As of Friday, MUNISS inter-university competition knows its winners. A team of students from Masaryk University, Brno University of Technology and Mendel University presented a project focused on the circular economy and the quality of the external environment in the Technology Park Brno. Matej Sršeň from the Faculty of Economics and Administration is one of the members of the winning team.
To identify existing and then propose new procedures for using smart technologies in the Technology Park Brno was the task which three student teams had to tackle. The winners submitted a project called Technology Park Brno as a Gateway to the World of Technology. The students proposed innovative and environmentally friendly solutions that address the development of public spaces and green areas using the principles of circular economy.
According to the Vice-dean for External Relations and Partnerships from ECON MUNI Sylva Žáková Talpová, three words have long resonated through the MUNISS competition: cooperation, Brno and tradition. "The collaboration of students from different disciplines brings them a unique overlap, which is a highly desirable quality for candidates on the job market. Thanks to the assignment from the city of Brno, it is possible to make students think about the city and participate in its development," she explains, adding that ECON MUNI has co-organized the competition for eleven years.
The winner from the ECON MUNI Matej Sršeň appreciates especially the fact that he had the opportunity to collaborate with other ambitious students from different disciplines and universities. "It helped me to understand how a group of individuals with diverse backgrounds can make a work environment more effective with different ideas and thoughts. The competition also enriched me with new insights into the circular economy. I also discovered how difficult it really is to plan the implementation of a project in detail," says Sršeň.
Several activities awaited the participants of MUNISS. For example, they took part in an idea workshop with Czech experts and went on an excursion to Vienna, which included a meeting with local experts on smart cities. "The experience that students gained thanks to this unique competition is valuable both for the project itself and for their future practice," adds Talpová. Matej Sršeň confirms this. "It was interesting that before this experience I observed three Brno universities more or less competing with each other. But the MUNISS competition showed me what can happen when these institutions cooperate," he summarises.
MUNISS inter-university student competition has been organised by the Brno City Municipality since 2011. The theme of this year's competition was Technology Park Brno as an urban laboratory. The students could choose one or more thematic areas, which they subsequently elaborated in detail. They could focus on the circular economy, efficient use of energy or the quality of the external and internal spaces of the complex. Three teams consisting of students from three Brno universities developed proposals during one semester, which were then evaluated by an expert jury. The award ceremony took place on Friday 26 May. The winners received 65,000 CZK. A total of 150,000 CZK was distributed among all the participating students. The ideas of all three teams have so impressed the management of the Technology Park Brno that they plan to implement them in the future.
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