Implementation of Innovations in Physics: Experience of the Czech Republic

This book examines the development of physical science in Czechia from 1993 to 2025, tracing the transformation of a strong Czechoslovak scientific legacy into a modern, internationally integrated research system. It analyses institutional continuity after the establishment of the independent Czech Republic, the modernisation of universities and institutes of the Czech Academy of Sciences, and the growing importance of European cooperation, mobility, shared instrumentation, and large research infrastructures. Particular attention is given to the transition from nationally organised scientific schools towards an infrastructure-based model of research in which domestic laboratories operate in close interaction with major European and global facilities.
The study provides a systematic overview of the principal achievements and specialisations of Czech physics during the period, including particle and nuclear physics, condensed matter, magnetism and spintronics, altermagnetism, optics and photonics, high-power laser physics, plasma and fusion research, astronomy and astrophysics, astroparticle physics, nanophysics, quantum technologies, and computational physics. It also examines the development of major scientific centres in Prague, Řež, Dolní Břežany, Brno, Olomouc, Ostrava, Plzeň, Opava, Liberec, and other regions. Special emphasis is placed on institutions and infrastructures such as the Institute of Physics, the Nuclear Physics Institute, the Institute of Plasma Physics, the Astronomical Institute, ELI Beamlines, HiLASE, COMPASS and COMPASS Upgrade, CEITEC, CANAM, and IT4Innovations, together with Czech participation in CERN, ESO, EUROfusion, FAIR, ESS, the Pierre Auger Observatory, and CTAO.
The book demonstrates that between 1993 and 2025 Czechia evolved from a country primarily rebuilding and internationalising its inherited scientific capacity into an active participant, co-developer, and host of European research infrastructures. This transformation was accompanied by the emergence of internationally visible Czech research directions, including high-intensity laser science, advanced fusion research, quantum optics, spintronics, and altermagnetism. By combining historical analysis with a review of institutions, research fields, infrastructures, and major milestones, the volume presents Czech physics as a polycentric research and innovation ecosystem characterised by scientific continuity, European integration, technological specialisation, and growing international significance.