On April 1, 2025, the Mařík Institute of Informatics, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Cybernetics (MICARC), named after Prof. Vladimír Mařík, founder and scientific director of the Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics and Cybernetics (CIIRC) of CTU, will be inaugurated in Jaipur, India. The institute was established at NIMS University. The opening of the institute is an example of the developing very promising cooperation between the Czech Republic and India based on scientific cooperation, exchange of knowledge and capacities using the potential of both countries. The inauguration of the Institute will be attended not only by the Czech delegation, but also by Indian officials, the Czech Ambassador to India Ms. Eliška Žigová and other distinguished guests.
A key role in this initiative has been played by RICAIP (Research and Innovation Centre on Advanced Industrial Production), a strategic European project that interconnects testbeds for Industry 4.0 across Europe. The RICAIP Testbed Prague, operated at CIIRC CTU, served as a model infrastructure, providing methodological support and expert consultations for setting up MICARC’s facilities. This new institute will become a vital part of a growing network of distributed testbeds, strengthening collaboration in AI-driven industrial innovation not only within Europe but also with partners in the Indo-Pacific region. Thanks to strong ties between NIMS, CIIRC, and MICARC laboratories, this network is set to expand, offering unique opportunities for joint research and industrial applications beyond the EU.
Moreover, MICARC’s establishment aligns with the broader goals of the AI-MATTERS and INPACE projects, which aim to foster transcontinental cooperation in AI and smart manufacturing. The infrastructure and expertise developed within RICAIP will empower MICARC to become a leading center for AI deployment and industrial experimentation in India, bridging the gap between academia and industry on an international scale.
How it begin?
The MICARC (Marik Institute of Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Cybernetics) project was launched in 2023, when the foundation stone of a new scientific institution at the private NIMS University in Jaipur, the capital of the Indian state of Rajasthan, was laid. Inspired by the successes of the CIIRC CTU and the vision of its founder Prof. Vladimir Mařík, the university wanted to create a similarly innovative science centre focused on artificial intelligence. CIIRC CTU, especially through the RICAIP Testbed Prague as a model infrastructure for Industry 4.0, provided methodological support in the construction of the centre and helped with the design of equipment that is compatible with artificial intelligence laboratories in the Czech Republic and Europe. RICAIP forms an interconnected network of testbeds in Prague, Brno and Saarbrücken, Germany, which further collaborate especially in the field of AI and Industry 4.0 with dozens of other labs and institutions in Europe.
During the visit of Prime Minister Petr Fiala to India in January 2024, the progress in building MICARC was presented at NIMS and a Memorandum of Cooperation between CIIRC CTU and NIMS was signed. The latter is already underway, among others, within the framework of the European Union-supported INPACE project, which promotes digital partnerships and deepens cooperation between Europe, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Singapore.
The future of cooperation
According to Prof. Vladimír Mařík, the opening of MICARC is an important step for the development of mutually beneficial cooperation: ‚We see it as opening the way for the Czech engineering community to India, which is very forward technologically and economically. We see this as a long-term investment that is in line with the European Union’s plans and the Czech Republic’s intentions to turn to this region.“ India, which invests massively in the development of artificial intelligence and has a long tradition of technical education, offers Czech and European universities and companies huge potential for collaboration and partnership. This journey can symbolically begin with the opening of the Mařík Institute for Artificial Intelligence.
NIMS AI-Con 2025 International Conference (1 – 3 April)
The opening of MICARC will also include the prestigious international conference NIMS AI-Con 2025, which will focus on applications of artificial intelligence in industry, medicine, biomedicine, smart cities and other areas. Invited speakers include:
- Ikuo Mizuuchi (Tokyo University of Agriculture, Japan)
- Vladik Kreinovich (University of Texas EL Paso, USA)
- A Min Tjoa (Vienna University of Technology, Austria)
- Millie Pant (IIT Roorkee, India)
Representation of CIIRC CTU at the conference
- Vladimír Mařík
- Ondřej Velek
- Josef Šivic
- Jan Šedivý
- Olga Štěpánková
- Miroslav Svitek
- Karel Košnar
- Václav Hlaváč
- Pavel Burget
- Vít Dočkal
- Martin Macaš
- Petr Šamánek
