Charles University Strategic Plan for 2021-2025
Discussed by the Research Board on 17 December 2020
Approved by the Academic Senate on 22 January 2021
Approved by the Board of Trustees on 16 February 2021
Excellence, autonomy and freedom of research and teaching are principles to which we persistently adhere.
Charles University is one of the most important scientific and educational institutions not only in the Czech Republic, but in Europe, too. It is a research-oriented university that persistently adheres to the historical traditions of one of the oldest seats of learning and carries out a crucial role in the scientific, cultural, social and economic development of society.
As a public institution, it also adheres to the responsibility for the development of the society and environment that surrounds it. As much as before, Charles University will, therefore, in the forthcoming period take part in the development of the regions in which it operates and contribute, through its activities, to the fulfilment of national priorities, such as those enshrined in the strategic plan of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports for higher education system, as well as international commitments such as supporting the European Higher Education and Research Area.
We who act on its behalf today strive to honour the commitment to systematically develop knowledge, education and culture that has been handed down to us, and to pass it on to those who come after us. In this calling, we commit ourselves to follow the values that are inseparably related to this mission - to serve the truth, to foster the ideals of humanity, democracy, and openness, and to cherish the ideal of worldwide cooperation among universities as a precondition for international research and education. As in the past, we will place the highest demands on ourselves and on the quality of our research and education, and benchmark ourselves against the best.
Therefore, in the coming period, we shall focus on the following five key areas:
The core of a university are people. They are the bearers of the institutional culture, which is decisive for the standard of education, research and internal governance. Outstanding scholars and teachers are able to unlock the potential of students, who, thanks to that, come up with questions, new ideas and solutions, continue where their predecessors were not able or allowed to go. If we are to reduce the gap between ourselves and the world's best universities, care for people, their talents, and their experience, intuition and expertise must be our top priority. The best people make the best university.
Excellent, beneficial and internationally competitive research is the best prerequisite for developing the potential of students and researchers, attracting talented people, formulating new ideas, and finding answers to urgent problems. This is also an area that proves the importance of the university as an institution that significantly contributes to societal well-being and the sustainability of life in general.
Theuniversity,asaninstitutionthatfundamentallycontributestothelong-termcourseof the society, must constantly seek ways to make of education lasting and beneficial value as much as possible. While doing so, attention must be paid not only to teaching as immediate education and the development of personal qualities, but also to study experience, i.e. an institutional culture that is transferable outside the school environment and which represents a lasting value in a world in which much current knowledge is rapidly giving way to a new one. Charles University must be the paramount centre of learning that furnishes education for the future and education towards the future.
The example of the world's leading universities demonstrates that internationalisation is a critical prerequisite for quality and competitiveness. We can only approach the standards of these institutions and be a strong, sought-after institution if we consistently focus our efforts in this direction. Only if we learn from the best can we join them and pass on our experience to others. We will therefore focus on close cooperation with outstanding universities that will permeate all areas and levels of our activities and continue to establish the conditions that make it possible for Charles University to become a university that is open to the world. A new form of international cooperation, i.e. the 4EU+ European University Alliance project, will help us in this respect during the forthcoming period because it focuses on the integration of and synergy between the activities of participating universities, with the aim of creating a common European campus in the future. The activities that we have decided to resolve in this area and areas that are related to it represent a framework for Charles University's internationalization strategy in the coming period, which we shall elaborate to a greater extent in supplementary strategic documents.
Charles University consists of faculties, higher education institutions and other constituent parts that work towards a common goal in accordance with their mission, profile and potential. The diversity of disciplines that is characteristic of Charles University as an institution represents an ideal platform for the development of interdisciplinary research and education and a significant prerequisite for the fulfilment of its third role. However, at the moment we are not harnessing our internal potential in a purposeful way to develop our alma mater, which is currently characterised by fragmentation in various areas. This is one of the internal factors that hinders its development. Unity in diversity will therefore be one of the key areas on which we shall focus in the coming period.
promoting freedom, humanism and democracy
systematic effort to achieve high quality in our activities
development of academic integrity and preservation of academic freedom and self-
government
fulfilment of responsibility towards society beyond the primary activities of a university -
research and education
We want to be the first choice for high-quality applicants, students, scholars and professionals; for the best, because it is only with them that we will be able to bring Charles University near the top European universities.
the future of Charles University: talented students - doctoral students - postdoctoral fellows (attraction, retention, development and evaluation),
creation of more room for the hiring of international staff and students or those with long-term experience abroad, establishment of adequate environment, and support for faculties in achieving this goal,
general rules of career advancement for academic, research and administrative staff
that offer motivating pathways for professional development; increase of the
professional, language and pedagogical competencies of employees,
support for students and employees (counselling, harmonization of work, study and
family life, scholarships and benefits),
care for students and staff with special needs,
alumni.
