Our University of Ostrava – people, place, mission, future

I. WHO WE ARE

The identity of the University of Ostrava

Open to the world, firmly rooted in Ostrava. The University of Ostrava is a university with a mission. It is open to the world and at the same time firmly rooted in Ostrava and the Moravian-Silesian Region. Its mission lies in education, research and creative work, but also in responsibility for the environment in which it operates. I will build on this identity and strengthen it further.

Thanks to its size and its diversity, the University of Ostrava has a distinctive advantage. It is able to bring together different disciplines, approaches and perspectives while remaining close to people. I want this combination of expertise, openness and approachability to remain one of the defining features of our University.

A university with a mission

A mission visible in everyday practice. A university is not merely a set of faculties, study programmes and research units. It is a community of people united by the pursuit of knowledge, by education and by the effort to contribute to the development of society. I therefore do not regard the mission of our University as a slogan, but as a commitment that must be reflected in its everyday practice.

I will therefore develop a university with the following ambitions:

Quality and excellence where we have the potential. The University of Ostrava will build on the quality of its teaching, its research and its artistic work, and will pursue excellence in those areas where it is best placed to achieve it.
Independent and responsible students. We will develop the critical thinking, independence, creativity and sense of responsibility of our students.
More room for connecting disciplines. We will bring different disciplines together and create space for new ideas and for cooperation.
A university that changes its surroundings. The University of Ostrava will be a university with the ambition to change not only itself, but also its surroundings.

Open to the world, rooted in the region

Our identity is not a choice between the region and the world. Our University can be firmly rooted in Ostrava and the Moravian-Silesian Region and, at the same time, confidently open to Europe and the world. I regard precisely this combination as one of our greatest strengths.

Our values

Values visible in our decisions and in our relationships. The identity of a university is not created solely by its history, its buildings or its logo. Above all, it is created by the way we deal with one another and by the rules we consider important. The Strategic Plan is built on openness, engagement, approachability, internationalisation and sustainability. I will continue to translate these principles into the culture and the decision-making of the University.

I want a university that is:

open – to new ideas, to people, to disciplines and to society;
respectful – where everyone is free to express their own views and where difference is not seen as a problem;
approachable – demanding in matters of quality and at the same time humane in its everyday practice;
responsible – towards its students, its staff, its partners, the region and society;
courageous – unafraid to seek new paths, to embrace change and to take responsibility for its decisions.

A free university and a shared culture

Freedom coupled with responsibility and respect. Academic freedom is one of the fundamental preconditions of a university. Without freedom of research, of teaching and of open debate, neither new knowledge nor genuinely high-quality education can come into being. Academic freedom, however, goes hand in hand with responsibility, with respect for others and with the awareness that a university is a shared space.

I will therefore strengthen a culture based on the following values:

Open debate, including on difficult subjects. It is possible to state one’s views openly and to hold a matter-of-fact discussion even on controversial subjects.
Respect for differing perspectives. Different professional, personal and generational perspectives are respected.
Trust and respect as an everyday experience. Trust, cooperation and mutual respect are not merely declared values, but the everyday experience of the people at the University.

What we will build on

Building on what works and taking the University further. The University of Ostrava has changed considerably in recent years. It has developed its teaching, its research and its international cooperation, built new facilities and gained a stronger position in the region and beyond. The Strategic Plan also shows that its strength lies in the combination of disciplinary diversity, rising quality, interdisciplinarity, an international environment and a more personal approach to people.

On this foundation I will further strengthen cooperation across faculties and disciplines, and the awareness that we are one university with a shared mission.

I want being part of the University of Ostrava to mean being part of an open, free and respected academic community – a university with its roots in Ostrava that confidently belongs to Europe and the world.

II. WHO WE ARE HERE FOR

A university for people

A university is above all a community of people. I will create an environment in which students have good conditions for study and personal development, staff have good conditions for high-quality work and professional growth, and the public has every reason to see the University of Ostrava as an open and trustworthy institution.

Students as partners

Students should be active members of the University, not merely recipients of teaching. My aim is for them to find their way around the University easily, to have support readily available and to be able to take up the opportunities that will help them in their studies and in their future careers.

