On 10 September 2024, the 5th Annual Conference of the Foreign Investment Association was held at the CNB. The conference focused on supporting the innovation environment in the Czech Republic and was entitled The Future of the Czech Economy: investment, decarbonisation and global influences, and during the conference AFI awarded innovative companies.
The conference, which offered insights into current trends and the latest topics of the economic and investment environment through the eyes of leading experts, was attended by over two hundred guests from among leading Czech economists, top managers of successful Czech and foreign companies, as well as representatives of foreign embassies, representatives of the public sector and the media.
"Today's conference helped to set a mirror to the Czech investment environment and for me the key issue is the trust and positive mood of the whole society that investment and development are necessary and we have to stand together for them across the political scene. I am pleased that this year we were able to offer the conference participants inspiring and attractive panel discussions, in which key topics such as the impact of deglobalisation on investment or the decarbonisation of the Czech Republic and its economic impact were raised. I believe that this conference helped to underline that we need to fundamentally change our investment environment and approach to industrial policy," says Kamil Blažek, Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Association for Foreign Investment - AFI.
In the individual discussion panels, in addition to leading Czech economists, representatives of the state sphere and managers of major companies operating in the Czech Republic, the spring-appointed Director General of the CzechInvest agency Jan Michal and the Director of Panattoni Development CZ & SK Pavel Sovička spoke.
The ceremonial part of the programme was dedicated to the awarding of the AFI 2024 Annual Awards.
Vitesco Technologies, a company specialising in the development and production of drive systems for the automotive industry with an emphasis on vehicle electrification, was awarded the Award for Significant Achievement in the Field of Investment. The jury recognized the company's extensive expansion, which has seen it invest in the development and production of advanced propulsion systems. The company's Czech domestic office employs several thousand people and plans to offer another 1,000 jobs. As part of the expansion in the new location (Ostrava-Hrušov), the company plans to invest up to CZK 5 billion, one of the largest expansions in its domestic history.
The AFI and CzechInvest Award for Innovative Idea of the Year went to Born Digital for its Digital Man project, applied specifically to cybercrime investigations in the Central Bohemia Region. Their Digital Investigator, developed using AI technologies, assists the Central Bohemian Region Police in investigations by autonomously communicating with prosecutors, banks, domain providers and other relenat parties, automatically anaylyzing case data or creating visualizations of financial flows of stolen money, etc.
The award for Long-standing Contribution to the Investment Environment was given to the duo Aleš Cáb and Josef Švejda, representatives of the management of onsemi. Aleš Cáb and Josef Švejda have long played key roles in the development of innovative technologies and their introduction to the market. Under their leadership, onsemi has become a major employer and investor in the Czech Republic and has contributed significantly to the development of the local economy. Both awards emphasize long-term cooperation with universities and research institutions, and their mentoring and support help new generations of professionals to bring innovative ideas to the Czech investment environment.
"The stories of the awarded companies always fill me with optimism that the Czech Republic has something to offer to major investors. At the same time, the discussion panels are also very enriching, as they show a number of challenges that, if overcome, can make our country even more friendly for all entrepreneurs, regardless of their background. The decarbonisation of industry, for example, is a very important process, but one that is certainly worth undertaking. The result will be greater energy independence from third countries and long-term operational savings, i.e. greater competitiveness for the Czech and European economy," commented Klára Sobotková, Regional Development Director at Panattoni and Vice-Chair of the Steering Committee of the Association for Foreign Investment - AFI, on the awards and topics of the Annual Conference.
Kamil Blažek, Chairman of AFI, added: "I would say that a large part of the nominations this year are united not only by the search for efficiency and the use of artificial intelligence tools, but also by a certain line of social overlap. I congratulate all the winners not only on their awards, but especially on the great projects they can be proud of. And I sincerely look forward to seeing what direction this development will take and what nominations we will read next year."
Each year, the Association for Foreign Investment - AFI presents its Annual Awards to recognize companies and individuals for their efforts to drive innovation and technological advancement with both regional and long-term implications. Last year's awards went to Czech companies Nebesys and Kvados and former president of the Confederation of Industry Jaroslav Hanák.
