Centre of Excellence

Scientific Board

MSc. Igor Kočiš

Igor Kočiš is a leading researcher and innovator who has more than 10 years of experience in the research and development of plasma technologies for deep geothermal boreholes as well as their use for disintegration and milling of materials. For more than 10 years, he has also worked in the field of ICT for data security and encryption. He graduated from the Slovak technical university – Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics in Bratislava. He is the co-author of various research strategies and strategic documents for research and development. In GA Drilling, he has gradually built a multidisciplinary team of top and experienced researchers, that are able to meet even the most demanding research challenges. He is co-author of several patents in the field of clean technologies, renewable energy sources and ICT. As a top researcher, he has extensive experience with projects, industrial research and development, whether at national or international level, as well as projects co-financed by the EU Structural Funds. He was appointed by the Ministry of Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic as a representative of the Slovak Republic within the framework of the European Technology Platform in Brussels.

MSc. Tomáš Krištofič

Tomas is a leading researcher with more than 20 years of experience in research and development in the field of pulse sources for plasma drilling, geothermal energy technologies and ICT. He graduated from the Slovak technical university – Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics in Bratislava. He has been a long-standing member of the European technological platform JTI Artemisia which is focused on research and development of strategies and Intelligent Embedded Systems as a key enabling technology for the most important industries. He has also gained valuable experiences in his previous occupation in IT company where he has been involved in high-end data protection and encryption technologies. He is the co-author of many patents in the field of renewable technologies and ICT. He has participated in several research projects in the R&D Operational Programme, on research projects under the 7th Framework Programme of the European Union, as well as in many ICT projects and various internal projects. In many of them, he was also responsible for managing research and development teams and steering the research.

MSc. Ivan Kočiš, PhD.

is an excellent scientific researcher who has more than 45 years of experience in IT and engineering areas, geothermal energy and plasma processes. He has worked in leading positions in large enterprises and successful startups. He has collaborated on the development of strategic research document and has many years of experience in leading scientific teams. He is the author and co-author of several patents in the field of renewable technologies and information technology. He has worked for many years as a head researcher in various ICT companies, where he was responsible for the R&D strategy and he has worked as a representative on the European Technology Platforms as well. In 1974, he was awarded the State Prize for Science and Technology Development. He was awarded the national prize of Czechoslovakia for his contribution to research and development. Prior to 1989, he was director of the Department of Research and Development of Robotics and Automation at the Institute of Technical Cybernetics of Slovak academy of sciences (SAS). As part of his work at the Institute of Cybernetics SAS he has devoted himself to the research of robotics, sensors and microprocessor systems. In the years 1990-1992, he was an adviser for science and innovation to Alexander Dubček, chairman of the FZ ČSFR. Between 1992 and 2000, as director of INFOTRANS he achieved with the company leadership in the Slovak security market. In 2007 he was a member of the Board of Advisers of the Slovak Prime Minister for Innovation and co-authored the Slovak Republic’s strategy in this field. As a senior researcher he participated in several research projects in the Operational Programme Research and Development, the 7th Framework Programme of the European Union, as well as on other internal projects.

MSc. Ľuboš Slovák, M.A.

is an experienced senior project manager and director of project department. He participated in the preparation and implementation of several successful projects within the Operational Programme Research and Development, Operational Programme Competitiveness and Economic Growth and the 7th Framework Programme of the European Union. He graduated from the Department of International Relations and Diplomacy at the Faculty of Political Science and International Relations at Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica. He later extended his studies at the University of Bonn in Germany. In the companies where he worked, he was responsible for submitting project applications, coordinating project partners, preparation of projects agreement, preparing and submitting payment applications, monitoring and follow-up reports, reporting results to European commission or national authorities. He was responsible of active addressing and acquiring of new project partners.

MSc. František Simančík, PhD.

Dr. Ing. František Simančík is an expert in non-ferrous metals, composites and technology for their production and processing. He oversaw many research projects as lead coordinator. Five of his research projects funded from ERDF resulted to the project Excellence Center for Composites Research for Engineering, Building and Medical Applications in Bratislava (CEKOMAT) and the Innovation Center for Light Metals and Composites in Žiar nad Hronom. He has co-authored more than 300 professional publications and 30 patents.

Project Information

GA Drilling is part of the research consortium of partners, who were together in this project involved in research of plasma high-productive material processing and additive structure formation. Within the project, we created the organizational structure of the Center of Excellence as well as ensuring research equipment infrastructure and personnel capacities to perform demanding research tasks.