Activities
We will create a system for attracting and supporting talented students and academics at Charles University, which will especially include gifted undergraduate and doctoral students, junior members of academic and researcher staff and postdoctoral researchers.
We will support cooperation between students on bachelor's and master's degree programmes who are engaged in scientific and research activities during the course of their studies, and doctoral students and research teams, including the one carried out in an international environment (e.g. within the 4EU+ Alliance or with universities that are our strategic partners). We will establish conditions for these students that will motivate them to continue their efforts and proceed to doctoral studies.
Based on the recommendations arising from the comprehensive analysis of doctoral study at Charles University, the international evaluation and the evaluation of research at the University, we shall improve, while taking into account material, technical and personnel capacities, study and working conditions for doctoral students across disciplines and lay emphasis on their immediate involvement in research teams. We shall increase scholarships and use them as an incentive which, together with more effective offer of grant funding and more intensive utilization of opportunities for international cooperation, will contribute to establishing such conditions that students, especially those studying on a full-time basis, can fully devote themselves to their dissertation research. In addition, we shall also expand the range of pedagogical and soft skills courses in order to support the professional and personal development of students, include doctoral study in career advancement and appraisal systems, and ensure the optimal number of doctoral students per supervisor.
We shall devote much attention to ensuring the excellence of doctoral study. This shall include, in particular, the establishment of demanding, internationally comparable and field-based criteria for individual disciplines across the University and the thorough tracking of study progress, support for the further advancement of Doctoral Study Programmes Coordination Boards, with emphasis on their purposeful arrangement and close cooperation with the Internal Evaluation Board in order to strengthen their role in relation to the course of doctoral studies, and training offer for supervisors.
We shall actively and attractively promote doctoral study as a start to a research career to talented our master's degree students and to applicants from outside of the University, especially in connection with the possibility of participating in research projects, with reference to success stories, and with an emphasis on career advancement within a research-based university. We will offer graduates who decide to pursue a research career support in their transition to postdoctoral positions, especially at foreign universities that are associated within the 4EU+ Alliance or those which are our strategic partners.
We will use targeted advertising on the top national and international portals in order to increase the number of academic and, where relevant, research positions filled through open competitions that usually include international candidates.
In order to increase the number of academics and researchers from abroad or with long- term international experience, we will offer them the opportunity to join our established teams. Thanks to setting up a bilingual environment and support from the CU Staff Welcome Centre we will provide them with such a background that they will be able to devote themselves to teaching, research and career advancement, without having to overcome the barriers associated with living and working in another country.
Thanks to the setting of transparent rules for career advancement, a more targeted link between salary and the quality of work and the systematic improvement of working conditions, we will increase the competitive advantage of the University as a sought-after employer even for those top professionals who currently work in the private or public sector; this will also contribute to closer links between teaching and the professional sphere.
We will support the introduction of postdoctoral positions at Charles University and establish a system for their long-term funding. At the same time, we will search for talented junior researchers who have studied at the University, completed their doctoral study abroad, established functional research networks there, and are willing to return to the Czech Republic.
We will introduce an effective system for the continuous appraisal of academic and research staff that will be based on carefully selected criteria related to following areas: teaching, research, the third role, and related activities (e.g. participation in various bodies or expert committees, organisational and administrative tasks, etc.). We will establish a corresponding system with relevant criteria for administrative staff. Moreover, managerial positions will be filled for time-limited periods, with the possibility of reappointment.
In order to improve operation of the University in the area of personnel policy, we will adopt General Career Code of Charles University, which will encompass a transparent and motivational linkage between habilitations and professorships on the one hand and career advancement on the other, and interconnection with both Internal Salary Regulation and the employee appraisal system.
