NTIS – New Technologies for the Information Society

What NTIS – New Technologies for the Information Society does

NTIS (New Technologies for the Information Society, in Czech: Nové technologie pro informační společnost) is a university-affiliated interdisciplinary research centre operated by the Faculty of Applied Sciences at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen, Czech Republic. Established as a European Centre of Excellence under the EU ERDF-funded OP VaVpI programme, the centre operates from a 12,000 m2 purpose-built facility housing approximately 190 researchers organised across six research programmes and 27 teams spanning cybernetics, robotics, mechanical systems modelling, information and bioengineering technologies, nanostructured thin-film materials, geoinformatics, and mathematical modelling. NTIS is one of eight designated centres of excellence in the Czech Republic and the only research centre of its kind in western Bohemia.

NTIS's core technology outputs include applied AI/ML systems for brain-computer interface neurorehabilitation, patient-specific cardiovascular modelling, digital twins for urban positive energy districts, tensor decomposition-based fault diagnosis, and quantum materials research. Deliverable research products include the RAVDAI AI platform for real-time audiovisual data processing, the award-winning DOAZARC digital archive of NKVD/KGB files, the open-source WebGLayer spatial data visualization library, and the Smart Depot autonomous tram control testing platform. The centre's commercial offerings are concentrated in R&D collaboration services (joint projects, contract research, technology transfer) and conference facility rental; it does not sell standalone commercial products.

NTIS is funded primarily through Czech government institutional support and targeted R&D project subsidies from domestic and EU providers, supplemented by contract research revenues and minor facility rental income. The 2024 annual operating budget is approximately CZK 230 million. Distribution is sales-led through direct partnership with industry (notably Škoda Transportation as flagship DigiTech partner) and academic institutions, with event-based marketing through the annual Let's NTIS conference series and a presence on LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube.

Name

NTIS – New Technologies for the Information Society

Legal name

NTIS – Nové technologie pro informační společnost

Website

https://ntis.zcu.cz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NTIS is a Czech university research centre of excellence conducting interdisciplinary R&D in AI, robotics, biomedical engineering, and geospatial systems, employing around 190 researchers and funded primarily by Czech government and EU grants. It serves industry partners such as Škoda Transportation and regional healthcare institutions through contract research and technology transfer.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Plzeň

HQ country

Czechia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government R&D Project Subsidies: Primary funding source from subsidies for targeted R&D projects from domestic and foreign providers
2. Institutional Support: Institutional support from the state budget of the Czech Republic
3. Contract Research: Revenues from contract research and transfer of R&D results to application sphere
4. Conference and Facility Rental: Revenue from renting conference halls and laboratory facilities

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

NTIS is a university-affiliated research centre that provides interdisciplinary R&D collaboration services, contract research, and technology transfer to industry partners, academic institutions, and public sector organisations. The centre combines six research programmes and 27 research teams across cybernetics, robotics, bioengineering, IT, geospatial data, thin-film materials, and mathematical modelling, leveraging 12,000 m² of laboratories and state-of-the-art equipment to deliver applied research outputs including patented technologies, software tools (e.g., RAVDAI, WebGLayer, DOAZARC), and knowledge transfer.

