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Program a robot, design a mobile app, create a prototype on a 3D printer or get acquainted with virtual reality and biometrics - these are just some of the things prepared for the participants of the 16th (F)IT Summer School for Girls. The event, which will take place from 22 to 26 August 2022 at the Faculty of Information Technology BUT, is designed for all female high school students who are interested in or attracted by IT. The five-day event will introduce them to different areas of information technology and the latest trends, but most importantly, they will have the opportunity to try everything out in practice. For more information, visit the event's website at http://holky.fit.vutbr.cz/.

Current challenges and new results of cyber security research will form the programme of the European Conference on Security Research in Cyberspace. In addition to topics such as cybercrime, safe artificial intelligence, protection of critical infrastructures of the state and education, and prevention in cyber security, it will offer a practical demonstration of the latest laboratory equipment. Held on the occasion of the Czech Presidency of the EU by Masaryk University, the Technical University in Brno and the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic, the international conference will take place from 12 to 14 September 2022.

"Cybersecurity is a complex phenomenon that requires close cooperation between security forces and top research universities at state level," explained Radim Polčák, Masaryk University's Vice-Rector for Development, Legislation and Information Technology. "Our university has been at the forefront of the Czech cyber security system, and the results of our research in various fields of informatics, law, social sciences and humanities still contribute to keeping us at the forefront of this field in Europe."

Over the course of three days, the conference will bring together scientists and representatives of security forces, such as the Czech Police and the Security Information Service, and other state institutions and commercial companies. The conference will focus on topics such as secure artificial intelligence, modern cryptography, the creation of an international quantum network and image processing. It will also discuss cybersecurity education, speech and cybercrime mining, and network forensic analysis.

Bart Preneel, a professor at the prestigious University of Leuven, Belgium, and the head of the renowned research group COSIC, will be the keynote speaker at the conference. Professor Preneel has long been involved in information security, cryptography and privacy. In the past, he also served as president of the International Association for Cryptological Research. He is the author of more than 400 scientific publications and 5 patents.

Another main topic will be education and prevention in cybersecurity. This will include discussion of cyber arenas for skills training, awareness-raising in the field of quantum threats, and vocational training. Delegates will have the opportunity to visit modern laboratories recently opened to researchers at BUT. "With the advent of new technologies and the current international situation, we cannot expect a decrease in the number of cyber-attacks," said Jan Hajný, a leading expert on cryptography and cyber security at the Brno University of Technology. "On the contrary, we need to prepare for more frequent and complex attacks, which may have stronger effects on our daily lives and the running of the state. It is therefore important that we not only talk about the future of technology and cyber security, but that we are adequately prepared for such scenarios. This will also be one of the topics of the Brno conference."

The conference will also present the concept behind the National Research and Development Plan in the field of cybersecurity, as well as focusing on new opportunities to support cybersecurity research, both at national (Czech) and European level, especially in terms of technological trends, application of results in practice (opportunities and limits in transmitting results) and tools to support security programmes at national level. "Within the framework of the Czech presidency of the Council of the European Union, the conference provides a unique opportunity to present cyber security research as a key part of the security research system in the Czech Republic," said Petr Novák, director of the Department of Security Research and Police Education of the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic.

The three-day event will take place at several faculties of Masaryk University and the Brno University of Technology. The conference is held under the auspices of the city of Brno. Detailed information, including the registration form, is available at www.eu-secres.eu. Registration for the conference is mandatory, but there is no registration fee.

The event is organized within the framework of the Czech presidency of the Council of the EU and is financed from projects VJ01030001, VJ01030002, VJ01030004 and VJ01030007 of the Ministry of the Interior Strategic Support for Security Research Development 2019-2025 (IMPAKT 1).

