CZECH
SEMICON DAYS
Celebrating 70 Years of Semiconductor Industry in Czechia
May 2025
PRAGUE
Platform for comprehensive discussions on the semiconductor industry in Czechia and its global context.
300+
Attendees in 2025
78
Companies in Czech Semiconductor Supply Chain
TOP 5
Global exporter of key foundry input products
Aftermovie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt7tDNxT2l4
Czech Investment Forum 2025
3:45 duration
Conference program
Moderator: Filip Horký
9:30
Registration
10:00
Word of welcome & opening speeches
Jan Michal, CzechInvest CEO
Jiří Drahoš, 1st Vice-President of the Senate, Parliament of the Czech Republic
Tomáš Pojar, National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister
Petr Očko, Director General for Digitalisation and Innovation, Ministry of Industry and Trade
Block 1 · The Semiconductor Industry in Czechia: Building on 70 Years of Innovation
10:15
Milestones, current ecosystem & national strategy
Michal Lorenc, Vice-President for Industry, Czech National Semiconductor Cluster; R&D Program Manager, onsemi — Milestones and current ecosystem
Jan Kobliha, Director of the Sectoral Expertise and Industrial Policy Department, Ministry of Industry and Trade — Czech National Semiconductor Strategy and program for developing Czech suppliers
Ondřej Votruba, Executive Director, Association for Foreign Investment (AFI) — Greetings from the Main Partner
Block 2 · Geopolitical Context of Semiconductors: Opportunities and Risks
10:45
Geopolitics of the semiconductor business landscape
Prof. RNDr. Jiří Blažek, PhD, Head of the Department of Social Geography and Regional Development, Charles University; Supply Chain Resilience Center
Panel discussion — Jiří Blažek · Marco Ceccarelli · Petr Knap · Pavel Freundlich
- The significance of semiconductors in global geopolitics
- Vulnerability of the global supply chain
- How global conflicts shape semiconductor markets and supply chains
- The Czech and European position in the global context
- EU Chips Act: reasons behind it, its implications, and its impact on Czechia
12:00
Lunch break
13:15
Opening speech of the afternoon block
Jana Havlíková, Deputy Minister for Science
Václav Kobera, Director of Intelligent Transport Systems, R&D and Innovation, Ministry of Transport
Block 3 · Future of Semiconductors
13:30
Future of semiconductors
Prof. Konrad Young, Former Vice President for R&D at TSMC; Professor in the Leadership Program, National Taiwan University
Panel discussion — Konrad Young · Jana Drbohlavová · Stefan Uhlig · Jan Pleskač
- Building partnerships between startups, suppliers, and investors
- The role of academia and government in fostering R&D and investments
- Key opportunities for the Czech Republic in the semiconductor ecosystem
- Future of the semiconductor industry — new materials and technologies
14:50
Closing remarks
Jan Michal, CzechInvest CEO
15:00–16:00
Networking
This program is subject to change.
Speakers
Our speakers comprise genuinely gifted minds
Speakers included leading experts such as Prof. Konrad Young, former Vice President for R&D at TSMC, and Prof. Jiří Blažek from Charles University. We discussed key issues such as the Czech National Semiconductor Strategy, global supply chain resilience, the EU Chips Act’s implications, and opportunities for Czech companies in the semiconductor ecosystem.
Dr. Konrad Young earned his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley. He worked as a researcher at MIT's Lincoln Laboratory and as a senior technologist at HP, and served as R&D Director at TSMC, where he led the development of advanced semiconductor processes including the 0.18-micron, 0.13-micron, and 65-nanometer technologies. He later worked as an independent director at SMIC and as a technical advisor to Intel. He is currently an adjunct professor in the Leadership Program at National Taiwan University.
Prof. RNDr. Jiří Blažek, PhD is Head of the Department of Social Geography and Regional Development at Charles University and a member of the Supply Chain Resilience Center. He is an economic geographer, author or co-author of five monographs and about 80 scientific papers on the evolution of regional innovation systems, global production networks, and regional and innovation policies. He collaborates extensively with organizations at the European, national, and regional levels (DG REGIO, DG RESEARCH, MRD, MIT, MEYS, CzechInvest, JIC and others). He served on the National Management Board for Smart Specialisation in Czechia and was a member of the Expert Group for the RIS3 strategy for the 2021–2027 period nominated by the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade.
