Prague, March 15 (CTK) – The development of technological research, exchange of students, agencies for science financing and other issues were debated by members of the Czech government Council for Research, Development and Innovations and representatives of Austrian research bodies in Prague yesterday.
No other branch has got as globalised as science, Johannes Androsch, head of the Austrian Technology Institute’s supervisory board, said after meeting Pavel Belobradek, Czech deputy PM for science, research and innovations.
Belobradek said the Czech and Austrians want to focus on the fields of research that are promising and in which they can cooperate.
“It has turned out that in many [scientific] branches, our productivity is incomparable with Austria’s, in spite of spending the same sums on it. We would like to enquire into the causes of this,” Belobradek said.
He said the INTERREG programme, launched this January and entitled to 12.5 million euros until 2020, is a great challenge.
It is designated for projects that will positively influence the Czech and Austrian border areas, also by enhancing local technological development, human resources and the environment protection, Belobradek said.
Austrian research institutions often cooperate with China and the USA.
Androsch said the Austrians tend to forget that there are lots of good opportunities nearer and that it is not necessary for them to travel so far.
The Czech Republic and Austria, as well as Germany, have a broad industrial base, whose boosting cannot do without research and innovations. It is necessary to bring technologies closer to people and view them as a pre-condition of the development of the market, Androsch said.
Compared with big countries, the Czech Republic and Austria are financially limited, and they should compensate this by mutual cooperation, he said.
Both Austria and the Czech Republic need to have enough doctors who should work in the respective two home countries instead of leaving for Germany or Switzerland in search of better conditions, Androsch said.
He said the best scientists leave for the USA for various reasons and they do not return home any more.
Androsch is a member of the Council for Research and Technological Development, which is an advisory body of the Austrian government.