With the support of our Lifelong Learning Centre and Centre for Pedagogical Skills – Paedagogium, and with the goal of systematically advancing both the erudition of our teachers and researchers on the one hand and the quality of internal administration of Charles University on the other, we will introduce a comprehensive system of further education for members of academic, researcher, managerial and support staff. At the same time, the Paedagogium will become a platform for bringing together teaching staff across the University and supporting the exchange of experiences and the sharing of good practice.
In order to improve the social standing of our employees and students and ensure them with preconditions for well-being, we will support activities and introduce additional measures that will contribute to the equalisation of opportunities, the harmony of study, work and family life, and a healthy lifestyle.
The prerequisite for retaining and recruiting people who can help us fulfil the mission and goals of our alma mater is to introduce as much internationally comparable working conditions as possible. In the field of personnel policy, we will therefore focus on fulfilling the principles stated in the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers; the HR Excellence in Research Award will serve us as a stamp.
Through the Alumni Club and alumni associations of individual faculties, we will continue to develop relationships with graduates and friends of our alma mater, both at home and abroad. Our goal is the intensive participation of graduates and supporters in the life and administration of the University, e.g. through the involvement of graduates in the preparation and evaluation of degree programmes and professionals in teaching, offer of lifelong learning, and a system of ambassadors to promote the good name of Charles University at home and abroad. We will also involve our graduates in our fundraising activities and the advancement of the innovation ecosystem. We will systematically increase the scope, activity and visibility of the Alumni Club.
Indicators
supported research teams that include undergraduate and doctoral students,
proportion of doctoral students with grant support,
amount of doctoral scholarships and overall financial standing of doctoral students thanks
to funding provided by the University,
graduation rate in doctoral study programmes,
proportion of tenders for academic and research positions involving candidates from
outside the University,
number of international members of academic and researcher staff,
number of postdoctoral positions filled by academics and researchers from abroad or with
long-term international experience,
number of employees who have completed training within Charles University's further
education system (e.g. managerial skills, soft skills),
number of staff who have completed training in pedagogical skills,
number of doctoral students who have completed training in pedagogical skills,
renewal of HR Excellence in Research Award,
expenditure on social policy,
number of supported employees and students with special needs.
The quality of research at Charles University will always be measured against that of the best European universities; this being said, the University must approach them as closely as possible. The key objectives of Charles University for the period of the new strategic plan are to significantly strengthen the excellence, beneficiality and openness of science and research.
key research areas, centres of excellence and strategic/unique fields,
scope for quality and its appreciation (research evaluation, connection with financing),
programmes to support science, domestic and international grant competitions
including ERC,
research infrastructures,
knowledge, skills and technology transfer (Catalogue of Services, Via Carolina, Charles University Innovations Prague, university innovation network),
Open Science.
Activities
One of the prerequisites for internationally competitive research is that we have the ability to define the key research fields that will be given priority for support at Charles University, identify those in which excellence could potentially be achieved, and also find scope for the promotion of new topics or collaborations within the University. We will obtain the necessary information to achieve this goal by completing an internationally guaranteed research evaluation. The identification of key research fields will influence the future course and quality of the University and will result in the greater effectiveness of research funding and in higher proportion of exceptional results. Support will be targeted at research excellence and preservation of disciplinary continuity.
We will introduce a targeted system of support for fields that are unique in the Czech context or important for the University, whether they are small in terms of size or are important for society, e.g. for cultural, historical, economic or security reasons, fields with potential to grow or strongly committed to interdisciplinary cooperation, provided that the high academic standards are observed.
Given the importance we attach to the research evaluation system, which is based on objective, transparent and field-specific criteria for strategic management of research at Charles University, we will continually develop and revise it, while emphasising that learned human judgement is a key factor and that the measures introduced as a result of its conclusions are result from debate within the University. Based on these principles, we will carry out another cycle of internationally guaranteed research evaluation. We will advance similar principles in relation on national evaluation whose conclusions and recommendations will be one of our leads in the advancement of research at Charles University.
The PROGRES, UNCE and PRIMUS programmes are an internal tool for the long-term conceptual development of individual research fields at Charles University. We will assess and improve our institutional programmes for the support of research so that they become an effective incentive for the development of high-quality science at the University and for acquiring the best researchers from the Czech Republic and abroad.
