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Study programmes provided at the Faculty of Food and Biochemical Technology (FFBT) are embraced both on the traditional fields of food science and on the current trends in the development of food and biochemical sciences. The traditional fields such as brewing, sugar manufacture, fermentation and agrochemistry were taught at the Prague Polytechnic as early as the beginning of the last century. Since the formation of the independent Institute of Chemical Technology, Prague in 1952, the Faculty has grown into an institution with a broad background of chemical, biochemical, engineering and other disciplines which testify to the purposefulness of such a strong chemical-technological complex and the FFBT as its inseparable part even on the international scale. The Faculty ranks among leading university centres of food science. In the course of its existence, the Faculty has turned out thousands of graduates who pursue their careers primarily in the food industry and related fields, in scientific research, and at schools and institutions of higher learning both in the Czech Republic and abroad. The concentration of university teaching of all food-related fields including applied biology and biochemistry at the FFBT represents one of the major strengths of the Faculty's existence within the Institute of Chemical Technology, Prague. However, besides advocates of the Faculty's existence within a chemical university, there are naturally also many critics of such integration. Their major argument is that the food industry (the meat, dairy and preservation industries in particular) as well as other fields are closely interrelated with farming production and should be taught at institutions focused on agriculture or veterinary science. Many agricultural and other universities and institutions of higher learning in the Czech Republic have lately introduced selected fields of food science in their study programmes, which will undoubtedly enhance desirable competition between their graduates. The extent of this publication does not allow for a detailed description of the numerous diverse scientific projects implemented at the Faculty at present. We can only provide basic information to our future students and partner organizations about the scientific and research orientation of individual departments at the Faculty. All departments offer cooperation in scientific research and development, expertise and consulting, further education for specialists and scientific workers in the form of various postgraduate programmes, short-term courses, and long-term scholarships. The Faculty's academic staff also prepare short-term specialized and retraining courses tailored to the needs of individual clients. Individual departments offer basic and specific analyses based on the most sophisticated methods and using state-of-the-art analytical apparatuses. The extent of consulting, expertise, research and development activities is not restricted to the areas listed above, but it may be further expanded according to specific needs of industrial practice. I believe that this publication will provide basic information about the orientation of the Faculty and various forms of study offered at its individual departments, and that it will help us find new partners for cooperation in solving research and professional problems.
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