Annual Activity Report Masaryk University 2 0 Ml Ml Ml Ml Ml Ml Ml Ml MM 22 MASARYK UNIVERSITY Annual Activity Report 2022 Brno 2023 © Masaryk University, 2023 Contents Values 4 Mission 6 Vision 7 Opening Words 9 1 Teaching and Education 10 1.1 Masaryk University Students in Numbers 1.2 Events for Applicants 1.3 Masaryk University Entrance Examinations 1.4 Specific Aid to Applicants from Ukraine 1.5 New Degree Programmes 1.6 Support for Teaching Innovations and New Forms of Education 1.7 Feedback from Students, Applicants and Graduates 1.8 Internal Quality Assurance and Assessment System 1.9 Prevention of Student Dropout 1.10 Activities and Awards for Gifted Students 1.11 Shared University Core Courses and Support for Entrepreneurship 1.12 Lifelong Learning at the University 1.13 Lifelong Learning at the Faculties 1.14 Courses in Foreign Languages and International Marketing 1.15 International Mobility and EDUC Alliance 1.16 Foreign Language Teaching 2 Research 22 and Doctoral Studies 2.1 Research Output Quantification 2.2 Support for Research Excellence 2.3 Winning Prestigious Grants and Research Infrastructure 2.4 Application of Research Results 2.5 Internal Evaluation of Research and Doctoral Studies 2.6 Development Activities for Doctoral Students 2.7 Awards for Talented Students 3 Internal Culture 30 and Social Contribution Activities 3.1 Socially Beneficial Projects and Initiatives 3.2 Volunteering with MUNI HELPS 3.3 Sustainability in Surveys and International Rankings 3.4 University Activities Promoting Sustainability 3.5 Alumni Relations Development 3.6 Awards Earned by Staff and Students 3.7 Cultural Activities of the University 3.8 Library Services and Information Resources 4 Personnel 40 Management and Employee Development 4.1 University-wide and Faculty-level Personnel Policy Measures 4.2 Gender Equality Plan 4.3 University Awards Granted 4.4 Staff Development Through Education 4.5 Care for Employees 4.6 Ethics and Equal Opportunities 5 Information Systems 48 and IT Support 5.1 Significant IT Innovations at MU 5.2 Development of MU Information System 5.3 IT Support for Various MU Activities 5.4 Cybersecurity and IT Infrastructure 6 Institutional 54 Management and Infrastructure 6.1 University Budgeting 6.2 Financial Balance and Financial Controls 6.3 University Operation in Compliance with Sustainability Principles 6.4 University Infrastructure and Facilities 6.5 Strategic Project Preparation and Implementation 6.6 Accommodation and Catering Services MU Faculties 62 and University Institutes in 2022 Faculty of Law Faculty of Medicine Faculty of Science Faculty of Art Faculty of Education Faculty of Pharmacy Faculty of Economics and Administration Faculty of Informatics Faculty of Social Studies Faculty of Sports Studies Central European Institute of Technology Institute of Computer Science MU Organizational Structure 88 List of Abbreviations 90 Values Since its founding following the establishment of the Czechoslovak Republic, Masaryk University has always respected and professed values reflecting the republican and democratic ethos of that initial period. To this day, such values form the basis of its internal culture and are widely embraced by the academic community. These values are: RESPECT — Respect, as the basis of internal culture, solidarity and partnership in all negotiations. Respect for the principles establishing equal opportunities and transparency, as well as respect for the principles of academic ethics. FREEDO — Freedom, respected and defended as a social imperative. Also, freedom as a principle of internal organisation of the university in the form of academic freedom of teaching and research or freedom of choice of students' own curriculum profile, but also as a principle of institutional autonomy of the university vis-á-vis the state. RESPONSIBILITY — Responsibility, emphasising the role of the university as a co-creator of public opinion, a solver of local and society-wide issues and a provider of a public service open to all. Also, the individual responsibility of students and staff reflected in respect for university rules and belonging to the university. 4 Mission THE MISSION OF IWASARYK UNIVERSITY IS TO CONTRIBUTE THROUGH ITS SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITIES, STUDENT EDUCATION AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES TO THE HIGH QUALITY AND HEALTHY LIFE OF ALL GENERATIONS, AND TO A FREE, COHESIVE AND SECURE SOCIETY . Vision I II 2 0 2 8 , 11A S A R Y K UNIVERSITY WILL BE — An internationally-recognised research university and an excellent Czech higher education institution, setting trends in fulfilling all the roles of a university — A university that is an inspiring community which, in its principles and daily activities, fully respects and fulfils the principles of social responsibility and contributes to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals, in accordance with which it leads its students and employees — A university where education and science transcend the boundaries of individual disciplines, as it supports interdisciplinarity and the personalisation of studies, the creation of interdisciplinary research teams and synergies between workplaces — A university where students are perceived as respected colleagues, with established processes and practices for cooperation with staff in solving important issues of the direction and functioning of individual agendas and the institution as a whole — A university where teaching, research and social activities are an integral part of the professional portfolios of academic staff — A university that is a responsible and demanding employer, acting according to the principles of transparency, equality and non-discrimination, supporting the achievement of professional goals and at the same time providing employees with a work-life balance — A university that is demanding in its study requirements, whose graduates are successful personalities, with promising careers and an active approach to life, where they have diligently taken up the opportunities for development offered — A university that is a model in its internal culture, in its ability to reach consensus, in the harmonisation of its components to the benefit of the university as a whole and in the integrity of a work and study environment characterised by high ethical and professional standards 7 Opening Words If we refer to the years 2020 and 2021 as the period of the coro-navirus crisis and the global pandemic, then we can refer to the year 2022 as the year of war. A war in Europe caused by the brutal Russian aggression against Ukraine. With the pandemic receding at the beginning of 2022, probably none of us thought that just a few hundred kilometres from us, the biggest war conflict in Europe since World War II would break out, with hundreds of thousands of refugees and a subsequent energy crisis and inflation rates that have not been seen for a long time. Masaryk University responded to the war in Ukraine and the subsequent refugee crisis in the first hours and days. We were the first university in the Czech Republic (and one of the first in Europe) that immediately severed all ties with Russian institutions and began helping Ukrainian refugees, whether students, academics or their loved ones, in the form of accommodation, providing psychological, interpreting, financial and material aid. Our Volunteer Centre was also fully involved in these activities. A public fundraiser was launched, and almost five hundred students from Ukraine joined us as part of an extraordinary admissions procedure. Several dozen Ukrainian colleagues who were forced to leave their homes as a result of the war found refuge and work on the grounds of our university. During the holidays, we enabled five hundred young people from Ukraine to take entrance exams for universities in their country. And many forms of help continue, including Czech language courses, tutoring, childcare and other activities. So I think that Masaryk University (as in the case of the coro-navirus crisis) has proven that it is not only an important educational and scientific institution, but at the same time a very socially responsible university and a community of people who respect freedom, humanity and democratic values. I have to say that sometimes I am surprised how, despite all the crises and difficulties of the last few years, we have succeeded and are doing well. This is evidenced, among other things, by the historic success we achieved when Masaryk University was ranked among the top five hundred universities in the world for the first time in one of the most watched international rankings in 2022. This is a significant improvement that no other university in the Czech Republic has achieved. If I were to mention other significant events or achievements of 2022, then among them would certainly be an international award for the activities of the Volunteer Centre of Masaryk University - The Award for Excellence in Internationalization, awarded by the European Association for International Education. Our university continued to reap and is still reaping successes in the field of grants and projects. We are part of the National Recovery Plan, where we participate in five newly established national institutes, and lead the National Institute for Research on the Socioeconomic Impacts of Disease and Systemic Risk (SYRl). At the university, we are preparing to implement the MUNI BioPharma Hub strategic project, which will connect the modern teaching spaces for the Faculty of Pharmacy of Masaryk University, for the top research infrastructures of the preclinical centre and for the molecular medicine centre on the campus. The plan is to build a science and technology park or a sports hall. Regarding the international visibility of our university, in 2022 we participated in two very important events. The first was the summer Mendel genetics conference, which we co-organized on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of G. J. Mendel's birth, and thanks to which we welcomed four hundred of the world's top scientists to Brno, including three Nobel Prize laureates. Another important international event - within the framework of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU - was the ICRI autumn conference (international Conference on Research Infrastructures), which addressed current scientific topics with the participation of five hundred scientists from all over the world. As far as the internal functioning of the university is concerned, we have made progress in the field of education, care for students and employees, and in the field of international cooperation. In a period of crises (including energy and inflationary crises), we managed to maintain the financial stability of the entire university and the direction and momentum of its further development. I think that it is already clear from the above-mentioned brief list that Masaryk University was successful in 2022 and that at a number of levels it continues to confirm its position as a top educational and research institution, which also thinks and acts as a socially responsible and solidary academic community, which gives me great pleasure and hope as Rector. Martin Bares Rector 9 1 Teaching and Education 1 Masaryk University Students in Numbers 2 Events for Applicants 3 Masaryk University Entrance Examinations 4 Specific Aid to Applicants from Ukraine 5 New Degree Programmes 6 Support for Teaching Innovations and New Forms of Education 7 Feedback from Students, Applicants and Graduates 8 Internal Quality Assurance and Assessment System 9 Prevention of Student Dropout I 0 Activities and Awards for Gifted Students II Shared University Core Courses and Support for Entrepreneurship 1 2 Lifelong Learning at the University 1 3 Lifelong Learning at the Faculties 1 4 Courses in Foreign Languages and International Marketing 1 5 International Mobility and EDUC Alliance 1 6 Foreign Language Teaching THE EUROPEAN EDUC ALLIANCE FORMING A VIRTUAL CAMPUS OF 8 UNIVERSITIES ALREADY HAS OVER 200,000 STUDENTS EDUC consists of eight universities: Masaryk University and French, German, Italian and Hungarian universities were joined by institutions from Norway and Spain in 2022. The alliance was successful in the new call of the European Commission and won a grant of 12.8 million EUR for another four years. A virtual inter-university campus of 200 thousand students and 31 thousand employees has been established through the interconnection of the universities. Students may enrol in any of dozens of inter-university virtual and hybrid courses and thus try international classes. Teachers from MU participate in tandem teaching together with colleagues from abroad. In 2022, MU Rector Martin Bares and the Rector of the University of Rennes 1 David Alis signed an agreement on the implementation of two joint degree programmes. These programmes will be organized by the Faculty of Economics and Administration on behalf of MU. Photo: Rectors Martin Bares and David Alis sign an agreement on joint degree programmes Teaching and Education 1 . 1 Masaryk University Students in Numbers There were 8,174 students at Masaryk University in the 1st years of bachelor's and long-cycle master's studies in 2022. Most often, students choose single-subject studies (72%) or single-subject studies with a specialization (10%). The remaining share accounts for major/minor studies. Nearly 2% of students study in more than one programme at a time. 90% of first-year students study in the full-time mode. The majority of new students are women with 61% representation, which has been a long-term trend. Masaryk University annually welcomes new students from abroad. In 2022, Slovak students accounted for almost 14% of newly enrolled bachelor's and master's students, and more than 10% students came from other foreign countries. In response to the armed conflict in Ukraine, the university admitted some Ukrainian students, who form 5% of all first-year students. The majority of students, approx. 76%, have Czech citizenship and many of them live in the South Moravian Region (39%). The largest proportion of new students are fresh graduates from secondary school: 59% passed the school-leaving examination in the year of enrolment. As in previous years, grammar school graduates prevail in the 1st years, accounting for 57% of all newly enrolled students in bachelor's and long-cycle master's programmes at MU. The target group of first-year students in bachelor's and long-cycle master's studies was the focus of a university-wide survey conducted in November 2022. A total of 5,182 first-year students participated in the survey, representing a 64% response rate. At the time of questioning, in the first semester of their studies, 63% of the participating students already considered themselves part of the university community. The studies at Masaryk University up to that point had met the expectations of 40% of first-year students who took the survey, and for 34% the studies had even been better than expected. One tenth saw the studies as different - neither better nor worse than they had expected. Another area of the survey was the financial situation of first-year students. 83% of the students surveyed said that the costs of their studies were covered by their parents or relatives. 43% pay for their expenses from their own means. The students could select several options in the questionnaire. As far as work during studies is concerned, 81% of the participating students consider this option during their first years of studying. The most important competencies to gain are practical experience and skills, the ability to argue, critical thinking and information management. The results show that 45% of the students surveyed are the first generation of university students in the family, which means that neither of their parents has a higher education degree. 1 . 2 Events for Applicants In 2022, the university successfully completed the third year of the communication campaign #munichallenge and started the fourth year. The university annually organizes the Open Day, which was attended by students in person after two years of online form. The turnout was 2,258 students who consider studying at MU New student teams went to secondary schools in the Czech Republic (7 ambassadors) and Slovakia (8 ambassadors) and made 70 presentations at the schools under the guidance of their coordinator. Masaryk University participated in the Gaudeamus higher education exhibition in Prague in January 2022, followed by Brno, Bratislava and Nitra in the autumn. In December 2022, university representatives took part in the ProEduco education fair held in Kosice, and the university co-organized the Grand Final of the pIsQworky competition. Campaigns and events for secondary school students targeted approximately 50,000 potential applicants to study at MU The junior university project MjUNI continued for children aged 9-18 and a research portal calledMjUNIon was developed. Many activities for potential applicants are also organized by the faculties according to their focus. The Faculty of Medicine, as part of its Junior Academy, organized tours of clinics and other faculty workplaces for secondary school students. Another event for those interested in medicine was the Day with Medicine. Children aged 10 to 15 could attend a city camp organized by the Junior Academy in the faculty premises. Pupils could follow a week-long programme at various workplaces and get an entertaining insight into the secrets of medicine. The Faculty of Economics and Administration continued in its project called Touch Econ, which enables secondary students of 3rd and 4th years to study selected courses and get to know university life. The Faculty of Science started cooperating with the Secondary Technical School of Chemistry in Brno on the creation of a new Science Grammar School. Selected teachers of the FSci contribute to the preparation of the education programme, selective courses and project weeks for the school. The Faculty of Social Studies provided secondary school students with an opportunity to get hands-on experience of the university environment through its winter schools and a new event called First Steps with the FSS, which aimed at making the transfer from school to university easier. Student representatives of individual bachelor's programmes, called buddies, contacted the admitted applicants via Facebook groups and met them in person at the faculty in mid-June. The Faculty of Informatics organized its first mini-webinar called Hop on FI, focusing on freshers. The aim of the seminar was to make the transition from secondary school easier, and the event was met with a very positive response. The faculties cooperate with secondary schools through Students' Professional Activities and participate in the organization of Olympiads and other competitions (e.g. Seminar of Economic Brains at the FE A or A Young Chemist at the FSci). 12 Teaching and Education I . 3 Masaryk University Entrance Examinations The basic entrance test at all faculties except the FMed, FPharm and FSpS is the Learning Potential Test (LPT). Each applicant takes the test only once regardless of the number of applications filed. The LPT for bachelor's and master's degree programmes took place in April 2022. The total number of invited applicants was 15,190, of whom 83.6% took the test in 292 time slots. Subject tests took place concurrently at the FSci and FEdu and for certain programmes at the FA. The subject tests were scheduled to 66 time slots so that examinations did not overlap and applicants were able to take all the necessary exams in one weekend (ideally in one day). In addition to Brno, the LPT could be taken in another II places in the Czech Republic. Most applicants preferred Brno, Prague, Ostrava and Olomouc. Other types of entrance examinations that supersede or supplement the LPT include specialized tests, subject tests or practical exams in physical education. All the faculties are willing to waive entrance exams under conditions announced in advance, which may vary to a large degree. The faculties agree on acknowledging excellent results in Students' Professional Activities. Applicants can turn for help and advice to specialists at faculty offices for studies as well as at the central email address prihlaska@muni.cz, which answered almost ten thousand queries or requests in the past year. The adaptive LPT was pilot tested in the area of numerical and analytical thinking as part of the admissions procedure at the FI in April 2022. The test was taken by 401 applicants, and to make the testing more realistic, they were motivated by the possibility of an entrance examination waiver if they placed in the top 20. A module for adaptive administration of the tests based on mathematical models of item response theory was added to the adaptive LPT. Item banks were prepared for all three content areas, which are numerical and analytical thinking, reasoning in English and critical thinking. The 2022 admissions procedure was joined by 429 applicants with special needs, who were assisted by the Teiresias centre in the technical adaptation of the written exam (LPT, National Comparative Exams and subject tests). They were thus able to work with a copy in Braille with tactile graphics and 3D objects, an electronic version, an official translation into Czech sign language etc. Teiresias guarantees the adaptation of entrance exams for applicants with specific learning disabilities, mental problems, autism spectrum disorder and chronic illness. If there is an oral exam, Teiresias informs the admissions committee of the issues and proposes suitable adaptation. Applicants with special needs could take an online preparatory course for the LPT focused on the selection of the appropriate method of working with the test. 1 . 4 Specific Aid to Applicants from Ukraine Masaryk University immediately responded to the outbreak of war in Ukraine. In the area of studies, its aid focused on Ukrainian students who had already been enrolled at MU, who obtained additional financial support, and on refugees, i.e. potential applicants who were either finishing secondary education in their country or who studied at Ukrainian universities. MU organized an extraordinary admissions procedure for students from Ukraine who were provided temporary protection. The previous education attained could be documented with a statutory declaration; application was free of charge and the tuition fee for degree programmes taught in English was waived if such a programme was chosen. Standard forms of admissions procedures were not followed in this case; the faculties mostly assessed the letters of motivation, individual interviews and previous studies in Ukraine. Masaryk University provided some sort of assistance to 862 Ukrainian students and accepted 470, the highest number in the Czech Republic. Ukrainian students preferred bachelor's studies, which were chosen by 325 of all the 389 students enrolled. Because the vast majority wanted to study in Czech programmes, the university helped them to overcome the language barrier. Intensive courses of Czech at various levels of proficiency and of varied duration were offered to all students. The whole process of these admissions was dynamic and intense and was accompanied by other aspects, such as finding accommodation for new students and often for whole families. Last but not least, the university financially supported new students from Ukraine with scholarships whose amounts depended on their attendance of Czech courses and their results. The scholarships of 11,800 to 15,000 CZK per month were paid pursuant to the Rector's measure. The MU faculties disbursed over 35 million CZK in this way. Beginning in March 2022, the Rector's Scholarship Programme awarded scholarships to students who had been enrolled at MU before 24 February 2022 and who found themselves in a difficult life situation in connection with the war in Ukraine. The faculties contributed to these scholarships with an amount corresponding to 8% of an increase in the university's Scholarship Fund in 2021. Ukrainian students obtained 1,093,000 CZK from this fund. This form of aid continues into 2023. In July 2022, Masaryk University helped to organize the admissions procedure for studying at Ukrainian higher education institutions for Ukrainians affected by the war. This procedure was joined by 1,800 Ukrainian citizens and, thanks to the technology, space and personnel provided by MU, they were able to apply to study at universities and other HE institutions in their own country. 