“Through the implementation of this project, we have confirmed the fact that the co-operation of several subjects with various related specializations and knowledge is the best way to carry out demanding and complex project research in the field of plasma processing of materials and additive structure creation. Extensive knowledge and new information we have gained in the project aid us and help us to continue this research path also in the long run. Furthermore, it is possible to establish other scientific research projects based on this knowledge that will have the potential to bring globally useful know-how in mentioned areas of research.”
MSc. Igor Kočiš, project coordinator

The state of knowledge and research on the use of high-energy thermal plasma is given mainly due to the results of development of plasma generators for space research, waste disintegration, metallurgy, protective materials coating and nuclear technology research, mainly fusion. Present research focuses on processes with high heat flux density and thermal plasma generators not only with high specific heat flux density but also with a large surface area of interaction with processing material. Significant advances in process knowledge and optimization have already been achieved in the field of plasma welding, cutting of metallic materials where the cut conductive material is involved in plasma generation. Notable recent research is focused on the plasma processing of non-conductive materials, e.g. special ceramics, processing and highly productive generation of non-conductive nanopowders and structures. This category also includes plasma disintegration of materials, e.g. in plasma drilling in geological formations regardless of the hardness of the rocks, which is the unique characteristic of use of thermal plasma. Additive formation of near net shape structures is characterized by low productivity and low selective heat flows, serial trajectories (laser) and low volumes of created volume per time unit.

Only a detailed knowledge of the fundamental properties of plasma and plasma forming media, plasma interactions with different materials, thermal processes associated with plasma generation and with plasma itself, also the dependence between the degree of thermal and ionizing effect of plasma or properties of different materials and the speed of processing of different materials, is a prerequisite for further research in this area. For these reasons, it is necessary to carry out such complex research with a multidisciplinary team, using top-class laboratory infrastructure and computer methods.

The consortium that participated in this project has been able to carry out demanding research and gain new information, knowledge and know-how in these areas, mainly through the cooperation of subjects with related specialization and expertise.

Project Information:

Date of start: 05. 02. 2014
Ending date: 31. 10. 2015
Total project cost: 3 144 702,80 €
Place of implementation:
Vápenka 4, Bratislava – Devínska Nová Ves
Dúbravská cesta 9, Bratislava – Karlova Ves

Project Objectives

Main project objective:
Providing know-how and necessary infrastructure for the strategic field of plasma high-productive material processing and additive structure creation.

Specific project objectives:

Research on the efficient processing of materials by thermal plasma
Materials and technology research for additive structure formation
Establishment of a center of excellence with transnational impact and the purchase of the necessary infrastructure

Partners

Beneficiary:

GA Drilling, a. s.

Partners:

Ecoland s.r.o.
CELIM Slovakia
Ústav materiálov a mechaniky strojov Slovenskej akadémie vied

Project Activities

Material and technology research for thermal plasma generators
Scientific explanation of the main physical parameters, principles and interrelations in the field of plasma processing of different materials
Materials and technology research for additive structure formation
Scientific explanation of the main physical parameters, principles and interrelations in the field of materials research and technologies of additive structure formation
Establishment of a center of excellence with transnational impact and its management / scientific operation
Provide infrastructure for research of materials and technologies for thermal plasma generators and for research of materials and technologies for additive structure formation

