Prof. Karel Kolomazník Received State Honour
30. October 2018Prof. Ing. Karel Kolomazník, DrSc., researcher and teacher employed at the Faculty of Applied Informatics (FAI) of Tomas Bata University in Zlín (TBU), received the Merit Medal of the First Degree. During the award ceremony held to mark the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Czechoslovakia, Prof. Kolomazník was awarded the Medal by the President of the Czech Republic, Miloš Zeman, in recognition of his distinguished service provided to the state in science and education.
“The State Honour of the First Degree awarded by the President of the Czech Republic is the greatest accomplishment not only for me personally but also for my whole research team,” said the laureate.
Prof. Karel Kolomazník (born in 1938) is counted among leading Czech experts in the processing and use of waste produced by leather processing, food and textile industry. He is the only Czech laureate of the Rolex Award for Enterprise, which is also referred to as the “Mini Nobel Prize”. He is also the author of the Czech patent on the production of biodiesel from waste fats and oils, and of the European patent on the deproteinization method of waste fats and oils. Results of his research find application in tanneries in Argentina, Brazil, India, Canada, Mexico, the USA and in European countries as well. Technologies developed by Prof. Kolomazník are employed by companies such as NIKE and ECCO. Moreover, he is a holder of a number of international scientific awards, such as the EUREKA Gold Medal of the EU, a special award conferred by the Belgian Ministry of Agriculture, the US Scientific Achievement Award as well as the ALSOP Award. In the Czech Republic, he received the Siemens Award, the Czech Innovation Award and the most significant scientific accolade – the Czech Brain Award.
“I have known Prof. Kolomazník as an outstanding expert and a wonderful person for many years. I am convinced that he is a well-deserved laureate of the State Honour given in recognition of his research work,” summed up Prof. Petr Sáha, Rector of TBU.