Researcher receives prestigious EU and Ministry of Education grant

Monika Brusenbauch Meislová won a grant from the European Commission last year and, together with her colleagues, also received a grant of 140 million Czech crowns from the Jan Amos Komenský Operational Programme.

You have been awarded the Jean Monnet Chair by the European Commission, a prestigious title given to university teachers specialising in the European Union. There have only been a few holders of the Jean Monnet Chair at Masaryk University, the last being Markéta Pitrová thirteen years ago and before that Petr Fiala in 2002. What are the chances of winning this award? And what will you research thanks to the grant of approximately one million crowns?

The chances are small because the competition is huge. It is a prestigious grant awarded by the European Commission and many top researchers from all over the world apply for it every year. Many try again and again, perhaps for several years in a row before it works out. And sometimes it doesn’t work out at all. I was mentally prepared for the same process – that I would try, get some feedback, and then use that feedback to try again. That it worked out the first time around came as a real surprise. It’s a great honour, it’s a boost to the reputation of our whole department, faculty and university. Also, thanks to the project, I will be able to research the EU digital diplomacy for the next three years, which I am looking forward to.

Grant allows department to explore digital diplomacy

What exactly is digital diplomacy and how does it work in practice?

Digital diplomacy, or e-diplomacy, is the use of modern digital tools, particularly social media, to achieve diplomatic goals. Diplomacy is transforming before our very eyes. It is no longer confined within the walls of embassies: it is becoming more open, flexible and interactive. My project focuses on this dynamic transformation, which is fundamentally changing the way states, institutions and diplomats communicate not only with each other, but also with the general public. It is fascinating stuff.

Over the next three years, I will be studying how the European Union uses social networks such as Instagram, X and Facebook to communicate its values and build its own diplomatic image. This is a phenomenon that is closely related to my previous research on political discourse – exploring the stories politicians and institutions tell and what tools they use to do so is of inexhaustible interest to me. For example, one of the questions will be how the EU works with emotions in its digital strategies. Emotions play a huge role in how people perceive and react to information. I will also focus on crisis situations, such as the war in Ukraine, which tend to test the politicians’ ability to communicate quickly, effectively and convincingly. I enjoy research immensely and can’t wait to get started.

The Jean Monnet grant will also support teaching. What new courses are you planning and when will students be able to enrol?

In the spring semester of 2025, I will already offer a new course to master’s students called Diplomacy and Communication in the Digital Era: Insights from the EU, which will be open to students from all MU faculties. I like to invite interesting guests from the field to my courses and incorporate modern interactive methods, so they can enjoy, for example, gallery walk seminars, MemeFests and speed dating seminars. The students will also make a podcast or vlog, take part in a policy hackathon and create their own research design.

In autumn 2025, I will launch a new undergraduate course called EU Diplomacy in a Digital Age, again open to students from all faculties. Again, I will emphasize interactive approaches and the link between theory and practice. I will also innovate some existing courses and enrich them with topics related to digital diplomacy.

Thanks to the Jean Monnet grant, your department can set up an alumni mentoring system for the European Studies programme, where you serve as the guarantor. How will the new system work?

Alumni mentoring will always run throughout the academic year, so we have already started in the autumn of 2024 to make sure everything runs smoothly. The master’s programme in European Studies is the first at Masaryk University to introduce such an initiative. The programme connects our students with successful graduates who are now working in important positions in Czech and European institutions – for example, in the European Parliament (one of our mentors is an MEP), the Representation of the European Commission and the Czech Government Office.

Students gain valuable contacts, concrete advice and inspiration for their careers – an opportunity that goes beyond the normal scope of their studies and gives them a great competitive advantage. For the mentors, it is a chance to reflect on their own journey, share their professional experience and perhaps even discover new talents to work with in the future. The mentor pairs are in touch one-on-one for three months. This intergenerational link not only establishes useful professional connections but also creates a vibrant community fostering mutual support and motivation. Similar programmes are running successfully at top universities all over the world and I am delighted that we now have one here in Brno.

