On behalf of the Steering Committee, I have the pleasure of inviting you to the 4th Central European Technology Forum CETEF’24, which will be held on 18 and 19 November 2024 in the Auditorium Maximum of the Jagiellonian University. The main thematic path of this year’s CETEF will be the problems of international scientific and industrial cooperation in emerging and breakthrough technologies.

Europe has made a special contribution to the development of science and technology. It was in this part of the world that the first industrial revolutions took place, it was in Europe that revolutionary theories were born, which are the foundations of modern science. In recent decades, however, we have been observing a shift in the frontier of technological research to other parts of the world. Further development of advanced technologies and high-tech industry requires a huge concentration of intellectual, material and financial capital, exceeding the capabilities of many small and even medium-sized European national economies. An indispensable condition for Europe to maintain its leading position, especially in technical sciences, is the development of scientific, technological and financial cooperation between EU countries, the creation of international research teams, especially in technologies that determine the achievement of the goals of digital and energy transformation.

During the two-day CETEF’24 conference, politicians, managers, scientists and technologists representing these countries will discuss how to strengthen and make more effective European scientific and technical cooperation, how to increase the participation of Central and Eastern European countries in it. I am deeply convinced that the CETEF’24 conference will make a valuable contribution to improving the instruments of European innovation and research development programs and will contribute to the expansion of international cooperation and the establishment of many personal contacts.

I wish all CETEF’24 participants a fruitful meeting.