An important component of our support system for the conducting of research is working with students and interlinking research and study. Therefore, we will continue to innovate the Charles University Grant Agency and improve its connection with other grant schemes so as to ensure the greater efficiency of funding, incentive effect, acquisition of skills for the preparation and leadership of a research project and long-term support for promising projects.
In the coming years, we must work consistently to significantly increase our involvement and success rate in international grant competitions, including calls announced by the European Research Council. In order to achieve this goal, we will to a greater extent make use of the potential offered by our internal financial instruments, such as a stable and long- term programme of financial support to applicants of high-quality projects for the ERC calls and further extension of expert assistance provided by the European Centre of Charles University in relation to applying for major international grants.
In order to improve quality of our research, we will also utilize close relationships with our partners from the Association of Research Universities of the Czech Republic, institutes of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and university hospitals.
Thanks to the introduction of a system for the promotion of our research in the public sphere, we will ensure conditions for the more effective use of the research results within society and also for public awareness of the social good resulting from research conducted at Charles University.
We will create a stable funding system to support the transfer of knowledge and technology through intensive collaboration with our subsidiary Charles University Innovations Prague on the commercialization of our research results and greater engagement in international research cooperation, revolving around KTT. While doing this, we will focus mainly on supporting transfer projects co-financed from our own resources, registration of industrial property under the Charles University brand, the establishment of spin-off companies with the participation of the University or its subsidiary, and on establishing collaborations and partnerships with partners from the commercial sphere.
As a public institution, we will promote, as far as possible and in cooperation with other universities and research institutions, the openness of our science:
with the goal of improving the availability of high-end instrumentation and increasing the efficiency of its use, we will support the sharing of our research infrastructures and core facilities, especially through the preparation and promotion of the relevant catalogue, adoption of rules for sharing selected facilities, both within the university and with other partners, and the continuous monitoring of their usage.
with regard to the availability and widespread social benefit of our research results, we will set up conditions for the wider use of Open Access and for the archiving, protection and accessibility of research data; to achieve this goal, we will, among other things, establish the Open Science Support Centre of Charles University, build infrastructure and launch a standardised software solution for archiving scientific data, prepare and implement a set of methodological guidelines for supporting Open Science at Charles University, for self-archiving of research results in the institutional repository of our publications and for archiving, protection and accessibility of research data within the institutional data repository. Furthermore, we will introduce a university-wide system to support the creation of data management plans and a framework to support the education of undergraduate students in the area of open access to scientific information.
as far as the third role is concerned,we will focus on composing the inputs for pressing social issues, proposing solutions to the complex problems tormenting the society, popularising our research and its outstanding representatives and results, as well as supporting Citizen Science that allows those who are not professional scholars to be involved in scientific research.
Our publishing house Karolinum Press will continue to follow current trends in international academic publishing practice and provide a standard service for foreign- language publications, with a focus on those written in English and on a full service for electronic publishing.
Indicators
increase in the quality of scholarly work within fields existing at Charles University substantiated by the results of the university evaluation,
publications in top scientific journals,
national and international awards for outstanding research of our students and staff,
the number of ERC grants and other major international grants awarded,
the amount of funds obtained from the knowledge and technology transfer and
contractual research,
the number of Open Access publications,
number of digital publications published by our publishing houses.
Education acquired at Charles University will be a long-term competitive advantage for graduates; this will be the case not only in relation to competing for the most interesting jobs.
outstanding and internationally attractive degree programmes, joint and double degree programmes,
integration, innovation and internationalisation of education across faculties,
permeability at national and international level, interconnection between education, research and the professional sphere, interdisciplinarity,
modern forms of education and new technologies,
modern library of Charles University, digitisation, eResources,
education towards active and responsible citizenship (e.g. critical thinking, tolerance,
openness to cooperation), entrepreneurship and active job creation, • development of a system for evaluation of degree programmes,
care for student welfare,
lifelong learning, openness (including Junior Charles University and, for senior citizens,
the University of the Third Age).
