FZU

What FZU does

FZU (Fyzikální ústav Akademie věd České republiky / Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences) is a public research institution (v. v. i.) founded in 1953 and headquartered in Prague, Czech Republic, operating under the Czech Academy of Sciences. The institute conducts fundamental and applied research across crystallography, solid-state physics, materials science, and electron microscopy, and is structured into research divisions including a Division of Solid State Physics. FZU develops and distributes proprietary crystallographic software — Jana2020 (structure analysis of standard, modulated, and magnetic structures), Superflip (dual-space structure solution), and PETS/PETS2.0 (electron diffraction tomography processing) — through its Department of Structure Analysis. These tools are supported by patented methods, including two 2025 patents on crystal structure determination and refinement, and are made available free of charge to academic users globally via jana.fzu.cz. The institute maintains an active international partnership network of more than 100 institutions, including CERN, the University of Oxford, Charles University, and Palacký University Olomouc, and contributes to joint laboratories and EU-funded training networks (e.g., Horizon 2020 MSCA-ITN NanED).

FZU's business model is anchored in public institutional funding from the Czech Academy of Sciences, supplemented by competitive research grants from national agencies (GAČR, MEYS) and international programs (EU Horizon 2020, MSCA-ITN, EXPRO, ERC). A secondary revenue stream comes from patents and licensing of its proprietary software and methods to academic and industry partners. The institute operates a community-led go-to-market motion: Jana2020 and related tools are disseminated through workshops (Jana workshops, now in their 55th edition), academic publications in top-tier journals (Nature, Science, Nature Chemistry), public outreach (Science Fair, Open Days, Night of Scientists), and direct collaborations. End users span academic and research institutions, pharmaceutical companies needing absolute configuration determination, and secondary/tertiary students engaged through Open Science internships and educational programs. FZU's notable scientific achievements include a record 1.25 million contribution to the Cambridge Structural Database using FZU-developed electron diffraction methods, a Nature publication on new types of magnetism (altermagnetism) in 2026, and recognition through the Czech Academy of Sciences Academic Award, multiple Otto Wichterle Premiums, Neuron Prizes, and an EMU Medal for Research Excellence.

Name

FZU

Legal name

Fyzikální ústav Akademie věd České republiky, v. v. i.

Website

https://fzu.cz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

FZU (Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences) is a Prague-based public research institute conducting fundamental and applied physics, developing proprietary crystallographic software (Jana2020, Superflip, PETS), and serving academic, industrial, and student communities worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Prague

HQ country

Czechia

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Institutional Funding: FZU is a public research institute funded primarily through the Czech Academy of Sciences and government research programs. Core operational funding comes from public institutional sources.
2. Research Grants: Competitive research grants from national agencies (GAČR - Czech Science Foundation, MEYS) and international programs (EU-Horizon2020, MSCA-ITN, EXPRO). Active grants include projects on crystallography, electron nanocrystallography, mineralogy, and magnetic structures.
3. Patents and Licenses: Revenue from licensing proprietary software (Jana2006/Jana2020, Superflip, PETS) and patented methods to academic institutions and industry.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

FZU is a public research institute conducting fundamental and applied research in physics, with primary specialization in crystallography, solid-state physics, materials science, and electron microscopy. Its commercial outputs are proprietary crystallographic software (Jana2020, Superflip, PETS/PETS2.0) distributed globally to researchers, patented methods for crystal structure determination licensed to industry and academia, and contract research / structure analysis services for academic and industrial partners.

Product overview

FZU is a research institute (Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences) that develops and distributes crystallographic software products. The core products are Jana2020 (the main crystallographic computing system), PETS/PETS2.0 (electron diffraction data processing), and Superflip (crystal structure determination). These are made available through the Jana website (jana.fzu.cz) and are used by researchers worldwide for X-ray, neutron, and electron diffraction analysis. FZU also provides workshops and training for these software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Jana2020: Crystallographic computing software developed at the Institute of Physics for structure analysis of aperiodic and magnetic structures.

Products and services

• Jana2020 Crystallographic computing system for structure analysis of standard, modulated, and magnetic structures from X-ray, neutron, and electron diffraction data. Developed and distributed by FZU for academic and research users worldwide.
• PETS (PETS2.0) Software for processing electron diffraction data, particularly precession electron diffraction tomography data. Enables visualization and analysis of diffraction patterns for structure determination of nanocrystals.
• Superflip Crystal structure determination software using dual-space iterative algorithms for solving crystal structures from diffraction data.
• Crystal Structure Analysis Services Contract research and structure determination services for academic institutions and industry, including absolute configuration determination of chiral molecules and analysis of modulated and magnetic structures.

