This collection of global leaders combines with a university system featuring CEITEC - Central European Institute of Technology, the Brno University of Technology and Masaryk University Brno to provide the pool of technology and talent required to produce a constant stream of new scientific ideas, research that generates new technology, and business savvy that turns that technology into new worldwide products. All of this is nurtured along by one of the best innovation centers in the country JIC - business with a purpose, and a regional and city government working together to transform the region.

At the beginning of February, AmCham discussed how business, academics and the government could align more closely around a unified objective to produce more prosperity from each crown of taxpayer funds invested into public research. We got to hear the ideas of Pavel Tomančák of CEITEC, Barbora Bühnová (who has done amazing work expanding the pool of IT skilled people at Czechitas), Jakub Rybář of the City of Brno (who makes a great argument that technology must be connected with societal benefit), Petr Chládek and David Uhlíř of JIC, and Jiří Hlavenka of the South Moravian regional government. Thanks to CTP, we ended the day at their impressive new shared workspace in downtown Brno discussing with Cees Admiraal of the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven how they have built that city into a powerhouse in the semiconductor market.

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Thank you, Anna Putnová, Innovations and Cooperation with Research Organizations at Brno City Council and AmCham Board for joining our morning debate, and thank you, Y Soft Corporation, for hosting it.