The MICARC (Marik Institute of Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Cybernetics) project was launched in 2023, upon laying a foundation stone of a new scientific institution at the private NIMS University in Jaipur, the capital of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Inspired by the successes of the Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics and Cybernetics  (CIIRC) at Czech Technical University (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 Research and Innovation Centre on Advance Industrial Production (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.

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 technologically and economically very forward. 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.

The opening of MICARC also included 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. The innaguration of the institute was attended  by the Czech delegation, Indian officials, and  the Czech Ambassador to India Mrs. Eliška Žigová  along with other distinguished guests.

Source: https://www.ciirc.cvut.cz/ 

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