The Educational and Research Centre in Transport (ERCT) is a part of the University of Pardubice, Faculty of Transport Engineering, and constitutes unique and specialized facility for teaching and research in engineering and technology related to transportation. It contains labs and classrooms with modern equipment and special technologies. ERCT provides facilities for laboratory classes for the Faculty of Transport Engineering and concentrates experimental activities in projects and commercial research.
Close collaboration with organisations, research institutes and industrial partners in the field of transport enables interconnection of theory and practical needs and experience and thus offers new opportunities and complex view of the studied problems. ERCT was built in 2011–2013, sponsored by structural funds of the EU, state budget of the Czech Republic and university's funds, thus creating a strategic centre for development of educational and research activities.
Building
ERCT is located in a two-floor building in the Technology centre in Doubravice, with a car park and adjacent area that can be used for work or tests; there is even a short section of narrow-gauge railway track.
Labs
The building contains laboratories with control rooms and underground testing premises. Some labs are provided with cranes that can be used for handling large equipment and tested objects.
Classrooms
There are two lecture halls with the capacity of 60 seats each, and smaller facilities for teaching in specialized classrooms and labs.
Computer labs
ERCT offers three computer labs with a total of 37 stations, equipped with engineering software – CAD, FEM tools, vehicle dynamics simulations etc.
Technical support
ERCT also contains workshops provided with machines and tools for preparation of test specimens, modification of test machines as well as common repairs and maintenance.
Staff
To take care of the activities of the ERCT, there are 12 academic and non-academic staff. Members of other departments of the faculty do research and teaching here as well.
The Educational and Research Centre in Transport is divided into seven sections which are described in a separate article. Together, they cover the fields of road and rail vehicles, transport structures, electric engineering and electronics as well as material science applied to transport. Thanks to concentration of all labs in a single faculty department and a single building, the sections efficiently collaborate to solve complex research tasks related to transport engineering and technology.
