PALIMPSEST – HERITAGE LANDSCAPES: CREATIVE DRIVERS FOR SUSTAINABLE LIVING HERITAGE LANDSCAPES
The PALIMPSEST project focuses on identifying and developing culturally conditioned, environmentally friendly practices. It responds to the urgent need to transform the relationship between humans and nature, stemming from a growing awareness of the imbalance in these interactions. It focuses particularly on challenges associated with climate change and the transition towards sustainability, as formulated by the European Green Deal.
The aim of the project is to co-create new scenarios and approaches to utilising landscape and ecosystem services, and to experiment with practices that connect human activities, landscape heritage, and sustainable development goals. Special attention is paid to lost or weakened forms of interaction between humans and nature, the exploration of which allows for the identification of mismatches, tensions, and contradictions between human activity and natural processes.
The project is implemented through three pilot sites – Jerez, Milan, and Łódź. These locations actively engage local cultural actors, public institutions, and decision-making bodies, while simultaneously creating space for collaboration with international artists, designers, and architects.
Consortium: Politecnico Milano (IT) project coordinator, Aalborg University (DK), Basque Center for Climate Change (ES), ANCI Toscana (IT), Semantika (SL), Ayuntamiento de Jerez (ES), Fundarte (ES), Nomad Garden (ES), Institute of Communication and Computer Systems (EL), NOVELCORE (ES), COAL (FR), University of West Bohemia (CZ), Lodz Art Centre (PL), CULTURALINK (ES), Associazione Culturale KARAKORUM (IT)
Programme: EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Call: Horizon Europe
Project implementation period: 2023–2026
Research team: Prof. Ing. arch. Zdeněk Fránek, Assoc. Prof. Mgr. art. Jana Potiron, ArtD., MgA. Kristina Zejkanová, MgA. Jan Popelka
3D Printing of Durable Plastic Components
The project focuses on major innovation in the computational and experimental support of 3D printing technologies for plastic components exposed to cyclic loading or extreme temperatures. All participating institutions and companies use additive manufacturing in their business, research, or educational activities. The joint objective is to advance production methods and material usage in prototype production of high-tech components or in contract-based research. The project outcomes will improve predictions about the future usability of 3D printing across a wide range of products. FDA’s team is in charge of material research and the design of an upper limb prosthesis prototype, shaped according to user needs.
Provider: Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (TAČR)
FDA implementation team: Assoc. Prof. MgA. Zdeněk Veverka, Mgr. Tomáš Chochole, Ph.D.
Joint project with the Regional Technology Centre and the Faculty of Health Care Studies, UWB
Project duration: 2023–2025
Research Innovations in Prosthetics
Project number: 339
Programme: Cross-border Cooperation Programme / Czech Republic – Free State of Bavaria, ETC Objective 2014-2020
Main project implementer: Faculty of Health Studies, University of West Bohemia in Plzeň (CZ)
Partners: Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art and Faculty of Mechanical Engineering / Regional Institute of Technology of the University of West Bohemia in Plzeň (CZ), Technische Hochschulle Deggendorf / TC Cham (DE)
Associated partners: Protetika Plzeň s.r.o., Otto Bock ČR s.r.o., OT Süd Orthopädietechnik GmbH, Fachklinik Osterhofen GmbH
Implementation period: 01 July 2021 – 31 December 2022
The project is focused on the development of research innovations in prosthetics through new design approaches, construction technologies and 3D printing. The core of the project is the development and strengthening of joint research capacities in knowledge and research institutions using the Czech-Bavarian multidisciplinary research team. It closely cooperates in all four stages of implementation and all activities, exchanges experience and uses joint research capacities. The aim of the project is to develop new methods of shape, construction and 3D printing solutions for the production of an external prosthesis bed for a myoelectric prosthesis of the upper limb. The research teams of the UWB in Pilsen and THD Deggendorf / Cham Technology Campus cooperate in the project activities. The project also involves 4 association partners from the field of prosthetics, which allows the testing of prosthetic prototypes on a selected group of patients. Although the entire ecosystem of designing and manufacturing an outer bed in an additive form is already beginning to be commercially tested in prosthetics, it has not yet achieved satisfactory results. Thus, the consortium of cross-border partners still has a large space for joint technological research and testing directly in practice. For this reason, the project has a strong innovation potential and its outputs can eventually find their use in the application sphere, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises focused on prosthetics in the Czech-Bavarian region.
