One week packed with a multitude of events, the common denominator being the hot topic of digitisation. One week dedicated to cybersecurity, the opportunities and limits of new technologies, the future of the Internet, and digital education. One week of expert debate, imaginative visions, and the engagement of public administration, the commercial sphere, and the public within a vortex of events. All this and more is Czech Digital Week, in which the Liberec Region is taking part through its Regional Development Agency, the leader of the DIH Northeast consortium.
The event is taking place in the Czech Republic for the first time, under the auspices of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union and Deputy Prime Minister for Digitisation Ivan Bartoš. “Czech Digital Week clearly shows that digitisation is a world where something is always happening. And it doesn’t matter if you’re from government or business. On the contrary, they often go hand in hand. And this cooperation between business and government is crucial,” said Deputy Prime Minister for Digitisation Ivan Bartoš, adding that, “With this event, we want to clearly show that digital transformation is not just something we are talking about. Our society is undergoing fundamental change and we need to keep pace with developments and look forward.”
Two events organised in the Liberec region made it on to the programme of Czech Digital Week. The first is a meeting of representatives of the region, headed by Governor of the Region Martin Půta and members of the Research, Development and Innovation Council, and Helena Langšádlová, Minister of Science, Research, and Innovation. The Minister will be the main face of discussions surrounding global innovations and their impact on the Czech Republic and our own region. Discussion will also focus on creating added value and maintaining competitiveness and a high standard of living in the region with the help of modern technologies. The event will take place on Thursday 3 November in the Liberec business incubator Lipo.ink at the Regional Development Agency.
“We have been paying considerable attention to innovations in the Liberec region for some time now. Such innovations mean that our economy has the chance to produce higher added value. There is no doubt that major changes are afoot in the sphere of industry, which provides a livelihood to the majority of employees in the region. They cannot do without the support of people with innovative ideas and without companies that are at home here and have ties to the place in which they do business,” said Martin Půta, Governor of the Liberec Region, in describing why the topic of innovation is important to the future of the region.
The second contribution made by the Liberec region to the Czech Digital Week programme is the Business Talent competition for pupils of the eighth and ninth grades of primary school, staged under the auspices of the Deputy Governor of the Liberec Region Dan Ramzer at Liberec science centre iQLANDIA’s open workshop, iQFABLAB. The competition connects schools and their pupils to modern technologies and trends, showing them that technical disciplines are far more IT-focused now than they used to be, and that amazing things can be made with the help of computer-controlled machines. This year’s task is to create an aid for disabled people to help them with their everyday routine, normal for us, but often difficult for disabled people, or even irresolvable. Minister Helena Langšádlová and her delegation will be visiting the third round of the competition, which also falls on Thursday 3 November.
“Modern information technology is becoming essential know-how in most industries. The Liberec region has been in first place in the Czech Republic over the last decade when it comes to the dynamics of ICT growth. This pleases us, and at the same time commits us to further support through activities that, for example, focus on primary school pupils,” adds Jiří Ulvr, Councillor for Economic and Regional Development, European Projects, Planning, and Rural Development.