Less administration, more time for study. I will simplify study processes from admission to graduation, make information and services clearer, and reduce the unnecessary administrative burden on students and teaching staff alike.
More flexible study pathways. I will support greater permeability between degree programmes, together with further options that allow students to tailor their studies more closely to their interests and professional goals.
Support when it is needed. I will strengthen academic, careers, psychological and other specialist support.
Equal opportunities to study. I will strengthen support for students with specific needs, for those with caring responsibilities and for those facing difficult personal circumstances during their studies, so that everyone has the chance to develop their potential to the full.
An active student life and support for student initiatives. I will continue to support societies, clubs, volunteering and other student activities, and I will appoint a coordinator to help students prepare and run projects and events (in particular Majáles and the commemoration of the events of 17 November).
Study connected to practice. I will work to increase the opportunities to gain experience in professional practice and in research, and I will expand the opportunities for international mobility, international cooperation and teaching in foreign languages.
Students as co-creators. I will involve students still more directly in working groups and in the preparation of important changes at the University, so that they are not merely recipients of decisions but co-creators of them.
A stronger student voice. I will create a regular space for the student voice and for feedback – I will organise regular meetings of the academic community to discuss significant issues.
Space for student ideas. I will support a competition for student projects aimed at improving everyday life at the University, in which students can put forward their own proposals and take part in carrying them out.

Good working conditions

Good conditions for good work. A high-quality university needs high-quality people. I want the University to be an employer that can attract capable staff, reward them fairly, develop them and retain them over the long term.

Clearer career opportunities. I will develop clearer career pathways for academic, research and non-academic staff.
Fair and competitive pay. I will work for further growth in salaries, greater predictability in pay and clear rules that reflect responsibility, performance and quality of work.
Better people management. I will give systematic support to the development of managerial skills among those in leadership positions and to the quality of people management.
Feedback that leads to change. I will survey the experience of staff regularly and translate the results into concrete changes.
A healthy working environment. I will support wellbeing, work-life balance and the principles of Healthy Campus.

Graduates remain part of the University

The relationship does not end at graduation. Graduates can be mentors, partners in teaching and research, employers of our students and important ambassadors for the University.

A joined-up alumni agenda. I will connect the alumni agenda with the faculties, the Counselling and Career Centre and lifelong learning.
A university for a whole professional life. We will offer graduates more opportunities for further education and for returning to the University, and we will involve them in mentoring, teaching, projects and professional debate.

An open university for the public

A university open to the public. I will open the University up to the public and connect research, education, culture, health and public debate.

III. WHERE WE WANT TO BE STRONG

Quality that stands up at home and abroad. The quality of education and research is the foundation of a good university. I want the University of Ostrava to develop the fields in which it has genuine strength or potential, to connect education with research, and to create the conditions for new topics, new teams and interdisciplinary cooperation to emerge.

Quality – education with ambition

The quality of degree programmes must not be a matter of paperwork alone. I will support an environment in which teaching quality, feedback, innovation in education and the link between degree programmes and both the development of the disciplines and the needs of society are addressed systematically.

Degree programmes for the future. I will support the continuous modernisation of degree programmes, which will not be merely a formal re-accreditation exercise but a genuine review reflecting the changing profiles of graduates, the impact of artificial intelligence and the views of students.
Teaching connected with research and practice. I will strengthen the links between education, research, professional practice and current knowledge in the disciplines, and will reflect them in the development of degree programmes, including interdisciplinary ones.
Modern teaching and the sharing of good practice. I will support high-quality, innovative teaching and the sharing of good practice between departments and faculties through the Centre for the Support of Education, university-wide platforms and a more active involvement of students in programme boards.
Regular evaluation and improvement of study. I will promote the systematic use of study results and of feedback from students, graduates and employers in raising the quality of degree programmes.

Excellence – support where we have genuine strength or potential

I will give targeted support to the areas in which we have genuine strength or potential and to develop further the capacity we have already built. I will create the conditions for the growth of leading teams and of promising new directions, and will build on the results of our strategic projects so that we maintain and further develop the capacity created through the OP ST and OP JAK operational programmes.

Targeted support for leading fields and teams. I will create the conditions for the development of fields and teams with the potential to achieve results of national and international significance.
Clear research priorities. In line with the Strategic Plan of the University of Ostrava, I will support the main directions of research and take them into account when allocating strategic support and access to selected calls.
Stronger support for international grants. I will strengthen the specialist support available to teams preparing applications for international grant calls, particularly under Horizon Europe.
Evaluation that supports quality. In research evaluation I will place the emphasis on the quality, significance and impact of results and on clear and predictable communication of the assessment criteria.
Research with an impact on society. I will support the practical use of research results, knowledge transfer and cooperation with partners in industry and the public sector, without weakening our strong portfolio of basic research.
Transfer and commercialisation. I will strengthen the role of the Technology Transfer Centre as a partner to research teams and will develop contract research, licensing, cooperation with companies and the creation of spin-off companies wherever they have genuine potential.
Professional services for research teams. I will strengthen the specialist support available to research teams in the areas that matter ever more for high-quality research, in particular the preparation of European grants, research data management, open science and institutional resilience.
Connecting education and research. I will continue to connect the development of degree programmes, research priorities, strategic projects and doctoral study so that quality in education and quality in research reinforce one another.