Project Outputs

Al-limestone composite coatings prepared by CS process, KOLLAROVIČOVÁ, Andrea – BERONSKÁ, Naďa – ŠTEFÁNIK, Pavol – IŽDINSKÝ, Karol, ISSN 1847-7917. Mechanical Technologies and Structural Materials 2015 : International conference. Split, Croatia, September 24-25, 2015. Proceedings. – Split : Croatian Society for Mechanical Technologies
Technológia prípravy kovových kompozitných materiálov metódou “cold spray”, BERONSKÁ, Naďa – KOLLAROVIČOVÁ, Andrea – ŠTEFÁNIK, Pavol – IŽDINSKÝ, Karol, ISSN 1337-8996. Technológ 2015
Frézovanie a vŕtanie elektrickou plazmou, HORVÁTH Gabriel, GEBURA Marek, Gajdošová Veronika, KUČERA Marek, ISSN 1335-4000. Quark 2015
Výskum aditívneho vytvárania štruktúr pomocou technológie studeného naprašovania v podmienkach vysokých protitlakov, GEBURA Marek, GAJDOŠOVÁ Veronika, LONGAUER Jaroslav, POLJAK Silvester, ISSN 1337-8996. Technológ 2015
Al-limestone and Al-granite composites prepared by cold spraying, KOLLAROVIČOVÁ, Andrea – BERONSKÁ, Naďa – ŠTEFÁNIK, Pavol – IŽDINSKÝ, Karol, ISBN 978-80-553-2547-7. METALLOGRAPHY´16 : 16th International Symposium on Metallography and Materials Science. Stará Lesná, High Tatra Mountains, Slovak Republic, 20th – 22th April 2016. Abstract Booklet. – Košice : Institute of Materials, Faculty of Metallurgy, Technical University of Košice
Microstructure and Erosion Resistance of Zirconium Diboride Ceramics Infiltrated by Pure Copper, BERONSKÁ, Naďa – ŠTEFÁNIK, Pavol – KAVECKÝ, Štefan – OPÁLEK, Andrej – KOLLAROVIČOVÁ, Andrea – NAGY, Štefan – IŽDINSKÝ, Karol, ISBN 978-80-553-2547-7. METALLOGRAPHY´16 : 16th International Symposium on Metallography and Materials Science. Stará Lesná, High Tatra Mountains, Slovak Republic, 20th – 22th April 2016. Abstract Booklet. – Košice : Institute of Materials, Faculty of Metallurgy, Technical University of Košice
Microstructure and Erosion Resistance of Zirconium Diboride Ceramics Infiltrated by Pure Copper, BERONSKÁ, Naďa – ŠTEFÁNIK, Pavol – KAVECKÝ, Štefan – OPÁLEK, Andrej – KOLLAROVIČOVÁ, Andrea – NAGY, Štefan – IŽDINSKÝ, Karol, ISSN 0255-5476. Materials Science Forum 2017. – Zürich : Trans. Tech. Publications
Nanocomposite SAC solders: morphology, electrical and mechanical properties of Sn–3.8Ag–0.7Cu solders by adding Co nanoparticles, YAKYMOVYCH, A. – PLEVACHUK, Yu. – ŠVEC, Peter – JANIČKOVIČ, Dušan – ŠEBO, Pavol- BERONSKÁ, Naďa – NOSKO, Martin – OROVČÍK, Ľubomír – ROSHANGHIAS, A. – IPSER, H., ISSN 0957-4522. Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics 2017
OPÁLEK, Andrej – BERONSKÁ, Naďa – DVORÁK, Tomáš – ŠTEFÁNIK, Pavol – NAGY, Štefan – NOSKO, Martin, Cu-ZrB2 composites prepared by gass pressure infiltration, ISBN 978-96-305-9917-7. Book of abstracts. FEMS JUNIOR EUROMAT CONFERENCE 2018

Sustainability Phase

Individual partners continue to carry out independent research and development in these areas during the sustainability phase, promote conducted research and gained knowledge for the laypeople and professionals, and participate in other activities that help to promote and spread this knowledge furthermore. Acquired research infrastructure is used for research tasks.

Project Publicity

We presented the project to laypeople and professionals at several events, from which we choose:

European Researchers’ Night 2018

PhD. Student Making Research in Laboratories of the Centre of Excellence

Applied Research Presentation for Students of the Slovak University of Technology

STUBA Green Team in Labs of the Centre of Excellence

Vice-President of the European Commission visited the Centre of Excellence

Workshopping with Slovak Talents from UK Universities

European Researchers’ Night 2017

Clean-Tech Visit at GA Drilling Laboratories

European Researchers’ Night 2016

Contracts

Contract: Centrum excelentnosti pre plazmové vysokoproduktívne spracovanie materiálov a aditívne vytváranie štruktúr
Amendment Agreement No. 1: Dodatok č. 1 k Zmluve o poskytnutí nenávratného finančného príspevku
Amendment Agreement No. 2: Dodatok č. 2 k Zmluve o poskytnutí nenávratného finančného príspevku
Amendment Agreement No. 3: Dodatok č. 3 k Zmluve o poskytnutí nenávratného finančného príspevku

Laboratories

Research laboratories of partner CELIM Slovakia

Infrastructure of research laboratories of partner CELIM Slovakia

Partner CELIM Slovakia has been creating and extending its excellent research laboratories in recent years, with which it is possible to do full independent research in the area of plasma in Slovakia. CELIM Slovakia participated in several research projects from the Operational Programme Research and Development, thanks to which he establishment the excellent research facilities. These innovative technologies are available for free to a wide group of scientists and innovators who can do independent research in the public interest. Because of public funding, this infrastructure is strictly used only for research activities without commercial use. These excellent research laboratories are continuously equipped with new devices, that are funded from partner´s own resources.

Information Availability and Public Activities

In order to carry out CELIM Slovakia’s research activities based on general public benefit, as well as on the fact, that it has an excellent research infrastructure, we want to proactively inform the professional and general public in the public interest about the results of the research. The partner also makes research infrastructure accessible to all students, PhDs, postdoctoral students, scientists or research institutes for conducting independent research in the public interest and he considers this as one of his goals. Anyone can contact partner CELIM Slovakia via e-mail address info@celim.sk, if he is interested to conduct independent research in public interest focused on plasma processes or plasma processing of materials in these excellent laboratories and using partner’s research infrastructure.