13 Teaching and Education 1 . 5 New Degree Programmes In 2022, MU launched the first ever degree programme fully taught remotely, namely Information Service Design, implemented at the Faculty of Arts. The courses are predominantly taught online, using modern teaching tools including virtual reality, and focuses on the areas of design thinking, user research, information service design, management and services, and strategic design. The Faculty of Law has accepted the recommendation of the International Scientific Advisory Board of MU and has been working on modifying their doctoral studies in the past two years. The current ten Ph.D. programmes in Czech will be replaced by six programmes. Four of them, which are more broadly focused and integrate more legal disciplines, were accredited in 2022. These are International Legal Studies, Private Law and Civil Procedural Law, Theory and History of Law, and Public Law Studies. The MU Internal Evaluation Board newly accredited the last existing degree programmes that were originally divided into fields of study. This procedure is stipulated by the 2016 amendment to the Higher Education Act. In this way, the Faculty of Medicine accredited a follow-up master's degree programme called Applied Physiotherapy intended for future specialists in the field of curative rehabilitation. The Faculty of Education newly accredited a career-oriented follow-up master's degree programme called Leisure Education, whose graduates will be competent to manage organizations focusing on leisure activities and social work, and a related doctoral degree programme Social Education in both Czech and English. Teaching started in degree programmes accredited in 2020 and 2021, which included a follow-up master's degree programme Public Administration at the Faculty of Law, doctoral degree programmes Study of Religions, Slavonic Literatures, Classical Philology, Comparative Literature, and Slavonic Languages, all at the Faculty of Arts, and Public Health, a follow-up master's degree programme at the Faculty of Medicine. Other degree programmes were also being prepared for accreditation. The Faculty of Science, in cooperation with the Faculty of Pharmacy and CEITEC, worked on a new interdisciplinary follow-up master's degree programme of Virology, which should accept the first students in September 2024. The Faculty of Social Studies, in cooperation with the Faculty of Arts, prepared a bachelor's degree programme called Contemporary History. In November 2022, Masaryk University submitted an application to the National Accreditation Bureau for the accreditation of a career-oriented bachelor's degree programme called Cosmetic Products. The Faculty of Pharmacy thus responds to the growing demand for professionals in the cosmetics industry. 1 . 6 Support for Teaching Innovations and New Forms of Education In the latter half of 2022, calls were being prepared to submit project proposals within the Strategic Management Support Programme for Higher Education Institutions. The project calls focus on promoting innovative methods of teaching, supporting and developing excellence, promoting interactivity in classes and improving the overall quality of teaching. The aim of the project calls was to support and systematize the dissemination of best practices in the field of excellent teaching - the systematization of such activities is being prepared by the MU Quality Office in cooperation with the MU Competence Development Centre, for example in the form of regular reflective seminars with the participation of experts in the field of tertiary didactics as well as teachers. The first call was aimed at the identification and promotion of further development of excellent bachelor's, follow-up master's and long master's degree programmes. The total sum allocated to this call was 20 million CZK, and individual projects were supported with the amount of approx. 1 million CZK. The project support will encourage and further develop the existing excellence within the framework of a selected degree programme. It is expected that about 20 excellent degree programmes will be supported. Excellence in teaching will be defined in three areas: teaching proper, conditions for teaching and teaching which leads to the fulfilment of the university's social role. Project proposals will be assessed by experts in tertiary didactics and pedagogy from this country and abroad. The second call was aimed at the support for innovative methods and forms of education in key courses of bachelor's, follow-up master's and long master's degree programmes. The total sum allocated in this call was 25 million CZK. Another two calls are envisaged, one in 2023 and one in 2024. The expected funds earmarked for one project will be 250 thousand CZK. The content of the call for teaching innovation projects is based, among other things, on a survey of the status and possibilities of promoting simulation teaching at Masaryk University. This survey was conducted at the end of 2022. Projects that will lead to the introduction or development of simulation, project-based and research-oriented teaching will be supported, with preference given to projects encouraging synergy of activities within several degree programmes of a faculty or to interfaculty cooperation and emphasizing the long-term nature of supported activities. Project proposals will be assessed by internal and external experts in higher education didactics and pedagogy. 14 Teaching and Education 1 . 7 Feedback from Students, Applicants and Graduates At Masaryk University, questionnaire surveys conducted among various target groups form the basis for informed decisions and strategic planning. Eight regularly recurring surveys were conducted in 2022. The first survey at the start of the year was for MU Applicants, which addressed the largest target group, 24,557 respondents. Fresh graduates of master's studies gave their answers in the survey entitled Graduation from MU - Review and Perspective. New respondents are addressed throughout the year, from February to November. An additional survey focusing on graduates of the FEdu MU in the combined mode of studies was carried out at the same time. The tenth year of the survey Premature Termination of Studies at MU, which forms the key source for ascertaining the causes and factors leading to student dropout, was conducted in 2022. This survey also runs throughout the year. About a fifth of the respondents across all levels of studies share the reasons for the fail rate. Another round of the survey Motivation and Expectations of Incoming Master's Students from Other Universities started in April. The Graduate Employment Survey, which is conducted every two years, was carried out in 2022. Those who graduated from master's and follow-up master's studies in 2019 and 2020 were approached and asked about their careers after two or three years of graduation. A key survey with a high response rate was organized in the autumn among first-year students and was titled MU First-year Students. In their responses, the students reflected on their view of Masaryk University so far, whether their expectations were met and also shared worries related to university studies. Long-term and highly important feedback concerning the quality of instruction and individual teachers is provided by the university-wide course opinion poll. It was launched in 2002 and since then has been a unique university-wide tool for students to express their opinions on the individual courses. On average, the poll is joined by 40% of students. A pilot run of the survey Students' Reflections on Shared University Core Courses was launched in 2022 with a 29% response rate. In addition to its own institutional surveys, Masaryk University participated in other national and international surveys in 2022. These included Eurostudent VIII and Eurograduate, whose aim was to obtain high-quality empirical information about conditions, facilities and employment of HE students and graduates. MU facilitated the Survey of Reasons for Not Taking up the Teaching Profession and participated in the analysis of needs of key actors in the area of employment of foreigners in the South Moravian Region. 1 . 8 Internal Quality Assurance and Assessment System Masaryk University is a holder of institutional accreditation in 23 areas of education. The quality of education and related areas are taken care of by the fifteen-member MU Internal Evaluation Board (MUIEB), a central body assisted by programme boards as advisory bodies to degree programme guarantors, and faculty coordinators for quality, who provide methodological support to the academic staff. The MUIEB consists of MU academic employees, external academics and students. There were changes in the composition of the MUIEB: after the mandate of three members ended, two new internal and one external academic started to work on the board, and two members continue in their second term of office. In 2022, in its ten sessions, the MUIEB discussed 86 faculty proposals concerning degree programmes (transformation of the original fields of study into new degree programmes, approval of new degree programmes, renewal or extension of accreditation, changes to the profile of a graduate or the final state examinations). A significant event was internal evaluation of science and research with the participation of renowned international eval-uators, which was carried out together with the first MU evaluation of doctoral degree programmes. The aim of the evaluation was to provide formative feedback and help to formulate long-term goals of the programmes. The evaluators' recommendations are used by the MUIEB as well as the university management in their work. Further evaluations are going to take place every five years. Another round of thematic evaluation, which directed the attention of the MUIEB to interdisciplinary areas of university education, took place in 2022. The evaluation focused on the combined mode of studies and the highly topical issues of distance elements in all types of degree programmes. The evaluation resulted in a proposal of a set of measures to be implemented in 2023. The third modification of the internal regulation MU Degree Programme Quality Approval, Management and Evaluation Regulations came into effect in March 2022. The amendment to the regulation that anchors key elements of the internal quality assurance system reflected some important features of the existing practice of the MUIEB in approving and evaluating degree programmes, modified the method of appointment and composition of programme boards, and embedded the linking of internal evaluation of doctoral degree programmes with research evaluation at MU. 15 Teaching and Education 1 . 9 Prevention of Student Dropout It is the task of the Student Advisory Centre to carry out activities to support graduation and develop university-wide counselling. As part of increasing student awareness of study topics, the website www.muni.cz/studenti was expanded in 2022 to include new sections and serve as a key information base. The directory We're All Ears, representing the advisory network at MU, was updated. An extensive e-learning scheme dealing with procrastination was launched to support skills for successful fulfilment of study obligations. As part of psychological counselling for MU students, a record 2,300 psychological consultations were held for a total of 1,224 students in 2022. Consultations could also be given in Ukrainian from May 2022. The FSS started full operation of a new application for the prevention of study risks, which uses the potential of the MU Information System for timely detection of students who may be in danger of academic failure. The application was pilot tested at the FSS last year. Student advisors who use the application can learn about its functionalities, work with data and communicate with clients through a detailed learning module. The application was used by eight faculties in the autumn semester 2022. Student dropout is also addressed at the level of individual faculties. The FEA has consultants at each department who, among other things, discuss programme-specific issues with students. The FMed introduced peer mentoring in student groups. The FPharm follows the student feedback obtained in course opinion polls. Students of FPharm connect in the Pharmaceutical Students' Union, which supports the socialization of students and transfer of experience. The FEdu, three of whose departments show an extreme failure rate in bachelor's studies, took steps to eliminate the main causes, such as modification of the programme description or working with first-year students. At the FSci, students get support from the teachers who take care of students in a certain year. The FSpS informs students by email of important dates and duties at critical points of the studies. The reasons for premature termination of studies at MU are investigated annually through a survey among the students concerned. The results suggest that the decisive reasons are time demands of studies, insufficient motivation to study and unfulfilled expectations. The most frequent reason at the bachelor's level is insufficient motivation to study, while at subsequent levels it is the inability to harmonize studies and work. 1.10 Activities and Awards for Gifted Students The MU faculties offer many programmes for gifted students or those achieving extraordinary results. The Faculty of Medicine implements a special P-P00L module as part of the General Medicine master's programme, which differs from standard studies in that the students are actively involved in research from the 1st year. P-P00L is a selective programme and admission is offered to students who placed best in entrance exams or those who were granted a waiver. Students with excellent results get a merit scholarship from the FSci. Students could obtain 16,000 CZK for the academic year if their grade point average was below 1.15, or 8,000 CZK if their average was below 1.30. If their bachelor's studies were assessed as excellent, they were awarded 20,000 CZK and if their follow-up master's results were excellent, they obtained 30,000 CZK. The Faculty of Law announced scholarship programmes to support master's theses in a foreign language, student publishing and student research. The scholarship board of the Faculty of Pharmacy approved a nearly twofold increase in merit scholarships for excellent academic performance in the Master of Pharmacy programme. Scholarship programmes aiming at gifted students are also offered by the Faculty of Informatics. The Faculty of Social Studies supports bachelor's and master's students who achieved exceptional professional results (e.g. participation in research projects of departments and research institutes or in conferences or competitions that promote the faculty's "Third Mission" and social responsibility). Other scholarship schemes are intended to acknowledge the faculty students who contribute to the research output and goodwill of the faculty, and undergraduate students with excellent study results. At the Faculty of Economics and Administration, students were offered the opportunity to join certain research and development projects, in which they assisted the investigators with partial tasks. Members of student clubs are often offered priority participation in selected faculty events, conferences, training, etc. This includes a long-term programme called TopSeC (Top Students Centre), which provides students with a unique opportunity to meet professionals at interactive workshops. Based on their study achievements and results attained, excellent students and fresh graduates may be nominated for the Dean's Award at their faculties. Exceptional students may also be nominated for the Rector's Award for the Best Students in Master's Programmes. In 2022, the award was won by Veronika Hermanová from the FA, Vítězslav Dušek from the FMed and Kryštof Chytrý from the FSci. 16 Teaching and Education 1.11 Shared University Core Courses and Support for Entrepreneurship Shared university core courses at Masaryk University, known as CORE, expand knowledge and develop skills beyond the main field of study. They primarily aim at Czech full-time bachelor's and master's degree programmes that do not lead to the performance of a regulated profession. In 2022, 36 new courses were prepared in four thematic areas: The World in the 21st Century, People Between Nature and Culture, Advances and Limits of Cognition in Natural Sciences, and Skills and Competencies for Life. MU has designed 79 CORE courses altogether, some of which are taught in English. The CORE courses were registered by 1,780 students in the autumn semester, and the most popular were: Bioethics I: Ethics of Life, Communism in the 21st century in Asia, and The Stories of Science: Gene. The questionnaire survey for CORE courses taught in the autumn semester suggests that the chosen course met the expectations of 89% of respondents; 87% of students say that the course in question enhanced their skills or knowledge beyond the scope of their main field of study. CORE guarantors participated in briefing sessions, and the first reflective meeting of teachers was held to share experience with preparation and teaching. MU staff work on better promotion of the courses among students; guarantors and teachers can make use of the CORE section on the MU Portal. The topic of entrepreneurship and its advancement was given priority at MU in 2022. A key milestone was the launch of podnikavost.muni.cz, a portal that brought together university-wide courses and development activities outside of MU. Special partner packages were prepared within the MU strategy of entrepreneurship support, which aims at addressing key partners and establishing active cooperation with them. The second year of a competition of students' ideas called Start Your Business was a great success with 32 participating teams. The jury distributed 360 thousand CZK among the six best teams. In addition to the financial prize, the winners obtained mentoring from the South Moravian Innovation Centre (SMIC) and the Technology Transfer Office (TTO) and selected representatives went for a stay abroad. The TTO supported active students on the Entrepreneurship Day at the FEdu, which included a presentation of student ideas. Traditional activities comprised the courses FromUINto CIN and From an Idea to a Business. The TTO actively worked in a nation-wide body called University for Entrepreneurship. 1.12 Lifelong Learning at the University Lifelong learning at MU was comprised of 777 programmes in 2022, attended by 16,335 students. Masaryk University emphasizes the creation of interdisciplinary, interfaculty and career-oriented courses, but it also provides specialty studies and training (certification of doctors, teacher certification, etc.). The university cooperates with professional associations, public administration and other institutions on LLL activities. One of the forms of lifelong learning is the MU University of the Third Age (U3A), which has a long tradition and currently offers one-year and three-year programmes. A new two-year course Health in Motion was launched in 2022 in cooperation with the FSpS. The U3A organizes short-term courses, cultural events, workshops and special lectures: a concert and a course on the occasion of the 200th birth anniversary of G. J. Mendel, and courses of Czech for elderly people from Ukraine following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Involvement of older people with a health disadvantage in education is made feasible thanks to the cooperation with the Teiresias Centre. Hybrid courses, subtitling or transcripts of lectures are available, and the centre also provides an assistant for mobility-impaired people. Pupils and students aged 9-18 may benefit from the educational and creative activities of Masaryk Junior University (MjUNl), which resumed its in-person programme in 2022 after a two-year break. The 2022/2023 academic year welcomed 249 students, who joined the programme at all faculties and workplaces. New features of MjUNI in 2022 included an expanded age category of up to 18 years, increased capacity, two thematic programmes within one Saturday and involvement of the Faculty of Pharmacy for the first time. The first year of an online knowledge competition MjUNItaj with the theme of Czech Personalities was held in May and 366 competitors participated. The MjUNIon platform presented 21 new topics in various fields of science from law to cybersecurity to physics. The traditional nation-wide event aiming at the popularization of science, Researchers' Night, returned to in-person form in September. Masaryk University held various sessions in nine places. The project was also joined by the University Centre Tele, and the Teiresias Centre and MU Archives took part for the first time. MU premises were visited by a total of 6,000 people. The university also introduced its activities at the largest popularization event held in Brno, the Science Festival. MU cooperated with MENDELU and BUT on the popular project Science Slam 13, which focused on Women in Science. The programme was presented live in the Scala Cinema, and podcasts of female participants as well as popular science videos were recorded. 17 Teaching and Education 1.13 Lifelong Learning at the Faculties A major innovation in the faculty lifelong learning in 2022 was the Bachelor on Trial project at the FEA, which enabled those with completed secondary education to try out university studies and to verify their learning capabilities before committing to regular studies. The participants could study university courses, meet students and get to know the academic environment. A cycle of lectures for the general public called Open World of the Humanities started at the FA in the autumn semester 2022. It covered a variety of topics in history, classical studies or film studies and is purposely set as open, so that participation is not conditioned by the level of previous education. An important agenda of the FMed is specialization studies and training (leading to the certification of doctors), which is the responsibility of the Ministry of Health. 2,371 doctors are registered in this type of education at the FMed. Certification exams were taken in 14 fields of medicine. The faculty organized 33 educational events accredited by the Czech Ministry of Health; many LLL courses were held in the FMed Simulation Centre. The FPharm offered various seminars open to the public as part of lifelong learning, e.g. Natural Medicines in the Treatment of Common Diseases or Medicinal Plants in Self-healing. The FEdu had 39 programmes accredited within the system of further education of teachers. One of the programmes should expand the qualification of teachers through an online webinar, namely Teaching Czech Language and Literature for Primary Schools. In the context of the war in Ukraine, the faculty provided three courses of Czech for Ukrainian refugees, taught since April 2022. Two accredited courses for Czech teachers concerning the teaching of pupils with a different mother tongue were prepared. The FSci offered accredited courses for teachers, training of staff in biology and chemistry laboratories and a unique opportunity to practice working in clean rooms for the production of semiconductor components. The FSpS designed new courses with diverse focuses, such as Running Course, Basic Self-defence for Women, or Yoga and the Limits of Our Body. The FLaw prepared one-day and long-term courses for the general public, which included a course for court experts and introduction to law for translators and interpreters. Last but not least, the Teiresias Centre provided LLL language courses for people with a visual impairment, and it takes care of the adaptation of learning materials. A new course of English for people with a hearing impairment was opened at the centre. Several computer courses were organized for the visually impaired. MU staff could benefit from Czech sign language courses. 