Resolution

Czech Rectors Conference (CRC) Plenum adopted at its 132nd Meeting following resolution:

1. CRC fundamentally disagrees with the proposed budget for higher education institutions for the year 2016 in which there is a decrease in the chapter of higher education institutions while increases occur in other chapters. This decrease seriously threatens the quality of education as well as competitiveness of higher education institutions in the area of research and development. In this context, CRC refers to the deal with the Prime Minister of the Government of the Czech Republic, Mr. Bohuslav Sobotka, who, at the meeting with CRC Presidium in March, promised to maintain the total amount of funding for higher education institutions in 2016 at the same level like in 2015.
2. CRC supports the amendment to the Higher Education Institutions Act in the form that has arisen from negotiations with the representatives of higher education institutions in the course of this year. Nevertheless, CRC is ready to seek a compromise with potential parliamentary amendments if they do not undermine the fundamental line of the amendment to strengthen the autonomy of higher education institutions and their accountability for quality of their activities.
3. CRC asks the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports to define conditions for implementation of projects within the Operational Programme “Research, Development and Education”, most notably the issue of funding resources for co-financing of projects and the issue of indirect costs and other problematic, vaguely formulated conditions. Implementation of projects under the current unclear conditions would very likely lead to major problems with deductibility of expenses or even to returning the provided subsidies in the future.
4. CRC has sent significant comments to the submitted version of legislative intent of the act on the support of research, development and innovation and calls for incorporation of these comments.
5. CRC repeatedly reminds the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the need to deal with funding of electronic information resources after the year 2017 in which the current funding through the programmes Information – the Basis of Research and Operational Programme “Research and Development for Innovation” ends.
6. Czech higher education institutions carefully observe the situation of immigration wave to Europe and are ready to help in a range of domains in order to effectively contribute not only to the direct easing of suffering of refugees but – within their capabilities – are also ready to participate even in a long-range period of time to help in social integration of the refugees.
7. CRC supports the proposed draft of the act on non-profit healthcare organizations which adequately responds to the needs of higher education institutions within university hospitals.
8. CRC welcomes the initiative of senators and the opportunity to nominate a member to the Council for Radio and Television Broadcasting.

České Budějovice, 9 October 2015