Interdisciplinarity – connecting disciplines. Major scientific and social problems often reach beyond the boundaries of a single discipline. Given the breadth of the University of Ostrava, I want to create space for cooperation between the natural sciences, the social sciences, the humanities, the health disciplines and the arts.

Shared topics across the University. I will create the conditions for shared research and teaching topics across the constituent parts of the University.
Shared teams and infrastructure. In line with the Strategic Plan of the University, I will support interdisciplinary projects, joint teams and infrastructure that individual departments cannot create on their own.
Interdisciplinary main directions of research. We will develop new main directions of research on an interdisciplinary basis across the constituent parts of the University and build them on the results of our strategic projects.
New topics at the boundaries of disciplines. I will support the emergence of new teaching and research topics at the interface of traditional disciplines.
Fewer internal barriers. I will press for the removal of the internal barriers that currently make cooperation between faculties more difficult.

Doctoral study

Doctoral study is one of the pillars of a strong university. High-quality doctoral study is an essential condition for the long-term development of research. Doctoral candidates are early-career researchers who should work in specialist teams, gain the experience needed for independent research and build international links.

Higher quality in doctoral study. I will improve the conditions for delivering doctoral degree programmes.
Standards that protect doctoral candidates’ time. Once the one-year pilot has been evaluated, I will revise the Standards of Doctoral Study in the light of the experience gained and of feedback from students, so that they support high-quality research work by doctoral candidates and protect their time.
Research opportunities of their own for doctoral candidates. I will develop support for doctoral grants and other instruments that allow doctoral candidates to gain research experience of their own, even after the withdrawal of state funding for the SGS student grant competition.
Funding that rewards quality. I will keep the system of funding for doctoral study under review so that it supports quality and provides an incentive to improve the results of doctoral programmes.
Support for supervisors and subject boards. I will ensure that supervisors and subject boards have sound information, methodological guidance and technical facilities for their work.
Doctoral study without language barriers. I will develop the international dimension of doctoral study and gradually make it bilingual throughout. International and Czech students must have comparable access to information and support.
Fairer conditions for earlier doctoral candidates. I will work to improve the financial conditions of doctoral study for students who enrolled before the amendment to the Higher Education Act took effect.

A university with international ambitions

International cooperation should not be an end in itself, nor should it be measured merely by the number of trips made and agreements signed. It should bring talented people, new know-how and new opportunities to the University and enable our staff and our students to work in the setting of the best European and world science and education.

Partnerships that deliver results. I will focus international cooperation on high-quality, long-term partnerships with universities and research institutions that deliver concrete results in research, projects, grants and education. At the same time, I will pay attention to their academic value, their ethical implications and any security risks.
Active use of the networks we already belong to. I will support the involvement of our teams in major European and international projects and the active use of the networks of which we are already members.
A diverse and resilient network of partnerships. We will develop a geographically and institutionally diverse network of high-quality partnerships in Europe and beyond, so that the University’s international cooperation does not depend on a small number of countries or institutions.
Support for academic freedom. We will support students and academics who cannot study or work freely in their own country, and will continue the University’s involvement in international initiatives for the protection of academic freedoms.
A university ready for international colleagues and students. We will continue to develop the Welcome Office, the buddy system and the gradual bilingualism of key information and communication channels, so that international colleagues and students have comparable access to information and support.
Joint programmes with universities abroad. I will support joint degree programmes and other forms of cooperation with universities abroad, including joint degrees, double degrees, cotutelle arrangements and the joint supervision of doctoral theses.

IV. WHERE WE BELONG

Ostrava, the region, the Czech Republic, the world

The University of Ostrava is firmly bound to Ostrava and the Moravian-Silesian Region, yet its ambitions must at the same time be national and international. I will not choose between regional roots and openness to the world. At the international level, I will continue to strengthen our position through active engagement in the European and global academic space.

A university the region turns to

The University should be a natural partner in addressing the key challenges facing Ostrava and the Moravian-Silesian Region. I will continue to strengthen cooperation with the city, the Region and other key partners in areas where the University has unique expertise.

