ENERGYWELL

than 37 000 graduates every year. All university students are required to study at least one foreign language and, at some universities, the requirement is two foreign languages. English is the most popular foreign language, followed by German and French.

ADVANCED ENGINEERING Since the early 20th century, the engineering industry has been one of the cornerstones of the Czech economy. A stable economic environment, high manufacturing and technological skills and advanced R&D programmes help to create an optimal climate for business and further progress. The Czech engineering sector employs over 126 000 workers, with approximately 85 % of manufactured products being exported. More than 5 200 machinery companies manufacture even the most sophisticated components, ranking the Czech Republic among the most advanced industrialised countries in the world. The engineering sector is one of the three most important industries in the Czech Republic. According to EU statistics, the Czech Republic can offer from 40 % to 60 % labour cost savings in comparison with Western Europe and the United States, at comparable labour productivity. More than 3 500 Mechanical Engineering graduates are turned out each year, helping to meet the growing demand on the part of the engineering sector.

ADVANCED ENGINEERING AT A GLANCE

The following are some of the facts confirming the high standards of Czech industry and technological know-how:

300 years of academic engineering education in the Czech Republic. The Czech Republic is the only country among Central and East European countries which is a member of CECIMO – the prestigious European Association of Machine Tool Industries l the Czech Republic ranks among the top 15 countries worldwide in machine tool production (CECIMO, 2019) l according to Eurostat, the Czech Republic is the most industrialised country in the EU, where manufacturing accounts for more than 27 % of total industrial production, with industry generating nearly 40 % of the country´s GDP (Eurostat, 2019) l the Czech Republic = The Land of Robotics. The word ROBOT was first used by the Czech writer Karel Čapek in his famous play “R.U.R.” (Rozum´s Universal Robots). With its 135 robots per 10 000 manufacturing workers, the Czech Republic greatly surpasses the global average of 99 units. (International Federation of Robotics, 2019)

ICT AND DATA CENTRES There are many ICT companies with Czech roots that are renowned worldwide for their products, such as Avast, GoodData, Y Soft, Seznam.cz, Socialbakers and STRV, to name just a few. The Czech Republic is also home to several noteworthy research centres that have achieved outstanding results and have won awards in the field of Information and Communication Technologies (Artificial Intelligence Centre, Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics and Cybernetics, IT4Innovations, Research Centre for Informatics, National Cyber Security Centre). Every year, Czech universities turn out almost 6 000 creative, innovative and highly skilled ICT graduates. Thanks to investment in the infrastructure in different parts of the country, not only in Prague, many Czech regions have become attractive for their well-developed ICT sector. Brno, the second largest city in the Czech Republic, for example, is considered as an ICT hub, with R&D facilities and institutions, an advanced ICT infrastructure and qualified professionals. Ostrava, thanks to its IT4 Innovations, has gained international recognition for its new projects.

GAME DEVELOPMENT The beginnings of Czech computer games’ development date back to the 1980s, when the first 8-Bit games were created by Czech developers. Since then, many Czech gaming companies have achieved international success with games like Hidden & Dangerous, Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven (Illusion Softworks, nowadays 2K Czech), ARMA: Armed Assault (Bohemia Interactive), Euro Truck Simulator (SCS Software), Kingdom Come: Deliverance (Warhorse Studios), Samorost (Amanita Design), Beat Saber (Beat Games), and many others.

CZECH GAMING INDUSTRY AT A GLANCE

The following is a brief overview of the achievements of this new industry in the Czech Republic:

l 70+ game development studios l CZK 2.2 billion in annual turnover l 1 500+ people working in the industry l International environment – many studios employ people from the EU and other countries l Multiple industrial organisations: Successful international events: Game

Developers Session (GDS), Game Access Conference l Computer Graphics & Computer Games study programmes at Charles

University, Czech Technical University, Masaryk University

LIFE SCIENCES The Czech Republic is a country whose scientists are known for their discoveries in the area of heredity, the invention of the contact lens, and the development of anti-HIV drugs. The inventions are covered by patents. The observance of GMP, GLP, and GCP standards is a matter of course. The Czech government supports the development of new pharmaceutical methods of treatment and diagnostics as one of their top priorities. Over the past decade, it has allocated more than EUR 2.5 billion to research in the sector. New research institutions have been completed in Prague, Brno, Olomouc, and Plzeň, to complement the existing institutes of the Czech Academy of Sciences and the universities. Czech research teams are internationally recognised for their quality research in Molecular Genetics, Immunology, Analytical and Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Biochemistry, Cardiology, Neurology, Metabolic Diseases and, more recently, medical applications in the area of Nanotechnologies. The success of companies and research institutes operating in the Czech Republic in the life-sciences sector has its roots in the country´s advanced R&D and high-quality educational system. According to the Ministry of Education statistics, more than 50 000 students are enrolled in Natural Science study programmes at universities,