The Czech Republic on the Way From the Assembly Plant to the Brain Room

The digital transformation of the economy represents an opportunity to move the Czech Republic among the most developed countries in the world. However, its successful achievement is conditional not only on close and intensive cooperation between the public and private sectors, but also on significant investment in research, development and innovation.

The Czech Republic has a long-term vision, The Country For the Future, which aims to open up the country to innovative ideas and unleash the full potential of robotics, automation and other trends based on Industry 4.0. This strategy presents a roadmap for transforming the domestic economy from an assembly plant based on cheap labor to a think tank creating high value-added products and services.

The global Coronavirus pandemic has fully exposed the weaknesses of the Czech economy. In addition, the working environment is also being transformed. The home office has gone from a welcome benefit to a practically normal standard in professions that allow it. At the same time, questions have arisen as to what the offices of the future should look like or how to ensure suitable working conditions for working from home. We could find many similar examples.

What is the state of Czech science and research? What are the obstacles to faster development of the digital economy? Can the Czech economy afford to automate its production capacities more significantly? What has the Coronavirus pandemic revealed? Will working from home become a fixed part of our working life? In what direction is the working environment changing? And will we see a four-day work week?