What has been achieved and where I want to take the University

Rector, why have you decided to stand again?

I am standing because I believe we have done an important piece of work over the past four years and that it is not finished. We have successfully launched our strategic projects, strengthened the University’s ability to win and manage large investments, and prepared new facilities for research and further development. One of the most visible examples is the LERCO building, at roughly CZK 850 million. These are not projects for their own sake. They are already creating better conditions for the people inside the University and opening up new opportunities in research, in education and in cooperation with the region and abroad. The first term was about building the foundations; the second should be about making them count. Now comes the moment to show how much we can draw from these new opportunities for our students, our staff, our research and our region.

I do not deny that some things were new to me as well. But I learn quickly, and thanks to my work on the board of the Czech Rectors’ Conference and on the Representative Commission for the Allocation of the Budget of Public Higher Education Institutions I can defend the interests of the University of Ostrava as higher-education legislation is drafted, and be present at the key negotiations. The future will not be easy, but it is open. And I am ready to devote my energy to our University.

How would you describe yourself as Rector?

Outwardly, as an ambassador and an active advocate of the University of Ostrava’s interests. Internally I am a team player rather than an authoritarian manager. I believe in discussion, cooperation and seeking consensus. At the same time, it is I who bear responsibility for the University’s decisions.

Has the University’s standing in the region changed during your time in office?

I would venture to say that the University of Ostrava is now a firm part of our region. We devoted considerable attention to deepening relations with the Statutory City of Ostrava, the Moravian-Silesian Region, the Moravian-Silesian Innovation Centre and VSB – Technical University of Ostrava, and that is coming back to the University and will go on doing so. The halls of residence project and the strategic projects LERCO and REFRESH are already examples. I also count it a success that we secured for the University the role of host of the ceremonial opening of the 2027–2028 academic year, an event that brings together not only rectors but also leading representatives of institutions connected with science and research, along with the highest state officials. And if by region you mean Europe, we are better connected there too, thanks to our membership of the NEOLAiA alliance of European universities.

Four years ago you promised the Rectorate would not balloon under your leadership. How did that turn out?

Although I promised “only” a review of the Rectorate’s agendas, I commissioned the first external staffing audit of the Rectorate in the University’s history, and it did not find these posts to be superfluous. Rather the opposite: in some cases we were advised to strengthen certain agendas further. That is logical, because when a university’s budget grows within a few years from roughly CZK 1.4 billion to more than CZK 2.2 billion, it cannot run on the same administrative base. Even so, the administration grew markedly more slowly than the University as a whole. Of the total increase in staff numbers across the University, only 10% falls to the Rectorate, and a significant part of that was funded from external projects.

Another promise was higher salaries. Where do we stand now?

Between 2023 and 2026 more than CZK 534 million went into staff salaries. Last year, by agreement with the deans, we made a more substantial increase in tariff salaries. But it cannot end there. The budget methodology for public higher education institutions has been fixed for almost ten years and does not reflect the changes that have taken place, and not only in applicant numbers. I have managed to build a coalition of some ten universities calling for that methodology to be unfrozen; over the years it has opened a gap between Czech universities and created a large inequality in the contribution per student. For the University of Ostrava this system is exceptionally disadvantageous. As Vice-President of the Czech Rectors’ Conference I have far greater scope to point out this injustice and to demand a remedy, and that is what I am doing.

Did you raise the fixed budget methodology with members of the government as well?

I did. We had the opportunity to discuss it here at the University of Ostrava with Prime Minister Babiš, Deputy Prime Minister Havlíček and Minister Juchelka. I would venture to say that, alongside a tour of our halls of residence under construction, it was the main topic. I can reveal that we managed to convince members of the government that the frozen state of funding for public higher education institutions is markedly unfair, particularly to universities in the regions, and for ours that holds doubly true. I count it a success that the Prime Minister promised to ask the Minister of Education, Mr Plaga, to address it. That duly happened, and everything will now depend on the size of the budget for public higher education institutions. If there is an appreciable year-on-year increase, there is in my view certainly a chance of adjusting the distribution. But we cannot rest on a promise; we must go on working to make the whole system fairer.

That visit resonated strongly on social media and caused disquiet among some students. Would you do anything differently with hindsight?

You are right that we discussed the impact of the meeting within the University’s leadership. Nevertheless, I met the protesting students the same day, listened to them and proposed that we hold a debate on the question of the University’s political neutrality. The debate took place at the end of June and I found it very worthwhile. I was also able to tell everyone that two years ago the deans and I had already agreed on rules governing visits by politicians to our University. Politicians are elected, and as an institution funded from public money we necessarily have to describe to them what troubles us and work with them constructively on possible changes. Photographs will not make us change our thinking, abandon our impartiality and end up in thrall to politicians. After all, our support for free public-service media is clear proof that we know how to defend the principles that define us as the University of Ostrava (see, for example, an interview for Universitas).