Quantifiable outcome

• Record 1.25 million in Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) achieved by FZU team using electron diffraction method
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• EU-Horizon2020 MSCA-ITNcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2021European Union Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions - Innovative Training Networks funding program. FZU participates through the Electron Nanocrystallography (NanED) project, providing training and research in advanced crystallographic methods.
• European Crystallographic Association (ECA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECA Special Interest Groups on aperiodic crystals (SIG3) and electron crystallography (SIG4) collaborate with FZU on Jana workshop series and scientific conferences.
• CERNminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational research collaboration in particle physics and related fields. Part of FZU's 100+ partner institutions worldwide.
• University of OxfordminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partnership. One of FZU's international university collaborations.
• Charles University (Univerzita Karlova)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint laboratory - Common Laboratory of Low Temperatures located at Charles University Faculty of Mathematics and Physics. Major Czech academic partnership.
• Palacký University OlomouccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint laboratory - Common Laboratory of Optics located at the Faculty of Science. Established academic collaboration.
• Czech Technical University in Prague (ČVUT)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partnership with Czech technical university.
• University of Chemical Technology Prague (VŠCHT)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partnership with Czech chemistry-focused university.
• Institute of Physics of the CAS (FZU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPALS Research Centre collaboration. Shared facility for laser research with other institutes of the Czech Academy of Sciences.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research: MPI for Solid State Research is a major European academic research institute focused on solid-state physics, materials science, and crystallography. Comparable to FZU as a peer public research institute with overlapping physics and materials research, but based in Germany and operating at a larger scale.
• Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin: Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin operates large-scale research infrastructure including BESSY II synchrotron used for crystallography and materials research. Comparable to FZU as a peer European public research organization in the physics and crystallography domain, but with a stronger focus on large-scale user facilities.

Direct peers

• International Centre for Diffraction Data (ICDD): ICDD maintains the Powder Diffraction File, a widely-used database for phase identification and crystallographic analysis. Comparable to FZU and CCDC as a mission-aligned organization serving the global crystallography community with reference data and standards.
• Phenix (Los Alamos National Laboratory): Phenix is a comprehensive software suite for macromolecular crystallography developed through a multi-institutional collaboration led by Los Alamos. Directly comparable to Jana2020 as a competing crystallographic computing platform, though focused on macromolecular rather than aperiodic/modulated structures.
• Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre (CCDC): CCDC maintains the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's primary repository for small-molecule crystal structures, and collaborates directly with FZU. Both organizations serve the global crystallography community with research, data, and software, making CCDC FZU's closest direct mission peer.
• OlexSys: OlexSys develops and distributes Olex2, a widely-used open-source crystallographic software platform for small-molecule structure visualization and refinement. Directly comparable to Jana2020 as a competing crystallographic computing system serving the same academic and research user base.

Broad incumbents

• Bruker Corporation: Bruker is a major manufacturer of X-ray crystallography, electron microscopy, and structural analysis instrumentation used by pharmaceutical and academic crystallographers worldwide. Comparable to FZU as a globally significant crystallography technology provider, but operates as a broad commercial instrument vendor rather than a focused research institute.
• STOE & Cie: STOE & Cie manufactures X-ray diffraction and crystallography instrumentation, particularly for powder and single-crystal diffraction. Comparable to FZU in the crystallography ecosystem but as a specialized equipment vendor rather than a research and software provider.
• Rigaku Corporation: Rigaku is a leading global manufacturer of X-ray diffraction, crystallography, and protein crystallography instrumentation. Comparable to FZU in the crystallography domain, but as a broad incumbent equipment manufacturer with a full commercial product portfolio rather than a research-led software and methods provider.

Others

• DECTRIS: DECTRIS manufactures hybrid photon counting detectors used in X-ray crystallography and electron diffraction experiments. Comparable to FZU as an enabling technology provider in the crystallography ecosystem, but as a specialized detector vendor rather than a research or software organization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCIPld5N8WgcMrD6UmigVD3Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/FZUAVCR
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/institute-of-physics-of-the-czech-academy-of-sciences
• Instagraminstagram.com/FZU_AVCR
• Xx.com/FZU_AVCR

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about FZU