Established in 1899 by Emperor Franz Joseph I, Brno University of Technology (BUT) is the city's oldest university. Today it offers high-quality studies in engineering, scientific, economic and artistic fields. With its 20 thousand students and 8 faculties, BUT is the nation's largest technical university. Focusing on science and research, the university now has five of its own research centres and being engaged in two centres of excellence. In recent years, BUT has been among the world's best universities according to international rankings