Graduate, Anton Zajac, has been Supporting his Alma Mater
Bratislava, 28 June 2023: A co-owner of ESET, physicist, philanthropist and entrepreneur, Anton Zajac, has been supporting his alma mater – Comenius University Bratislava – for a long time. He recently donated a device for physico-chemical measurements worth 120,000 euros to the Department of Inorganic Chemistry.
Anton Zajac graduated from the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics and received the title of Doctor of Natural Sciences at the Department of Theoretical Physics in 1984. "The study of mathematical physics is beautiful, but it mainly teaches the graduate to solve problems in any field, including business. Without a high-quality education, today, I would not be able to return part of the money earned with great gratitude to the further development of the faculty," says the physicist and entrepreneur, who launched a number of Slovak startups, including the flying car AirCar or the software company Slido.
The Department of Inorganic Chemistry of the Faculty of Natural Sciences received a gift from him last month – an Edinburgh Instruments FS5 spectrofluorometer. "Scientists will use the device for a wide range of physical and chemical measurements," explains Professor Jozef Noga. This concerns, for example, the determination of the optical emission properties of new compounds prepared at the department, such as luminescent (fluorescent or phosphorescent) materials, molecular optical switches, dyes for solar cells, ion sensors. The device will also serve to assess the efficiency and selectivity of newly developed fluorescent labels in the imaging of biological structures or biologically relevant molecules by high-resolution microscopy.
This generous financial gift for the university was not the first. "In addition to this support, Mr. Zajac donated 25,000 euros to support young scientists to research new materials, for which we are very grateful," adds Professor Jozef Noga.
In the past, Anton Zajac also sponsored research projects to support the return of theoretical physicists to the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics, and Informatics with a financial sum of 250,000 euros. "The projects were aimed at supporting two scientists from the field of theoretical and mathematical physics. One of the supported currently works successfully at the faculty but is also known to the general Slovak public thanks to his popularization not only of physics, but also of other areas of science. In addition, he contributed tens of thousands of euros for a powerful computer that is used by employees and students," says Professor Jozef Masarik.
"Education and top research are the basis of Slovakia's prosperous economy. My support of education and science is a manifestation of personal responsibility for the future of our country, which is borne, to a certain extent, by each of us," said Anton Zajac.