Gallery of Laboratories of Partner CELIM Slovakia

Equipment acquired by partner CELIM Slovakia in project with ITMS code 26240120036

News

The Greatest Festival of Science Unveiled a Discreet Charm of Plasma Again

September 28th, 2018

GA Drilling as a regular attendee of the European Researchers’ Night again shared results of its work this year. Besides other achievements it has presented research conducted during the project of Centre of Excellence.
People from public and professional community had the chance to get information about new knowledge from the area of plasma generation and additive structure formation.
Many professionals, but also children gave us hard questions to which we replied the best answers, directly by researchers involved in this project.

PhD. Student Making Research in Laboratories of the Centre of Excellence

July 18th, 2018

Slavomira Stefkova is a PhD. student of physics at Imperial College London. She started her intership in July in the Plasma Generators’ Integration Development. Together with our she devotes to handling and analyses of data from tests. Besides this she actively cooperates with experts from the Centre of Excellence and uses top infrastructure equipment for her work for school project. “In GA Drilling I am mostly impressed by opportunity to participate in interesting physics, ergo plasma in high pressure.” She evaluates her intership positively: “People are great, work is interesting, meetings are effective, every test makes sense, coffee is good.”

Presenting of Research for Students of Technology University

March 23rd, 2018

We like to give a break to folks with drive. Therefore, we seek to start them up by educating about our technology at universities, or we present it alive in our technology center. Tuesday lectures of our colleagues Rastislav Vyletel and Milan Durica for students of The Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology of the Slovak University of Technology about electric plasma were impressing.
Much like our labs built up thanks to the Centre of Excellence project, where students were interested in using the equipment for realization of their ideas within school research projects.

#engineering #university #PLASMABIT #CentreOfExcellence

STUBA Green Team in Labs of the Centre of Excellence

March 22, 2018

We like to help non-profit student organizations involved in research and development activities.
Student team STUBA Green Team at the Slovak Technical University in Bratislava is one of them.
We allowed the team to test components for their formula with top equipment of our Centre of Excellence labs, as well as to test the formula’s handling in our production hall.
We enjoy having enthusiasts among our colleagues, who help and facilitate young talents.

#stubagreenteam #university #PLASMABIT #CentreOfExcellence

Vice-President of the European Commission in the Centre of Excellence

January 5, 2018

We hosted a valuable guests yesterday – vice-president of the European Commission in charge of Energy Union Mr. Maros Sefcovic.
With our CEO Igor Kocis they discussed possibilities of cooperation in the development of Upper Nitra region, looking for a new economic model.
Afterwards Igor Kocis accompanied him through the Centre of Excellence, where Vice-President Sefcovic was interested in material laboratory and presented samples.

#sitevisit #technology #uppernitra #PLASMABIT #CentreOfExcellence

Workshopping with Slovak Talents from UK Universities

December 21, 2017

Talented Slovak students Marco, Peter, Barbora and Samo, studying at university in UK, the first time met GA Drilling at Night of Chances event in London.
They came to see us in our Bratislava subsidiary and visited the Centre of Excellence premises, where they discussed with MSc. Marek Gebura, PhD. on realised research.
They took a view of material lab and tried work with top-level microscope as well.

#science #nighofchances #PLASMABIT #CentreOfExcellence

Centre of Excellence Presented at the European Researchers’ Night 2017

September 29th, 2017

Company GA Drilling, a.s., participated in the European Researchers’ Night 2017.
Besides plasma technology they presented also the research of consortium participating in project Centre of Excellence. General public and also professionals had a chance to get information not only about the results of the project, but also about its continuation during the sustainability phase.

#researchersnight #science #PLASMABIT #CentreOfExcellence

Visit from Clean-Tech World and from Singularity University

Feburary 27, 2017

We were pleased to welcome important guests from clean-tech world and Singularity University and show them our Technology Center & laboratories.
They also visited premises of the Centre of Excellence, where we presented outcomes of our research of plasma processing of materials and additive structure formation. The visitors wore safety goggles to watch a real-time experiment of interaction of plasma with rock sample. The photo documents they really enjoyed it!

#singularity #cleantech #technology #PLASMABIT #CentreOfExcellence

European Researchers’ Night 2016 Team Involved in Research of PLASMABIT Technology

September 30th, 2016

During the European festival of science European Researchers’ Night 2016 in Bratislava GA Drilling company presented also its research conducted within the project Centre of Excellence. Our presentation stand gained a lot of attention of laypeople, as well as professional public.