Michal has over 30 years of experience in semiconductor research, development, and manufacturing. At Masaryk University, he focused on porous silicon, silicon-germanium alloys, and vibrational spectroscopy. Since 2000, he has worked at onsemi in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm, leading numerous R&D projects, including silicon crystal growth, silicon-on-insulator, gallium nitride, and silicon carbide wafer technology. Since 2023, he has been a member of the CZ/SK section of The International Microelectronics and Packaging Society and Vice-President of the Czech National Semiconductor Cluster, a key expert authority for the National Semiconductor Strategy and international semiconductor relationships within the Silicon Europe Alliance and with partners in Taiwan and the USA.
Jan is Director of the Sectoral Expertise and Industrial Policy Department at the Ministry of Industry and Trade and an experienced leader in industrial policy and digital transformation. With over a decade of experience, he has led national initiatives in technology and innovation, coordinating with the European Commission on projects such as the National Action Plan on Clean Mobility and the National Semiconductor Strategy. At the Permanent Representation of the Czech Republic to the EU, he coordinated the Competitiveness Council with a focus on the European Chips Act and international Digital Partnerships. Earlier roles include National Expert at the European Commission and Export Consultant at CzechTrade, including a leadership stint in Morocco.
Marco is Programme Officer for Microelectronics and Photonics Industry at the European Commission, where he contributes to shaping EU industrial policies and strategies in semiconductors. Following his direct involvement in the drafting and negotiation of the European Chips Act, he now plays a key role in its implementation, focusing on research and innovation, chip design, manufacturing, and financing instruments for innovative ventures. Before joining the Commission in 2017, he held managerial roles at Philips (NL) and executive positions in high-tech SMEs. He holds a Dr.Ing. Laurea in Electronic Engineering from the University of Florence and an Executive MBA from ESSEC Business School in Paris.
Petr has 30 years of professional experience and has led more than 100 consulting projects for the automotive, engineering, and FMCG industries in the CEE region. He is a member of the Council for Commercialization of Science at CTU and the Scientific Council of FPH at VŠE Prague. He regularly publishes and lectures.
Pavel is Vice President and CTO of the Power Solutions Group at onsemi. Based in Scottsdale, Arizona, he spearheads the development of cutting-edge semiconductor technologies at onsemi's 200 mm and 300 mm fabs for automotive and industrial power conversion, leading an international team of design, process integration, and modeling engineers. Under his leadership, the Power Solutions Group continues to innovate with advanced silicon, silicon carbide, and gallium nitride solutions for power switching devices. Pavel has been with onsemi for 22 years; prior to that he conducted research at the University of British Columbia and the Technical University of Ostrava. He holds a master's degree in solid state physics, a PhD in materials science, and an Executive MBA.
Jan is CEO and Co-founder of Tropic Square, where he drives innovation in open-source security for the semiconductor industry. An expert in chip design, architecture, and hardware security, he leads the development of TROPIC01, the world's first open-secure chip, successfully launched in February 2025. With a background spanning ASIC design, embedded firmware, and security evaluation, he is dedicated to advancing secure hardware and fostering a global community in the field. Before Tropic Square, he held key roles at Intel, Altera, S3 Group, and CLS.
Stefan holds an engineering degree in material science from the Technical University of Dresden. With over 10 years of experience as an engineer and scientist in process development at Fraunhofer and university institutes in microelectronics and photovoltaics, he joined Silicon Saxony in 2015. Since then, he has dedicated his enthusiasm and energy as project and cluster manager to building successful and sustainable network management — focusing on collaboration instead of competition and seeking partnerships in Europe and beyond.
Jana is Deputy Director and Coordinator of the Czech Semiconductor Centre. She focuses on the development of the semiconductor ecosystem in the Czech Republic, promoting innovation and cooperation between research and industry. She is active in education and the promotion of technical fields, especially microelectronics. After graduating in Physical Chemistry from Brno University of Technology and obtaining her PhD from Claude Bernard University in Lyon, she worked at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication Technologies and CEITEC BUT. From 2017 to 2023, she was seconded as a national expert to the European Commission's Directorate-General for Research and Innovation.
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