1.14 Courses in Foreign Languages and International Marketing Masaryk University strives to strengthen internationalization and to expand the range of degree programmes taught in foreign languages. The FEA newly accredited two master's programmes Public Administration (Administration publique) and Regional Development and Tourism. The FEdu accredited a career-oriented bachelor's degree programme titled Education for Diversity and Inclusion, which combines the approaches of social pedagogy, psychology and special and inclusive education. Geographical aspects of current climate change issues are addressed in a new master's programme Geography of Global Environmental Change at the FSci. Two bachelor's degree programmes accredited in 2020 started to be taught in English at the FSS: Global Challenges: Society, Politics, Environment and Politics, Media, and Communication. A new bachelor's degree programme jointly designed by the FA and FSS is called Culture, Media and Performative Arts and interconnects history, film and theatre studies and media studies in the Central European context. An interdisciplinary degree programme focused on the economics of health care was prepared at the FEA. It will be taught under the title Applied Health Economics and will be contributed to by the FSci, FSS and FPharm. The FSci worked on a new career-oriented bachelor's degree programme of Data Analytics, which will offer prestigious education in mathematical modelling and data analysis in close cooperation with the commercial sector. The range of foreign language courses was also expanded in 2022. A total of 40 courses originated in 2022 thanks to the Strategic Management Support Programme; another 13 new-format courses were coordinated by the university as part of the EDUC alliance: nine COIL courses, three online courses and one blended course. Systematic promotional activities abroad aiming at increasing the number of degree students enrolled at the university in Czech or English programmes continued in 2022. The university took part in two trade fairs in Thailand and the Netherlands, a virtual fair targeted at South Asian students and two trade fairs for HE professionals (NAFSA and EAIE). Extensive online recruitment campaigns were placed on social media and Google search, with over ten million impressions. A new scheme for international alumni was launched in September with a barbecue visited by dozens of former students from 25 countries. The scheme will, among other things, help to promote the university's reputation abroad and to recruit prospective students, with whom the alumni can share their experience of MU studies at local trade fairs and schools. 18 Teaching and Education 1.15 International Mobility and EDUC Alliance In 2022, the international cooperation of Masaryk University was not so badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic as before, and so the numbers of outgoing and incoming students returned to pre-pandemic numbers. The main pillar of international cooperation continued to be Erasmus+ where MU has over 1,300 agreements with more than 511 universities in 32 countries. MU sent 1,555 students for study periods and internships abroad in 2022.870 study periods and 274 internships (including 35 for graduates) in other countries were funded by the Erasmus+ programme. The MU Centre for International Cooperation (CIC) launched a new Instagram campaign #tvarevyjezdu (Erasmus faces) motivating students to cast off the fear of going abroad and started to use the Instagram profile Do sveta sMUNI (Out into the world with MUNI). In cooperation with the faculties, the CIC organized the traditional Erasmus Days, which attracted hundreds of MU students. In 2022,1,670 international students arrived at MU to study, of whom 44 studied online. In the spring and autumn semesters, an Orientation Week for incoming international students was organized by the CIC. The event was attended by 591 students. The traditional training for international staff, the MUST WEEK (Masaryk University Staff Training Week), was organized by the CIC, with 109 attendees from all over the world. During 2022, the university organized 19 summer and winter schools, of which three were held online. A total of 186 MU and international students participated in the short-term programmes. In 2022, MU reached the pre-pandemic level in terms of the number of participants and the number of organized programmes. MU also continued to be active within the EDUC alliance (European Digital UniverCity), which is part of the prestigious European University Networks funded by the EU. The alliance was joined by two new universities, from Norway and Spain, and got a European grant in the amount of 12.8 million EUR for another four years. In September 2022, Masaryk University achieved extraordinary success in international activities: it won an award for excellence in internationalization from the European Association for International Education (EAIE).The association recognized MU's attitudes to international students both during the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, referring to the university's stand on both crises as the most inspiring experience of the year. This was the second time Masaryk University received the prize.EAIE began to award these prizes in 2012, and MU was the first institution to receive the award, at that time for the formulation of internationalization strategy and coordination of Erasmus Mundus projects. 1.16 Foreign Language Teaching The Language Centre (LC) is the largest workplace of its type in the Czech Republic and it promotes the development of language skills of students, MU employees and the public. With its 25 international teachers, the centre provided foreign language instruction for professional, academic and specific purposes at all MU faculties. The LC courses also had the bonus of 78 international students in the role of Language Teaching Assistant. The centre organized three international conferences with speakers like the co-author of the new European Framework of Reference for Languages Professor Piccardo. The LC obtained the Label language award, announced by the European Commission. The centre increased the number of lifelong learning participants, organized specialized seminars for court translators and interpreters and opened new courses of Arabic, French, German, Spanish, Swahili, Italian, English and Chinese. The LC newly provided extensive teaching of Czech as a foreign language in the scope of 7,724 lessons for 369 students and 24 employees from Ukraine and 216 participants from other countries in one-semester courses, as well as 21 students in an intensive one-year course. Five summer schools for students and academic staff hosted 89 attendees. Foreign languages were promoted by the LC through contribution to the Researchers' Night, the Humanities Week of the FA, and MjUNI. Thanks to the Strategic Management Support Programme for HE institutions, new innovative courses were created: Let's get to know the life in the Czech Republic together!, Plurilingual Competencies, English as a Prevention of Memory Loss and Communicating Science in new formats such escape games and simulation. Internationalization of teaching was represented by cooperation between Poland and Czechia on the creation of podcasts at the FLaw. The LC also supported 85 Ph.D. students within an IGA project, 39 non-academic employees within HR4MU and 221 people as part of MUNI 4.0. The LC unit at the FMed became incorporated in the Healthcare Communication network under CEEPUS. The LC staff were sent on 69 international mobilities and held 50 workshops and seminars for professionals. The outcomes of the centre's work were presented in 33 conference papers, two articles in scholarly journals and in a book entitled Legal English. As part of international projects in 2022, the centre provided e-tandem for EDUC alliance staff, developed a new platform CZECH ONLINE - Czech as a Foreign Language for Specific Purposes, hosted 15 Tunisian students, co-created the documentary Inside Tunisia to conclude the CUDIMHA project and obtained funding for the new EPSULA project. Traditional events included the Teaching Practice Week for postdocs from EUI in Florence. The LC continued to work actively in international professional organizations (Cercles, IATEFL, EULETA and ALTE) and in the informal Wulkow Group and Fiesole Group. 19 1 Teaching and Education Number of students at MU co cd m to cm co i- co o 00 * *r co 00 00 co co o 05 o> co co r^" <* co co co cor--o>r-- co 8»-° cog co'- t-l oo .CM CM U>0> CO CM £cM~ t CM CM CM CM CO in o co CM CM 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Prestigious grants awarded to MU researchers (investigation launched 2018-2022) MU in Shanghai Ranking's Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) ERC MSCAIF OOoooo IMI2 Teaming Twinning J phase 2 i MSCA Widening 3 Health ERA Fellowship Programme Chair - EU / H2020 a HE - EMBO projects ^ Wellcome Trust projects Placed among the top 500 of the main ARWU 11 placements in field-specific rankings Among the top 150 in Environmental Science & Engineering Structure of non-investment research and development revenues in 2022 9% EU structural funds (OP RDE) 15% 0.3% 46% Funding from MU resources foreign sources (e.g. donations, 30% Funding from the state budget and regional (e.g. H2020, HE, other authorities (e.g. GACR, TACR, specialized international non-public Institutional R&D support research, Large Research Infrastructures) foundations) funds) 3,469,111 thousand CZK 29 Internal Culture and Social Contribution Activities Socially Beneficial Projects and Initiatives Volunteering with MUNI HELPS Sustainability in Surveys and International Rankings University Activities Promoting Sustainability Alumni Relations Development Awards Earned by Staff and Students Cultural Activities of the University Library Services and Information Resources AID TO UKRAINIAN STUDENTS AND STAFF WAS RECOGNIZED BY THE EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION FOR INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION Masaryk University promptly responded to the war in Ukraine by creating the website Masaryk Helps Ukraine in Czech, English, and Ukrainian. Financial aid for education and humanitarian purposes followed. An extraordinary admissions procedure was opened for Ukrainian students, resulting in around 850 applications and nearly 500 enrollments. Czech language courses were offered. MU provided facilities for 1,800 applicants to take entrance exams for Ukrainian universities. The university also offered refuge to Ukrainian employees. MU's efforts during the conflict and the pandemic were recognized by the E AIE with the 2022 Award for Excellence in Internationalization. Photo: (From left) M. Koláčková and D. Vonbauer from MUNI HELPS, Vice-rector S. Koryčánková and Director of CIC MU Violeta Osouchová Internal Culture and Social Contribution Activities 3 . 1 Socially Beneficial Projects and Initiatives One of the most important events of 2022 with a broad public outreach was the celebration of the 200th birth anniversary of G. J. Mendel. In his honour, the international Mendel Genetics Conference was organized by Masaryk University together with Mendel University, the Moravian Museum, the Augustinián Abbey in Old Brno, and Společně, o.p.s. The prestigious scientific event was attended by approx. 400 participants from 24 countries and the weekend programme at Mendlovo náměstí was open to the public. The conference featured 70 speakers, three of whom were Nobel laureates. Many charity initiatives by students are also worth mentioning. A definitely noteworthy association is called Medics on the Street, led by six students of medicine, who under the auspices and supervision of the Faculty of Medicine and in cooperation with Brno Municipal Authority give year-round regular help to homeless people, either directly on the street or in specialized centres. Each shift that provides assistance to the homeless four times a week comprises four students: the leader, two members and a newcomer. In this way, about 50 students a month care for people on the street. Issues of health that might be interesting to the public were addressed by the Department of Health Promotion of the FSpS and dozens of FMed students as part of Brno Health Days and Brno Prevention Days. Furthermore, the Faculty of Sports Studies in cooperation with the Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute created the OnkoFit.cz project, a web portal providing educational services to cancer patients and family members, which focuses on physical activity of patients. In autumn 2022, the academic community of the Faculty of Arts welcomed Professor Andrey B. Zubov as its member. Professor Zubov is an expert on the history of European philosophy and Russian comparative history. His lecture cycle, Reasons for the Russian Catastrophe of the XX* Century and Possibilities to Overcome It, was streamed and is accessible to the broadest public. As an expression of support to all students and employees from Ukraine, Masaryk University hosted a Czech-Ukrainian Night in June 2022. A significant achievement by the university's publishing house Munipress was Paměti Karla Engliše (Memoirs of Karel Engliš), the most extensive book of reminiscences of the first rector of Masaryk University and one of the most prominent personalities of the First Republic. The memoirs are highly valuable because they give an unbiased picture of important figures and events of the First Republic seen by someone who "was there". Englis's memoirs with the subtitle "If you serve your country, expect no rewards", a book of nearly 600 pages, looks back at his childhood, studies and career and thanks to personal recollections of meeting with prominent personalities gives a unique view of Tomáš Baťa, Karel Kramář, T. G. Masaryk and Antonín Svehla, among others. Memoirs of Karel Engliš was published in cooperation with the Masaryk Institute and Archives of the Czech Academy of Sciences, with the financial support of the Moravian-Silesian Region, the State Cultural Fund, and the Czech National Bank. At the end of July 2022, the European Commission decided on the implementation of the DiCiM project, focused on the processes of a circular economy using cutting-edge technologies, e.g. Internet of Things, machine learning or augmented reality. The four-year project with a budget of nearly six million euros is investigated by an expert team from the Faculty of Economics and Administration. A team of FEA experts also works on Monitoring and Measures to Improve Air Quality in Brno, a project whose aim is to identify the emission burden of polluting substances and to formulate concrete measures to improve the quality of the environment in Brno. The FEA also started to coordinate the preparation of an interdisciplinary and interfaculty degree programme Applied Health Economics (AHE), which focuses on optimization of health care systems. Other cooperating faculties are the FMed, FA, FSS and FLaw. The Department of Art at the Faculty of Education and Galérie TIC organized a Brno Art Week festival in April 2022, focusing on art in public space and in galleries. This year's festival pointed out the diversity of the Brno art scene and the return of visitors to art institutions after the COVID break. The University Centre Tele hosted a summer school for students with hearing impairments and their foreign language teachers for more than 30 participants from ten countries, organized by the Teiresiás Centre. Teiresiás also organized INSPO 2022 (internet and information systems for people with special needs), a national conference in Prague. The centre helped with the development of inclusive university education in Nepal, Sri Lanka and West Balkans. About 80 employees from these countries completed a week's training programme at MU. 2022 marked the 30th anniversary of CELSPAC research, a unique European Long-term Study of Pregnancy and Childhood (ELSPAC) under the auspices of the World Health Organization. RECETOX scientists prepared an exhibition focusing on this topic, which was on display in the centre of Brno for two months. The visitors and citizens of Brno had the opportunity to learn about CELSPAC studies and findings brought about by the thirty years of research. 32 Internal Culture and Social Contribution Activities 3 . 2 Volunteering with MUNI HELPS The MUNI HELPS volunteer centre continued to cope with the challenges of societal crises, organizations and individuals in need throughout 2022. The community of volunteers grew to include 5,800 people, which was in particular a result of the extensive aid provided to refugees from Ukraine. As part of help for Ukraine, which started in February, volunteers interpreted for the Regional Assistance Centre, translated documents and organized humanitarian collections. They helped to strengthen staff at primary schools and tutored pupils and students. Through the volunteer centre, Masaryk University supported its Ukrainian students and their families, offering them accommodation, scholarships and other assistance in dealing with the difficult situation. The university managed to raise 1,330,905 CZK for educational and humanitarian purposes and turn it into tangible support for concrete people. A big project of the summer vacation was the second year of Tutoring Summer School. During two one-week sessions, 26 volunteers from 9 faculties worked with 40 children, many of whom came from Ukraine. As in the past year, the children obtained intensive individual tutoring. Although the year 2022 was affected by the war and a large proportion of aid was directed to Ukraine, volunteers found time to help with day-to-day activities. Among other things, they taught children, looked after children, helped the elderly and the disabled and gave legal advice as part of the Student Legal Advice Centre. Several volunteers obtained the Rector's Award for Volunteering for their work. The centre itself was awarded several prizes in 2022. The European Association for International Education handed over a prestigious award for internationalization to MU representatives for the work done by MUNI HELPS. MUNI HELPS received a bronze commemorative medal from the South Moravian Region for its significant help in coping with the crisis situation caused by the 2021 tornado. Thanks to the work in South Moravia, cooperation with Hnuti Brontosaurus, an environmental association, developed and it became an official partner of the volunteer centre. Together, they strive to restore the landscape damaged by the tornado. The centre cooperated with Caritas Brno in the Regional Assistance Centre for Ukraine and participated in its promotional charitable events called DOBROpiknik and Hospice Bake Sale. Volunteers had opportunities to meet each other this year; there was a picnic, a meeting of tutors, and the year ended with a big celebration of volunteering on the International Volunteer Day. The two-day cultural and educational event MUNI HELPS was a thank you to all volunteers for their activity since the centre was established. Five MU faculties taught courses focused on volunteering in 2022. 3 . 3 Sustainability in Surveys and International Rankings Masaryk University includes questions concerning sustainable development in its questionnaire surveys among applicants, students and graduates. Their responses clearly suggest that the university should actively deal with the challenges of sustainability. In last year's surveys, 92% of respondents supported the efforts of MU in this area. The greatest support in the surveys is for the environmentally friendly operation of the university (93% of respondents across the surveys), followed by support for volunteer and club activities (91%) and raising awareness of students, staff and the public (90%). The surveys also asked how the respondents themselves contribute to this issue. Most often, they separated waste, embraced energy saving and reused end-of-life products. Only 5% of respondents state that they are not interested in the topic. Thanks to its sustainability efforts and socially responsible actions, Masaryk University placed very well in international rankings focusing on these issues. MU actively participated in three of them last year. The best ranking and another year-on-year improvement was achieved by the university in the UI GreenMetric ranking, with 115th place. The ranking tracks an institution's sustainable behaviour, its environmental impact and the level of sustainability education and research. For the second year, Masaryk University also participated in the THE Impact Rankings, which monitor the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals by higher education institutions. Out of a total of 1,406 institutions, MU ranked 30ist-400th, improving its position compared with last year. Its best result was in UN Goal 4 - Quality Education, where it placed 101st-200th. The third ranking is the new QS Sustainability Rankings, which assess the extent to which universities are contributing to dealing with the world's environmental, social and governance challenges. Here, Masaryk University placed 28ist-300th out of 700 participating universities. 33 Internal Culture and Social Contribution Activities 3 . 4 University Activities Promoting Sustainability The areas of sustainability where MU is actively involved are summarized on sustain.muni.cz. Last year's examples include #munisaves, an initiative that formulated the Ten Principles for Responsible Energy Management and an internal competition ComMUNIty Fund supporting the implementation of student projects that are sustainable and socially responsible. MU is a coordinator of the MEYS' centralized development project called UNILEAD, which connected 24 Czech HE institutions for the purpose of cooperation, sharing of best practices and creating applicable methodologies for implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The MU faculties have their own initiatives and projects mainly in the area of sustainable operation. The FMed tries to maximally use environmentally friendly and sustainable solutions for the heating and air-conditioning of new buildings (e.g. heat pumps at SIMU). The buildings at the University Campus at Bohunice have green roofs and rainwater is collected in a newly built reservoir between the pavilions. The FEA focuses on economy of operation: it plans the installation of photovoltaic panels, uses the faculty electric car, separates waste and has its own Sustainability Board, where students, employees and teachers are represented. Students may file anonymous motions for everyday sustainability measures of the faculty, which are considered and introduced step by step. The FEA annually joins the Bike to Work national challenge. The FA concentrated on savings in energy consumption as part of building management (optimization and regulation of indoor temperature - ventilation, shading, heating, cooling, humidity control, hot water provision, etc.). Filtermac was installed at the faculty to provide filtered water and thus reduce PET waste. The FSpS joined the #munisaves initiative and continued in adopting measures to reduce the energy intensity of operations. It also encouraged its employees to bike to work within the environmental initiative. The FLaw includes requirements for sustainable development in its tender procedures, thoroughly monitors energy consumption and separates waste. The FPharm strives to consistently communicate economizing, sustainability and environmental protection. The FSS has established the Sustainability Working Group, which is an advisory body to the Dean. Concrete steps in 2022 included a decrease in the temperature of the FSS building even before the start of the energy crisis, and thermal insulation of ceilings. The FSci strives for maximum sustainability, e.g. through waste separation in all the faculty premises, encouraging bike use by providing a bike room at Kotlářská and cultivation of the faculty environment by taking care of green areas. 