Activities
We will focus on further improving the quality of our degree programmes, in particular on innovation, internationalisation and the integration of education across faculties and on study experience, including the objectivity and fairness of study assessment, while maintaining high standards. For this purpose, we will, in particular, define a university strategy concerning the quality of educational activities that is binding for the internal accreditation of degree programmes, establish a university-wide platform to support quality enhancement in education, introduce a comprehensive system for the continuous quality assessment of degree programmes whose integral part will be the regular, interconnected, and representative surveys among applicants, students and graduates as well as cooperation with professional sphere.
In order to ensure long-term employability of Charles University graduates in demanding professions and positions, we will focus on tightening the bond between our education and the professional sphere, which will reach from the internal accreditation of degree programmes, through study, to subsequent careers. For example, we shall:
involve our graduates and experts from professional sphere, including those who follow a research career, in the preparation, approval and evaluation of degree programmes,
support entrepreneurship and creativity, the introduction of student projects ensuring the transfer of knowledge between the academic and the professional sphere, or the involvement of students in innovative activities within both degree programmes and extracurricular activities (e.g. incubator, accelerator),
systematise cooperation with external partners in the field of practical training and internships so that students can choose from a broad, high-quality offer and enhance the practical component of the acquired qualification during their study even in those cases, where it is not its compulsory part,
systematisecareercounsellingforfuturegraduates,
expand the range of subjects taught in foreign languages and knowledge and skills
courses necessary for their future employability,
offergraduatesprofessionallyorientedlifelonglearning.
We will support degree programmes that educate professionals ready to carry on vocations the society needs and respond to existing societal challenges, among other things with the goal of positively shaping the future of these professions. One of our priorities in the coming period, for example, will be the training of future teachers or medical doctors, thus enhancing the quality of primary and secondary education and the healthcare system in the Czech Republic.
We will preserve the study offer of those degree programmes that are unique in the international context, and we will strive for a special support for degree programmes with strategic potential.
Based on previous experience and the outcomes of the evaluation of degree programmes, we will prepare a new arrangement of accreditations at Charles University in order to unburden the entire process and allow it to focus on key qualitative attributes of education and preparation of prospective graduates.
True to the sense of university education, we will systematically support bringing together not only teaching, research and the professional sphere, but also teams from different disciplines (arts and humanities, social sciences, medical and health sciences and natural and life sciences) and faculties, with the aim of strengthening interdisciplinarity or developing joint activities and innovation management. We will also support university, national, cross-sectoral and international permeability, such as horizontal and vertical one between degree programmes and faculties, the involvement of practitioners in teaching, cooperative degree programmes (joint and double degree) or supervision of final theses (cotutelle), bridge professors, visiting and extraordinary professors.
In order to strengthen the openness of Charles University and support international mobility, we will focus on the recognition of students' qualifications and study results acquired abroad. The 4EU+ Alliance and strategic partnerships will serve us a laboratory in this area, while our goal is to introduce a system for the automatic recognition of education obtained at a university from a European Union country that is recognized by the relevant member state, or at any school that is our contractual partner within the framework of inter-university or faculty agreements.
We will support modern pedagogical approaches and innovations in methods and forms of teaching that contribute to the active role of students in learning (student-centred- learning or problem-based learning, e.g. through student projects, practical workshops, student internships including volunteering, simulations or the involvement of partners among practitioners or from abroad in the preparation of seminar papers and bachelor's and master's theses), to the enhancement of their competencies, and to the usage of the modern technologies so that e-learning tools are congenial to on-site education and so that we can improve the openness and internationalisation of our education (virtual mobility, simulators, blended learning). In individual disciplines and based on the continuous monitoring, testing and evaluation of all new tools and methods, we will seek the optimal balance between traditional and modern approaches to education.
We will increase the graduation rate within individual degree programmes primarily thanks to:
information and counselling services for applicants so that,when considering to study at Charles University, they are capable of judging which degree programme best corresponds to their expectations and preferences,
continuous adjustments of degree programmes and curricula or even rules for the organisation of study and related changes in teaching and assessments of study,
emphasis on that, from the beginning of their studies, students are familiar with the application of acquired knowledge in practice and its significance for their forthcoming career,
support for such activities and projects, including those originating from or with the participation of student associations and initiatives, that will strengthen the social integration of students and thus contribute to increasing the quality and relevance of education,
enhancement of diagnostics services related to study and career capabilities for applicants and students, strengthening of counselling services, support for improving study competencies, and building resilience, including prevention and well-timed help in relation to burnout syndrome.
