Department of Dependability and Risk (DDR) is a part of the Institute of Systems Control and Reliability Management of the Faculty of Mechatronics and Interdisciplinary Engineering Studies, Technical University of Liberec. The department deals with the issues of reliability evaluation, safety and risk assessment, and management including examination of economic consequences. With regard to multidisciplinary character of the dependability and risks branch, the results of the work are applied both in industry (analysis of reliability and risks of technological systems), and in public administration as well (analysis of vulnerability of critical national infrastructure). A special attention is concerned to the economic aspects of dependability and risks management.

The main activity of DDR is developed in three areas with regard to objective need for interconnecting theory and practice and to educate experts with sufficient knowledge basis.

The first area is the education of specialists in bachelor, master and doctor studies programs. Our effort is focused to introduce students to the basic knowledge of quality, dependability and risk management. One scope is also teaching activity in subjects aimed to dependability and risk management. Next scope is managing students projects, bachelor’s, master’s and doctor’s theses in above mentioned topics.

The second area is the scientific and research activity. The staff members of DDR are involved in number of research projects which allow them to get new knowledge and educate young researchers. Thanks to research activities and cooperation with other academic and research institutes (VŠB-TUO, ÚJV Řež, a.s., AZIN CZ, s.r.o, TELEMATIX SERVICES, a.s., WAK System, spol. s r.o., Center of transport research, v.v.i.) complex problems of dependability and risk control are successfully solved. Thus the DDR is able to stay on the top level of current knowledge in this area. Projects like „Simulation and quantification of reliability of dynamic systems“ or „Transport infrastructure as a critical element of the national infrastructure“ are typical examples of DDR activities in this field. Other projects are solved by the DDR employees in research centers „Advanced Remedial Technologies and Processes“, „Advanced Technologies and Systems for Power Engineering“ and „Research Center for Quality and Reliability of Production“. A special attention is paid to quality increasing of technical equipment by implementation of dependability techniques to the quality management system. DDR as a part of risk analysis also solves the question of impact of acute loads on human health especially within the context of major accident prevention. Risk aspects are also solved in the context of risk for population and for the environment resulting from the chronical loads.

The third area is the cooperation with the industry where the combination of theory and practice takes place. For this purpose a massive technological support is provided to the major industrial companies. This support is based on solving problems in the form of business contracts or bachelor’s and master’s theses. In the field of power industry the most important partner is ČEZ where we implement methods for evaluation of operation reliability of control systems in nuclear power plants Dukovany and Temelín. In gas industry, our key partner is RWE Transgas, where we implement methods for evaluation of operational reliability and risk related with the transportation of natural gas. In petrochemical industry, we cooperate with Česká rafinérská where we apply methods of dependability and risk control in the field of optimalization of costs of maintenance. To increase technological level of equipment that is being developed for power industry, we cooperate with important industrial and project companies such as Sigma Group, E-Consult and others. At the same time we have been developing cooperation with companies and institutions from Liberec region such as Cadence Innovation. Here we have been working on increasing of the production efficiency by increasing reliability of production equipment and by decreasing the risk of non-delivery of goods for automotive assembly line in the logistic delivery system „Just-In-Time“

With regard to the research activities and close cooperation with other groups of dependability specialists (VŠB-TUO, ČSJ/OSS etc.) the DDR is ranked among leading institutes in the Czech Republic.

In frame of the scientific, research and educational activities, the software product of leading producer ITEM SOFTWARE (ITEM - TOOLKIT, ITEM - QRAS) is used at the workplace.