Awarding of Gold and Silver Medals
Rector Martin Bareš awarded Gold and Silver Medals to thirty university personalities and associates at a ceremony in January. The Great Gold Medal of Masaryk University was awarded to Pavel Rychetský, President of the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic.
Silver medals were awarded to editor and reporter Libuše Rakušanová and Oldřich Haičman of the Diecézní charita Brno at the Fragile Freedom festival commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution. The MU Gold Medal was also awarded to singer Marta Kubišová.
The Faculty of Medicine also awarded its silver medals at the end of the year. On the anniversary of the founding of Masaryk University and the Faculty, it also organised a campaign to promote blood donation. There were 275 people who participated in the “Donate at 105” campaign, and every third one of them was a first-time donor. The Faculty of Law organised a Golden Graduation Ceremony for the graduates of the very first year of the Faculty after it was re-established in 1969.
MU maintains its ranking among the world’s top universities
This year’s THE World University Rankings include 2092 institutions from 115 countries, 188 more than last year. Masaryk University scored higher year-on-year in 17 of the 18 ranking indicators and maintained its 601st-800th position in a growing competition. It was also ranked 408th in the QS World University Rankings. At the same time, it has managed to significantly improve its position in the areas of graduate quality, sustainability and reputation among employers. MU has also confirmed its position in the top 500 universities in the world according to the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), where it has been ranked in the top 500 universities for the third time.
The BioPharma Hub includes a unique combination of modern teaching facilities and the state-of-the-art research infrastructure of the Preclinical Centre and the Centre for Molecular Medicine. Its foundation stone was laid on 11 March this year by representatives of Masaryk University, the City of Brno and the Czech government. The BioPharma Hub is the second largest investment in the history of Masaryk University and its new buildings will house the Faculty of Pharmacy, as well as provide space for other MU faculties. The building will also house facilities for the production of small clinical batch drug formulations. The building is expected to be completed in mid-2026.
The 20th expedition to Antarctica
The 20th MU expedition returned from Antarctica at the end of March after its time in the icy continent was cut short by logistical and weather problems. This year’s expedition consisted of a total of 24 members divided into two groups. The main part of the expedition consisted of two women and seven male researchers (one of them from Charles University), a doctor, four technicians and two documentary filmmakers. The research team confirmed the presence of the highly infectious bird flu virus and found that the rate of warming in Antarctica is much faster than expected.
English version of M Magazine in print for the first time
Almost twenty years after its first issue, a print version of M Magazine was published entirely in English. The English edition of the magazine will now be published twice a year, replacing the Czech April and October issues. Masaryk University is thus responding to current trends in internationalisation and the growing demand for an English-language version intended not only for foreign students, staff and visitors, but also for promotional purposes abroad.
Erasmus digitalisation champion
This year, the European Commission ranked Masaryk University among the European champions in digitisation within the Erasmus+ programme. A further 49 universities have been awarded the label, a major achievement as all universities in the EU27, as well as six other countries outside the EU, are required to take part in the Erasmus Without Paper (EWP) initiative. In total, this includes more than 4,000 universities across Europe. MU received the special award thanks to Jiří Petrželka from the Centre for International Cooperation, who has been working on the digitisation of Erasmus almost entirely alone for the last five years.
Two MU faculties introduce new type of Bachelor’s exam
A final project instead of a Bachelor’s thesis – this new form of final examination is now possible at the Faculty of Economics and Administration. It received the approval of the MU Board of Internal Evaluation this spring. The new exam type will apply to students from the matriculation year 2024/2025 onwards. The final project will take the form of a short document in which students will present and analyse a situation, propose solutions, argue and justify their decisions and recommendations. Following approval by the Board of Internal Evaluation, students of chemistry programmes at the Faculty of Science can also complete their studies with a final project starting this academic year. Specifically, the programmes concerned include Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemistry and Technology of Materials for Conservation – Restoration and Environment and Health.
European Parliament video
Masaryk University and its efforts to help Ukraine have attracted the attention of the European Parliament. The EP featured the DigiUni (Digital University – Open Ukrainian Initiative) project in its three-and-a-half minute video, choosing it among many other projects from across Europe that promote the EU-Ukraine partnership. The DigiUni project was launched earlier this year and aims to help Ukraine create a national platform for online and distance learning that will be used by 300 Ukrainian universities, creating a one-stop shop where Ukrainian university students can access free courses in a range of disciplines from medicine to philology. In addition to Ukrainian universities, other institutions from France, Spain, Poland, the Netherlands and Germany are working with MU to develop DigiUni.
Max Planck Society collaborates with CEITEC
A Memorandum of Understanding between the Max Planck Society and the CEITEC consortium was signed by Max Planck President Patrick Cramer at Masaryk University in May. The memorandum provides for research cooperation with CEITEC in areas of mutual interest, sharing expertise and best practices. It is also intended to encourage and support the mobility of researchers, in particular early-stage researchers, and explore opportunities for joint funding through external grants.