For this purpose we will utilise not only our capacity, but also that offered by relevant external parties (e.g. associations or non-profit organisations).
In the area of lifelong learning, we will continue to offer programmes for a wide range of target groups (vocational and general-interest education, Junior Charles University and the University of the Third Age, or similar faculty projects aimed at secondary school pupils and university students) and support the development of lifelong learning within the 4EU+ European University Alliance. We will also focus on increasing permeability between lifelong learning programmes and degree programmes and start work on the introduction and implementation of a system for recognising previous formal, non-formal and informal (e.g. practical experience) education and learning.
We will establish a unified system of services within the Charles University Library in order to guarantee all students and members of academic staff access to the knowledge stored in a wide range of documents, both printed and electronic. We will support education and research through the provision of access to a wide range of high-quality eResources (CzechElib), which will also include digitised study literature and other documents, as well as historical collections. We will also further enhance a tool to support academic and creative writing and a plagiarism detection system for checking the originality of papers and theses submitted by our students.
We will implement new functionalities into the information system for management of archivalia and continue to digitise the most valuable and most widely used historical documents and make them available online to the academic community and the general public so that they can be used for teaching, research and day-to-day administration. We will also ensure the long-term preservation and processing of, and access to, other historical documents, regardless of their physical form.
Indicators
number of degree programmes innovated on the basis of evaluation (e.g. curriculum change),
reduced number of degree programmes (through their integration),
improvement of graduation rate and graduation rate within the standard period of study plus one year, with special attention given to selected groups of students (students with special needs, students from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds, students who are parents),
number of practitioners involved in teaching,
number of funded projects and activities aimed at strengthening the link between study and professional sphere, and the social integration of students,
increased number of electronic study tools: e-learning courses, electronic study materials, etc.,
number of e-learning users,
number of lifelong learning courses with assigned credits that can be recognised as part of study within degree programmes,
number of study subjects or modules that are offered as a lifelong learning programme.
We want to become an important destination for the best international students and scholars. We want to be an initiator of and a welcome partner for the most prestigious international projects.
a cosmopolitan and internationalised university,
mobility,
friendly environment for international students and employees, relocation centre,
4EU+ European University Alliance,
strategic partnerships,
university associations and other forms of cooperation,
European Centre,
Institute for Language and Preparatory Studies.
Activities
The 4EU+ European University Alliance is our most demanding international project for the upcoming period, as it aims towards integration and synergy in both education and research, and will pervade all areas and levels of our activities. This project will help us to further open ourselves to the world and contribute to improving our educational and research activities, as well as enhancing the visibility of Charles University in the European Higher Education and Research Area. We will primarily support and develop:
complementary curricula between partner universities, including in those programmes that do not result in an academic degree,
e-learningandjointsubjects,andconsequentlyphysical,virtualandblendedmobility,
commonframeworkfortheevaluationofteachingandeducation,
establishment of joint research teams and support in obtaining major international grants or
bridgeprofessors,i.e.academicstaffworkingpartlyatCharlesUniversityandpartlyat another partner university, whereby at all participating universities they are members of an international team working on a similar topic.
Similarly, as within the 4EU+ Alliance, and both at the university and at the faculty level, we shall develop relationships with our strategic partners.
In the area of bilateral cooperation with strategic partners, we will focus on identifying peers and strengthening ties in North America and Asia. We will use this form of cooperation even more for the purposes of benchmarking and transferring best practice.
In order to achieve the goals of the European University Alliance and fulfil our other priorities in the area of internationalisation, we will establish a fully bilingual environment in which both international students and staff are able to study or work without any obstacles (language skills of students, academics, researchers and support staff, key documents or services in a foreign language, especially English, etc.).
We will to a greater extent use the potential of the Institute of Language and Preparatory Studies in order to increase the readiness of international students to study both in Czech and a foreign language and to help incoming students, teachers and researchers orientate themselves in the language and culture of the Czech Republic. Depending on demand, we will also expand the portfolio of its services by offering language education within selected segments (e.g. healthcare or social care) so that graduates from these programmes will be able to communicate in Czech within their workplace.
