Wrap-up: National Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) Workshop in Prague

Last Updated: 25/04/2025 06:56     Created at: 25/04/2025 06:56

On April 15, 2025, in Prague, Czechia, the Czech Ministry of Transport, and the NAVISP Programme of the European Space Agency hosted a significant PNT workshop that brought together more than 45 participants from Czech industry and academia. The workshop highlighted the role PNT technologies play on market sectors like mobility, precision farming, drones or space.

Mr. Václav Kobera, Director of Space Activities and New Technologies Department of the Czech Ministry of Transport opened the event stressing the ambitions of Czechia to lead its own Space developments and how PNT could enable this aspiration. This keynote speech was followed by presentations on Czech Space and the role PNT plays on society.

Following the opening remarks, the NAVISP team presented the programme goals, objectives and future direction. The presentation offered detailed explanations of each NAVISP programmatic element, outlined opportunities for participation, and provided insights into enabled PNT innovations. Furthermore, they engaged in discussions regarding upcoming opportunities, technical challenges, and the ongoing market developments within the PNT sector. Czech industry like Huld, Exact Control System or Eltvor Instruments showcased their projects and results. Dronetag presented their journey across ESA’s initiatives and why they decided to apply for NAVISP to develop a new product. These testimonies illustrated Czechia’s manufacturing strength and individual talent to overcome difficulties and bring new solutions for customer problems.

The afternoon session focused on different opportunities by different speakers: AŽD Praha showed how railway regulation offers opportunities for new industry for location and safety; the Czech University of Life Sciences underscored how Czechia, despite being the largest precision farming market in Europe, has difficulties to realise that potential and how PNT could help in this field; finally, the GNSS Centre of Excellence presented its role as networking facilitator between PNT industry and some of the largest Czech corporates and state institutions.

Finally, delegates joined one-to-one discussions, fostering collaboration and idea exchange among participants. Overall, the event provided a dynamic platform for networking, knowledge sharing, and collaboration within Czechia's growing PNT sector, enabling stakeholders to align on the strategic importance of PNT and explore collaborative opportunities for its advancement.