Product overview

NTIS is a university research center offering interdisciplinary R&D services rather than commercial products. The center provides research collaboration services, contract research, and technology transfer. Key offerings include specialized software tools developed by research teams such as the WebGLayer JavaScript library for spatial data visualization, the What'sThePlan urban planning portal, and the RAVDAI audiovisual data processing system. The center also offers conference facilities for rent and collaborates with industry partners including Škoda Transportation on applied research projects in robotics, autonomous systems, and AI.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Conference Hall Rental Rental of modern conference halls with 140-seat and 248-seat capacities, equipped with audio-visual technology, sound systems, and wheelchair accessibility, available for events, conferences, and workshops.
• Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) Systems BCI systems developed for neurorehabilitation applications that enable communication between brain signals and computer/robotic systems using machine learning and deep learning methods to identify patterns of electrical brain activity corresponding to imagined movement.
• RAVDAI - Real-time Audiovisual Data Description Tool AI-based system for real-time segmentation and description of audiovisual data, processing both audio and visual modalities including speech-to-text, scene classification, text extraction, and person detection.
• DOAZARC - Digital Archive of NKVD/KGB Files Integrated digital archive of NKVD and KGB documents relating to Czechoslovak history, with online accessibility and search capabilities, including OCR and named entity detection for historical source databases on political repressions.
• WebGLayer JavaScript library for interactive, exploratory visualisation of big spatial data on the web, developed by the Use of Open Data research team.
• What'sThePlan Portal Web portal offering services using data from heterogeneous open sources, including Location Evaluator for region analysis and Thematic Map Viewer for urban and regional planning.
• Smart Depot - Autonomous Tram Control Testing Evaluation ground for AI algorithm confidence in autonomous tram control, developing methods for analysis of safety-critical functions for localization and obstacle detection.
• R&D Collaboration Services Partnership and cooperation on national and international projects, collaborative and contract-based research, student thesis supervision, and technology transfer services for industry, academic, and public sector partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• CZK 230 million annual budget with 190 researchers (2024)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability12 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• ŠKODA TRANSPORT a.s.flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Main partner in DigiTech project (2024-2028) for R&D of technologies for advanced digitization in the Pilsen metropolitan area. Focus on robotics and control technologies, diagnostic and decision-making technologies, and monitoring technology.
• Výzkumný ústav geodetický, topografický a kartografický, v.v.i. (Research Institute of Geodesy, Topography and Cartography)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2010Project partner in NTIS construction project (2010-2014) with 3.25% contribution to qualified project expenses. Contributed to development of new theoretical methods in geodesy and their applications.
• ZAT a.s.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject partner in DigiTech R&D collaboration for advanced digitization technologies.
• Amitia s.r.o.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject partner in DigiTech and AI platform development projects, focusing on modular AI platform for inquiry-to-order processes.
• PROFESS, spol. s r.o.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject partner in DigiTech R&D collaboration for advanced digitization.
• COMPUREG Plzeň, s.r.o.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject partner in DigiTech R&D collaboration for advanced digitization technologies.
• LESPROJEKT-SLUŽBY s.r.o.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject partner in DigiTech R&D collaboration for advanced digitization technologies.
• SpeechTech, s.r.o.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in RAVDAI project for real-time audiovisual data description using AI, developing modular architecture for speech-to-text, image scene classification, text extraction, and person detection.
• SmartMotion, s.r.o.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Czech humanoid robotic platform project with cognitive functions for industry, services, and households.
• Innovation Path s.r.o.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner in digital solutions development project including software for automated accounting classification (KVĚTA) and AI predictive maintenance system.
• MIJAKL s.r.o.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner in Innovation Path digital solutions development project.
• RoadTwinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpinoff company from ZČU developing web application for traffic scenario simulation in (almost) real-time, partner in transportation research.
• Charles University, Faculty of Medicine in PilsencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject partner in biomedical research and healthcare integration project focusing on infectious diseases, cancer treatment, tissue regeneration, and reproductive medicine.
• FN Plzeň (Faculty Hospital Pilsen)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in biomedical research collaboration including hematology-oncology research, neurorehabilitation BCI systems, and healthcare integration.
• Bioptická laboratoř s.r.o.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in biomedical research integration project for Pilsen metropolitan area.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research): Dutch applied research organisation with a comparable mix of public funding, contract research for industry, and interdisciplinary programmes in applied AI, mobility, healthcare, and materials — a broader incumbent in NTIS's adjacent space.
• INRIA (French National Institute for Research in Digital Science and Technology): France's national public research body dedicated to digital science, AI, and robotics, with a similar mission of contract-based applied research, talent pipeline through PhD programmes, and technology transfer to industry.
• ETH Zurich: European public research university with interdisciplinary applied research in robotics, biomedical engineering, and AI, and a similar model of combining PhD education with industry-funded contract research — a much larger-scale institutional analogue.
• Imec: Belgium-based world-leading R&D centre in nanoelectronics and quantum materials with strong industry co-development model; comparable to NTIS's nanostructured thin-film materials research programme but at vastly larger scale.

Direct peers

• CEITEC (Central European Institute of Technology): Brno-based Czech Centre of Excellence operating under the same EU ERDF framework as NTIS, with overlapping life sciences, advanced materials, and nanotech research portfolios and similar institutional/government funding profile.
• Fraunhofer Institute: Germany's largest applied research organisation, operating ~75 institutes with mixed public/contract funding and applied R&D across AI, robotics, biomedical engineering, and materials science — a near-perfect functional analogue to NTIS at much greater scale.
• IT4Innovations National Supercomputing Center: Czech national supercomputing and AI research centre, operating under a parallel 'Centre of Excellence' funding structure with overlapping AI, big data, and simulation capabilities relevant to NTIS's mathematical modelling and AI programmes.
• VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland: Finland's national applied research centre, similarly funded by government and contract research, with comparable programmes in AI, biomedicine, quantum materials, and industrial digitalization, and a similar industry-academia hybrid mandate.
• Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics and Cybernetics (CIIRC): Czech technical university research institute focused on cybernetics, robotics, and AI — the closest functional peer to NTIS within the Czech Republic, sharing the same national Centre of Excellence status and overlapping industrial partnerships.

Regional players

• Czech Academy of Sciences — Institute of Computer Science: Czech public research institute with overlapping AI, machine learning, and computer vision programmes; a domestic peer operating in the same national funding ecosystem and competing for similar Czech R&D grants.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCIFOjHtzle_0dSeW5ZaWqw
• Facebookfacebook.com/ntis.zcu
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ntis-new-technologies-for-the-information-society

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about NTIS – New Technologies for the Information Society