We will establish the CU Staff Welcome Centre as an institution that provides a comprehensive practical service to scholars, researchers and their families coming from abroad, advertises offers for doctoral, postdoctoral and other positions and for grants allowing extended stays of researchers from abroad at the university, contributes to the international visibility of Charles University, and later also helps with outgoing mobility of our staff.
We will continue to develop the European Centre and improve the skills of its staff so that they are ready to provide a first-class service for the preparation of international projects whose acquisition is a long-term priority of Charles University.
We will expand our mobility portfolio to include all relevant staff and students. We will focus on the qualitative aspect of mobilities and on raising the awareness of all target groups about the possibilities of stays abroad.
We will support workplaces that participate in humanitarian and development cooperation that contributes, amongst other things, to the acquisition and formation of invaluable experience, skills and personal opinions, as well as to the dissemination of expert knowledge or research.
Our involvement in international university associations will continue so that we can contribute to the development of European research and education policy and to regularly meet with leading representatives of other universities. We consider our priorities to be our participation in the LERU-CE7, Coimbra, EUA, UNICA and Europaeum associations and the more intensive involvement of our faculty representatives in the activities of individual networks. The long-term goal of our University in this area is to become a member of the LERU association.
Indicators
number of international students,
number of bridge professors and visiting professors,
numbers of student and staff mobilities,
proportion of degree programmes involving physical or virtual mobility,
number of degree programmes taught in a foreign language,
number of study subjects, courses and degree programmes with curricula created in cooperation with a foreign university, particularly one that is a member of the 4EU+ Alliance or our strategic partner,
number of joint research teams formed, in particular within the 4EU+ Alliance or strategic partnerships,
number of viable inter-university agreements with partners in North America and Asia,
number of teachers and students trained within courses organised by the Institute for Language and Preparatory Studies,
number of international staff receiving support from the CU Staff Welcome Centre.
The University's strength lies in its diversity. The precondition for realising its full potential is our unity and identification with Charles University as a whole.
promotion of democratic and humanist ideals,
fulfilment of the Sustainable Development Goals and support for their promotion in society,
academic integrity,
self-government, cohesion, solidarity, sense of belonging,
budgeting and financing that awards the contribution to the strategic goals of Charles University,
infrastructure for teaching and research,
reducing the administrative burden,
cooperation and intensification of relations with our university cities of Prague, Pilsen and Hradec Králové.
cooperation with other partners, fulfilment of the third role and social good, innovation ecosystem.
Activities
Both within and outside the University, we will promote the values enshrined in our Constitution and Code of Ethics, in particular freedom of expression, equality, the right to education and information, critical thinking, and international cooperation. Based on this, and well-aware of our part of responsibility for the advancement of society, we will, as part of our third role, continue to articulate our views on fundamental issues related to the development of education system and social problems. In order to accomplish these goals, we will make the most of both our own and other relevant projects with a society- wide impact on suitable target groups.
Within the bounds of Charles University, we will fulfil the principles of sustainable development, and at the same time contribute to their promotion within society through our research and education. In order to achieve this goal, we will e.g. ensure university- wide coordination and support in this area, approve and implement a strategy for sustainable development of Charles University, audit its environmental footprint, take part in national or international networks addressing this topic, and educate our students, staff and the general public in the area of sustainable development within degree programmes, lifelong learning programmes, summer schools and other suitable activities. We will support research in this area within our science and research programmes.
We will consistently defend the principles of academic self-government, build and strengthen the value and good name of Charles University and the identification of students, staff and graduates with their alma mater. We will therefore focus on improving mutual communication between students and staff and enhancing their awareness of what is going on at the University. We will support the involvement of students in the self- governance of the University and provide financial and material support to the activities of student associations. We will support internal and external communication by making better use of the potential offered by information technology, new media and social networks. By means of the adoption of an internal communication strategy, our goal is to create an integrated communication system across faculties and units that covers a wide range of the demands placed on universities in the 21st century, based on the adoption of an internal communication strategy. Based on the adoption of the University's comprehensive marketing strategy, we will strengthen the coordinated development and promotion of the "Charles University" brand both in the Czech Republic and abroad.