3 . 5 Alumni Relations Development Masaryk University tries to maintain good relationships with its alumni and to inform the general public about exceptional personalities who obtained their education at MU. In 2022, there was an open-air exhibition called MUNI Personalities at Moravské náměstí, where outstanding alumni were presented. A new programme was created for international alumni in 2022. The MU Centre for International Cooperation organized Homecoming 2022: Keep Brno in Your Genes. The event was attended by dozens of former students from 25 countries, who met at a barbecue at the Vinařská halls of residence, intended both for graduates from abroad who finished their studies several years ago and for fresh graduates. Masaryk University organized a golden graduation ceremony for those who graduated from the Faculty of Medicine in 1972. The ceremony, which marked 50 years since the completion of their studies, included the renewal of graduation vows with the participation of the Rector and representatives of the university and the faculty. The faculties foster their alumni relations through communication or active involvement in university life. The FLaw keeps in touch with its graduates by means of cooperation with scientific and professional organizations. Successful graduates are introduced through video interviews. A substantial part of FSci graduates are secondary school teachers of natural sciences and mathematics. The faculty organizes many specialized activities for them. The FI communicates with its alumni via the university platform, faculty newsletter and a Linkedln group. It has an alumni gallery on its website. The FEdu gave out prizes for excellent graduates for the sixth year. The award for the Teacher of the Year was received by five teachers. The FA maintains contact with its alumni e.g. through interviews that mediate personal experience and memories of studies and the atmosphere at the faculty to current students and applicants. The FPharm cooperates with its alumni via scientific and professional organizations. On the occasion of its 70th anniversary, the faculty held conferences focused on further education and alumni encounters; alumni were also involved in the design of the campaign for applicants. The FEA has been engaged in cooperation with graduates on a long-term basis, and involves them in teaching through the TopSeC project, among other activities. The FSpS recorded a series of interviews with outstanding graduates as part of its 20th anniversary celebration. The Career Centre engaged MU alumni in its online and in-person advising. Traditional events included the JobChal-lenge fair with more than 1,500 visitors, JobAcademy, a panel discussion on soft skills development, and the university career portal JobCheckIN with 10,500 registered students and alumni. 34 Internal Culture and Social Contribution Activities 3 . 6 Awards Earned by Staff and Students Employees and students of Masaryk University won many awards from various institutions in 2022. The prestigious Junior STAR grants of Czech Science Foundation (GACR) were received by young MU researchers, Peter Fabian from the FSci and Ondřej Srba from the FA. The Jean-Marie Lehn Prize 2022 in Chemistry was won by Dominik Madea, a FSci doctoral student. The Neuron Prize for promising scientists was earned by the biologist and FSci graduate Gabriel Demo for research into crosstalk between transcription and translation. Peter Milo from the FA became a fellow of Dumbarton Oaks, an important Harvard University institute. Matouš Dvořák from the FA obtained two nation-wide awards: the 2nd prize in the Talent Pro ART literary competition and the 1st prize in the Face2Art music competition. Jiří Kroupa from the FA won a silver commemorative medal for outstanding work in Art History and long-term scientific cooperation with Charles University. Pavel Slampa, head of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the FMed, received a state award from the President of the Republic for his contribution to science. The Gold Lifesaving Medal for exceptional interventions was given by the Czech President to Michaela Richtrová, a doctoral student from the FMed. The FEdu teacher Jiří Poláček was awarded the Karel Čapek Prize for his works on Čapek written in 1977 to 2022. Ivana Kolářová received the Dictionary of the Year Prize and the Jury Prize from JTP (union of interpreters and translators) for her co-authorship of Slovník univerbizátů (Dictionary of Univerbates). Jiří Vodička from the FLaw won the Josef Vavroušek Award for his doctoral thesis. The 2nd prize in the competition of master's theses of the Chamber of Tax Advisers was awarded to David Jánek. Radim Polčák from the same faculty received an award from the National Cyber and Information Security Agency for his contribution to building a safer cyberspace and for his long-standing cooperation with the agency. Lucia Hradecká from the FI won Brno Ph.D. Talent 2022 and succeeded in the IT SPY competition. Valdemar Svábenský from the same faculty obtained the Joseph Fourier Award. The recipient of the Karel Engliš Honorary Medal was Ivo Čermák from the FSS for his merits in social and economic sciences. Pavel Pospěch from the Faculty of Arts was awarded the Czech Sociological Association Award and the E. E. Kisch Prize for non-fiction. Monika Brusenbauch Meislová from the FSS became a visiting professor at Aston University in Birmingham. Mario Kasovič from the FSpS earned the Croatian National Science Award in the field of social studies. The students Marika Surová (swimming) and Veronika Antošová (speed skating) were acknowledged as the Best Brno Academic Athletes of 2022. Three researchers and a student of Masaryk University received an award of the Brno Municipal Authority for 2022. The City of Brno Award is conferred on important personalities whose life and work was connected with the Moravian metropolis. The awardees are Jiří Zlatuška from the FI, Jiří Fajkus from CEITEC MU, Václav Suchý from the FA, and Jiří Procházka from the FSpS. 3 . 7 Cultural Activities of the University The establishment of the MU Centre for Culture, Art and Events (CCAE) complies with the approved Masaryk University Strategic Plan for 2021-2028. The centre aims at better cooperation of university units in the fulfilment of MU's cultural role and the cultivation of the internal and external environment. In practice, this is a loose association of selected workplaces. The aim is to interconnect their activities and maximize their potential in the areas of management, financial efficiency, and human and material resources. The centre includes MU Archives, Mu-nipress, Mendel Museum and the University Centre Telč. The centre's coordinator was appointed in 2022, and several events were organized under the centre's auspices: Masaryk Days in March, part of which was the Education for Society conference, a concert in honour of Miloš Stědroň, and Mendel Days, held in November. The CCAE started to produce a new cycle of interviews and lectures called We MUst Know. Cultural institutions including the Scala University Cinema were affected by anti-epidemic measures that lasted until 13 March 2022. The return to the normal situation meant an increase in the number of visitors to film screenings (69,661 visitors in 2022) as well as the number of events held. Regular university courses, orientation for international students, student theatre and film festival and the popular cycles TVave! Cinema and Smart Talk returned to the cinema in the spring semester. The most important event included the DVTV's charitable debate, where MU was a co-organizer and whose proceeds were donated towards aid to Ukraine. The Deník N daily organized a prestigious ceremony on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the CR and SR, which the Czech and Slovak prime ministers attended. Scala commemorated 17 November with a programme called Fragile Freedom. The year 2022 was also dominated by the celebrations of the 200th birth anniversary of Gregor Johann Mendel. Mendel Museum prepared several exhibitions to commemorate this event. The museum participated in the preparation of an exhibition on Mendel at Expo 2020 in Dubai. The exhibition introduced visitors to Mendel's life, the significance of his discoveries in genetics and current research on Mendel's genome. The connection between Masaryk University and the renowned scientist mediated by Expo 2020 was an opportunity to present MU as a research university with top-notch research facilities that go beyond molecular biology and genetics, whose foundations were laid by Mendel. The university also pointed out Mendel's contribution to meteorology and introduced its polar research station in Antarctica, named after Mendel. In addition to the university, the exhibition owed its success to the City of Brno, the South Moravian Region and Společně, o.p.s.Itwas visitedby up to ten thousand people daily. An exhibition called Mendel's Creation - artistic variations of Mendel's vision of the world was opened in cooperation with Karel Rechlík. Another event was a travelling comic strip exhibition called G. /. Mendel and Genetics in Czech and English. The museum launched a new permanent exhibition Genetics: A Fascinating Journey into the Cell Nucleus. Mendel's room was opened to the public in the authentic place where Mendel lived and worked. 35 Internal Culture and Social Contribution Activities During the July Mendel Genetics Conference, the museum was visited by Nobel laureates Sir Paul Nurse, Thomas R. Cech and Ada Yonath. The venue of the conference was in authentic premises connected with Mendel; topics like human genetics, plant and animal genetics, new technologies in genetic research, ethical issues and history of genetics were discussed. The conference also included popular science activities, tours, lectures and a rich accompanying programme. The annual weekend Mendel Festival was expanded to last for one week in 2022, and was attended by approx. 7,500 visitors. The museum offered a historical tour of Mendel's times as part of an Interreg project, cooperation between the CR and Austria. Part of the celebrations was a visit to Mendel's birthplace and a premiere of a composition by Tigran Mansurian performed by Brno Philharmonic. Biologist, historian and one of the speakers at Mendel Days, Professor Daniel Fairbanks, painted portraits of Mendel and his sisters and donated them to Mendel Museum. The museum held four lectures of the Mendel Lectures cycle and a conference on Mendel and meteorology. Two workshops were organized within the Interreg programme: Augustinián Monastery, a Centre of European Learning, and Genetics. Mendel Museum joined volunteer activities and prepared experiential educational events for Ukrainian families. In October 2022, Brno hosted the International Conference on Research Infrastructures (ICRI 2022), an encounter of highly influential figures of science and research, supporting strategic debate on the significance of research infrastructures. This was the largest research-focused event during the Czech EU Council Presidency. It was attended by 500 scientists and experts from all over the world, and more than 600 participated online. Key topics were socio-economic benefits and social responsibility of research infrastructures and their role, international cooperation and possibilities to develop an integrated ecosystem of research infrastructures. One of the conference's aims was to strengthen the position of Brno as a developing research and technological hub of Central Europe. At the end of the conference, the Brno Declaration on Research Infrastructures, supported by the European Commission and the Member States, was adopted. The accompanying programme was open to the public for the first time in history. The conference was held under the auspices of the MEYS, Masaryk University and CEITEC. Munipress, the publishing house of MU, celebrated 15 years of operating in the national and international book market. A new series Mezi žánry (in between genres) was launched and the first year of Books in the Cinema was organized by Munipress. The book production was presented at Czech and international trade fairs, conferences and seminars. New scientific literature and study materials included 277 book and journal titles. The most popular was a new edition of English or Czenglish and a Czech translation of Mika Waltari's The Truth about Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Mendel Lectures 2000-2022 and G. /. Mendel: Cesty ke genomu zakladatele genetiky was published on the occasion of his 200th anniversary. A 4* volume was added to Karel Englis's series called Paměti: Kdo sloužíš vlasti, odměny nečekej. The Munipress studio recorded 40 videos, some of which were in the new project WeMUstKnow. The publishers were nominated for the Josef Hlávka Prize with their four-volume work Velká logika by K. Engliš. The University Centre Telč (UCT) offers lifelong learning programmes and responds to the educational requirements of the region by organizing seminars, conferences, courses and cultural and social events. Commemorating 100 years since the birth of painter Míla Doleželová, the UCT and Munipress published her biography, which was awarded The Most Beautiful Book of the Highlands at the book fair in Havlíčkův Brod. The UCT won a contribution from the EEA and Norway Grants to build a related exhibition and organize other educational and cultural events. It also signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Vysočina Region concerning education, technology transfer and popularization of science. The UCT held 136 events and provided accommodation to 1,778 persons in 2022. MU Archives focused on acquiring archival material of an official nature and the estates of university personalities, participated in discussions on the concept of document preservation, processing and making them accessible. The archives registered 145 visits by 71 visitors in 2022. Its work included searches for the general public, making duplicates of study-related documents and others. The archives co-organized Masaryk Days, and participated in the Museum Night and the Researchers' Night. The archives organized tours for university students as well as for colleagues from Germany and Switzerland. The digitization of matriculation certificates from the First Republic continued on a large-format book scanner. The Botanical Garden at Kotlářská celebrated 100 years of its existence in 2022. The anniversary was commemorated with many events and an exhibition of historical photographs and interesting facts. Many cultural events at the university are attributed to student clubs and associations. In 2022,48 associations and 14 clubs were registered. MU entered into a cooperation agreement with 25 associations and a memorandum of cooperation with 6 clubs. These student organizations are active annually at the May festival of Majáles and at a club fair at the FSS. The Faculty of Arts offers a scholarship scheme to encourage student associations and their cultural and artistic activities. Nearly two dozen projects were supported in this way, both traditional events (e.g. the Student Ball) and extraordinary ones (e.g. performances by Nordic singing or theatre groups). A similar scholarship scheme was launched at the Faculty of Education. The university's cultural activities also include organizing events for employees and their families. Among the numerous events at the FEA, some have become a tradition, such as the Christmas party, Bike to Work or St. Nicholas night for children. A spring encounter of all employees took place in the Open Garden for the first year and a faculty charitable party called Giving Day for Ukraine was organized. The FEdu held the traditional Teachers' Day, a pre-vacation faculty get-together and St. Nicholas night at the PidiMuňáťka Children's Centre. The FSci 36 Internal Culture and Social Contribution Activities threw a Garden Party for the first time and its students and staff also had the opportunity to meet at the Campus Day, a sporting and social event organized by campus faculties. Faculty to Self: Afternoon Matinee at the Beginning of Summer was a first informal encounter of FA staff. As part of the university-wide events, the traditional May Dies academicus ceremony took place, and a floorball match between representatives of the MU Rector's Office and campus faculties was organized on the same day. November was marked by the announcement of another year of the University Wine competition and the organization of the MasarykUniversity Student Ball. The Masaryk University Advent Concert in December, featuring, among others, the MU Choir, was held in the Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady. 3 . 8 Library Services and Information Resources Masaryk University has ten libraries, which were actively used by 21,892 registered users in 2022. The MU library fund contains 1,595,883 titles. The online reading room Munispace offers 1,707 publications and registered 80,720 visits in 2022. MU publishes 55 scholarly journals. Thanks to the Teiresias Centre, MU collections have 1,785 Braille books and the total number of adapted titles accessible electronically as hybrid books is 7,941. The libraries take care of the collections and related services and also are organizers of many events. The University Campus Library, for example, offered various educational and training courses to its users, where they learnt to search for information, cite correctly or get to know the evaluation of the professional quality of journals. A number of seminars was hosted by the FA Central Library. Lectures and workshops focused for example on searching and assessing sources, citing and writing a scholarly text. Seminars to support doctoral studies addressed topics like measurability and evaluation of science, project management and international mobility of Ph.D. students. The library also held film screenings and author readings. The FA Central Library offers a shared space for students' work, called Makerspace. Visitors benefited from a training session on available technologies, like 3D printing and virtual reality. The libraries used the Strategic Management Support Programme to purchase materials for the support of curriculum internationalization. Together with 20 other university libraries, they investigated a project under the Centralized Development Programme of the MEYS to promote blended learning. For the first time, the libraries joined the Integrated Regional Operational Programme 2021-2027 of the Ministry for Regional Development. Six projects were submitted and approved under the library calls, intended primarily to renovate library premises at five faculties. The implementation of the above projects will start in 2023. MU libraries closely cooperated with the National Library of Technology on the CARDS project (Czech Academic and Research Discovery Services) under OP JAC, which should create a cooperative system and infrastructure of research libraries providing advanced information services to the national research community in 2023-28. A common next generation library system, centralization of key services and unified search across all forms of information resources including research data are envisaged. Preparations continued for the provision of electronic information resources after 2022, when the existing five-year contracts between publishers of scientific literature and the CzechELib National Centre expire. 37 3 Internal Culture and Social Contribution Activities Publications and libraries in 2022 1,707 publications in total available in the Munispace online reading room 164 scientific publications issued by the Munipress publishing house 1,595,883 of publications available in the MU library fund 80,720 visits to the online reading room Munispace 55 issues of academic and scientific journals published by MU 1,785 library units in Braille Volunteering through MUNI HELPS in 2022 21,892 registered users actively using MU libraries A k 5,800 volunteers support to Ukraine regular activities of the centre maintaining the volunteer community Regional Assistance Centre for Ukraine financial and humanitarian collections Tutoring Summer School translations, interpreting, Czech lessons assistance in schools babysitting, tutoring for children helping the elderly assistance to institutions Tutoring Summer School helping people with disabilities Student Legal Advice Centre tornado relief expert volunteering training and methodological support team-building workshops sharing experience Associations and clubs at MU 52 12 associations and I clubs registered at MU in 2022 Use of JobCheckIN online portal in 2022 28 university-wide associations/clubs 36 faculty associations/clubs 150 employers using the services of the portal 609 job offers advertised 10,500 students and graduates registered in the portal 38 Internal Culture and Social Contribution Activities 3 MU in 2022 sustainability rankings 115th place in Ul C 281st t0 300th in QÍ 301st o400th inTH Most visited MU events in 2022 Expo 2020 in Dubai Mendel Primacy visited by up to 10 rs daily MU vs. VUT the traditional ice hockey match visited by 7,7 Researchers' Night: With All the Senses rs to the popular-science event at MU Prvakoviny its attended this orientation get-together and 98% of them feel better prepared for their studies after the event Job Challenge the 16th edition of the job fair had 57 rs and was visited by 1,500 people Open Day its visited MU ICRI 2022 the International Conference on Research Infrastructures in Brno was attended by 44 from all continents, and 727 joined online Gold Medals awarded by MU in 2022 Silver Medals awarded by MU in 2022 Prof. Mgr. Petr Oslzly Czech theatre dramaturge, scriptwriter, actor and teacher, the Rector of JAMU from 2017 to 2022, was awarded the MU Gold Medal for outstanding contribution to culture and education, as well as to the struggle for democracy Prof. PhDr. Miloš Štědroň, CSc. leading Czech musicologist and composer, who focuses on 20ů century music with an emphasis on Leoš Janáček and intensely cooperates with theatres, in particular Husa na provázku Prof. RNDr. Petr Dubový, CSc. top-notch expert in neuroscience, acknowledged for significant contribution to the study of cell and molecular processes; he built a school on regenerative processes in injured peripheral nerves at the FMed MU Prof. RNDr. Michal Kozubek, Ph.D. founder of the Centre for Biomedical Image Analysis at the FI MU. He contributed to the establishment of the Centre for Artificial Intelligence in Oncology; he is acknowledged for substantial merits in the field of biomedical imaging Prof. JUDr. Jiří Malenovský, CSc. worked as a teacher at the FLaw MU, a judge of the Constitutional Court of the CR, and first judge of the Court of Justice of the European Union; he is acknowledged for significant contribution to public international law and EU law Honorary Doctorate conferred by MU in 2022 Ross John Anderson expert in security engineering, security economics, cryptography and technology policy, professor at Cambridge University and the University of Edinburgh; has actively cooperated with MU researchers since 1996 Ondřej Křivánek top scientist in the field of transmission electron microscopy, co-inventor of an aberration corrector for electromagnetic lenses, founder of Nion Co. 39 a Personnel Management and Employee Development University-wide and Faculty-level Personnel Policy Measures Gender Equality Plan University Awards Granted Staff Development Through Education Care for Employees Ethics and Equal Opportunities FOUNDERS OF IIEIJ DEL LECTURES OBTAINED GOLD MEDALS OF MASARYK UNIVERSITY FOR EXTRAORDINARY MERIT Kim Nasmyth, a geneticist and professor of biochemistry at the University of Oxford, and his wife Anna received MU Gold Medals, one of the most prestigious awards of Masaryk University, from Rector Martin Bares for long-term outstanding merits and development of science, culture, higher education and public life. The cycle of lectures, which was founded by Kim and Anna and held in the Mendel Museum of Masaryk University, has provided a unique opportunity to meet with world-renowned scientists since 2005. Kim and Anna came to Brno to the international Mendel Genetics Conference, which commemorated the 200th birth anniversary of G. J. Mendel, in July 2022. The conference welcomed nearly 400 world's experts and top notch scientists including three Nobel prize laureates. Photo: Kim Nasmyth, geneticist and professor of biochemistry at the University of Oxford, and his wife Anna Personnel Management and Employee Development 4 . 