BUT Department of Chemistry from 1992 to the present:

Shortly after the fall of the communist regime, a proposal for the re-establishment of the Department of Chemistry at BUT was formulated by leading Brno chemists. This was approved by the academic senate of the university on 26 May 1992. With the approval of the Ministry of Education’s accreditation commission, the department was re-established by a decision of the rector of BUT, Professor Ondráček, on 3 November 1992.

The Department of Chemistry was founded on a proverbial ‘green field’. Its beginnings, especially the lack of suitable premises for teaching and research, were very similar to the situation of the original chemistry department at the Brno Czech Technical College. With a few core employees and the support of the Faculty of Science at MU, the department started instruction in October 1992 for the first 27 students who had enrolled.

The spacious chemistry building on Žižkova Street was expected to be available at the beginning of 1993. However, by the decision of Rector Ondráček, it was assigned to the Department of Civil Engineering, leaving two unsuitable buildings on Veslařská Street available for teaching chemistry. The staff of the Department of Chemistry, under the leadership of its dean, Professor Lapčík, managed to renovate and equip these premises for teaching. There was great interest in studying chemistry, and, by 1996, these buildings were no longer sufficient for the 450 students enrolled.

The situation improved with the reconstruction of the former Meopta plant on Purkyňova Street, to which an annex was added. This investment project was also managed by Dean Lapčík, who, together with his colleagues from the department’s management, also formulated its strategic direction.

The beginning of the new millennium was characterised by the transition to a three-tier education system. A milestone in the development of research activities was the establishment of the Materials Research Centre in 2010. Its modern equipment increased cooperation with foreign departments and industrial enterprises several times. The Department of Chemistry is, therefore, systematically fulfilling its vision of being a research-oriented and internationally recognised institution linked to the needs of industry.