News

On Tuesday, September 23, a rapid chess tournament was held at the U Kachničky student club. Thirty-seven students from BUT, MUNI, and MENDELU participated, and teachers and graduates were also represented. Two qualified referees (both from FIT) supervised the tournament. The winner was Oleksii Shelest, also a student at FIT BUT.

This was not the first time such a tournament had been held at our faculty, and it was no coincidence. Competitions at Kachnička have been held regularly over the past five years. The events have had a great impact and success. For example, this year's third annual Interfaculty Team Tournament attracted two dozen four-member teams to Kachnička. It is certainly pleasing that the cup for the winners returned to home turf (the first year was dominated by the FIT BUT "A" team, and in the second year, the FSI BUT "A" team took first place). Our chess players also represent BUT in the online global University Chess Championship.

Why our faculty and chess tournaments? We have a lot of chess players, and since last academic year, FIT has also had its own Chess Club. This year, it is again led by a very experienced chess player and coach (one of the few in the Czech Republic with a 2nd class chess coach license), Bc. Ondřej Havelka. The chess club offers lectures on chess theory and demonstrations of interesting games. Of course, there is always time for the game itself, with experienced players helping less skilled players with tactical/strategic insights or by finding the right moves in a given position. The purpose of the chess club is to help players improve their chess skills and to bring together the chess community (not only) at FIT.

The club meets every third week of the semester (starting this week) on Wednesdays from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in Small Hall R211. You really don't have to be a chess master – the club is also suitable for beginners who will learn the basics of the game, master their first chess tactics, and understand the importance of piece coordination. Advanced players will enrich each other with tactics and insights from other players through games and subsequent analysis.

If you are interested, please contact the club organizer, Mr. Martin Benovič (xbenov00@stud.fit.vut.cz).

If you are considering moving your research towards a business venture and would like to receive specific recommendations and tips, then the Innovation Day event is just for you. It will take place on Monday, October 6, 2025, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the BUT Rector's Office (Antonínská 1, Brno).

What can the event offer you?

• You will learn about what the university's Knowledge Transfer Department (OTZ) offers in the area of business support and how it can support your business plan.
• You will understand the concept of the "startup/spin-off BUT" brand and the benefits of using it.
• You will learn about specific examples of successful companies that have emerged from the BUT environment, including Codasip, which is associated with our faculty. The Innovation Day will offer an opportunity to talk to the founders of companies that have achieved success on the international market.
• You will learn how the university approaches new legal provisions in the field of knowledge transfer and the direction in which support for entrepreneurial activities at BUT is heading.
• And, of course, there will be practical recommendations for the use of educational activities, competitions, and support programs for entrepreneurs.

The event will feature presentations by BUT Rector Prof. Ladislav Janíček, BUT Vice-Rector for Research and Knowledge Transfer Prof. Martin Weiter, entrepreneurs and BUT alumni Karel Masařík (Codasip), Milan Šimek (Sewio), and Jan Neuman (Nenovision), and many others.

Participation is free of charge, but prior registration is required. Please register via IS BUT by October 2, 2025, or until maximum capacity is reached.

For more information, visit the event website.

This initiative is part of Innovation Week, in which BUT is a key academic partner.

Last week, our researchers involved in the VASSAL project (funded by the EU Twinning program) had the opportunity to visit TU Graz and organize an introductory workshop with a dedicated forum as part of the Runtime Verification 2025 conference. The forum brought together researchers from the project and the wider runtime verification community. The workshop program included invited talks by leading experts, presentations by researchers from FIT, and selected contributions from the runtime verification community. Filip Macák, Milan Češka, David Chocholatý, and Tomáš Dacík presented their contributions on behalf of BUT; Roderik Valko introduced the VASSAL project.

Dr. Dejan Nicković (Austrian Institute of Technology) was invited to the workshop program. He is a leading expert in the field of runtime verification and cyber-physical systems, and his research focuses on time property monitoring, contract-based design, and real-time systems. Another guest was Wolfgang Ahrendt, professor at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg. His scientific contribution lies in deductive software verification, runtime verification, and combinations of static verification with runtime verification and testing.

Participation in the workshop itself demonstrates the scientific excellence of our colleagues, and the event also promoted a valuable exchange of experiences with the international community. The main organizer of the workshop, Milan Češka, gave a positive assessment of the event: "The atmosphere of the workshop was relaxed and friendly, but at the same time professionally at the highest level. As part of the VASSAL project, we are very pleased to have been able to be part of RV Graz 2025 and organize our own forum. During the workshop, we had the opportunity to hear inspiring contributions from our doctoral students and colleagues from TU Wien and CEA. I most appreciate that the program was designed to create space for open discussion and the search for new opportunities for collaboration." Discussions during the forum highlighted the importance of linking theoretical progress with practical challenges in the field of verification. For the VASSAL project itself, the event was a milestone in strengthening ties between institutions and demonstrated the project's role in shaping the future of reliable and verifiable systems.