1 University-wide and Faculty-level Personnel Policy Measures The year 2022 was mainly characterized by aid to war-stricken Ukraine, and this also concerned personnel policy. The long-term HR Policy Support Programme was expanded to include 41 refugees from Ukraine. Masaryk University employed over 120 Ukrainians: teachers, researchers, as well as representatives of non-academic and manual occupations. The MU Selection Procedure Regulations, which entered into force in January 2023, were drafted and intensely negotiated in 2022 to comply with the terms of OTM-R Policy. The Internal Wage Regulations were amended to comply with the new collective agreement with effect from 30 June 2022. The most important feature of the amendment is the increase of wage rates as per 1 July over a period of three years; in 2022 by 10%, and in 2023 and 2024 by 5%. New guidelines on the Career System covering career growth and staff development and on Postdoc Personnel Management were published. At the end of 2022, the senior management of MU approved the updated Code of Ethics. Attention was paid to the computerization of personnel administration in particular concerning adaptation and recruitment. As part of employee care, the Rector's Office launched the Welcome Day, where representatives of individual offices meet with new staff each month and support their onboarding through information sharing. The RMU also started to publish a monthly called HR letter. The EVAK system of evaluation of academic staff was reviewed and modernized for the whole university in 2022, reflecting new criteria under the national Methodology 2017+. The indicators were significantly simplified and updated in accordance with the MU Strategic Plan for 2021-2028 (science evaluation, budget indicators, alignment with other types of evaluation). The evaluation focuses on the quantity but primarily on the quality of outcomes in the given areas. Short-term and long-term goals and plans are distinguished in the evaluation. The process of evaluation of non-academic staff had been in place in many units and was expanded to further workplaces in 2022. 4 . 2 Gender Equality Plan 2022 was the first year of implementation of the Gender Equality Plan 2022-2024 (GEP MU) in all of its eight areas. The university started to include the gender dimension into university structures and relevant internal regulations in order to address the Transformation of the internal culture of the organization and Gender balance in leadership and decision-making. In the area of Work and parenthood balance, all legal possibilities regulating work from home were used at MU; childcare was improved by establishing a new playgroup for employees' children in the centre of Brno. The MU handbook Maternity leave, postnatal paternity care and parental leave in a nutshell was updated to reflect the better management of maternal/parental leave. Recommendations contained in the section Recruitment, selection and career progression were adopted by completing the implementation methodologies for the new Selection Procedure Regulations. A bilingual e-learning course was also developed to train members of gender-balanced selection committees at MU, with an emphasis on the need for an equal and fair approach in recruitment and selection. The Jobs. MU application was modified to enable the collection of gender-differentiated data. Inspired by the section Measures against sexual harassment and other forms of gender-based violence, Guidelines for resolving sexual harassment incidents at MU were drafted under the authority of the Vice-rector for Student and Alumni Affairs. At the same time, a network of trained professionals was created to provide counselling to victims, witnesses and those accused of sexual harassment. Training for academic and other staff was provided at MU in 2022 to prevent conflicts in this area. In the section Integrating the gender dimension into the content of research and innovation, the topic of gender and equal conditions was included in the project evaluation process from proposal preparation through implementation to reporting. Awareness of the gender dimension in research and teaching was raised through promotional events focusing on women in science. The GAMU's grant scheme Career Restart was expanded to make the return to a research career after a break, e.g. parental leave, easier. The grants are awarded for two years and 500 thousand CZK is allocated to the project annually. The return of 11 women and 1 man to a research career was supported in 2022. The year 2022 marked the completion of the HR Award process with the award granted to the last MU faculty, the Faculty of Pharmacy. The award is now held by all the MU faculties and two university institutes. Seven faculties and the ICS MU fulfilled their action plans during the initial stage; FSci and CEITEC fulfilled the reviewed action plans and started to prepare for the extension of the award. 42 Personnel Management and Employee Development 4 . 3 University Awards Granted On the occasion of Dies academicus, Masaryk University bestowed the Rector's Awards on outstanding scientists and successful students. Two MU Gold Medals were awarded exceptionally. One was received by the co-founder of the Civic Forum, advisor to Václav Havel, and theatre scriptwriter, dramaturge and actor Petr Oslzlý. The other was awarded to Miloš Štědroň, a leading Czech musicologist and composer teaching at the FA MU and cooperating mainly with Husa na provázku. The Award for Outstanding Creative Activity was won by Miloslav Klugar and Jitka Klugarová from the Institute of Biosta-tistics and Analyses of the FMed, co-investigators of the living maps project. The project originated in response to the COV-ID-19 epidemic and involves global collaboration of researchers across six continents, who proposed hundreds of recommended procedures for COVID-19. The project also has an impact on the Czech Republic, where it defines the national clinical guideline for COVID-19. The Award for Outstanding Artistic Activity was received by Radek Horáček, Olga Búciová, Zbyněk Fišer, Petra Lexová, Martina Mrázová, Jana Ovčáčková, Monika Szúcsová, Jana Nedomová, and Laura Hatlapatková from the FEdu and FA. The team of authors led by Radek Horáček published the second, updated edition of the book Sochařské Brno 1989-2019 (Sculpture in Brno 1989-2019). The Award for an Outstanding Sports Performance was won by Tereza Voborníková from the FSpS. The student of Physical Education and Sports successfully combines studies and a sports career. She represents the CR in biathlon. The Award for Extraordinary International Grant Competition Results was received by Robert Vácha (CEITEC, FSci). The leader of a research group won the prestigious ERC Consoli-dator Grant for a project titled Peptide Killers in 2020. The project focusses on fighting antibiotic resistant bacteria. The Award for Outstanding Research Results Achieved by Young Scientists under 35 was received by three researchers. With his team, Zdeněk Farka (CEITEC, FSci) develops bioanalyt-ical methods for the detection of clinically and environmentally significant substances. Patrick Casey Leisure from the Department of Constitutional Law and Political Science of the FLaw brings his international experience to research in international and comparative public law. Tomáš Plihal from the Department of Finance, FEA, is a leading academic researcher in the area of the modelling of financial asset volatility. His work has resulted in excellent outputs in prestigious scholarly journals. The Award for Long-term Excellence in Research was given to Petr Dubový from the FMed, a top-notch expert in neurosci-ence. Since the beginning of his career, he has specialized in cell and molecular processes during the regeneration of peripheral and central nervous systems. Another awardee is Michal Kozubek from the FI, a world-renowned expert on biomedical imaging. Jiří Malenovský from the Department of International and European Law, FLaw, served as a judge of the Constitutional Court, ambassador to the Council of Europe and his professional career culminated in his service as a judge of the Court of Justice of the European Union (2004-2020). The Award for Innovations in Teaching was won by Lenka Gajzlerová, Sheri Kingsdorf, Vendula Malaníková, Karel Pančo-cha, Tullia Sychra Reucci and Helena Vaďurová from the FEdu. This team designed an e-learning course called Applied Behavioural Analysis for Beginners. The course is primarily intended for parents and people taking care of individuals with autism spectrum disorders. The Award for Teaching Support was earned by Nikola Kostlánová from CEITEC. She was at the birth of implementation of specific activities in doctoral studies at CEITEC and their innovative nature and high standard affected doctoral programmes at other universities in the CR and abroad. The Award for the Active Development of Civil Society was given to Tereza Mikulova, Jitka Novotná, Lucie Hájková and Pavel Sochor from the FEdu. The team created the Open Art Studio, supporting art and social inclusion of artists with a disability. The Rector's Award for Volunteering was received by Libuša Kovalíková, Michael Král, Zuzana Laššáková, Štěpán Matýska, Jan Pokorný and Gabriela Zabková from the FMed. The students initiated the Medics on the Street association, which provides medical assistance to the homeless and people from socially excluded localities of Brno. Other awardees are Jakub Fišák from the FSci, Lucie Říhová from the FEdu, and Petr Knetl from the FI for their work in the volunteering centre. The award also went to Jan Novotný from the FLaw, who coordinated the Student Legal Advice Centre, and David Kremenik from the FSS, who helps people with mental illness to integrate into normal life. MU employees Dag-mar Pichová from the FA and Lenka Dulíková from the FEdu were acknowledged for the organization of Summer School of Tutoring of Socially Disadvantaged Children. During the academic year opening ceremony, outstanding teachers were acknowledged pursuant to nomination and evaluation by students. The Award for Outstanding Teachers in natural sciences and medicine was earned by Jan Šmarda from the FSci, who focuses on molecular and cell biology and genetics. He was nominated by his students, who appreciate his unconventional way of conveying information during lectures. In the area of social sciences and humanities, the awardee was Irena Kašparová from the FSS, who specializes in social anthropology. Her students emphasize her authenticity and clarity of explanation and her individual and friendly approach. The award in economics and informatics was received by Michal Brandejs from the FI, whose specialization is architecture of computer systems. His students mostly appreciate the exactness of his learning materials and excellent communication. Other Rector's Awards for the best students in master's and doctoral programmes are mentioned in chapter 2.7. 43 Personnel Management and Employee Development 4 . 4 Staff Development Through Education 2022 was an essential year for the systematic development of staff. As part of implementation of the MU Strategic Plan for 2021-2028, the Pedagogical Competence Development Centre was transformed into a Competence Development Centre (CERPEK) in April 2022. The centre's new focus is on the development and training of employees in pedagogical competencies as well as in people management and personal skills. The centre designed, prepared and implemented three ten-day programmes, of which one was in English, nine six-day programmes were in managerial competencies, and five six-day programmes in talent development. The centre organized over 50 workshops with various topics for academic and non-academic staff of the university. The key educational programme is titled Foundations of University Teaching Excellence. The aim of the programme is to develop HE teachers' competencies, encourage them to use diverse methods of instruction and evaluation of its results, focus their teaching on students, build and maintain good teacher-student relationships based on respect, create conditions for learning in an inclusive environment, support students in developing their potential and competencies, design the content in accordance with educational principles of the 21st century, and continuously enhance teaching skills. The programme has four components: a laboratory, a week's course (27.5 lessons) before the start of the semester, ateliers (12 lessons), which are classes with group reflection, a studio (8 lessons), based on individual activities, and a gallery (5.5 lessons),a concluding workshop which looks back on the whole programme and where participants reflect on what they learnt and which areas need further development. Leadership training included the Manager programme with sessions for beginning as well as advanced managers. The sub-programme Junior Manager aims at providing the necessary tools, knowledge and skills to be successful managers. The participants can work on the development of managerial competencies for effective team leadership, handling managerial tasks, problem solving and, last but not least, self-development. The Senior Manager sub-programme leads to the acquisition of advanced managerial competencies such as effective leadership techniques, decision-making, change management, team growth and self-development. One of the new programmes included the Talent Academy, where managers could nominate their colleagues who have development potential. Employees seeking further education could use the online courses at the SEDUO portal. In addition to the above programmes, the centre supported the introduction of new HR procedures, such as the Selection Procedure Regulations. Six workshops were organized to support their implementation and in cooperation with the MU Personnel Management Office, the centre designed an e-learning course in Czech and in English, which is mandatory for selection committee members. A series of workshops to prevent sexual harassment called Respect all the Way was organized in cooperation with the MU Student Advisory Centre. Individual faculties of Masaryk University provide various educational opportunities to their staff. The FLaw offered its ac- ademic and research staff a seminar on methodology in research projects and project applications. A course on Performance Evaluation was intended for senior employees. Those interested could take LegalEnglish or courses focusing on stylistics and document editing. The FMed offered a broad range of training opportunities (IT skills, language courses, HR and study administration etc.). Research group leaders from theoretical and clinical workplaces participated in an EMBO Laboratory Leadership Course. A practice-oriented seminar titled Research Data Management was organized in cooperation with the Open Science team from the ICS MU. Staff education at the FSci was mainly provided within an HR Award project, which included, for example, a workshop on Gender Perspective in Leadership. Ph.D. students and postdocs were offered workshops on the planning of their academic careers. A new role of a specialist on staff education was established to complement the role of a development specialist for early stage researchers, established last year. The FA administrative officers in charge of research were provided with many specialized courses focusing on project management, legal education, PR etc. The FEdu prepared 24 training courses including foreign language and specialized courses for its employees. Language courses were also offered to staff by the FPharm. The FSpS organized training courses for managers. The FSS, in addition to educational courses, continued to provide an employee benefit in the form of a contribution toward education and development of 4,000 CZK per person per year. The FEA offered courses and workshops for managers and other faculty staff. Supervisors shared their experience with supervising doctoral students in two workshops led by lecturers from universities abroad. The faculty opened a new position of an L&D coordinator. 44 Personnel Management and Employee Development 4 . 5 Care for Employees The International Staff Office, which aims at providing support to employees from abroad, became part of the Welcome Office. This office, working under the MU Centre for International Cooperation, assists new students from abroad and long-term foreign employees and renders them various services from seeking a nursery, to vehicle registration or visa issues. In 2022, the Welcome Office took care of about 500 international employees with long-term contracts at MU, 200 of them from so-called third countries. In addition to standard services, the Welcome Office provided leisure activities, such as pétan-que and a Christmas party, where they could meet people from outside their workplaces. The office organized a MUST Week for staff of other universities, where they received training on international relations or services for students with special needs. 109 staff participated in the event. The university's staff included 98 persons with a disability in 2022: four people who are blind or have a severe visual impairment, nine who are deaf or have a severe hearing impairment, and three wheelchair users. These employees can use the Teire-siás Centre to the same extent as students. The centre is also involved in selection procedures for applicants with special needs and gives methodological support to the personnel departments of faculties and other workplaces as regards the employment of persons with disabilities. Masaryk University provided various benefits to its employees. Statutory leave is 8 weeks per calendar year for academic staff, and 6 weeks for non-academic staff. MU provides a monthly flat-rate meal contribution of 55 CZK for each day worked. Regular employees are entitled to a contribution toward supplementary pension insurance and supplementary pension savings. MU also gives a contribution toward tick-borne encephalitis and flu vaccination. MU staff may use the university libraries and various software licences free of charge. The language school at the Faculty of Arts offers language courses at discounted prices to employees. The benefits include partner discounts (e.g. for a nursery) and the MultiSport card. MU employees' children may attend a second university playgroup called Elánek, which was opened at Komenského náměstí. The Faculty of Education continues to support the PidiMuňátka Children's Centre for employees' and doctoral students' children. 4 . 6 Ethics and Equal Opportunities The Masaryk University Ethics Board received two internal motions in 2022. The first motion concerned integrity, reproducibility and quality of publications, and generally applicable moral principles and provisions of the Masaryk University Academic and Professional Employee Code of Ethics. The resolution of the MU Ethics Board of 27 June 2022 concludes that there was no breach of generally applicable moral principles nor of the MU Code of Ethics. In response to the other motion, the MU Ethics Board dealt with a suspicion of violation of Sec. 2(1) and (2) (a) to (d), Sec. 4(3(f), Sec. 6(1)(a) and Sec. 9(1) and (3) of the MU Code of Ethics. On 14 November 2022, the MU Ethics Board adopted a resolution in which it concludes that there was no breach of generally applicable moral principles nor of the MU Code of Ethics. The MU Research Ethics Committee (REC) oversees the implementation and observance of ethical standards in research with a human element, including work with biological material of human origin conducted at MU with the exception of the Faculty Medicine, which has its own ethics committee for these purposes. In 2022, the REC assessed 182 projects, which mostly included new project proposals, numbering 134. The REC also reviewed projects underway, and checked projects after the allocation of funding, which numbered 29. The remaining 19 projects were either consulted in early stages of preparation or their ethical relevance was ambiguous. The projects are assessed through a standardized online procedure. Methodological support for investigators is provided via the REC website, which contains information about the assessment, news about the announced calls, general standpoints on ethical issues, forms and templates of informed consent. Four extraordinary sessions and several debates concerning topical issues in research ethics were held during 2022. Several REC members are active in three projects on research ethics: INSURE: Interdisciplinary support of Research Ethics; Responsible Conduct of Research - Research Integrity and Ethics in Georgian Universities, and A4L_ACTI0NS. Renata Veselská from the Department of Medical Ethics became the first Czech representative in the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies, an advisory body of the EC. 45 Personnel Management and Employee Development Number of MU employees 0) 00 cn cvi oo r» cm in o in to cm cn m cm in in «o oo o i- o CO <* <* <* co m cm cn to m co in co co in in m m r- oo O T- r« oo in co o co 0> co r-_ co co co co r« in co co 00 co in i- r- in r- oo * * * Number of employees (headcount) Number of employees (full-time equivalent) 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Number of international academics, researchers and specialists at MU cn - cn cvj m oj m cö q in oo co cö ff in co oo cn Share of foreigners (incl. Slovakia) in the total number of all academics, researchers and specialists Slovak citizens (full-time equivalent) Citizens of other foreign countries (full-time equivalent) 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Number of newly-appointed associate professors and professors from among MU employees Newly appointed professors Newly appointed associate professors 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 46 Personnel Management and Employee Development Mean and median wages of academic staff at MU 05 05 in co Mean wage in CZK Median wage in CZK co in co co in o in co o cm cm co o in« iflr* ° CO co in in !