Research that helps the region. We will continue to examine the key challenges of the region systematically and to translate research findings into relevant outputs and recommendations for practice and for the decisions taken there.
Cooperating universities, a stronger region. We will further develop strategic cooperation with VSB – Technical University of Ostrava and other higher education institutions wherever, together, we can offer the region, students and research more than any one institution could on its own.
The University as a partner to the region. We will strengthen the links between the University’s experts and the city, the Region and other institutions in preparing strategies, public policies and joint projects.
Talent for the region. Together with regional partners, we will respond to changes in the labour market and strengthen the University’s role in attracting and retaining talented people in the region.
For a healthier region. We will further strengthen cooperation with University Hospital Ostrava, both in educating a new generation of doctors and in developing specific lines of research, such as regenerative medicine.
Our results, our contribution. We will systematically monitor and clearly communicate the University’s concrete contributions to the development of the region and of society, using current communication and audiovisual formats.
The University as a visible expert voice. I will strengthen the University’s role in public debate on significant social, health and educational issues, and I will support interdisciplinary cooperation in explaining them to the public in expert terms.

An active role in Czech higher education

The University today holds a strong position in the Czech higher education sector. I will use it to help actively shape the conditions in which Czech universities will operate in the years ahead, drawing on my experience as a member of the Presidium of the Czech Rectors’ Conference. At the same time, I will bring to the national debate the experience of a university working in a region undergoing transformation.

A strong voice in Czech higher education. I will continue to take an active part in debates on the funding, the quality and the future shape of Czech higher education and to press for predictable long-term conditions for its development.
Working together for systemic change. We will support a common approach among universities on issues that call for a systemic solution at national level.
The voice of the region in the national debate. We will bring the experience of the University of Ostrava and the Moravian-Silesian Region into the national debate, for example on demography, access to education and health care, the transformation of regions and the retention of talent.

V. WHAT LIES AHEAD

AI as part of education and of the University’s work

Artificial intelligence (AI) is fundamentally changing the way we study, work and understand the world around us. The University of Ostrava should not merely react to this development. Working with the faculties, we will build on the steps taken so far and further develop the use of AI in teaching, in research and in everyday work, while maintaining quality, academic integrity and security.

I therefore intend to develop the use of AI along the following lines:

AI as a normal part of education. We will continue to integrate work with AI into teaching systematically, so that our graduates are able not only to use the new tools but also to assess their possibilities and their limits critically.
Support for teaching staff in changing the way they teach. We will support teaching staff in adapting their teaching and their methods of assessment to an environment in which AI is commonly available.
AI where it brings real benefit. We will use AI in research and in administration wherever it demonstrably saves time and delivers better results, while maintaining professional standards.
Clear rules for the safe and responsible use of AI. We will continue to set out comprehensible rules for the safe, ethical and responsible use of AI across the University.

Demographics: a more open university with a firm academic core

Demographic change will be one of the greatest challenges of the coming period. Around 70% of our students come from the Moravian-Silesian Region, and from the end of this decade the number of young people in the region will begin to fall rapidly. The answer cannot be to lower our standards, nor to give up the character of the University of Ostrava. The core of our University must continue to be high-quality academic degree programmes, effectively complemented by professionally oriented and flexible forms of education.

Education grounded in research and creative activity. We will maintain academic degree programmes as the basis of the University’s educational provision and develop them further in connection with high-quality research, creative activity and the needs of society.
Stronger support for first-generation students. We will work with first-generation students systematically – from reaching out to potential applicants, through their arrival at the University, to supporting them in completing their studies successfully.
More ways to study. We will develop flexible, blended and lifelong learning, including programmes leading to a micro-credential, which will make it possible to update and broaden qualifications continuously in line with the changing needs of society and of the labour market.
A broader base of applicants. We will strengthen the University’s ability to reach and attract students from other parts of the Czech Republic and from abroad. We will also continue to work intensively with potential applicants in the Moravian-Silesian Region.

We will prepare for the new conditions of development funding

Over the past 20 years the University of Ostrava has made exceptionally good use of European funding distributed through national programmes to develop research, infrastructure and other areas. In the next EU programming period the conditions are likely to be less generous, more competitive and directed towards new priorities. I want our University to be prepared for this change and able to build on the capacities we have created.

Ready for new opportunities. We will prepare for the new programming period in good time and actively seek out opportunities that match the University’s strategic priorities.
Building on the foundations we have. We will continue to support the high-quality teams and capacities built up through our current strategic projects even after their present funding comes to an end.
Strategic projects with a clear mission. We will prepare new strategic projects in line with our strengths and with a clear view of their mission, their long-term benefit and their sustainability.