Let us return to your election promises. Four years ago you promised greater involvement of students in the running of the University. Have you managed to give them more space?

That is true, and I think we are managing to deliver on it; I would like to continue in that direction. Part of it is the growth in the number of student organisations to 36, and above all the number of concrete activities. I always hear out the results of supported projects from the representatives of the individual societies; it interests me and it gives me pleasure. Students were involved in preparing the Strategic Plan, I supported the creation of a Student Panel within the Internal Evaluation Board, and we brought them into working groups. I try to maintain an open dialogue with students and to listen to them. The Five O’Clock Tea events served that purpose, and I would like to continue them. Meetings with doctoral candidates then led directly to concrete changes, which we incorporated into the Standards of Doctoral Study, among other things.

We have also managed to create a grant system supporting the activities of student societies, and I am delighted by the enormous interest societies have shown in it. The growing interest in building and bringing together the university community is a pleasure to see. During my own studies I was involved in starting several bottom-up initiatives (see, for example, this interview). It is encouraging to me when I see an interest in the world around them among our students as well.

Questions are being raised about the creation of the University/Clinical School. Where does it stand?

I value the work of everyone who has been involved in preparing it from the beginning, because it is clear that the conceptual side of the project already has distinct outlines. I am pleased that a number of academics have joined the discussion. That confirms an appetite for innovation and for quality teaching, which I regard as excellent news about our University.

At this moment, however, I cannot give the green light to an investment of the order of one billion crowns without clearly documented economic sustainability. Neither the funding of the construction nor the operating model has been settled. My responsibility is to protect the University’s long-term financial stability. It should be added that this is an exceptionally complex project requiring very thorough preparation and, among other things, close cooperation with the city.

Where do you see the greatest shortfalls? What would you do differently with hindsight?

Internal communication remains a sensitive area in how the University works. I admit that I had hoped for faster and more noticeable change myself. I firmly believe that the launch of the intranet, which we want to manage this autumn, will be a big step forward. It is encouraging that the student app, at least, is widely used and well received. The second sensitive area is digitalisation. There too I feel things could move faster. Among other things we are, unfortunately, running up against the staffing capacity of our IT Centre. Even so, a good deal has been achieved: refining study applications, asset records, contract routing slips, requisitions, bonuses, personnel documents and staff appraisals, and soon, I believe, we will launch electronic timesheets as well. Beyond that we are extending digitalisation into doctoral study.

What is your vision for a second term?

I have a clear idea of where the University should move next. Our ambition is not to be the largest university but, as our motto says, a university with a mission: open to the world and engaged in the region. That means combining quality education, internationally respected research and responsibility towards the Moravian-Silesian Region. It should also be remembered that substantial support from European projects will come to an end during the second term, and the University must therefore be steered through that and redirected towards other sources.

Significant resources have so far gone into supporting infrastructure; in the next term we will develop those capacities. This vision is reflected in projects now in preparation, such as LERCO 2.0 and RESCUE, which connect the University with hospitals, industry and public administration, and in which the dominant part of the funding will go to staff.

I would also enter a second term with a commitment to finish refining the intranet, cut duplicated communication and introduce a measurable plan for further digitalisation.

Looking back, I also feel that some staffing changes were beneficial and could have been made sooner.

What are your other priorities for the coming term?

The University’s greatest asset is its people. Even though we are not a wealthy university, I will go on directing funding towards staff and students. Salaries should grow at the same rate as the University’s budget. I also intend to improve both the conditions and the facilities for doctoral candidates; among other things, we will build new spaces for their activities in the University Library. I intend to pay close attention to the preparation of new accreditations, where the faculties need every possible support. And more generally I want to put still more effort into winning European research projects and other external funding, because a demographic decline and the end of a relatively generous period of support lie ahead of us. We have to meet these challenges together.

Alongside that I want to continue modernising the University, from digitalisation and the sensible use of artificial intelligence to simplifying administration so that academics and researchers can devote as much time as possible to teaching and research. Internationalisation will also matter to me: attracting good people from abroad and further strengthening the position of the University of Ostrava as a self-confident European university (see, for example, this interview).

Do you think the University of Ostrava is developing in the right direction?

In terms of investment I certainly believe so. On 7 September we will be opening the building of the LERCO research centre on the Faculty of Medicine campus. The priority is naturally the timely completion of the two new blocks of halls of residence at Hladnov, a project worth some three quarters of a billion crowns.

Had we not managed to negotiate support from the city and the region worth CZK 180 million, it would not have been possible to start building the halls at all. I should add that support on that scale is not usual in the regions, as a number of fellow rectors from other universities have confirmed to me.

