The Role and Activities
The Czech Association of Scientific and Technical Societies (hereafter CSVTS) is an autonomous body – a registered voluntary association under Czech law – representing 67 independent professional associations in scientific and technical fields; these are member societies of CSVTS as well as autonomous legal bodies.
The mission of CSVTS is to represent the interests of its member organizations, and to create conditions for the furthering of professional interests, career development, and lifelong learning of engineers and technicians.
CSVTS is a member of and represents the Czech Republic in the European Federation of National Engineering Associations (FEANI), a member of the World Federation of Engineering Organisations (WFEO), and 26 CSVTS member organizations are members of 30 international non-governmental organizations in connection with their professional field.
CSVTS is the founder and sole shareholder of the limited-liability companies operating the CSVTS Centres (‘Dům techniky’) in Plzeň (Pilsen), Pardubice, České Budějovice and Ostrava. The CSVTS Centres provide a wide range of facilities for organizing education programmes and training courses in technical professions and other fields of education, and organise events such as congresses, conferences, workshops, and seminars.
Over the twenty years of its modern history, CSVTS has transformed into a respected representative of the science and engineering community in the Czech Republic, associating 67 member societies representing over 100 000 individual members. The member societies are engaged in many professional branches of technical, natural and social sciences, especially the applied science aspects of mechanical engineering, electrical and electronic engineering, civil engineering, mining engineering, transportation engineering, textile engineering, telecommunications engineering, physical engineering, aeronautical engineering, aerospace engineering, cartographic engineering, food process engineering, chemistry, material engineering, chemical engineering, agricultural engineering, urbanism, environmental engineering, phytomedicinal treatment, biotechnology, sanitary engineering, cybernetics, informatics, information technology, automatic control, artificial intelligence, economics, management, scientific management, marketing, quality management, as well as in engineering law, research and real-world engineering projects.
CSVTS, and particularly its member societies, take an active part in tackling various problems in scientific research, development and innovations in technology and applied sciences.
CSVTS, along with the Czech Academy of Sciences, several technical universities, and other universities in the country, represents the most significant science, technology and engineering potential of the Czech Republic, connecting prominent professional experts in each member society. The aim of CSVTS is particularly high-quality care of professional competence of each member and service in providing technical aid for solutions of many current problems in research, development and innovations, in formulation of concepts of state policy of sustainable development in energy, industry, transport, agriculture, health care, environment, education and other areas related to the country's life.
CSVTS provides a wide variety of educational programmes, including retraining courses for the public in its regional CSVTS Centres in Ostrava, Pardubice, Plzeň and České Budějovice. It contributes significantly to the improvement and expanding of qualifications among the population, as well as to retraining opportunities and reducing unemployment. This is the core of CSVTS and its member societies’ pathway to fulfilling one of their main duties, which is to promote lifelong learning as a continual process and to aid in the professional development of both engineers & technicians and the general public.
CSVTS is a signatory to a number of bilateral agreements on cooperation, and some of its member societies have additional agreements with international scientific and technical societies, maintaining close relations all over the world. CSVTS collaborates closely with the Slovak Association of Scientific and Technological Societies (ZSVTS), the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST), the Association of German Engineers (VDI), the Order of Engineers (OE) in Portugal, The Institution of Engineers India (IEI), the Union of Scientific and Engineering Associations of Ukraine (USEAU), Australian Engineers (EA), and Kuwait Society of Engineers (KSE).
CSVTS member societies collaborate with scientific societies across Europe and around the world, organise events on engineering, such as congresses, conferences, workshops, seminars, lectures, technical excursions, and work at their technical committees or boards.
CSVTS publishes a biannual bulletin detailing planned events organised by member societies (in Czech, available at http://zpravodaj.csvts.cz/).