Student Interdisciplinary Innovations in the Czech-Bavarian Region
Project number: 284
Programme: Cross-border Cooperation Programme / Czech Republic – Free State of Bavaria, ETC Objective 2014-2020
Main project implementer: Faculty of Health Studies, University of West Bohemia in Pilsen (CZ)
Partners: Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art, University of West Bohemia (CZ), Technische Hochschulle Deggendorf / TC Cham (DE)
Associated partners: Institute of Spas and Ballneology, v.v.i, Léčebné lázně Mariánské Lázně a.s., Bayerischer Heilbäder-Verband e.V., Mittelbayerisches Rehabilitationszentrum Bad Kötzting
Implementation period: 01 July 2020 – 31 August 2021
The project focuses on the elimination of language and system barriers in education and its adaptation to changed conditions in the common labour market. Two partner universities, in cooperation with four associated partners, participate in its implementation. The main project objective is to increase the competence, knowledge and skills of partner school students through practical training to achieve their better position on the labour market in both regions. A partial content topic is the joint work of students on solving the innovation issues in the field of spa treatment with a focus on better functioning of the balneotherapy operations in the Czech-Bavarian region. Students of both participating schools work in interdisciplinary Czech-Bavarian teams, and project partners are consulted on their innovation proposals on an ongoing basis. The students thus use their theoretical knowledge and verify it in practice, and further develop their competences, social knowledge and skills.
For the Common Future
Project number: 07/23
Programme: Cross-Border Cooperation Programme / Czech Republic – Free State of Bavaria / Euroregion Šumava – South West Bohemia – Disposition Fund Manager
Main project implementer: Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art, University of West Bohemia in Pilsen (CZ).
Partners: Faculty of Health Studies, University of West Bohemia in Pilsen (CZ), Technische Hochschulle Deggendorf (DE)
Implementation period: 1 September 2019 – 31 August 2021
The aim of the interdisciplinary project is to develop a prototype of an innovative electric vehicle for elderly and physically disabled persons. It uses an already existing golf cart chassis, on which a new body is developed. Within the project, the best design ideas are selected with regard to ergonomic and health requirements in the context of the needs of the target group of the vehicle users and the latest environmentally friendly technologies. As part of the project, students work in interdisciplinary teams to increase their competencies, knowledge and skills through practically resolved assignments.
Interprofessional Education of Student Teams
Project number: 64
Programme: Cross-border Cooperation Programme / Czech Republic – Free State of Bavaria, ETC Objective 2014-2020
Main project implementer: Technische Hochschule Deggendorf (DE)
Partners: Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art and Faculty of Health Studies, University of West Bohemia in Pilsen (CZ)
Implementation period: 01 September 2016 – 31 August 2019
The project focuses on the elimination of language and system barriers in education and its adaptation to changed conditions on the common labour market. The main project objective is to increase the competences, knowledge and skills of partner school students through practical training to achieve their better position on the labour market in both regions. A partial content topic is the joint work of students to solve the issue of improving the conditions for increasing the self-sufficiency of seniors in both cross-border regions. Over the course of 6 semesters, student interdisciplinary teams work on thematic assignments and develop innovative products that help improve the self-sufficiency of seniors and disabled people at home with a focus on improving food intake, hygiene, home movement control and medication use. The teams are composed of students of technical disciplines (THD) and designers, occupational therapists and physiotherapists (UWB in Pilsen). The project outputs are implemented in the form of demonstrators, and their functionality is tested in cooperation with seniors of associated partners.