Researchers to study foreign interference thanks to CZK 140 million grant

In December, you also received a grant from the Jan Amos Komenský Operational Programme, which focuses on interference by foreign powers in the context of the current geopolitical and technological changes. What exactly will you research with this grant?

Our project INTERFER: Foreign Interference by Foreign Powers in the Context of Contemporary Geopolitical and Technological Change scored 147 out of the maximum of 150 points and was ranked first among all the projects, which made us very happy. This is a four-year project with a total budget of 140 million Czech crowns, which brings together Charles University as the coordinator, Masaryk University, the University of Ostrava and the Institute of International Relations in Prague.

We have an excellent team of people working on the project and together we are creating a unique platform to explore the current and complex issue of foreign interference from different perspectives. In the work package I am leading, we will look at how individual states perceive and respond to these threats and how they build societal resilience to them. My personal focus will again be on discourse. Our project will result not only in papers in top academic journals, but also in policy papers with specific recommendations, expert workshops and roundtables, and new forms of international cooperation.

You are a visiting professor at the University of Birmingham, a member of the research centre at the University Sorbonne-Nouvelle in Paris and have shared your expertise with the British Parliament and the British Foreign Office on several occasions. How would you rate these professional experiences?

Each of these experiences has been special and enriching for me. Speaking to the British Parliament, for example, was an incredible experience. To speak in such an iconic space, where democracy has been shaped over centuries, fills you with immense respect and deep humility. Similarly, I have been thrilled by every opportunity to work with the British Foreign Office, whether it was running a masterclass for its staff or speaking at the elite Wilton Park Conference. Interactions with academia in other countries have also been very rewarding. Each university has a different approach to teaching, research and fulfilling its “third mission” and this has given me the opportunity to compare, be inspired and continue to work on myself. Of course, these are all considerable challenges, but this is where I see the greatest value – in the realisation that the learning process never ends.

You are also a member of the Scientific Council of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. How did you come to this position and what does it involve?

I was approached to ask if I would agree to the nomination, the whole process was successful and in August I was appointed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jan Lipavský. The Scientific Council of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is an advisory body to the minister regarding the research relevant to the ministry and setting the objectives and priorities of the ministry. The Council consists of seven internal and external members, and I am one of the external members. It has been a rewarding experience and another opportunity for me to combine academic research with the hands-on process of foreign policy-making.

In another one of your roles, you serve as an editor and member of the editorial boards of several academic journals, including the Journal of International Relations and Development, which is in the first quartile of Web of Science. What exactly do these roles involve and why do they interest you?

It is invaluable to be on the other side of the publishing process. I have often acted as a reviewer, I have repeatedly had the opportunity to edit special issues of international journals, and now I am editing a book, and this is a natural continuation of that experience. These roles involve evaluating and selecting articles, organising the peer-review process, and setting the strategic direction of the journals. Editing is demanding in terms of time and responsibility but it is also immensely rewarding. I also see it as an opportunity to give something back to the academic community. As authors, we benefit from the support provided by editors and reviewers, and it makes sense to help other authors in a similar way. Plus, working on editorial teams is, once again, about close international collaboration with great colleagues from universities around the world.

In December, you also received the MUNI Scientist Award for papers published in International Affairs and the Journal of Contemporary European Studies. Were you surprised to receive this award?

Yes, very much. Conducting good research is always a strain, especially when you have to juggle it with looking after a family with two young children. It makes it all the more rewarding to have my work recognised – it’s encourages and motivates me to carry on. At the risk of sounding pathetic, research is never just about the individual. I am lucky to work with amazing colleagues and I see this award as a reflection of the supportive academic environment we have in our Department of International Relations and European Studies and the International Institute of Political Science. Then, of course, there is my family, to whom I am sincerely grateful for their loving support that allows me to pursue what I enjoy and find fulfilling.