Team news

Out Now : 2025 BRT Newsletter - Mid-Year Highlights

We’re excited to share key moments and milestones from the first half of 2025 at the BioResources and Technology (BRT) Division. This edition captures the energy, innovation, and collaboration that continue to define our work in sustainable development.

So far this year, BRT has contributed to international projects with activities spanning Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. We’ve hosted public outreach events, welcomed interns from around the world, shared our research at global conferences, and more. Our members have also taken on new leadership roles and launched new collaborations, strengthening BRT’s impact both locally and globally.

Visiting Internship Insights – Mihir Ghandi

To broaden and develop our teams’ collaborative skills while offering visiting students the chance to expand their scientific networks and gain cultural experiences, BRT encourages students to join our team for internship opportunities. These internships aim to facilitate idea exchange, foster professional growth, and create opportunities for collaboration. 
  
Recently, we hosted Mihir Gandhi, a student from the United States. Read his introductory blog HERE. 
  
Enjoy reading about his experience with BRT! 

Engineering Solutions and Cultural Connections in Bhutan

To broaden and develop the professional skills of our team members and widen their scientific network and cultural experiences, the BRT encourages its students to embark on internships and academic mobilities. These internships are connected to their scientific journey and enable them to have hands-on, practical and in-field experiences, which are critical to their future careers. The internships help to hone their communication, time management, teamwork, problem-solving, and leadership skills, all of which are highly valued assets in young scientists. 
 
Our PhD student, Antoine Bercy, shares insights from his experience at the Jigme Engineering College of the Royal University of Bhutan. 
 
Enjoy reading as he takes you on his journey! 
 

New Project Launched to Tackle Mine Water Pollution in Zambia’s Copperbelt

New BRT project, MWAZACO (Mine Water Atlas of Zambian Copperbelt), has officially launched! On July 23rd 2025, the project was launched with the goal of addressing one of Zambia’s most pressing environmental and public health challenges: the contamination of water resources caused by decades of intensive mining in the Copperbelt Province.
 
The project, funded by the Czech Development Agency (CzechAid) and implemented by Future Resources Development z.s. (FRDA), in partnership with the Copperbelt University (CBU), the Mines Safety Department (MSD)HYDRO-PUROPV and the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CZU), the project will run from 2025 to 2027.
 

CZU Leads the Way: Hynek Roubík on the Objectives of BIO-CAPITAL

What does it take to coordinate a European research project tackling one of the most urgent challenges of our time - the financing of biodiversity? In a short interview as part of the BIO-CAPITAL project "Meet the BIO-CAPITAL Team" video series, BRT Director Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hynek Roubík, shares his perspective on the project's ambitions and his role at the helm.
 
Representing the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CZU), BIO-CAPITAL Project Coordinator Hynek Roubík explains that his coordination role is all about ensuring the smooth and timely delivery of work across a diverse, international consortium. But it’s the broader vision of the project that stands out.

New Paper Published! Biogas for a Circular Economy: Pathways for the Global South

BioResources and Technology Division (BRT) junior researcher and PhD student Tewodros Tarekegn Lapiso and BRT Director Assoc Prof. Dr. Hynek Roubík recently published an article!
 
Biogas technology leverages natural microorganisms to degrade organic waste via anaerobic digestion, converting waste into energy and fertilizer without the presence of oxygen. This approach supports circular economy principles by managing resources, circulating products and resources, and improving system efficiency, contributing to sustainable development. It is a viable solution for Global South Nations facing energy and fertilizer shortages and challenges in achieving sustainable development.