<■ in in co cm" ev CO r« CO CO CM CO CO CO ^ ^ ev CO CO o CO CO CM in in of of r» CM CM 1— CO O 04 ev m ev o CO CO CO o_ CO 0> CO in i- m r» CO in in in in CO CO r» r» Immovable MU assets Movable MU assets 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 MU facilities in 2022 Total number of facilities 122 Classrooms and laboratories 63,470 m2 Useful area of these facilities 428,731 m2 Outdoor sporting grounds 9,309 m2 Net useful area of these facilities 251,128 m2 Libraries, archives and reading rooms 9,398 m2 61 MU Faculties and University Institutes in 2022 Faculty of Law Faculty of Medicine Faculty of Science Faculty of Arts Faculty of Education Faculty of Pharmacy Faculty of Economics and Administration Faculty of Informatics Faculty of Social Studies Faculty of Sports Studies Central European Institute of Technology Institute of Computer Science MU Faculties and University Institutes in 2022 Faculty of Law 2,965 applications submitted 3,226 students in total 136 students from Slovakia 48 students from abroad (outside Slovakia) 532 graduates 186 employees (FTE) international research projects For applicants for studies at the Faculty of Law, conditions for the waiver of the entrance examination were newly formulated, in the form of participation and placement in pre-defined competitions. In the programmes under the internationally recognized LL.M. courses, a new format of combined teaching with the use of the latest didactic trends and computer technologies was introduced. The LL.M. in Information and Communication Technologies programme was opened for the first 40 students. The number of incoming international students at the faculty increased, so the number of courses in English grows continually. Academic staff are encouraged to offer at least one course in a foreign language. The faculty offered around 80 one-semester courses in foreign languages per year. Aside from these, the faculty offered 23 courses of visiting professors in 2022, all of which bring insight into foreign legal systems. Within further education, the faculty organizes educational courses for senior citizens, entrance examination preparatory courses for applicants and a number of other courses for the public. For applicants from Ukraine, a special admissions procedure was announced, in which they could file an application for master's studies and follow-up master's and bachelor's studies. A significant change in 2022 was the integration of smaller doctoral degree programmes in what is called unified degree programmes, for which the faculty received accreditation for the longest possible period. Thus, the faculty made some advances in its approach to doctoral studies, which are an integral part of research as well as teaching. To the four doctoral degree programmes in the English language, a fifth programme Law of Information and Communication Technologies was added as of the spring date of the admissions procedure. The Masaryk University Journal of Law and Technology (MUJLT) reached the second quartile in the Scopus database in 2022. The journal is published in English and has been inspired from the start by US legal journals. Its editorial board is composed of students, who prepare the articles for publication after a review procedure. In 2022, the faculty also received its third project falling within the domain of the European Research Council (ERC), this time under the leadership of applicant Madalina B. Moraru, titled Gatekeepers to International Refugee Law? The Role of Courts in Shaping ACCESS to Asylum. In connection with the endorsement of the HR Award principles, pages concerning feedback on suggestions and complaints were published on the faculty website in 2022. These pages also contain information regarding discrimination, bullying and sexual harassment. Information is provided for students as well as faculty employees. In 2022, three important Memoranda of Cooperation were signed, with the Supreme Court, the Supreme Administrative Court and the Police of the Czech Republic - Regional Directorate of the South Moravian Region. Their mutual cooperation should contribute to the development of high-quality legal education, legal theory, to the cultivation of the legal environment and expertise in good decision-making practice of courts. The faculty continued its cooperation under the joint agreements with the Ministry of Finance (Agreement on Partnership and Mutual Cooperation between the Faculty of Law of Masaryk University, the Ministry of Finance, the General Financial Directorate, the General Directorate of Customers, the Office for Government Representation in Property Affairs, and the Office of the Financial Arbitrator) and the Czech Centre for Human Rights and Democracy. The Faculty of Law became a founding member of the Association of Faculties of Law (FLaw MU, Faculty of Law UK, FLaw Palacký University Olomouc, Faculty of Law University of West Bohemia, and the Institute of State and Law of the Czech Academy of Sciences). The successful cooperation with the Jan Hus Educational Foundation continued with the 15th year of the competition for the Ius et Societas Award. The Faculty of Law was also successfully involved in the issue of the Karel Engliš commemorative banknote. This was a clear acknowledgement of the first Rector of Masaryk University and one of the first deans of the faculty. 64 THE FACULTY OF LAW SIGHS A MEMO RAND UN OF COOPERATION WITH THE SUPREME COURT A Memorandum of Cooperation between the Faculty of Law of Masaryk University and the Supreme Court was signed by Dean Martin Skop and President Petr Angyalossy. The memorandum focuses on connecting doctoral studies at the Faculty of Law with working as an assistant to a judge at the Supreme Court. This assistant position is an important milestone for young lawyers, enabling them to pursue a career as a judge, public prosecutor, or in another legal profession. The memorandum promotes the involvement of Supreme Court judges in seminars, lectures, and workshops organized by the Faculty of Law, as well as the participation of faculty teachers in expert events at the Supreme Court. This collaboration offers judge assistants an opportunity for further studies and deepening their legal knowledge. Photo: Faculty of Law, MU MU Faculties and University Institutes in 2022 Faculty of Medicine 9,449 applications submitted 4,722 students in total 1,093 students from Slovakia 918 students from abroad (outside Slovakia) 722 graduates 697 employees (FTE) 23 international research projects Also in 2022, the Faculty of Medicine boasted a stable interest of applicants, thank to which it succeeded in increasing the number of students particularly in the General Medicine degree programme, and thus fulfilling the criteria of the governmental long-term plan which is supposed to prevent a personnel crisis in healthcare. The Dentistry Clinic of the FMed MU and the FNUSA worked on the stabilization of the teaching staff and developing digitization in teaching. The faculty preserved the diversity of non-medical degree programmes, which are primarily career-oriented (ten bachelor's and five follow-up master's programmes in total). The transformation of the Physiotherapy master's degree programme to Applied Physiotherapy was finished and the accreditation for the Orthoptics bachelor's degree programme was prolonged. Electronic tools were used more often in teaching and the preparation of final theses and final examinations was refined. Further internationalization continued through the education of international students and collaboration with international universities: 220 students were enrolled in the General Medicine programme, and 121 international students came to study in one of the mobility programmes. In addition, an extraordinary admissions procedure for students from Ukraine with refugee status was opened. In January 2022, in the presence of the Rector of Masaryk University, the Director of the St. Anne's University Hospital in Brno (FNUSA), the Dean of the MU Faculty of Medicine and the Director of the International Clinical Research Centre of St. Anne's University Hospital in Brno (FNUSA-ICRC), a Contract on the Establishment of a Joint Unit under the name International Clinical Research Centre was signed. In 2022, the faculty staff submitted over two hundred projects in total, of which the support received within the prestigious Teaming for Excellence international challenge under the Horizon Europe programme for the creation of a research centre for the development of cell and gene therapies (CREATIC) and the representation in a series of projects to support excellent research in priority areas of public interest in health care - EXCE-LES, announced within the National Recovery Plan, may be regarded as the greatest achievements. The Faculty of Medicine made a number of scientific discoveries and achievements during the relevant period. The team from the Institute of Medical Genetics and Genomics won the Visionaries 2022 award for the development of a new universal genomic test as a diagnostic tool for the most frequent types of leukaemia and lymphomas. The Czech Science Foundation approved seven projects; six doctoral students and their supervisors received the Vice-rector's Award for Research and Doctoral Studies for Excellent Study Results. Zuzana Sumbalová Koledová succeeded with her project Biotechnology for Milk Production without Livestock Farming in the Transfera Technology Day 2022 competition. The Department of Medical Psychology and Psychosomatics participated in the development of the MOUMindCare mobile application to support mental health in oncology patients, which won the DIGI@MED Award in the Existing Project category. Pavel Slampa, head of the Department of Radiation Oncology, was awarded the State Decoration of the President of the Republic for merit in science. The Faculty of Medicine was also actively involved in activities focused on the promotion of health and prevention, organized blood and bone marrow donation campaigns, supported patient organizations and participated in public debates on healthcare. The faculty also promoted the volunteering activities of its employees and students, while emphasizing the importance of systematic work with student associations, including among others with senior citizens, children and homeless people. Students and employees got involved in activities linked to World Health Day, World Diabetes Day and prevention of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. The Spolu-Safe project, aiming to contribute to information awareness on the HPV infection and modernization of sexual education at primary and secondary schools, was in full swing. The collection for the building of a body donors memorial continued as well. 66 OVER FIVE THOUSAND STUDENTS EXPERIENCE THE MOST ADVANCED METHOD OF TEACHING MEDICINE IN EUROPE The simulation centre at the Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University (SIMU), is Europe's most advanced facility of its kind. Over four semesters, more than five thousand students have benefited from the centre. SIMU has exceeded expectations in terms of teaching quality and volume, enhancing the evaluation of teaching by students and lecturers. Simulations are now integrated into medical and dentistry curricula across multiple years, preparing future doctors for various practical scenarios. SIMU has contributed to increased interest in studying medicine at the faculty, both domestically and internationally. The importance of simulation medicine and gamification in medical education was also emphasised by the MEFANET conference organized by the MU Faculty of Medicine. Photo: Petr Stourac, head of the Department of Simulation Medicine, FMed MU MU Faculties and University Institutes in 2022 Faculty of Science 4,190 applications submitted 3,535 students in total 703 students from Slovakia 268 students from abroad (outside Slovakia) 848 graduates 1,000 employees (FTE) 50 international research projects In 2022, the Faculty of Science passed the research and doctoral studies evaluation. Independent international experts evaluated all the units involved in research and teaching. The evaluation also concerned 20 doctoral degree programmes, including their English language versions. All units got either a very good or excellent mark. The faculty joined a series of projects and celebrations of the 200th birth anniversary of G. J. Mendel. It participated in the organization of the interdisciplinary Mendel Genetics Conference, including the preparation of the attendance of the keynote speaker and Nobel laureate Thomas R. Cech. A reference to G. J. Mendel also opened the MUNI Mendel Doctorandus interfaculty project for the best doctoral students. Over 60 students from all faculties are involved in the prestigious interfaculty programme, which was prepared and launched and is coordinated by the MU FSci team. The faculty prepared a series of podcasts titled Mendel - The Man, concerned with the personality of the founder of genetics. Another great achievement in 2022 was the publication of the book Dějiny psané pnrodovědci (History Written by Scientists), mapping on one thousand pages the 100 years of the development of the MU FSci, its departments and significant personalities. In 2022, within the Environment and Health bachelor's programme, two specializations, Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology and Environmental Health, have been newly accredited and will be open for the first time in the academic year of 2023/2024. The new follow-up English language master's degree programme Geography of Global Environmental Change was successfully accredited. The SMPS funding scheme supported the INNOLEC - Innovation lectures, a successful and popular long-term series, which offered 34 lectures, seminars and practical workshops of international experts, who transferred onto students, teachers and researchers their latest scientific knowledge in a wide range of specialized fields of research. The preparation of new degree programmes Microscopy, Virology and Data Analytics was launched. Within MU, the faculty is the largest recipient of funds within the Lifelong Learning area under the National Recovery Plan (NPO-A4-3.2.1 CZV), within which FSci investigators work on the preparation of a total of 16 lifelong learning courses in a wide range of fields. In 2022, the investigation of 7 projects funded from the Horizon Europe programme and three Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions grants was launched at the MU FSci. Last year, the FSci also started its involvement in all of the 5 emerging institutes under the EXCELES programme within the National Recovery Plan. The intensive work on and implementation of the HR Award for young researchers / doctoral students continued and resulted in the adoption of a faculty strategic document for this area for the upcoming years: the Development Strategy for Early Stage Researchers at MU FSci. In the course of the year, the faculty and its departments were fully involved in social events for students or employees (the Campus Day, the Garden Party, association activities, exhibitions at the Dean's Office, Christmas meetings, awards, BBQ with deans and other events), in the promotion of science education at schools, communication of science and research results in these fields (MjUNI, Researchers' Night, Science Festival and others) and promoting interest in the study of teaching. The faculty was also significantly involved in the preparation of the establishment of a new science-oriented grammar school in Brno. The situation in connection with the war in Ukraine showed the great responsibility of the faculty employees and students. From the very start of the conflict, the faculty employees and students were also significantly involved in helping Ukrainian natural scientists, colleagues and students, whether on the territory of Ukraine in the form of deliveries of medicinal drugs and hygiene products for concrete hospitals or through assisting individual refugee families. The faculty admitted several Ukrainian researchers and other employees. It also prepared a special admissions procedure for applicants with Ukrainian citizenship and approved extraordinary scholarships for those Ukrainians who are already studying. 68 MASARYK UNIVERSITY SCIENTIST JOINS EUROPEAN COMMISSION ETHICS ADVISORY GROUP Renata Veselská from Masaryk University, Section of Genetics and Molecular Biology at the Faculty of Science and the Department of Medical Ethics at the Faculty of Medicine, has been appointed to the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE). As the chair of the Research Ethics Committee, Professor Veselská specializes in the ethical aspects of research and teaches bioethics and cell biology. She brings her expertise to the EGE, which offers expert opinions on ethical matters related to scientific and technological advancements. Her appointment is seen as a significant achievement for both herself and Masaryk University, as the Czech Republic has never had a representative in the EGE before. This recognition enhances the university's reputation as a prestigious academic institution. Photo: Renata Veselská, professor at the Section of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, MU MU Faculties and University Institutes in 2022 Faculty of Arts 9,472 applications submitted 6,567 students in total 948 students from Slovakia 430 students from abroad (outside Slovakia) 1,239 graduates 544 employees (FTE) 18 international research projects On i April 2022, a new team led by Dean Irena Radová, replacing Dean Milan Pol in the dean s chair, took over the management of the Faculty of Arts MU. In 2022, the list of the programmes on offer at the Faculty of Arts was extended by Information Services Design, which became the first ever degree programme taught remotely at MU. Aside from the regular and the supplementary rounds of admissions procedure, an extraordinary admissions procedure for Ukrainian students running away from the war was opened in 2022. In this extraordinary round, total of 202 applications by 114 applicants were submitted to the MU FA. 74 applicants were admitted and 42 of them subsequently enrolled for regular studies. In 2022, researchers from the Faculty of Arts were actively involved in the investigation of society-wide challenges under the umbrella of the SYRI National Institute for Research on Socioeconomic Impacts of Diseases and Systemic Risks, which launched its activity in June 2022. Through a research group focusing on education, they studied the issue of adaptation of Ukrainian children in Czech primary schools, which resulted in the articulation of a number of specific recommendations. After more than a year, the restored Prague Bible, a unique book from 1488 and the only incunabulum in the MU FA's collection, was returned to the faculty library. In 2022, the organization of cultural events in the Reading Room started. There were three exhibitions with accompanying lectures and events held during the year. In autumn, Andrey Borisovich Zubov, renowned expert on Russian comparative history, became a member of the academic community of the MU FA. He offered students and other interested persons a series of lectures titled Reasons for the Russian Catastrophe of theXXth Century and Possibilities to Overcome It. During the period from June to November 2022, an international evaluation of research doctoral degree programmes took place at MU FA in the areas of Psychology, Philosophy, History, Arts, Languages, and Pedagogy. The International Evaluation Panel especially appreciated the involvement of doctoral students in an ERC project (Networks of Dissent: Computational Modelling of Dissident and Inquisitorial Cultures in Medieval Europe). One of the most significant grant achievements in 2022 was the award of the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions grant (Excellent Science) - Demarginalizing Medieval Georgia: History of Art History between Colonial Perspective and Nationalist Appropriation (1921-1991), which is concerned with the art of medieval Georgia in southern Caucasus. The chief investigator of this grant is Alžběta Filipová. Within the programme framework of the International Visegrád Fund, Šárka Havlíčková Kysová succeeded with her project Crossing Borders with Shakespeare since 1945: Central and Eastern European Roots and Routes, the main goal of which is to map how Shakespeare traversed cultural, political and social borders in Central and Eastern Europe and beyond since the division of Europe in 1945. The Department of Psychology of MU FA set up and operated a crisis line from the first days of the outbreak of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The Department of Czech for Foreigners offered help with the teaching of Czech to refugees of all age groups. From the end of May, it ensured the language preparation of Ukrainian applicants and later students of the Faculty of Arts. The faculty also hosted a number of events related to the situation in Ukraine (e.g. a public discussion with war reporter Tomáš Forró, presentation of the children's book Válka, která změnila Rondo (The War that Changed Rondo) by translator Lucie Rehoříková, lectures on the history and culture of Ukraine, and fundraising events). Other events organized at the faculty reflected the 200th anniversary of the birth of G. J. Mendel. The topic chosen for the regular Humanities Week was Genetics, Environment and Nurture. There was also an exhibition dedicated to Mendel's brethren (Brno Augustinians of the 19th century: reflections on beauty and art). In collaboration with U3V MU, a free lecture series Open World of the Humanities was prepared for the general public in 2022. Once a month, MU FA academics shared their research findings with the public. The lecture series offered an opportunity for informal encounters and education in humanities, but at the same time it can be seen as a form of accountability towards the public. The series met with interest and its capacity was fully used. 70 PROFESSOR ZUBOV ACCEPTS THE OFFER TO BECOME A LECTURER AT 11A S A R Y K UNIVERSITY Renowned historian Andrey Borisovich Zubov, an expert in European philosophy and Russian history, was dismissed from the Moscow State Institute for International Relations due to his opposition to Russian policies on Ukraine and Crimea. In March 2022, Zubov criticized Russian aggression and Putin's regime during his speech at the Masaryk Days event in Brno. Seeking refuge, he accepted an invitation to lecture at MU. Delivering a six-week series on Russian history titled Reasons for the Russian Catastrophe of the XXth Century andPossibilities to Overcome It, Zubov expressed gratitude for the freedom of expression and admired the Czech government's democratic values. Zubov holds an honorary doctorate from Masaryk University. Photo: Andrey Borisovich Zubov, visiting professor at the Faculty of Arts, MU MU Faculties and University Institutes in 2022 Faculty of Education 8,439 applications submitted 5,292 students in total 143 students from Slovakia 93 students from abroad (outside Slovakia) 1,026 graduates 312 employees (FTE) 18 international research projects In 2022, the Faculty of Education newly acquired accreditation for its English language bachelor's degree programme Education for Diversity and Inclusion. It is a multi-disciplinary degree programme involving several departments and focusing on the education of future professionals in the field of inclusion and diversity in multicultural environments. For applicants for bachelor studies, the faculty opened preparatory courses titled Admission toMUFEdu inaNutshell for the first time. In October, with a ceremonial opening the faculty launched the operation of a new meeting place for actors in internationalisation - the International and Intercultural Corner. The venue is designed for workshops, presentations and other similar events focused on the field of international relations and internationalisation. The Faculty of Education staff and students and teachers from the faculty schools participated in an interdisciplinary internship in the Netherlands. A total of 29 participants visited Utrecht University and school counselling centres, as well as primary schools in Utrecht, Amsterdam and Meppel. After the internship, a round table with the interns was held for students and faculty teachers to transfer the knowledge gained. The faculty's partner schools and facilities are important actors in teaching at the faculty. In 2022, a system of criteria for evaluating the quality of faculty schools and facilities was developed. The system of criteria was pilot tested by field teachers of didactics, guarantors and mentors. Academic units and doctoral degree programmes went through an evaluation by an international evaluation panel. The panel subsequently produced evaluation reports for the six clusters in which the units were grouped for the purposes of the evaluation, as well as for the individual doctoral programmes. In 2022, the faculty organized a number of activities for doctoral students and supervisors under the umbrella of the (Post)Doctoral School of the MU FEdu (methodological workshops, requested lectures, training and courses, etc.). In 2022, the Faculty of Education was involved in 96 projects. International projects under the Erasmus+ programme accounted for a significant share of the faculty's overall project portfolio. Within the National Recovery Plan, the faculty was engaged in the issues of the development of remote teaching, on-line teaching, and blended learning, and in the support of excellent research in areas of public interest. In a competition of the Czech Science Foundation, 6 out of 10 submitted proposals were accepted. In 2022, students and faculty employees received a number of awards. Jiří Poláček from the Department of Czech Language and Literature was awarded the Karel Čapek Prize for his work on Čapek from 1977 to 2022 upon a proposal of the Čapek Brothers Society. The Karel Čapek Prize has been awarded since 1990, always to one Czech and one Slovak cultural figure. Ivana Kolářová from the same department received two awards from the Czech Union of Interpreters and Translators: 1st place in the Jury Award category for her Slovník univerbizátů (Dictionary of Univerbates), which she published with her colleague F. S ticha in Academia Publishing House in 2020. For the same dictionary, she was also awarded in the Dictionary of the Year category - Main Award, in which she won 2nd place. In 2022, the faculty organized a number of events. Right at the beginning of the year, representatives of the Ministry of Education visited the faculty together with Minister of Education Petr Gazdík to present the Reform of Teacher Training in the Czech Republic. Other events included Brno Art Week, which was marked by the return to a shared experiencing of culture and direct encounters, and also readings by poets Vít Slíva and Petr Hruška. As a consequence of the Russian invasion, there were also workshops and events in support of Ukraine taking place throughout the year. During the year, the faculty organized a series of seminars for the general academic community on the issue of education and integration of students with different mother tongues and for the effective integration of students from Ukraine. 