On Friday, 20 March 2026, the Faculty of Agriculture and Technology of the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice welcomed a group of students from the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria. The visit took place as a follow-up to the collaboration established within the Interreg ATCZ00217-TASTE project.
The project also involves a research team led by Gregor Maier-Lehner from the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, focusing on the potential use of photovoltaic systems in crop production. These joint project activities created an opportunity for an expert meeting between students and academic staff from both institutions.
The programme of the visit to FAT USB was intensive and offered students insight into both teaching and research activities at the faculty. Upon arrival, they visited the laboratories of the Department of Crop Production, where, together with their academic supervisors, they were introduced to various methods of analysing plant materials used in research projects. In the practical part, students carried out a BCA protein assay in dry matter samples and performed titrimetric determination of acidity in plant oils, including data evaluation.
The next part of the programme took place at the Department of Technology and Cybernetics. Here, students were introduced to applications of computer vision in agriculture and industry, learned the basics of UAV utilisation, and attended a practical demonstration of drone operation.
The full-day programme concluded with an excursion to the national brewery Budějovický Budvar. Students and their academic staff returned home with new knowledge, inspiration, and contacts for potential future collaboration.