We will place emphasis on the continuous development and strengthening of academic and scholarly integrity (e.g. specialised courses on this topic, academic writing courses, seminars and workshops focused on project preparation or writing scholarly papers in Czech and English, etc.); in this area, we will cooperate with partner institutions abroad.
We will make the most of the potential residing in collaboration between faculties and the sharing of good practice across the University. Our goal is an internally diverse, democratic and open institution that is tied together by single vision and a common conception of educational, research and innovation policy. To this end we will implement an internal information portal and use electronic tools to support teamwork.
We will to a greater extent open up Charles University to cooperation with external partners and service to society. We will set up conditions for the stable development of the third role at all levels so that most of our workplaces contribute to it and, together with teaching and research, so that it forms an integral part of the activities of a well-run university. In the area of personnel policy and the relevant quality evaluations, we will grant third role activities equal status to high-quality teaching and excellent research.
We will adjust the Principles of Revenues Allocation so that they match the goals of our strategic plan and become an incentive tool for improving quality across faculties and other parts of the University.
We will increase the share of earnings resulting from our activity on total funding of the University. We will introduce and implement a comprehensive fundraising model, including the institutionalisation and professionalization of fundraising activities. We will establish a Charles University Endowment Fund.
With the aim that members of academic and research staff can devote to their primary activities to the maximum possible extent, we will improve the quality and efficiency of our support units via the systematic training and regular evaluation of executive, managerial and administrative staff both at university and unit levels, streamlining of management and administrative processes and reduction of administrative burdens thanks to the introduction of other university-wide systems (e.g. single economic system, central data warehouse, competitive hiring, international staff and visiting professors, mobility, cooperation with external partners, etc.). To this end we will prepare relevant data collection guidelines so that stored information can be used across the University and guaranteed a high-quality input for the administration and enhancement of Charles University and its parts.
We will intensify relations with our university cities, i.e. Prague, Pilsen and Hradec Králové, with the aim of supporting higher education and research, regional development and the third role. We will support strategic partnerships with additional partners from the public or private sectors. We will systematically support such modes of cooperation that will contribute to the fulfilment of the third role and support the community outreach of Charles University and the innovation ecosystem.
We will prepare a strategy for the development of our locations and systematically strive to ensure adequate spatial conditions and material, instrumental and simulation equipment for high-quality teaching; this will include cooperation with other institutions to ensure the practical training of students.
We will complete the construction of key university minicampuses and large infrastructures (Albertov, Hradec Králové, Jinonice, Motol, Pelc-Tyrolka, Pilsen, Veleslavín), start to materialize investment projects that are part of the programme funding to renew the material and technical infrastructure of the medical faculties and the Faculty of Education, and systematically renovate and modernise dormitories and refectories so as to ensure high-quality accommodation and catering services. In this respect, we will pay adequate attention to the redeployment of faculties and other parts of the University. We will also seek a solution to address the spatial situation of the Catholic Theological Faculty, which does not have its own premises.
We will strengthen eGovernance at the University, in particular by further improving the electronic document and records management system and introducing a single economic information system. We will accelerate the modernisation of the University's infrastructure through the digitisation of university agendas with the aim of intertwining originally heterogeneous applications into a set of applications that are mutually collaborative and interconnected. We will improve key electronic systems so that their functionality and user comfort is increased, which will be true for the Study Information System to the greatest possible extent. The emphasis on eGovernance will be matched by corresponding focus on the security of our systems and applications.
In order to reflect on to what extent we have accomplished our goals, and to obtain recommendations on how to further enhance Charles University, we will undergo an independent evaluation before preparing the next strategic plan.
Indicators
organised events of society-wide significance or impact,
number of degree programmes, study subjects, summer schools, e-learning courses and other forms of education and public events on the topic of sustainable development,
proportion of earnings resulting from our activity on total funding of Charles University,
income from fundraising and sponsorship cooperation,
amount of funds invested in the renewal and development of infrastructure,
amount given to support the activities of student associations,
joint projects with the cities of Prague, Pilsen, and Hradec Králové and other partners,
number of activities focusing on the systematic sharing of experience and good practice within the University.
Charles University
Ovocný trh 5
Prague 1
116 36
Czech Republic
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