72 A CHILD TUTORING PROJECT WINS THE ČESKÁ SPOŘITELNA FOUNDATION AWARD Markéta Kosatková from the Faculty of Education of Masaryk University won the Česká spořitelna Foundation Award for her work in tutoring socially disadvantaged children. The project started in 2001, and the course Individual Tutoring of Socially Disadvantaged Children, guaranteed under the project, has been part of the compulsory practical training of students for the last five years. Students of the Faculty of Education work with children who need tutoring and whose parents cannot afford a paid service. The tutoring of schoolchildren takes place directly in their families or on the premises of partner non-profit organizations or schools. In the course, students spend 26 hours with the children over two semesters, and may continue in long-term collaboration. The aim is to stimulate children's interest in education and to introduce them to learning strategies. Students positively evaluate the progress made by the children. It is also thanks to this project that Masaryk University is an agent of social change. Photo: Markéta Kosatková, Assistant Professor at the Department of Social Education, FEdu MU MU Faculties and University Institutes in 2022 Faculty of Pharmacy 549 applications submitted 749 students in total 167 students from Slovakia 55 students from abroad (outside Slovakia) 131 graduates 101 employees (FTE) GACR and TACR research projects in progress One of the key achievements of the MU Faculty of Pharmacy in 2022 was winning project support in the ERA Chairs - HORIZON-WIDERA-2022-TALENTS-01 international call. Within the implementation of the project, the Centre of Excellence in Advanced Pharmaceutical Technologies will be established in 2023 as a specialized research unit to be led by a researcher from the United States of America. The aim of the project is to create conditions for cutting-edge research and development of new drugs based on nucleic acids and nanotechnologies, which will enable closer cooperation between the Faculty of Pharmacy and strategic partners from the public or private sector. Another important project was the preparation and collaboration on the implementation of the MUNI BioPharma Hub, involving the construction of a new building of the Faculty of Pharmacy in the University Campus at Bohunice. In 2022, the detail design for the building permit procedure and the documentation for the selection of the contractor were prepared. The courses on offer at MU FPharm were unchanged in 2022 - the faculty provided education in accredited master's degree programmes (1 Czech and 1 English) and doctoral degree programmes (5 Czech and 3 English). During the year, the respective programme and doctoral boards discussed and approved proposals for changes in the study plans (changes in course guarantors, inclusion of new courses) and evaluation of the teaching process in a study programme (course opinion polls results, evaluation of teaching). In 2022, the FPharm submitted to the National Accreditation Bureau an application for accreditation of a new bachelor's degree programme Cosmetic Products. This degree programme will be unique in its content and there will not be any other course with a similar multidisciplinary focus offered by any other higher education institution in the Czech Republic. Lifelong learning at the Faculty of Pharmacy is aimed at members of the academic community and the professional and lay public - for example, through courses such as Toxicology of Natural Substances, Medicinal Plants in Self-healing or the Roie of Magnesium and Zinc in the Human Body and the Possibilities of their Therapeutic Application. The FPharm organizes scientific and professional conferences that bring together students, academic staff and experts from the FPharm with their colleagues from the research, professional and application domains. The scientific, research and creative activities of the MU FPharm are focused on the comprehensive study and evaluation of pharmaceutical and other related products that are important for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of human and animal diseases. On the occasion of the Dies academicus in May 2022, the Rector of MU awarded the Rector's Award for an Outstanding Doctoral Thesis to Dominik Rotrekl. Another major success for the FPharm was the award of the Vice-rector for Research and Doctoral Studies Award for Excellence in Doctoral Studies to Dominik Grega for his work in the field of Safety and Quality of Medicines. At the end of November 2022, the prestigious MU Grant Agency Awards were presented in the beautiful spaces of the Augustinián Monastery. A representative of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Karel Smejkal, won an award for his significant achievement in research and development. In June 2022, the MU Faculty of Pharmacy received the prestigious European HR Award for excellence in employee care in a scientific environment and immediately followed up by implementing an action plan to meet the set criteria. The biggest social event of 2022 was the celebration of 70 years since the founding of the Faculty of Pharmacy in Brno. Three conferences were held at the faculty during the day of celebrations: the Brno Day of Medicinal Plants "In honour of Prof. RNDr. Václav Suchý, DrSc, dr. h.c", the Pharmaceutical Technology Day and the Symposium on the History of Pharmacy and Healthcare. The whole day ended with a ceremonial banquet in the spaces of the Vinařská halls of residence. The jubilee celebration was attended by students, alumni, employees and representatives of the faculties of pharmacy from Hradec Králové and Slovakia. 74 THE FACULTY OF PHARMACY CELEBRATES 70 YEARS OF ITS EXISTENCE The Faculty of Pharmacy celebrated 70 years since its foundation. As part of the celebrations, the Faculty of Pharmacy prepared a programme with several dozen lectures by FPharm academics and guests from foreign universities, which attracted over 170 registered visitors. The celebrations started with the Brno Day of Medicinal Plants, which presented innovations in the use of natural substances in therapy and scientific progress in the field of pharmacognosy. The follow-up Symposium on the History of Pharmacy and Healthcare focused on the development and position of these disciplines in contemporary society. Simultaneously, the Pharmaceutical Technology Day was held, which was also accessible online. The event was partly aimed at alumni and, in addition to the expert part, highlighted the social role of the university. Photo: Faculty of Pharmacy insignia - dean's chain MU Faculties and University Institutes in 2022 Faculty of Economics and Administration 5,098 applications submitted 2,831 students in total 577 students from Slovakia 347 students from abroad (outside Slovakia) 729 graduates 188 employees (FTE) international research projects A major success for the FEA in 2022 was, in the first place, the approval of its coordinated project under the EU Horizon Europe framework programme titled Digitalised Value Management for Unlocking the Potential of the Circular Manufacturing Systems with Integrated Digital Solutions (DiCiM). This is the first MU project in which a particular faculty of Masaryk University has become a project coordinator within the Europe-wide Research and Innovation Actions scheme. The FEA coordinates an international consortium of twelve members including leading research facilities (e.g. the Swedish Royal Institute of Technology) and industry partners (Gorenje and others). In the area of education, the framework of the new faculty core was defined during 2022 and was subsequently filled with appropriate courses, and a draft of the entire curriculum of individual single-subject programmes was proposed as well. New degree programmes were in preparation, including the particularly important interfaculty follow-up degree programme Applied Health Economics, developed in cooperation with five other MU faculties. The innovative concept of the degree programme also succeeded in the competitive call of the National Recovery Plan for the support of national priority strategic degree programmes. Work also began in 2022 on the faculty's framework strategy for lifelong learning. The targeted modular LL programme Management in Pharmacy, on which the FEA collaborates with the Faculty of Pharmacy, has been a great success. In the area of internationalization, the faculty was successful in concluding new Erasmus contracts with leading-edge international institutes (TOP 300 strategy). During the year, the faculty hosted a number of interesting guests from foreign universities, who enriched the teaching in the faculty degree programmes, and the number of students enrolled in foreign language programmes increased as well. A major innovation in 2022 was the Bachelor on Trial lifelong learning project. It gives those with completed secondary education the opportunity to try out university studies and their learning capabilities and get to know the academic environment before committing to regular studies. The faculty has also noted a further increase in publication activity (a share in Qi and Q2 journals) and has been involved in major research projects. Aside from the DiCiM project mentioned above, it is also actively involved in the National Institute for Socioeconomic Impact of Disease and Systemic Risk Research (SYRl) project. In 2022, faculty experts were appointed in national expert bodies - Daniel Nemec has become the new Vice-president of the Czech Economic Society and David Poc has been appointed a member of the European Union Committee of the Government Council for Non-Profit Organisations of the Czech Republic. In relation to doctoral studies, the faculty has opened an essential discussion on restructuring the portfolio of degree programmes with the aim to simplify what is on offer. Practice oriented development workshops continued to be offered to faculty students as part of the TopSeC (Top Students Centre) programme. In the past year, the circle of faculty partners has expanded, and the faculty is now collaborating also with UniCredit Bank, NOARK Electric, Zebra Technologies, FNZ, Atlas Copco, and PKF APOGEO, within the new Partnership concept. Through its research activities, the faculty is involved in tackling society-wide issues such as the circular economy or air quality (here the faculty's research team cooperates with the city of Brno). Just like the entire Masaryk University, the Faculty of Economics and Administration also responded very quickly to the outbreak of war in Ukraine. In cooperation with partners within the university, an action plan was drafted and the faculty took in over 100 Ukrainian students and several academics. In collaboration with other units of the university, the FEA MU also organized a fundraising buffet event in April 2022 called Giving Day for Ukraine, involving dozens of volunteers from the faculty's staff and students. 76 THE FACULTY OF ECONOMICS AND ADMINISTRATION LEADS THE WAY IN THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT The Faculty of Economics and Administration of MU's DiCiM project digitizes manufacturing systems in the circular economy, leading to economic savings, reduced C03 emissions, and job creation. For four years, Masaryk University will lead international efforts in circular economy development using cutting-edge technologies such as the Internet of Things, machine learning, and augmented reality. The project aims to establish a digital platform managing product lifecycle information. FEA MU coordinates an international consortium within the RIA scheme, contributing to national and pan-European circular economy discussions. Collaboration with research organizations and industry partners is also a significant aspect. Photo: (From left) M. Krcdl, M. Monashev, A. Zareravasan, A. Klapalovd, D. Foe, R. Skapa, from the Department of Business Management, FEA MU MU Faculties and University Institutes in 2022 Faculty of Informatics 3,195 applications submitted 2,237 students in total 1,034 students from Slovakia 204 students from abroad (outside Slovakia) 444 graduates 237 employees (FTE) international research projects In 2022, the Faculty of Informatics succeeded in winning the major European project CHESS - Cyber-security Excellence Hub in Estonia and South Moravia, funded from the Horizon Europe EU framework programme. The goal of the initiative of Masaryk University and the University in Tartu is to step up cybersecurity innovation research and development, with the involvement of 12 partners. The MUNI Award in Science and Humanities (MASH) is a university grant aimed at bringing excellent external researchers to Brno under attractive conditions. In 2022, this grant also went to Assoc. Dr. rer. nat. RNDr. Mgr. Be. Jan Kfetinsky, Ph.D., a graduate of FI, who returned to his alma mater enriched by experience from the Austrian Institute of Science and Technology and the Technical University in Munich, Germany, where he taught courses in theoretical computer science. Upon the proposal of the FI MU, Masaryk University awarded an honorary doctorate to Ross J. Anderson from Cambridge University. Ross J. Anderson is engaged in the field of security engineering, security economics, cryptography, and technology policy. He has worked in computer labs at the University of Cambridge and the University of Edinburgh, and is a member of Churchill College. The honorary doctorate acknowledges his professionalism and scientific achievements, but it is also given in recognition of his collaboration with the Faculty of Informatics MU, which he has been developing since 1996. In relation to research, significant efforts were made in 2022 to carry out an evaluation of research and doctoral studies by a foreign evaluation institution, namely Informatics Europe. Its outputs will lead to the proposal of a number of measures to be implemented in the coming years. In 2022, the Faculty of Informatics also welcomed an important international visitor: a 15-member delegation from the European Parliament's Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE). During their three-day visit to the Czech R4epublic, they were interested in the state and possible deepening of the debate on and cooperation in cybersecurity. On that occasion, university cybersecurity experts presented their projects and research activities to them. Members of the FI MU academic community became laureates of awards granted by the Rector of MU. RNDr. Samuel Pastva was given the Rector's Award for the Best Students in Doctoral Programmes and RNDr. Jaroslav Bendik, Ph.D. received the Rector's Award for an Outstanding Doctoral Thesis. The Rector's Award for Outstanding Teachers in the field of economics and computer science was given to Assoc. Ing. Michal Brandejs, CSc. In October 2022, within the Brno.AI platform the MU Faculty of Informatics and the Faculty of Information Technology of BUT prepared a one-day AI4 Talents event for talents interested in artificial intelligence. The diverse programme at the VIDA! Science Centre was aimed at secondary school students from the Czech Republic and Slovakia, who had the opportunity to talk to experts and try out the latest AI technologies developed by them. The Association of Industrial Partners of FI MU has had a tradition at the Faculty of Informatics of Masaryk University since 2007. In 2022, the faculty collaborated with 30 companies, aiming to connect researchers with students in research and teaching. In 2022, students successfully defended 93 bachelor's and master's theses in collaboration with the companies involved in the AIR The authors of 9 final theses created in collaboration with Red Hat Czech, Safetica, Sanezoo, Trusted Network Solutions and Wereldo received the Deans Award for bachelor and master students. Part of this activity is the Competition for the best final theses in the field of IT security, in which 5 winners received scholarships. The faculty managed to increase the number of students in the follow-up master's degree programme, especially thanks to the very attractive Software Engineering programme. Accreditation was acquired for a new international follow-up degree programme called Digital Linguistics, which is implemented in cooperation with two foreign universities in Central Europe (Zagreb and Ljublana). 78 »u integrity dat anodo současných i zařízení loT zařízení. SOFTWARE DEVELOPED B Y MO FACDLTY OF INFORMATICS PROTECTING DATA IN BILLIONS OF SYSTEMS A team of developers from Brno, working at the Faculty of Informatics of MU created a software solution for data protection, including for the Android and Linux operating systems. Their encryption method, including data integrity checks, earned them the MUM Innovation Award at Masaryk University's Business Research Forum. This prestigious award recognizes outstanding innovations that enhance products, services, and the social impact of university research. Milan Broz, an experienced member of the team, has long been involved in data encryption in the Linux community. The solution was carefully developed and tested in accordance with its rules. No major bugs have been discovered since its introduction into practice two years ago. Photo: Milan Broz, researcher at the Department of Computer Systems and Communications, FIMU MU Faculties and University Institutes in 2022 Faculty of Social Studies 6,339 applications submitted 3,235 students in total 453 students from Slovakia 382 students from abroad (outside Slovakia) 756 graduates 262 employees (FTE) 18 international research projects In 2022, the Faculty of Social Studies significantly expanded its degree programmes taught in the English language. Two new interdisciplinary bachelor's degree programmes were launched - Global Challenges: Society, Politics, Environment and Politics, Media and Communication. The Faculty of Social Studies also focused its attention on the promotion of virtual mobilities, for example through COIL courses. As part of these activities, the FSS, in cooperation with the FEdu MU and the University of Sussex, prepared and organised a course on the Politics of Memory. In addition to the existing lifelong learning course (Preparing Humans, Science and Society for Year 2060: Foundations of Gerontological Literacy) at the Department of Sociology, the preparation of two new LL courses under the National Recovery Plan started in 2022. There was no change in the admissions procedure in 2022, compared to the previous period. The faculty focused on strengthening collaboration with secondary schools in both the online and offline space. Ambassadors from among the students presented their studies at FSS at their former secondary schools; the faculty newly organized the Í. A. Bláha Conference as well as other events. For a personal experience with the university environment, the FSS also organized Winter Schools (e.g. the Winter School of Social Anthropology, the Winter School of Sociology, and the Winter School of International Relations), the First Steps with FSS event, and the Open Day, and secondary school students could also visit the TV studio and the Radio R studio. In the area of science and research, 262 papers were published at the Faculty of Social Studies in 2022,74% of which were published in the WoS or Scopus databases. Of all the WoS publications, 67% were published in Qi or Q2.12% of the WoS publications were published in DECi. The year 2022 was significant for the faculty with regard to its great success in the GACR grant competition. The grant was awarded to 11 applications from the FSS MU and one partner project. In November 2022, the Czech Science Foundation announced that the project Robots, Computing the Human, and Autism / Cultural Imaginations of Autism Diagnosis and Emotion AI of Mgr. Eva Slesingerová, Ph.D., from the FSS MU had won the EXPRO grant. Other significant projects include the Decision making of aspiring (re) migrants to and within the EU: the case of labour market-leading migrations from Asia and the Advancing Research and Training on Ageing, Place and Home. A major milestone also was the launch of the National Institute for Socioeconomic Impact of Disease and Systemic Risk Research (SYRl). The creation of the Doctoral Studies: Handbook for Supervisors and Students, defining the faculty standard of cooperation between supervisors and doctoral students, is also significant. The employees of the Faculty of Social Studies received a number of awards. Ivo Čermák received the Karel Engliš Honorary Medal for Merit in Social and Economic Sciences and Pavel Pospěch was awarded the Czech Sociological Association Award and the E. E. Kisch Award for non-fiction. Monika Brusenbauch Meislová became a visiting professor at Aston University in Birmingham. FSS experts also participated in a number of projects in cooperation with the public sphere, for example, in the preparation of the new Security Strategy of the Czech Republic and the monitoring of the social entrepreneurship sector for the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. Almost immediately after the outbreak of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Faculty of Social Studies got involved in assistance not only in material terms, but also focused on the admission of large numbers of Ukrainian students and the employment of academics from Ukraine. The subsequent energy crisis and rising energy prices only confirmed the already established faculty trend towards sustainability, because, for example, the reduction of the FSS building heating temperature took place even before the crisis broke out. The faculty also fulfilled its social role through a series of four public expert debates focusing on the broader discussion of the impact of the Russian aggression in Ukraine. All debates were well received and were streamed on the faculty's YouTube channel. 