Tomas Bort is Director of Innovation & Public Affairs and Business Program Manager for IPCEI ME/CT at Mycroft Mind, a Czech technology company specialising in advanced analytics and predictive AI/ML algorithms embedded directly into edge devices in the energy sector. Having started his career on the technical side, Tomáš has over time moved into innovation management and programme strategy, today leading Mycroft Mind’s participation in Europe’s R&D programmes. He is the sole representative of a Czech technology company in the prestigious Transformers Group of the IPCEI ME/CT program. Within XL-Connect, Tomáš oversees Mycroft Mind’s contributions to grid modelling, connecting the company’s expertise in embedded intelligence with the project’s ambition to optimise EV charging at a pan-European scale.
What was your original motivation to become a researcher/project manager?
My motivation was the realisation that the most important decisions about technology happen not just in R&D labs, but in the rooms where strategy is set. I wanted to be in both places at once — close enough to the technology to understand it deeply, and influential enough to help shape where it goes.
What is your (main) research area today?
My role is at the intersection of innovation management and European programme strategy. I focus on translating cutting-edge technology into real-world impact: driving Mycroft Mind’s innovation agenda and managing our participation in large-scale European programmes like XL-Connect, IPCEI ME/CT or IPCEI AST.
What is the main focus of your team in XL-Connect?
We developed “FUGU” (Future Grid Usage) — a generative AI/ML tool that creates synthetic grid models — which forms the core of an automated engine capable of evaluating thousands of EV penetration scenarios to help planners understand what mass EV adoption means for distribution networks. In short, we help the consortium answer a critical question: what happens to the electricity grid when millions of EVs start charging — and discharging — at the same time?
From all your activities within the project, what are you the proudest of/keen to share with the public?
Definitely FUGU. The ability to generate realistic synthetic grids with AI and run large-scale scenario assessments automatically is a genuine step change for grid planners. It was built for portability and openness, so its value will extend well beyond the XL-Connect project itself.
How do you expect the XL-Connect results will impact your organisation?
XL-Connect has been a real accelerator for us. Technically, it has pushed us to develop and validate tools — like FUGU — that we can now bring to market and offer to DSOs, energy planners and infrastructure investors. Beyond the technology, the project has connected us with leading research institutions and industry players across Europe. That network and credibility are genuinely hard to build any other way.
