The European Commission has approved the continuation of the EDIH CTU project – the European Digital Innovation Hub focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, coordinated by the Czech Technical University in Prague – for a further three years. The hub has successfully passed a demanding European evaluation and will receive continued support under the Digital Europe Programme. The decision confirms that EDIH CTU is among the key European players supporting the digital transformation of small and medium-sized enterprises and the public sector in the Czech Republic. The partnership structure of EDIH CTU remains almost unchanged, as does its headquarters at the Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics and Cybernetics (CIIRC CTU), which also coordinated the preparation of this second phase of the project.
During the first phase over the past three years, EDIH CTU delivered a broad portfolio of services helping companies and public institutions introduce digital technologies into real-world operations – from technical validation of innovations prior to deployment (the so-called Test Before Invest), through access to top-tier infrastructure such as the RICAIP Testbed Prague at CIIRC CTU or robotics and digital technology laboratories of other involved CTU units, to expert consultancy, tailored education and training programmes, and support with identifying suitable funding sources or preparing projects.
To date, EDIH CTU has collaborated with dozens of small and medium-sized companies across a wide range of sectors – from industry and energy to services and education. In the industrial domain, it supported ALAD CZ in developing scalable software for robotic welding of tanks, which automatically generates safe robot trajectories from technical documentation, speeds up production preparation and reduces the risk of errors. For the company DeFINE, a predictive model of demand for electric vehicle charging in office buildings was developed, enabling more accurate capacity planning, cost savings, and potential deployment in other buildings or cities. For Critically, EDIH CTU unified data collection and visualisation from devices in intensive care units, providing doctors with a comprehensive overview of patients and preparing the solution for expansion to other hospitals. In cooperation with SOFA, a tool was created that transforms standard texts into short learning units, helping students with learning disabilities to better focus and enabling schools to deploy the tool easily across subjects and grade levels.
For public administration, EDIH CTU supported the deployment of digital solutions in cities and hospitals that contribute to greater transparency and efficiency. Examples include the development of a system for predicting container fill levels as part of smart waste collection in Prague, or the automation of administrative processes at Motol University Hospital and the National Institute of Public Health. The hub also contributed to the development of specialised applications and assistants, such as the ADAM chatbot, which enables the Audit Authority of the Czech Ministry of Finance to efficiently process thousands of pages of regulations and documentation related to projects funded from European funds.
“In the second phase, we are expanding our services with new competencies, with a strong focus on supporting the smooth deployment of AI,” says Barbora Zochová, Director of EDIH CTU, adding: “We will newly offer an AI Helpdesk to help companies and public authorities navigate not only the requirements of the European AI Act so that they use AI in compliance with regulations, but also to provide expert support related to the implementation of AI-based technologies in companies and the public sector. For this purpose, a dedicated contact form has already been set up on our website, through which interested parties can contact the EDIH CTU office, which will arrange connections to relevant consortium experts as well as other specialised companies closely cooperating with us.” In addition to technology validation before investment, education and skills development, financial and innovation consultancy, and support for the innovation ecosystem, the AI Helpdesk will provide clients with practical legal and technical consultations, risk assessments and recommendations for the safe deployment of AI systems.
“In line with the European Commission’s strategy, EDIH CTU cooperates not only with other European hubs, but will newly act as an access point for potential users to key European AI innovation infrastructures, such as AI Factories or networks of testing and experimentation facilities (TEFs),” adds Prof. Vladimír Mařík, Scientific Director of CIIRC CTU. “Thanks to our institute’s involvement in all these key networks and projects, EDIH CTU has a unique starting position.”
This cooperation will enable companies and public institutions to introduce artificial intelligence step by step and without unnecessary barriers. It will help ensure that AI technologies are deployed efficiently, responsibly and in line with European rules, and that research results reach practical application more quickly. EDIH CTU will serve companies and public institutions as a guide through the wide range of European tools and services – from AI regulatory sandboxes to the AI-on-Demand platform, which provides access in one place to verified data, tools, research results and practical AI solutions from across Europe.
From January 2026, the project will be funded under the Digital Europe Programme, with the necessary condition of co-financing from national sources. EDIH CTU brings together strong partners; in addition to CTU, these include the Association of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (AMSP), the Research Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation of the Chamber of Commerce (VUPI), the prg.ai association, the Prague Innovation Institute (PII), the Innovation Centre of the Ústí Region (ICUK), and the Czech-Moravian Centre for Breakthrough Technologies. Thanks to top-level infrastructure and experienced expert teams from CTU and partner institutions, EDIH CTU will continue to help Czech organisations strengthen their competitiveness, develop innovation, and make use of trustworthy, human-centred artificial intelligence both nationally and in the European context.