80 THE FACULTY OF SOCIAL STUDIES CO - ORGAN I ZES \/ A C L A \/ HAVEL EUROPEAN DIALOGUES The Scala University Cinema hosted Václav Havel European Dialogues on The truth of politics and the politics of truth. The discussion was organised by Václav Havel Library in cooperation with the Faculty of Social Studies of MU Václav Havel European Dialogues is an international project that aims to initiate and stimulate a discussion about issues determining the direction of contemporary Europe while referring to the European spiritual legacy of Václav Havel. The participants of the Brno Dialogues were welcomed to Scala by the Dean of the Faculty of Social Studies, Stanislav Balík. Michael Zantovský, Director of Václav Havel Library, gave the opening remarks. The guests of the debate, British writer and academic Peter Pomeranzev and Marek Orko Vácha, an expert in medical and environmental ethics, discussed the topic of truth and ethical rules in various fields. Photo: Michael Zantovský, director of the Václav Havel Library MU Faculties and University Institutes in 2022 Faculty of Sports Studies 2,324 applications submitted 1,593 students in total 127 students from Slovakia 26 students from abroad (outside Slovakia) 329 graduates 109 employees (FTE) international research projects Teaching activities returned to normal at the Faculty of Sports Studies after years of the coronavirus pandemic. Some components of online and hybrid forms of teaching were successfully implemented into the existing forms of education. In collaboration with foreign universities, a new Blended Intensive Program was implemented, in which nine FSpS students completed a mixed mobility. The lifelong learning courses for students, lay and professional public were expanded in 2022 with new courses, e-courses and seminars (e.g. the Taping Course, the Running Course: Focus on Technique and Performance, the Basic Self-defence for Women, the Yoga and the Limits of Our Body e-course, and a webinar on sports nutrition in rhythmic gymnastics). In the outpatient clinics of sports medicine and in the outpatient clinic of physical therapy, as in previous years, experts attended to athletes from the leading Brno sports clubs (Zbrojovka Brno, Kometa Brno) and performed medical examinations for other professional athletes and the sporting public. In total, more than 1,500 examinations were performed at these units. In 2022, the Faculty of Sports Studies implemented several research projects. The most important of these included the Comprehensive optimization of the service of members of the 601st Special Forces Group of the Czech Armed Forces - a project funded by the Ministry of Defence. Other implemented projects included a GACR project - Stress resilience and coping with physical and verbal attack, and an AZV project - The impact of controlled physical activity on imbalance of the autonomic nervous system, immune system and reduced cardiorespiratory fitness in cancer patients after adjuvant chemotherapy. The staff of the Incubator of Kinanthropology Research have been very progressively engaged in mentoring and tutoring activities across departments. The number of articles published in Qi or Q2 in the WoS database increased again, which is progress as well. In science and research, a major event was the internal evaluation of science, research and doctoral studies, which was carried out by an international evaluation panel. Its outcomes led to a proposal for implementation of a set of systemic and organisational measures, including a significant reduction of departments to three. It was also recommended that a small number of research topics be defined and led by research leaders with a long-term interest in the given subject-matter. In doctoral studies, the admissions procedure was modified to improve the quality of the studies and the number of admitted students was reduced from 15 to 10. Emphasis was placed on their motivation for going into research. In 2022, the faculty continued the project preparation work for the completion of the teaching infrastructure (anew seminar room) and sports infrastructure (the MUNI sports ground in the UCB), and the implementation of the reconstruction of the existing sports infrastructure (Veslařská sports grounds). As regards financial results, the faculty managed to generate a profit. This was also due to the growing complementary activities of the laboratories, the Lifelong Learning Centre (LLC) and the return to the possibility of long-term leases of sports infrastructure. In the first half of 2022, preparations were under way to celebrate 20 years since the founding of the Faculty of Sports Studies. These culminated on 18 June with a programme for the staff, the students and the general public. In the area of socially charitable projects, a new collaboration was established with the Kolofun association, resulting in the organization of an event for disabled cyclists. In December, the Christmas charity café event took place, where FSpS employees and students supported the Liga vozíčkářů (Wheelchair League) with the collected amount. The ONKOFIT project was prepared by the Department of Health Promotion in collaboration with the MMCI. Traditionally, the faculty staff and students were involved in the EMIL OPEN 2022 event. The faculty also enjoyed the awards it received, in particular the Croatian National Science Award in social studies, awarded by the Croatian Parliament to Dr.Sc. Mario Kasovič, Ph.D., who works at the Faculty of Sports Studies at Masaryk University and the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Zagreb. 82 THE FACULTY OF SPORTS STUDIES CELEBRATES 20 YEARS SINCE ITS FOUNDATION The Faculty of Sports Studies of Masaryk University commemorated the 20th anniversary of its foundation. Established in 2002 as the youngest faculty of the university, it continues the tradition of sports and physical education in Brno. The faculty focuses on studying sports in a broad context and sharing knowledge with both students and the public. The highlight of the 20th anniversary celebrations was the OPEN SPORT FESTIVAL, a festival of sports and science in sport. Visitors had the opportunity to try out various physical activities, such as self-defence, Pilates, or dance, attending free examinations at faculty laboratories and outpatient clinics. Lectures on teaching physical education took place for graduates. Renowned athletes and experts accompanied the festivities throughout the day. Photo: Dean Jan Cacek (third from left) with athletes (from left) O. Moravec,]. Procházka and T. Hron MU Faculties and University Institutes in 2022 Central European Institute of Technology 398 total staff (FTE) 72 employees from abroad (outside Slovakia) 31 international research projects 263 scientific publications The Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC) has been contributing significantly for li years now to high quality results in basic research in the Czech Republic and competing well in comparison with international centres. CEITEC Masaryk University (MU) is the biggest partner of the CEITEC consortium and also the flagship of Masaryk University. The success of the institute in 2022 is the collective work of a total of 403 employees from 31 countries of the world. In 2022, a total of 261 researchers and 212 doctoral students worked on 174 research projects and contributed significantly to a higher quality of human life and health. The biggest event of the year was undoubtedly the scientific evaluation by the ISAB. As the evaluators stated, most of the research groups at CEITEC MU can boast excellent quality. According to the evaluators, CEITEC MU has developed into one of the most important research centres in Europe. In 2022, CEITEC MU researchers published over 300 articles in prestigious peer-reviewed scientific journals, of which more than half were in journals in the top 25% of the best professional periodicals in the world. The excellent facilities of the shared labs were used by 720 researchers from 22 countries. A team led by molecular biologist Dalibor Blažek discovered a new mechanism regulating RNA splicing, the discovery of which was published in NATURE, one of the world's most prestigious scientific journals. The results of this research open up new avenues in RNA splicing and gene expression research. Splicing modulation through CDK11 inhibition may also lead to future therapeutic applications. Plant biologists Albert Cairo, Karel Říha and their colleagues discovered a previously unknown mechanism responsible for reprogramming gene expression during cell differentiation. In August, the results of this research were published in one of the world's leading scientific journals - Science. Structural biologist Richard Stefl and his colleagues have revealed the unique mechanism of action of the mammalian enzyme Dicer. Dicer is an enzyme whose ability to process RNA is essential for the regulation of gene activities in cells. The research team described how Dicer could be reactivated to serve as an antiviral enzyme. This discovery was published in the prestigious scientific journal Molecular Cell. Geneticist and molecular haematologist Šárka Pospíšilová has been elected a member of the prestigious European Molecular Biology Association (EMBO). Collectively, the EMBO members influence the direction of life sciences in Europe and beyond and promote excellence within this essential scientific discipline. Structural biologist Gabriel Demo was awarded the prestigious NEURON Prize for promising scientists for his research in transcription and translation communication. His main research interests are bacterial infections, translation control and ribonucleic acid biology. CEITEC PhD School graduate Dominik Hřebík received the Minister of Education, Youth and Sports Award for outstanding students and graduates and their spectacular achievements in 2022. Molecular haematologist Marek Mráz received an honourable mention from the Minister of Health for medical research and development. Pavel Plevka, an internationally recognized expert in structural biology and virology, received the South Moravian Region Award for his contribution to science. In 2022, he made a significant contribution to the establishment of the National Institute of Virology and Bacteriology. Václav Šeda received the Purkyně Foundation Award for best publication. In the award-winning publication, which appeared in Blood, the most prestigious haematology peer-reviewed journal, he described a fundamental finding on the biology of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), the most common leukaemia in adults. 84 NEW PLANT MECHANISM DISCOVERED BY RESEARCHERS AT CEITEC MU CEITEC researchers have discovered a new plant mechanism responsible for reprogramming gene expression during cell differentiation. This discovery could open new possibilities for developing crops better adapted to changes in environmental conditions. With regard to the climate crisis, this discovery is particularly significant because plants are sensitive to environmental changes and their reproduction may be impaired. The project was mainly funded from a MEYS grant and lasted for more than eight years. The entire research was carried out by a team led by Karel Říha. The results were published in the Science journal, one of the world's leading scientific journals. Photo: Albert Cairo (from left), and Karel Řůia, cellular biologists at CEITEC MU MU Faculties and University Institutes in 2022 Institute of Computer Science 151 total staff (FTE) 198,194 cyber-attacks averted 12 international research projects 37 scientific publications The Institute of Computer Science ensures central care for MU's IT infrastructure, services and cyber security. The combination of professional care with application-oriented research is perceived as a prerequisite for the existence and growth of the necessary professional background, which is further supported by the implementation of the HR Award action plan. The university's security in cyberspace is ensured by the internationally certified CSIRT-MU team. In cooperation with the CTU, it coordinates the targeted development of cybersecurity expertise and practical protective steps at universities in the Czech Republic within the support of the NRP, and it also coordinated a related joint CRP project. The CSIRT-MU is heavily involved in international and national research collaboration, is the coordinator of the leading-edge OP RDE project CyberCrime Centre of Excellence, the investigator of several H2020 projects, and has been awarded new projects by the TACR and the MI in 2022, including projects which it coordinates. Collaboration with national security forces, participation in preliminary consultations on the introduction of the NIS2 standard into Czech law and extensive training and educational activities in the field of cybersecurity are also very important. The CERIT-SC centre, one of the three components of the large research infrastructure e-INFRA CZ and part of the research infrastructure ELIXIR CZ, is also developed within the ICS. Cooperation in the application of IT infrastructure and its tools with other research infrastructures, in particular RECETOX, EIRENE, BBMRI-CZ and CzechGlobe, is also significant; in 2022, a project with an analogous focus, coordinated by the ICS in collaboration with the Police of the Czech Republic, was approved. The development of cutting-edge IT infrastructure is further supported by participation in a number of international H2020 projects and, more recently, in the context of the Digital Europe programme, where a four-year Genomic Digital Infrastructure project was launched at the end of 2022, in which MU is the only partner involved for the Czech Republic (in cooperation with CEITEC and ICS). Intensive work was also carried out in the area of support for Open Science (OS) activities and the implementation of EOSC in the Czech Republic. The MU Open Science Strategy for 2022-2028, developed in the previous year, was adopted by the university management and extensive support for research teams in the preparation of data management plans, required for the submission of cutting-edge research projects, was initiated. At the national level, the coordination of EOSC CZ working groups continued together with the preparation of the establishment of the EOSC CZ Secretariat from January 2023. In cooperation with the CESNET association, the institute started the preparation of the National Repository Platform project, which should be funded from the dedicated call of the OP JAC announced at the beginning of 2023. In 2022, the ICS also started to establish itself more strongly in the field of artificial intelligence research. In the course of the year, the ICS was awarded the BioMedAI Twinning project as a coordinator, the aim of which is to build a cutting-edge workplace at MU in the field of artificial intelligence for processing visual medical data with a specific focus on reproducibility and verifiability of results as a critical condition for the use of these methods in diagnostics. The collaborating institutions are the Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, the Medical University of Graz and the Technical University of Berlin. During the year, the competitive dialogue within the selection procedure for the generational renewal of the university economic and personnel system continued. Negotiations focused on the discussion of commercial, licensing, and financial terms and at the end of the year this phase was concluded with a decision on the selection of the contractors who will be invited to submit their formal bids in 2023. The university's monitoring centre was reinforced and re-equipped, and the digitisation of agendas within the INET system and extensive support of the Microsoft 365 environment and tools continued, as did the development of MU's own infrastructure. With the end of the second, non-renewable term of office of the current director, Luděk Matýska, a selection procedure was organized, from which the new ICS director, Jan Mysliveček, emerged (as of 1 January 2023). 86 RESEARCHER PUBLISHES DATA MODEL FOR RELIABLE DOCUMENTATION OF EXPERIMENTS IN SCIENTIFIC DATA Researcher Rudolf Wittner from the Institute of Computer Science MU published an article concerning provenance information in the prestigious scientific journal Scientific Data. The publication focuses on automated generation of reliable and trustworthy documentation of experiments in life sciences. He built a data model for documenting experiments that would enable the creation of distributed provenance for relevant processes and related objects and subsequently enable integration from various heterogeneous sources. The model allows for the search of the created provenance using a unified algorithm and also takes into account the cases when provenance parts do not exist. The model is independent of domain and technology and can be used in various areas, including processing biological material or training artificial intelligence models. Photo: Rudolf Wittner, researcher at the Cyhersecurity and Data Management Division, ICS MU MU Organizational Structure Masaryk University MU Rector's Office RMU Žerotínovo nám. 617/9, 60177 Brno, Česká republika, www.muni.cz Žerotínovo nám. 617/9, 60177 Brno Faculties Faculty Faculty Faculty of Law FLaw of Medicine FMed of Science FSci Veveří 158/70, 61180 Brno Kamenice 753/5, 625 00 Brno Kotlářská 267/2, 61137 Brno Faculty Faculty Faculty of Arts FA of Education FEdu of Pharmacy FPharm Arna Nováka 1/1, 602 00 Brno Poříčí 623/7, 603 00 Brno Palackého třída 1946/1, 612 00 Brno Faculty of Economics Faculty Faculty and Administration FEA of Informatics Fl of Social Studies FSS Lipová 507/413, 602 00 Brno Botanická 554/68a, 602 00 Brno Joštova 218/10, 602 00 Brno Faculty of Sports Studies FSpS Kamenice 753/5, 625 00 Brno 88 University Institutes Institute of Computer Science ICS Šumavská 416/15, 602 00 Brno Central European Institute of Technology CEITEC Kamenice 753/5, 625 00 Brno University Facilities Masaryk University Archives Language Centre LC Žerotínovo nám. 449/3, 602 00 Brno Komenského nám. 220/2, 662 43 Brno Centre for International Cooperation CIC Komenského nám. 220/2, 662 43 Brno Support Centre for Students with Special Needs (Teiresiás) Komenského nám. 220/2, 662 43 Brno Technology Transfer Office Mendel TTO Museum Komenského nám. 220/2, 662 43 Brno Mendlovo náměstí 907/ia, 603 00 Brno University Centre Masaryk University Press Telč UCT Career Centre CC (Munipress) Náměstí Zachariase z Hradce 2, Komenského nám. 220/2, 662 43 Brno Rybkova 987/19, 602 00 Brno 588 56 Telč Management of the Competence University Campus Accommodation and Development Centre CERPEK at Bohunice MUCB Catering Services ACS Komenského nám. 220/2, 662 43 Brno Kamenice 753/5, 625 00 Brno Vinařská 472/5^ 603 00 Brno 89 List of Abbreviations University ACS Accommodation and Catering Services IEB Internal Evaluation Board AIP Association of Industrial Partners INET Enterprise resource planning system CCAE MU Centre for Culture, Art and Events IRDE Internal Research and Doctoral CEITEC Central European Institute of Technology Studies Evaluation CERPEK Competence Development Centre ISMU Masaryk University Information System CIC Centre for International Cooperation LC Language Centre CSIRT-MU Computer Security Incident Response Team LL Lifelong learning ECR Ethics Committee for Research LPT Learning potential test EDUC European Digital UniverCity MASH MUNI Award in Science and Humanities (consortium of universities) MU Masaryk University FA Faculty of Arts MUSP Masaryk University Strategic Plan FEA Faculty of Economics and Administration MUCB Management of the University FEdu Faculty of Education Campus at Bohunice FI Faculty of Informatics P-P00L Undergraduate programme for FLaw Faculty of Law motivated medical students FMed Faculty of Medicine RECETOX Research Centre for Toxic Compounds FPharm Faculty of Pharmacy in the Environment FSci Faculty of Science RMU Masaryk University's Rector's Office FSpS Faculty of Sports Studies SCSSN Support Centre for Students with FSS Faculty of Social Studies Special Needs (Teiresias) GAMU Grant Agency of Masaryk University SIMU FMed Simulation Centre GEP Gender Equality Plan SMSP Strategic Management Support Programme HR4MU Human resources development and SUPO System of Payment of Claims international research orientation at MU TopSeC Top Students Centre HR4MUII Development of human resources and other TTO Technology Transfer Office strategic areas for research support at MU U3V University of the Third Age ICRC International Clinical Research Centre UCB University Campus at Bohunice ICS Institute of Computer Science UCT University Centre Tele 90 Other APC Article Processing Charge LCDRO AZV Czech Health Research Council BIM Building information modelling LRI BMS Building management system MENDELU BUT Brno University of Technology MEYS CAFM Computer-aided facility management CAS Czech Academy of Sciences MEYS CDP CESNET Czech Education and Scientific NETwork CNB Czech National Bank COIL Collaborative Online International Learning MH CR Czech Republic MI CU Charles University MMCI CzechELib National Centre for Electronic MoLSA Information Resources MSCA DORA Declaration on Research Assessment NCE DWH Data warehouse OP EIC EAIE European Association for International Education OP JAC EC European Commission OP RDE EDUC European Digital UniverCity elDAS Regulation of the European Parliament and OS of the Council on electronic identification OTM-R and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market PPS EMBO European Molecular Biology Organization PUO EOSC European Open Science Cloud QS ERC European Research Council R&D ESFRI European Strategic Forum for RCC Research Infrastructure REF EU European Union SDGs EUI European University Association SEP EULETA European Legal English Teachers' Association SMR FIDIC International Federation of SPA Consulting Engineers SR FNUSA St. Anne's University Hospital in Brno SS GACR Czech Science Foundation SYRI H2020 EU Research and Innovation Framework Programme HE HORIZON EUROPE TACR CHES Centre for Higher Education Studies TB IATEFL International Association of Teachers THE of English as a Foreign Language UN ICT / IT Information and communication UNILEAD technologies / information technologies USA ISAB International Scientific Advisory Board WoS Long-term conceptual development of a research organisation Large research infrastructures Mendel University in Brno Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic Centralized Development Programmes of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions National Comparative Exams Operational Programme Enterprise and Innovations for Competitiveness Operational Programme Jan Amos Comenius Operational Programme Research, Development and Education Open Science Open, Transparent and Merit-based Recruitment Photovoltaic power station Palacký University Olomouc QS World University Rankings Research and Development Regional Chamber of Commerce Research Excellence Framework Sustainable Development Goals Strategy Evaluation Protocol for research South Moravian Region Students' Professional Activities Slovak Republic Secondary school National Institute for Research on Socioeconomic Impacts of Diseases and Systemic Risks Technology Agency of the Czech Republic Terabyte Times Higher Education United Nations University leaders in SDGs United States of America Web of Science 91 Annual Activity Report Masaryk University 2022 Published by Masaryk University, Žerotínovo nám. 617/9, 60177 Brno Editor: Šárka Řehořová, Strategy Office, MU Rector's Office Content and editorial collaboration: Petra Čačková, Jitka Hyršovská Translation: Lenka Bělková and František Rulík Proofreading: Ailsa Randall Production: Pavla Hudcová, Communication and External Relations Office, MU Rector's Office Edition series design: Milan Katovský, Kateřina Katovská Graphic design and DTP: Milan Katovský, Pavel Kotrla Photo authors: Helena Brunnerová, Barbora Fukárková, Tomáš Hájek, Martin Indruch, David Konečný, Vít Kovalčík, Aleš Ležatka, Radek Miča, Martin Pavlík, Jan Prokopius, Tomáš Skoda and archives of the MU units ist electronic edition, 2023 © Masaryk University, 2023 © Masaryk University, 2023