We are naturally also keeping a close eye on the refurbishment of the buildings of the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Arts. For the coming years I consider it important to refurbish the Faculty of Fine Arts building in Mariánské Hory, to refurbish and extend the building of the Institute of Anatomy at the Faculty of Medicine, and to complete the Faculty of Education campus on Fráni Šrámka street.

I would like to stress that the overall volume of the University’s investment is far greater today than it used to be. We have secured more than CZK 2.2 billion for investment. We now spend around CZK 50 million a month on capital projects, several times more than in the previous term. This places enormous demands on a number of departments.

Let us turn to the conditions of doctoral study. That is a highly visible issue across the country.

It is, and for us it has become one of our priorities, even though we face greater budgetary difficulties than many other institutions. In our Strategic Plan we looked at the whole system very carefully, and at the Ministry’s round tables the University of Ostrava has been designated, together with the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, as the university coordinating those talks on substance. We have created a new post of doctoral studies coordinator, introduced the induction course Doktorandské rozkoukání, and launched a new website for doctoral candidates containing all the support information, including the courses of the Doctoral School, which we are expanding. Over the summer we are working on English versions of all the documents and of the website itself, so that everything is fully operational for the new academic year. Refurbishing one floor of the University Library, once the book collection has been moved, should create a fitting environment not only for the Doctoral School, of the kind we know from the PhD academy at our partner VSB – Technical University of Ostrava, but also provide space serving as reading rooms and rooms for workshops and other student activities. Later this year I am preparing further steps that will also help the financial situation of “older” doctoral candidates.

Is there not too much talk of applied research?

Basic research remains a pillar of the University of Ostrava. More than CZK 150 million of institutional support goes into it here every year, and we have not weakened the system that funds it. At the same time we are responding to changes in European calls, which increasingly target applied and interdisciplinary research. If we want to succeed in future in competitions for funding of the order of billions of crowns, we have to be able to connect the two.

And what about support for European projects, where the University of Ostrava is not particularly successful?

Operational programmes and European research projects are two sides of the same coin. Since 2023 we have secured more than CZK 4.25 billion. In that respect we are among the most successful universities in the Czech Republic. At the same time, it has consumed a considerable part of our organisational and above all our research capacity. Thanks to the operational programmes our research teams are strengthened as never before, and we have at the same time built and are expanding the staffing capacity of the office supporting European projects.

Now we want to use them to a greater extent for European research projects.

It should be remembered, however, that our University’s long-standing problem was not only its success rate but above all the low number of applications submitted. We changed that by creating specialised support for European grants. Whereas 29 Horizon Europe projects were submitted between 2014 and 2023, in the period 2024–2026 there have already been 50, with more in preparation.

If the Academic Senate of the University of Ostrava re-elects you, are you planning any changes in a possible second term?

Yes. Within the study committee I would like to set up working groups on micro-credentials and on digitalisation and distance learning, which I consider very important for the University’s development. Towards students, I would like to offer stronger administrative support for selected events such as Majáles and 17 November, and systematic support for first-generation students, of whom there are many at our University.

I also plan to move the Counselling and Career Centre into the portfolio of Vice-Rector Tomášková, who is genuinely close to a number of the centre’s agendas. Tereza Vengřinová, the new head of the Centre for International Cooperation, can also contribute to the centre’s work, including the emerging Centre for the Support of Education. She has both the professional background and extensive experience from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.

We are also planning a selection procedure for a new ombudsperson. The current ombudswoman will end her work at the University at the close of 2026, given her workload at her home department and the volume of the social-safety agenda. She deserves great thanks for her work on the social-safety system, which in my view works very well at our University.

I am also counting on a fifth Vice-Rector, for external relations, artificial intelligence and digitalisation, who would be Assoc. Prof. Ondřej Volný, currently Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, head of the department of artificial intelligence, digitalisation and innovative technologies, and chair of the professional society for artificial intelligence and innovative digital technologies in medicine of the Czech Medical Association of J. E. Purkyně. Comparable universities mostly have at least five vice-rectors.

A great deal has been said, but if you were to look back at the past term one last time, how would you sum it up?

I am certain that we have concrete results. Over the past four years we have managed to move the University markedly forward. We opened Dentistry, launched LERCO and other strategic projects, began building the new halls of residence and strengthened research, technology transfer and international cooperation. Interest in studying at the University keeps growing, and in 2026 we passed 17,000 applications. At the same time we have strengthened support for students, doctoral candidates and staff, and substantially deepened cooperation with the city and the region. So the first term was not, in my view, only about individual projects, but about the University of Ostrava becoming more self-confident, more visible and better prepared for the next stage of its development. That is what I want to build on in a second term.