PROGRAMME · 12TH EDITION

Programme

21 OCTOBER 2026 · NEXT ZONE, PRESLOVA 25, PRAGUE 5

A conference morning with a keynote, three discussion panels and an inspirational intermezzo on the security, resilience and sustainability of Czech businesses, followed in the afternoon by the Smart Business Exhibition & Technology Open Day. Admission is free of charge with registration.

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MORNING · 09:00–13:45

Conference programme

09:00 – 09:30
REGISTRATION
Doors open, registration
Moderated by
  • Tereza Šamanová CzechInno and EDIH Cybersecurity Innovation Hub
09:30 – 09:50
OPENING
Opening of Smart Business Festival CZ 2026
Opening remarks
  • Malgorzata Nikowska Head of Unit A4, DG CONNECT, European Commission
  • Pavel Vinkler Director General, Business and Digitalisation Section, Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic
09:50 – 10:15
DEBATE
The national, European and global background: where are we, and what lies ahead in the near future?

Opening debate: How do Czech and European companies fare in security, resilience and sustainability?

Speakers
  • Malgorzata Nikowska Head of Unit A4, DG CONNECT, European Commission
  • Pavel Vinkler Director General, Business and Digitalisation Section, Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic
10:15 – 11:15
PANEL I
Security in the age of artificial intelligence: where are we, and where are we heading?

How Czech companies are doing on security, and what the new challenges are:

  • Trends in effective defence against (cyber)attacks – what recent years have taught us
  • Data dependence or independence? On whom, and why?
  • AI: an opportunity or a threat for Czech companies?
Panellists
  • Jakub Čegan Head of the Testing and Analysis Team, EDIH CIH (CyberSecurityHubCZ)
  • Luboš Fendrych Head of the Research, Development and Innovation Department (NÚKIB – National Cyber and Information Security Agency)
  • Luboš Řádek Head of Security (CRA – České Radiokomunikace)
  • Leoš Boháč CZ QCI (Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague)
  • Ondřej Beránek AI Matters TEF (Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics and Cybernetics, Czech Technical University in Prague)
11:15 – 11:35
BREAK
Networking break
11:35 – 11:45
KEYNOTE
Digital transformation – a key or a lock for the growth of Czech companies?
  • Jiří Holoubek President of the Electrotechnical Association of the Czech Republic, Board Member of the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic and Member of the Research, Development and Innovation Council
11:45 – 12:35
PANEL II
The resilience of Czech companies in the whirlwind of recent years

The challenges Czech companies currently face, and how we can help them:

  • Digital transformation: an opportunity for growth, or a path to technological dependence?
  • People vs technology: what matters more to the leadership of Czech companies today?
  • How does building company resilience relate to digital solutions?
Panellists
  • Jiří Holoubek President (Electrotechnical Association of the Czech Republic)
  • David Pešek EDIH CTU (Faculty of Information Technology, Czech Technical University in Prague)
  • Daniel Hejda CEO (Cyber Rangers)
  • Matěj Novák LUMI AI Factory (IT4Innovations, VSB – Technical University of Ostrava)
12:35 – 12:45
INSPIRATIONAL INTERMEZZO
Ukrainian companies building resilience and sustainability despite the war
  • Alexandre Yurchak President of the Ukrainian Cluster Alliance, Director of the Association of Industrial Automation of Ukraine
12:45 – 13:35
PANEL III
The sustainability of Czech SMEs – who and what can help it, where, and what can undermine it?

Sustainability of Czech companies in the broadest context:

  • What to make use of and what to watch out for in new Czech and European legislation
  • How to tame artificial intelligence effectively through regulation
  • The energy aspects of digital solutions
Panellists
  • Václav Stupka NCC-CZ and EDIH CIH projects (Masaryk University and CyberSecurityHubCZ)
  • Jakub Masri EDIH-DIGIMAT (JIC)
  • Andrea Faltusová EDIH NEB coordinator (Regional Development Agency of the Liberec Region)
  • Jan Hrdlička Project Manager, EDIH Brain4Industry (Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences)
13:35 – 13:45
CLOSING
Conclusions and closing of the Smart Business Festival CZ 2026 conference programme
AFTERNOON · 13:45–15:00

Hands-on part

13:45 – 15:00
EXHIBITION
Smart Business Exhibition & Technology Open Day

Exhibits of projects and activities supporting the security, resilience and sustainability of Czech businesses. Exhibition and consultation points of the organisations working on the key topics of Smart Business Festival CZ 2026.

WORKING LANGUAGES: CZECH AND ENGLISH, WITHOUT INTERPRETATION · SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Registration for the 2026 edition is free of charge.
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