AI-MATTERS at Smart Business Festival CZ 2025: Czech companies have an open path to European AI
At this year’s 11th annual Smart Business Festival CZ 2025 on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, Ondřej Beránek, head of the Czech office of the European AI MATTERS network, gave a presentation on specific examples of the implementation of artificial intelligence for small and medium-sized enterprises. This was a traditional meeting of experts, entrepreneurs, academics, and representatives of public institutions. The festival focused on current issues of digital transformation, cyber security, and the sustainable development of small and medium-sized enterprises in the Czech Republic.
Smart Business Festival CZ 2025 is regularly organized by CzechInno in cooperation with the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic, the European Commission, and the European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH) network. This year’s edition, subtitled “Security, Resilience, and Sustainability of Czech Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in the Digital Era,” took place on October 22, 2025, at the Next Zone in Prague at the Smíchov Secondary Technical School and Gymnasium under the auspices of the National Cyber and Information Security Agency. The event focused on key areas of digital transformation, cybersecurity, resilience, and sustainability of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Czech Republic.
Ondřej Beránek was one of the panelists in the panel discussion “Security and Resilience in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Where Are We and Where Are We Headed?” In his contribution, he presented the Czech node of the AI MATTERS – TEF (“Testing and Experimentation Facility”) project, new possibilities for testing and deploying AI solutions in a real industrial environment, and the state-of-the-art infrastructure of industrial testbeds at participating technical universities in Prague, Brno, and Ostrava. In his presentation, he outlined specific opportunities for companies to test and deploy AI-based solutions with minimal risk and maximum effect. He also pointed out that small and medium-sized enterprises no longer have to wait for large corporations – available testing capacities and financing mean that even smaller companies can experiment with AI solutions and thus strengthen their competitiveness.
The discussion focused on new types of cyber attacks, the issue of data dependency, ethical aspects of AI use, and opportunities that the emergence of so-called “AI gigafactories” could bring to the Czech economy. Other panelists included Daniel Všetečka from the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic, Luboš Fendrych from NÚKIB, Leoš Boháč from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague with the CZ QCI project, Martin Duda from VŠB–TU Ostrava as a representative of EDIH Ostrava, LUMI AI Factory, and Czech AI Factory, and Jan Hrdlička from the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences as a representative of EDIH Brain4Industry. The panel provided specific recommendations on how Czech companies can strengthen their resilience in both online and physical environments—for example, by utilizing the computing capacity, testing and consulting services represented by the projects – and also to use the potential of artificial intelligence effectively, but also responsibly and safely, for example by carefully evaluating what data will be shared with AI tools. Those present agreed that in the coming period, the path to the safe use of AI will lead primarily through education in small and medium-sized enterprises and pressure to incorporate the topic of artificial intelligence into companies’ security and development strategies.
The networking break was followed by a second panel discussion entitled “Sustainability of Czech small and medium-sized enterprises – who, what, and where can strengthen or threaten it?” The discussion focused on the impact of digitalization on sustainability, new Czech and European legislation, the energy aspects of digital solutions, and the balance between hardware and software in the context of corporate strategy. Václav Stupka from CyberSecurity Hub and the National Cybersecurity Coordination Center project, Martina Le Gall Maláková from Industry Innovation Cluster SK, Andrea Faltusová from the Liberec Region Regional Development Agency, who also represented EDIH NorthEast, Tomáš Pitner from the ACDRC project – a research and development center focusing on chips and semiconductor work, which was established last year in Brno with the support of the Taiwanese government, Veronika Večeřová from Intemac Solutions, who also presented the activities of EDIH-DIGIMAT, and Michal Leština from Misterine as a direct representative of Czech small and medium-sized enterprises.
Both panels confirmed that the key to long-term prosperity in the Czech business environment is a combination of secure digitization, open cooperation, and a responsible approach to technology. The festival concluded with a summary of the conclusions and a practical section, the Smart Business Exhibition, where participants could learn about projects and activities supporting the development of security, resilience, and sustainability in Czech businesses.
Exhibition and consultation areas for Czech EDIH projects Cybersecurity Innovation Hub, EDIH CTU, EDIH NorthEast, AI Matters TEF, EIT Manufacturing Representative Czechia, NÚKIB and its National Coordination Center for Cybersecurity, and Enterprise Europe Network Czech Republic provided space for personal meetings with experts, sharing experiences, and establishing new partnerships.
Smart Business Festival CZ is an annual platform that promotes smart, secure, and sustainable business in the Czech Republic. The event is traditionally organized by CzechInno in cooperation with the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic, the European Commission, and partners from the European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH) network.
Smart Business Festival CZ 2025 was held with the support of the European Commission (Digital Europe program) and the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic (National Recovery Plan) and under the auspices of the National Cyber and Information Security Agency. České Radiokomunikace became the main expert partner of the event.
Further information about the festival and its outputs is available at www.smartbusinessfestival.cz.
Using resources CzechInno and České noviny/ČTK.