The task of the BAT (Best Available Technique) Centre of the University of South Bohemia is to create and operate a scientific centre where it will be possible to work at a high scientific level in laboratory, semi-operational and operational conditions, using cutting-edge measurement technology in line with Council Directive 96/61/EC of September 1996 concerning integrated pollution and prevention control (IPPC – Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control) developed in BREF BAT Reference Document and implemented into the Czech legislation by Act No. 76/2002 Coll., on Integrated Pollution and Prevention Control and on the Integrated Pollution Register (last amended on 19 February 2013), and Act No. 86/2002 Coll., on Air Protection and on Amending Certain Other Acts, as amended by later regulations.

The centre took it upon itself to verify new BAT technologies in the areas ranging from air protection, wastewater, processing of livestock excreta to land application thereof, feed industry, energy, training of workers, and similar.

The designed technologies are purposely verified in semi-operational and operational conditions directly on farms, and their widespread use after verification will be achieved by other projects. It is necessary to eliminate the randomness of the solutions of some BATs by consistent coordination of the proposed topics solved by means of diploma, Bachelor and doctoral theses, or by execution of other grant projects and cooperation with the Technical Working Group for area 6.6. under Act No. 76/2002 Coll., on Integrated Pollution and Prevention Control, which group is attached to the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic.

Verified results of new BATs will be applied in cooperation with foreign experts during the revision of BREF. It can be assumed that in the course of the next revision of BREF for livestock farming in 4-5 years, it will be possible to submit, on behalf of the Czech Republic, a range of newly verified BAT technologies in the area under study.

The BAT Centre of USB is operated under the Department of Technology and Cybernetics.

Since the BAT Centre of the University of South Bohemia was established, several Bachelor and diploma theses have been successfully presented and defended, a great number of peer-reviewed scientific papers have been written and presented at international conferences and there have been many contributions in impacted journals. The first doctoral thesis was successfully defended in autumn 2013.