint, but also from legislative and economic perspectives. This step creates space for a coordinated approach to research and innovation, allowing us to better respond to the needs of industry, the state, and society. The goal is to build and maintain a critical mass of knowledge covering the full spectrum of energy technologies, from renewables to nuclear energy. The next logical step will be the establishment of new research themes within the joint competence framework of both centres, contributing to the Czech Republic’s energy self-sufficiency, security, and technological sovereignty,” said Stanislav Mišák, CEET Director and Principal Investigator of the NCE II project.
The CANUT II project, led by Zdeněk Peroutka from the University of West Bohemia in Plzeň, focuses on the development of modern nuclear technologies, research on small modular reactors (SMRs), and safety aspects of nuclear energy. Integrating its research activities under NCE II brings significant synergies, particularly in the areas of modelling, diagnostics, and control of energy systems.
“The NCE II and CANUT II consortia bring together all major players in the Czech energy sector — including operators, industrial enterprises, universities, research organisations, and institutes of the Czech Academy of Sciences — which are interconnected across both centres. It is also evident that many of the projects implemented within NCE II have overlaps with nuclear energy, while the outcomes of CANUT II can be applied in conventional and renewable energy as well, for example in topics related to operational flexibility or energy storage. It is therefore logical to build on the mutual synergies of both centres,” noted Daneš Burket, Director of the Research and Development Strategy Section at the Research Centre Řež.
Through this cooperation, a comprehensive research ecosystem will emerge — linking leading experts from universities, research institutes, and industrial partners who will jointly contribute to achieving energy self-sufficiency and the safe decarbonisation of the Czech Republic.