Resolution

The Plenum of the Czech Rectors Conference (CRC) adopted at its 122nd Meeting the following resolution:

1. CRC categorically refuses the proposed amendment to the Act No. 111/1998 Coll. on Higher Education Institutions of which CRC was informed by the letter Ref. No. MŠMT-26694/2013 dated 17 June 2013 and which devolves the authority to appoint Professors from the President of the Czech Republic to the Minister of Education, Youth and Sports. Taking into account the current state of political culture, this proposal increases the risk of political and ideologically motivated interference in the sphere of autonomy of higher education institutions recruitment. CRC is ready to negotiate with the government that will gain the trust of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic about the amendment to the Higher Education Institutions Act that would comprehensively address the issue of Professor appointment with regard to the standards of quality of higher education and that would not jeopardize the autonomy of higher education institutions which is a prerequisite for their functioning.
2. CRC supports the Operational Programme “Research, Development and Education” prepared by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MYES). CRC agrees with the view that interventions in the field of higher education must be interconnected with interventions in research capacities of higher education institutions within a single operational programme. CRC supports the proposed approach to the interventions in research capacities within the Operational Programme “Research, Development and Education” that are directed at both the development of human resources in research and development and the high-quality oriented research.
3. CRC fundamentally disagrees with planned changes to the conditions for the solution procedure of the Operational Programme “Research and Development for Innovation” running projects. The changes are considered as pernicious for all solvers of such projects. Limitations of economic activity to a maximum of 10% is completely contrary to the original requirement of the MYES for contractual research ranging from 20% to 50% as well as in a fundamental contradiction with the decisions of the MYES about approved and for several years already implemented projects. In addition, it is also in direct conflict with the values of project indicators that are required to be met by higher education institutions.
4. CRC reaffirms that the proposed Act on Rules of Budget Responsibility and the corresponding Implementing Decree represent another major limitation to the autonomy of public higher education institutions. At the same time, CRC refuses the resulting unnecessary and expensive increase of administrative demands on economic and budgetary schemes of public higher education institutions.
5. CRC appeals to MYES for initiating the amendment to the Act on Public Procurement whose current form impedes the implementation of top laboratories and research centres.

Ostrava, 5 September 2013