MASARYK UNIVERSITY MASARYK UNIVERSITY Annual Activity Report 2018 Contents Foreword 5 Masaryk University's Mission, Values and Vision 7 1 Degree Programme Diversification and Accessibility 9-15 1.1 Admission to the Bachelor's and Master's Degree Programmes 1.2 Academic Counselling 1. 3 Activities for Applicants and Collaboration with Schools 1. 4 Bachelor's and Master's Programmes 1.5 Lifelong Learning 2 Quality in Education 17-23 2.1 Internal Quality Assurance and Assessment System 2.2 Institutional Accreditation 2. 3 Surveys and Feedback 2.4 Support for Talented Students 2.5 Making Instruction Attractive Through New Technology and Teaching Methods 3 Internationalization in Education 25-31 3.1 Foreign Language Teaching 3.2 Foreign Language Instruction and Other Language Centre Activities 3. 3 The Implementation of Foreign Language Degree Programmes 3. 4 Summer Schools with Foreign Student Participation 3.5 Foreign Collaboration and Mobility Programmes 4 Individualized Doctoral Programmes 33-37 5 Research Excellence and Relevance 39-43 6 Research Efficiency and a Stimulating Research Environment 45-49 4 .1 University-Wide Activities for Doctoral Students and Supervisors 4 .2 Support Activities for Doctoral Candidates Implemented by Faculties 4 . 3 Awards for Talented Doctoral Candidates and Doctoral Degree Programme Graduates 5.1 Masaryk University's Scientific Performance 5.2 International Research Support 5. 3 Knowledge Transfer and Utilization of Research Results 6.1 University-Wide Support Services for Creative Work 6.2 Support for Qualification Growth and Academics' Performance 7 Organizational Culture Based on Shared Values 51-57 7.1 Inspirational University Environment 7.2 University Associations and Student and Staff Activities 7. 3 Internal Communication 7. 4 Visual Identity 7.5 Career Counselling 7.6 Services Provided to Persons with Special Needs 7.7 Ethics and Equal Opportunities 8 Inspiration and Social Responsibility 59-65 8.1 Key Projects Implemented in Response to Societal Challenges 8.2 Masaryk University in the Media 8. 3 Cultural Role 8. 4 Alumni Relations Development 8.5 Mendel Museum 8.6 Munipress (Masaryk University Press) 8.7 Library Services 9 Personnel Management and Employee Development 67-71 9.1 Internal Personnel Management Regulations 9.2 Qualitative Growth and Employee Evaluation 9. 3 Open Personnel Policy and Related Services 9. 4 Employee Training and Benefits 10 Infrastructure and Institutional Management 73-81 10.1 Support for Project Preparation and Implementation 10.2 University Infrastructure and Facilities 10.3 Accommodation Infrastructure and Catering Services 10.4 Building Management and Operation Efficiency 10.5 Financial Balance Sheet for 2018 10.6 University Budgeting 10.7 Internal Control System 10.8 Masaryk University Archives 10.9 Providing Information 1 1 Information Systems and IT Support 83-87 11.1 Development of Information Infrastructure and Information Systems 11.2 Masaryk University Information System 1 2 MU Faculties and University Institutes 89-111 12.1 Faculty of Law 12.2 Faculty of Medicine 12.3 Faculty of Science 12.4 Faculty of Arts 12.5 Faculty of Education 12.6 Faculty of Economics and Administration 12.7 Faculty of Informatics 12.8 Faculty of Social Studies 12.9 Faculty of Sports Studies 12.10 Central European Institute of Technology 12.11 Institute of Computer Science MU Organizational Structure List of Abbreviations 112-113 114-115 Foreword The institutional history of universities generally moves at an uneven pace. The period of major changes, initiated by the revision of the Higher Education Act in 2017 with changes in internal legislation in the area of studies and quality management, continued in 2018 by introducing a new study offer to university life. Obtaining institutional accreditation brought a significant increase in the university's autonomy in the area of implementing study programmes, and the new university body with final responsibility for quality - the Board of Internal Evaluation of MU - could fully demonstrate its role. I am convinced that it is performing well above expectations. Compared to the former national accreditation commission, the Board is more demanding, but its decision-making is based on fair and confidential knowledge of the matter under consideration. Fears that intra-university solidarity could influence the judgement of Board members proved to be unfounded. On the contrary, personal interest in the quality of the university as a whole leads to diligence in approving new and transformed study programmes. The new design of the studies will be tested for the first time by students in the 2019/2020 academic year. A controlled decline in the number of university students continued in 2018, albeit at a more moderate pace than in the past, while simultaneously improving the basic indicator of study quality reflected by international rankings - the number of students per teacher. Compared to 44,000 students in 2011, the number dropped to less than 32,000; the number of students per teacher declined from 28 to 19. At the same time, the proportion of students coming from abroad is increasing, even if we exclude students from Slovakia, the numbers of which have been growing only slightly. The number of students per teacher and the degree of internationalisation of the student population are, in international comparisons, basic indicators of the quality of education, which means that the current development will, although with some delay caused by the ranking methodology, certainly be reflected in the future position of our university in global competition. The conditions for doctoral studies improved significantly in 2018. In the context of a nationwide debate, the university increased its scholarships for internal doctoral students beyond the amount subsidised by the state, and the scholarship has reached a minimum of 12,000 crowns. However, the actual amount of scholarships provided to doctoral students is significantly higher at our university's faculties. Another positive signal of the university's increasing competitiveness is the fact that a growing proportion of our scientific production is being published in the most prestigious magazines and the proportion of publications created in cooperation with international colleagues is also on the rise. Repeated success in obtaining prestigious, particularly ERC, grants illustrates that the university is on the path to international excellence. 