In June, CEITEC MU was visited by ECR President Maria Leptin
Study and Examination Regulations
The new MU Study and Examination Regulations have been in force since the autumn semester of this academic year. The Rules now provide for the possibility to terminate studies when it is clear that a student cannot meet the requirements for advancement to the next semester, the presence of a third person at an oral examination or making a recording of it, and a new method of evaluating the State final examination. The conditions for receiving the “red diploma” have also changed – it is now awarded to the top 10 per cent of students in each faculty, provided they have not failed any courses during their studies.
Microcredentials
As of the academic year 2024/2025, Masaryk University has introduced micro-credentials into its lifelong learning system. Microcredentials (MC) are a new way of demonstrating specific knowledge and skills acquired through lifelong learning. They are acquired in specialised narrowly-focused courses that are completed with a verifiable demonstration of the acquired competences and the award of ECTS credits.
Honorary doctorates
This year, Masaryk University awarded the honorary degree of doctor honoris causa to four distinguished international personalities. In April this year, the honorary doctorate was awarded to Thomas Robert Cech, who is also a Nobel laureate, and Peter Wolfram Michor, and in October to Magdaléna Vášáryová and Michael Keenan.
Professor Cech is a world-leading experimental biochemist and biophysicist and winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Peter Wolfram Michor is a top expert in (applied) mathematics. Michael Keenan is a leading figure in applied behavioural analysis, and Magdaléna Vášáryová helped shape the diplomacy and international relations of Czechoslovakia and later Slovakia.
MU threatened by floods
The floods that hit a large part of the Czech Republic in the second half of September also affected Masaryk University, leading to the cancellation of the first week of classes, the precautionary evacuation of students from their dormitories and problems with high groundwater levels. Most affected by the natural disaster were about 500 students in the Komárov dormitories, who had to move to alternative accommodation for several days.
Volunteers offered help
The MUNI HELPS Volunteer Centre mobilised to help people in the flood-affected areas during the emergency. For example, MU students and employees bagged sand for protection from the high water, organised a material collection for the badly-hit regions and volunteers also travelled to clean up water-damaged villages in Jeseníky and Krnov regions. For the children from the Jeseník primary school, the Faculty of Education in cooperation with the University Centre Telč organised an autumn tutoring school at the end of October and the beginning of November.
Second alumni meeting in Brussels
About sixty alumni from seven faculties gathered on Saturday 14 September for a special event organised for Masaryk University graduates working in the Benelux countries. Most of the participants work in European institutions such as the European Parliament, the European Commission, NATO or private companies. The evening event took place in a pleasant and friendly atmosphere, and the alumni were very pleased that MU representatives came all the way to meet them in the EU capital.
New bursar
David Póč, an expert in strategic management in the public sector and public projects, has been appointed as the new Bursar of Masaryk University with effect from 1 November 2024. He succeeds Marta Valešová, who has served as MU bursar for eight years. David Póč has also been working at MU for a long time: among other things, he participated in the creation of a long-term thematic vision of the University’s development, which included possibilities of linkage to strategic investments in infrastructure, and he was at the birth of the strategic development project “Innovation for a healthy and safe society”. One of the projects already underway is the construction of the MUNI BioPharma Hub.
Management changes in faculties and other university units
The Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Administration, Jiří Špalek, and the Dean of the Faculty of Sports Studies, Jan Cacek, have won their second terms in office. The former was elected by the faculty’s Academic Senate in April this year, the latter in June last year. They will lead their respective faculties until 2028.
The Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC MU) got a new director on 1 July – structural virologist Pavel Plevka. Boris Janča, acting director of the Teiresiás Centre for assistance to students with special needs, was confirmed in this position in September. Radoslav Trautmann is the new director of the Technology Transfer Office since 1 December. Radoslav Trautmann has been appointed.
30 years of the Faculty of Informatics
The Faculty of Informatics is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. It was founded in 1994 as the first faculty of its kind in the Czech Republic. The Faculty’s premises in Botanická Street are gradually being renovated and the modern facilities also house the CERIT science and technology park.
The University Centre Telč became part of Masaryk University ten years after the Faculty of Informatics. The donation agreement between the town of Telč and Masaryk University on the transfer of the former Jesuit dormitory to the university administration was signed on 19 March 2004.
EXPRO and JUNIOR STAR grants
Beginning next year, the Czech Science Foundation will provide support for 15 EXPRO projects and 19 JUNIOR STAR projects. Masaryk University has been awarded grants for four EXPRO projects and two JUNIOR STAR projects.
MU succeeds with four strategic projects worth CZK 600 million
MU became the most successful university in the call of the Johannes Amos Comenius Operational Programme (OP JAC) focused on social sciences and humanities. The Faculty of Economics and Administration and the Faculty of Arts, the Faculty of Social Studies and the SYRI institute were successful with their projects. The programme’s evaluation committee recommended 13 out of 38 projects for funding in this call for proposals, and MU succeeded with four out of five projects it submitted.
The second and third place in the overall evaluation of all submitted projects went to the project from the Faculty of Social Studies entitled “On Our Own: Opportunities and Risks of the Individualization of Society” and the Faculty of Arts entitled “Language in Life: the Nature and Ontogeny of Linguistic Communication (LangInLife)”. The SYRI project “Research on Peripheries for Strengthening the Resilience of Czech Society” and the project from the Faculty of Economics and Administration “Population Ageing and Related Challenges for Health and Social Systems (AGEING-CZ)” also received support.