On Wednesday evening, the Faculty of Information Technology celebrated the 20th anniversary of its foundation on 1 January. At the gala evening organised in the Brno City Theatre, the Dean of FIT Pavel Zemčík presented the FIT gold and silver medals. The Faculty was also congratulated on its anniversary by the Minister of Education Petr Gazdík, the Mayor of Brno Markéta Vaňková and the new Rector of BUT Ladislav Janíček.

The 1st of January 2022 marked twenty years since the establishment of the BUT Faculty of Information Technology. The anniversary was celebrated at a gala evening attended by staff, students and invited guests. "At the very beginning, there was an effort to give room to a dynamically developing field, which was then beginning to have a growing social impact. In twenty years, the Faculty has become an integral part of education and research in the Czech Republic and I am happy that we have made a name for ourselves in Europe and the world. FIT has grown considerably in that time and I am glad that we have managed to preserve the values with which we founded it," said Pavel Zemčík, Dean of the BUT Faculty of Information Technology.

Over the past 20 years, information technology has become one of the driving engines of Brno's economy. "And the Faculty of Information Technology has also played a part in this. It cultivates cutting-edge research and knowledge it can pass on to students. This is extremely important for the whole of society," said Minister of Education Petr Gazdík.

Minister of Education, Youth and Sports Petr Gazdík.

Markéta Vaňková, the Mayor of Brno, also congratulated the Faculty on its 20th anniversary at the gala evening. "The Faculty has helped to change Brno since its founding. Also thanks to FIT, South Moravia is turning into a knowledge-economy region. By building its unique campus, it has helped to change and beautify the face of Královo Pole," said Markéta Vaňková.

Ladislav Janíček attended the ceremony as the first official event in his new role as Rector of BUT. "The Faculty not only educates top engineering graduates, but it is one of the most efficient at BUT in terms of obtaining international research grants, as well as national funding. It performs very well in contract research and collaboration with the industry, including knowledge transfer and the establishment of spin-off and start-up companies. I wish the Faculty many excellent applicants, students, employees and graduates in the decades to come and at least equally successful and even better results in research, including in collaboration with the industry," said Rector of BUT Ladislav Janíček.

The Faculty was also congratulated on its anniversary by the Mayor of Brno Markéta Vaňková and the Rector of BUT Ladislav Janíček.

The Dean of FIT presented gold and silver medals at the ceremony. The celebrations will culminate on Saturday 30 April, when the FIT Festival will take place on the campus of the Faculty of Information Technology in Božetěchova street. For more information, visit www.fitslavi20.cz.

Veronika Lacinová, granddaughter of Zdeňka Rábová, receives the gold medal from the Dean of FIT.

List of awardees:

Gold medals

• prof. RNDr. Milan Češka, CSc. - for outstanding work in the field of theoretical computer science and merits for the development of the Faculty
• prof. Ing. Václav Dvořák, DrSc. - for merit for the establishment and development of the faculty and outstanding work in the field of computer hardware
• doc. Ing. Zdeňka Rábová, CSc. (in memoriam) - for her lifelong contribution to the Faculty and her work on modelling and simulation methods
• doc. Ing. František Zbořil, CSc. - for outstanding work in the field of intelligent systems and merits for the development and operation of the Faculty

Silver medals

• Ing. Rudolf Čejka - for merits for the operation of computer technology at the Faculty and its development
• doc. Dr. Ing. Otto Fučík - for excellent work in the field of programmable hardware and embedded systems
• doc. Mgr. Lukáš Holík, Ph.D. - for outstanding work and achievements in the field of theoretical computer science and verification
• Ing. Radek Kočí, Ph.D. - for representing the Faculty and BUT in the Council of Higher Education Institutions and for his work in the Academic Senate
• doc. Ing. Ondřej Ryšavý, Ph.D. - for his excellent work in research on cybersecurity of computer networks
• Ing. Aleš Smrčka, Ph.D. - for merit in education and research on reliability and security of computers and systems

Performance at the Brno City Theatre on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Faculty.

PHOTO: Majda Slámová