Abstract:

An integral part of the preparation of university students of technical fields for their future profession is not only the acquisition of theoretical knowledge but also their practical involvement in solving real problems. For this reason, cooperation with industry, especially local companies, has proved to be very good. The form of this collaboration is various, whether it is a graduate work defined by companies (Bosh, Jihostroj) or research projects. These projects can be solved independently by students within the SVOČ (student scientific and professional activity) or as part of the major research challenges (e.g. Technology Agency of the Czech Republic), where the students are an important part of the team led by professional educators and tutors from practice.

Resolving research projects is a significant positive motivation for students for the future, as they will not only deepen their expertise but also gain valuable experience from practice and teamwork. As a bonus, they have the opportunity to create professional publications and to write a graduate work. Of course, the output of some research projects may also include utility models and patents, which will increase the employability of students.

In this article, we describe a positive experience with the involvement of students of the Institute of Technology and Business in České Budějovice, department of Mechanical Engineering, in research projects. These are projects that have resulted in successfully defended graduate work.

Keywords:

University-industry cooperation, students engagement, student scientific and professional activity.