We will prepare our graduates for a changing world of work

The labour market will change rapidly in the coming years under the influence of technology, demographic change and the transformation of the economy. The task of a university, however, is not to prepare graduates only for a particular job of today. I want an education at our University to provide a firm foundation in the field and, at the same time, the ability to learn, to adapt to change and to help shape it.

Education in touch with the labour market. We will systematically monitor the development of employment opportunities, qualification requirements and the careers of our graduates, and use this data when updating our degree programmes. We will support the involvement of employers’ representatives in the programme boards of our degree programmes.
Developing the skills needed for the future. Alongside subject knowledge, we will purposefully develop the transferable skills that matter in professional and personal life – critical thinking, communication, working with data and technology, digital literacy, languages, collaboration, enterprise and the ability to solve complex problems.

A sustainable and climate-resilient university environment

Climate change is increasingly affecting the environment in which we study and work. In line with the Sustainability Strategy of the University of Ostrava, I therefore want sustainability to become a normal framework for decisions about the University’s operation and development. We will systematically improve the surroundings of the University’s buildings and campuses, strengthen greenery and apply the principles of blue-green infrastructure.

The University as an active part of society’s transformation. We will further develop public debate on the climate, energy and social transformation and connect it more closely with our research, our students and the needs of the region.
More greenery and better outdoor spaces. When renovating the University’s campuses and the surroundings of its buildings, we will systematically extend planting and create better outdoor spaces for study, work and meeting.
Campuses prepared for climate change. We will apply the principles of blue-green infrastructure, for example shading, tree planting, permeable surfaces, rainwater management and other adaptation measures.
The University environment as a space for teaching and research. We will also use the University environment for research, teaching and student projects focused on sustainability and adaptation to climate change.

VI. HOW WE WILL ACHIEVE THIS

A strong and responsibly managed university

Stability, simplicity and accountability. An ambitious programme can only be delivered if the University is financially stable, well managed and able to work across faculties. I do not intend to increase bureaucracy or to centralise agendas where this brings no real benefit.

Stable and predictable finances

Predictable finances for long-term development. I will create the conditions for stable financial planning, set priorities clearly and respond in good time to changes in the University’s funding.
More sources of funding for the University’s development. I will actively broaden the University’s sources of funding, in particular through projects, contract research, licences, lifelong learning, cooperation with industry and the public sector, and systematic fundraising.
Every investment assessed with its future costs in mind. In the case of new projects and investments, I will consistently take account of their long-term operating and staffing implications as well.

Less administration, simpler processes

I will systematically look for places where work can be simplified. The aim is to reduce duplication, shorten approval procedures, make responsibilities clearer and leave people more time for teaching, research and professional work.

A review of rules and processes. I will ensure that key processes and internal regulations are reviewed.
Fewer unnecessary obligations. I will ensure that unnecessary and duplicate obligations are abolished.
Stronger methodological support and shared services. I will strengthen methodological support and shared services wherever this makes sense.
Better use of what we already have. I do not intend to create new units where this is not necessary. I will give existing departments clearer priorities, responsibilities and measurable targets, and will connect their work more effectively.

A digital university managed on the basis of data

Simpler digital processes. I will continue the digitalisation of the main administrative processes.
Data for better decision-making. I will improve the availability of reliable data and clear overviews needed for decision-making at both University and faculty level.

Investment with a long-term perspective

I will complete the investment projects already under way and will assess further ones according to genuine need, financial sustainability, energy demands and their benefit for teaching, research and the everyday life of the University.

Economical and sustainable buildings. We will modernise buildings and infrastructure with an emphasis on cost-effectiveness and energy savings.
Spaces that are good to study and work in. We will create high-quality spaces for study, work, meeting and rest.

Cooperation, safety and trust

A strong university needs cooperation between its faculties and, at the same time, respect for their autonomy. The leadership must explain its decisions, provide information in good time and create an environment in which a different view can be expressed openly.

More cooperation across faculties. We will share good practice more widely and address jointly those issues that extend beyond individual faculties.
Decisions with an explanation. For major decisions I will communicate the reasons, the impacts and the expected benefits.
Ongoing review of how priorities are being met. I will regularly evaluate the delivery of the priorities set out in this programme.
A safe and resilient university. I will systematically develop both physical and cyber security, support social safety for staff and students, the prevention of inappropriate behaviour and the University’s preparedness for crisis situations.

The result will be a university that is financially stable, administratively straightforward, digitally mature and able to turn its priorities into concrete results – and that does so without losing the trust of the people who make it up.