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Almost six months have passed since tragedy struck the Faculty of Arts at Charles University: a mass shooting that claimed 14 lives. CU has since responded with key measures. The head of the Central Crisis Staff of Charles University Otomar Sláma and security expert Zdeněk Kalvach discussed steps already implemented and crucial steps still to be taken, with Forum magazine.

According to the newly published QS World University Rankings 2025, Charles University is once again among the top 250 universities in the world, placing it among the top 1.5% of universities worldwide. Compared to last year, the school rose by two spots and is now ranked 246th. It is once again the best of the 16 Czech universities ranked in the survey.

Charles University hosts a great many events but last week saw one that was truly exceptional: MIT Global Experiences. The conference brought together representatives from academia, science, and the world of venture capital. Special guests included Justin Leahey of MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives.

Concerned with the increasing demands and rapidly changing social, environmental and political contexts in which public health actors operate, has brought together numerous players in the field. Representatives from universities in Brno, Liberec, Olomouc, Ostrava and Prague, together with representatives from the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education, the Institute of Public Health and the WHO recently at the Carolinum at Charles University.

The management of Charles University has long pointed out that if we want to promote a knowledge-based economy in the Czech Republic, i.e. an economy with higher added value, and thus develop the long-term prosperity of our society, it is essential to pay attention to the support of education, research, development and innovation.

Under the auspices of its Rector, Prof. Milena Králíčková, Charles University is organising a conference entitled "Building Excellence in International Joint Study Programmes". The meeting of Czech and foreign experts will focus on international joint study programmes, their implementation, financial support or promotion.

Members of the International Advisory Board (IAB) at Charles University gathered for their annual meeting at the Hall of Patriots this week to discuss developments at CU over the last year and to discuss newer plans moving forward. The role of the IAB, as the name suggests, is to help the university lay solid foundations for its future, combining expertise and know-how across numerous scientific as well as administrative fields.

On behalf of the management of Charles University and the management of the faculties concerned, we felt it was important to provide clarity on a number of recent issues, for example, how we at Charles University ensure the safety of all our members, how we honour freedom of expression and respect the right to free expression of opinion.

“The European Union was in good shape economically at the time, and at the same time saw no geopolitical danger in enlargement.” That is how Professor Ivo Šlosarčík from the Department of European Studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences of Charles University describes EU enlargement that took place on 1 May 2004. Twenty years ago, 10 countries, including the Czech Republic, joined what up until then was the EU-15.

During a conference on a blueprint for a European degree on 29 April in Brussels, which brought together more than 1000 participants – both in person and online -, higher education institutions from all across the EU have called on the European Commission, Member States and the wider higher education sector to take the next steps to make the blueprint for a European degree a reality.

Can you imagine analysing a buried vessel once used to share 150 litres of beer in a sacred ritual? Or investigating an ancient burial site for elites from the Hallstatt culture in the Moravian Karst? Archaeologist and Charles University doctoral student Zuzana Golec Mírová has done that and more - making a number of significant finds on her own as well as in broader teams. To hear her talk about archaeology is nothing less than thrilling.

The Hall of Patriots at the Carolinum on Tuesday 16 April 2024, saw the awarding of exceptionally talented and creative students, graduates and alumni. The Bolzano Prize and the Rector's Prize were handed out in the traditional April ceremony by CU’s Rector Milena Králíčková. Thirteen people received awards in a special ceremony.

Charles University just hosted a high-level conference on the European Union as a "success story". The event, focusing on the many benefits of EU enlargement, brought together distinguished guests in the Hall of Patriots. Key speakers, from former prime ministers to current government officials, recalled how accession had changed and ultimately improved citizens’ lives for the better within the framework of the EU, ensuring increased prosperity and stability in Europe.

“In addition to research, I also work in a pharmacy, and often hear from elderly patients how hard some medical tablets are for them to swallow. That is why I focused on developing tablets that disperse in the mouth,” says Thao Tranová, a postgraduate student at Charles University.

According to the newly published international QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024, Charles University has improved in three fields. In total, CU was ranked in 25 subjects: in 22 of them CU is the highest-ranked Czech university ever. In addition, it made a completely new appearance in the ranking in four fields year-on-year.