Swanson School of Engineering

Learning about both engineering and history of the Czech Republic while in Prague surely helps to show how interconnected the disciplines actually are. For example, we learned about how the geographical location gave the Czech Republic an advantage over other nations. In addition, it also had a diverse demographic, and approximately one third of the population of engineers in the Czech Republic were German. This elevated the country’s level of technical talent. It truly demonstrated how engineering progress is not solely based on technical expertise, but could also be based on access to resources, and therefore that innovation and engineering is often connected to historical circumstances. . Currently, one resource available is the Central Bohemian Innovation Center. One way in which they help start-ups is by using their established connections in industry and building the bridge between academia and industry.