Digital technologies - current trends, the position of Czechia and their use in response to major societal challenges

This article examines the evolution of research activities in digital technologies from 2016 to 2023 and their role in addressing major societal challenges. The study draws on data from the Clarivate Analytics Web of Science database, the European Patent Office's patent database PATSTAT, and the eCORDA database. Digital technologies are categorized into five groups: artificial intelligence, big data, augmented and virtual reality, cloud computing, and blockchain. The findings reveal a notable surge in publication and patent activities, particularly in artificial intelligence, where the number of publications and priority patent applications has tripled, and in blockchain. In contrast, publication activity in big data and cloud computing shows slower growth or stagnation. The share of publications focused on digital technologies is lower in the Czech Republic than globally — while approximately 6.1% of publications worldwide focus on digital technologies, only 3.6% of publications in the Czech Republic are dedicated to this topic (the EU-28 average is 5.2%). In terms of patent activity, the Czech Republic lags more significantly behind both the global and EU-28 averages. Digital technologies are crucial in tackling major societal challenges, particularly in technological, digital, and energy transformation and societal security. The study emphasizes the need to enhance support for applying digital technologies in the Czech Republic, including fostering cross-sector collaboration and promoting the establishment of innovative companies.