2018 was also a successful year for the university in the area of investment development. We managed to complete the long-term reconstruction of the MU Faculty of Arts, and after several years of funding shortfall from European funds, another project to complete the university campus was launched, namely the Simulation Center of the Faculty of Medicine, which will represent a majestic entry into the entire complex in the future. In the year of the centenary of the establishment of the Czechoslovak Republic, the university was engaged in intense preparation for its own centenary, which it celebrates in 2019, reviewing its scientific and educational development and much more. The change in its visual style, the preparation of scientific and popularising publications related to the foundation of the university and devising the varied programme of the celebrations filled the past year in the area of external relations. I would like to extend my thanks to our employees and students for all these achievements. I wish the university all the best in the year which marks its centenary. Mikuláš Bek Rector 5 ASARYK UNIVERSITY ' S M I SS I 0 IS TO CREATE KNOWLEDGE , TH THE OUALITY 0 FOSTERING CUL THE COMMUNITY STEMS FROM TH FOUNDING IfALU D DISSEMINATE ENHANCING LIFE AND RAL GROWTH IN [THIS MISSION UNIVERSITY'S Masaryk University's Mission, Values and Vision Our 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: — Freedom, respected and defended as the governing principle of the inner workings of the university in terms of the academic freedom of teaching and research, freedoms such as a students' right to design their own curricula, freedom as the principle of institutional autonomy exercised by the university towards the state, and - last but not least - freedom as a social imperative. — Respect for rules ensuring equal opportunities and transparency regarding the functioning of the institution, as manifested e.g. by internal administrative and economic settings, study-related regulations and the war on plagiarism. — Responsibility, comprising of the university's public role, as exemplified by its function with respect to the creation of public opinion and active participation in public debate as well as its significance as a mediator of knowledge and technology transfer, and public service provider, and its position as a university which welcomes both disadvantaged students and members of various minorities. In terms of an inwardly-oriented approach, individual responsibility for the choice and structuring of one's own curriculum forms the basis for the functioning of an open and autonomous study environment. Our Vision In 2020, Masaryk University will be: — a university with a better position among world universities, measured using quality and performance indicators in world university rankings, — a respected research university boasting of internationally renowned research teams, clearly defined research priorities and interdisciplinary topics, — a university offering a valuable higher education based on a stable and universal foundation comprised of both social and natural sciences, — a university whose comprehensive offer of education reflects technological developments and changes, a university which is thus perceived as a leader in Czech higher education, — a university which functions as a role model in both national and international contexts with respect to facilitating access to educational opportunities for all applicants exhibiting the required learning potential regardless of disabilities and social or other impairments, — an employer providing all employees with a motivating work environment which inherently stimulates a responsible, efficient, creative and ethical approach, — a strategic partner for representatives of institutions at all levels of the educational system, research institutions, commercial and public subjects and medical and special-interest organizations, as well as an active participant in the development of cultural, artistic and sports activities in the region, — an inspiring community with a strong voice in the development of national policies and strategies as well as society-wide and regional issues, — a strong and open-minded academic community with a comprehensive common internal culture based on clearly defined values and a consensual approach. 7 STRATEGIC PRIORITY 1 Degree Programme Diversification and Accessibility Admission to the Bachelor's and Master's Degree Programmes 1 . 1 Academic Counselling 1 . 2 Activities for Applicants and Collaboration with Schools 1 . 3 Bachelor's and Master's Programmes 1 . 4 Lifelong Learning 1 . 5 1 1.1 Admission to the Bachelor's and Master's Degree Programmes In 2018, the university continued to implement a new concept for the admissions procedure which underwent a major change in 2017. In a number of cities in the Czech and Slovak Republics, the Learning Potential Test (LPT) for admission to bachelor's and master's degree programmes was held on 21 and 22 April 2018. The test was administered in 257 different sittings for a total of 13,546 applicants for study at Masaryk University (out of 16,986 invited). The number of candidates invited to the LPT was comparable to that of the previous year. In addition to Brno, applicants had the opportunity to take the test in Prague, Ostrava, České Budějovice, Jihlava, Zlín, Hradec Králové and, for the first time, in Olomouc. The test was also held in Bratislava, Žilina, Banská Bystrica and Košice. The greatest interest was in taking the LPT in Prague, Ostrava and Olomouc. In almost all cities it was possible to accommodate the applicants' first preferences, with the exception of those who were also taking a departmental test in Brno along with the LPT. The 2018 LPT consisted of six subtests: Verbal Reasoning, Analytical Reasoning, Spatial Imagination, Critical Reasoning, Cultural Awareness and Numerical Reasoning. All the subtests included 50 items in Czech and 10 items in English. The individual parts of the LPT focus on specific abilities, which are to varying degrees applied in the study of each field of higher education. An e-learning preparation course for the LPT, online test practice and public versions of all previous entrance examinations are available free of charge on the university website, providing all applicants with the option of high-quality preparation for the entrance examinations, regardless of their financial status or their place of residence. Individual faculties have made minor changes in the admissions procedure, all of which should lead to the unification and transparency of the conditions and comfort of the applicants. The structure of the individual parts of the entrance examinations is very diverse. Six out of nine faculties (with the exception of FLaw, FEA and Fl) also hold their departmental tests in addition to the LPT, while two faculties (FMed and FSpS) administer their own entrance examinations. The FSS offers applicants a choice of entrance examinations organized by Scio or the LPT and various combinations of these, while at FSpS applicants typically take practical physical exams, as well as at the PE, where talent exams are also included in the admissions procedure. The largest variety in the structure of entrance examinations is at the FA, where candidates may take an oral exam or have to present themselves with a cover letter and submit a reading list in addition to taking the LPT and the departmental test. At the FSci and the FSS, the administration of the LPT was combined with the administration of the departmental tests and the applicants were thus able to complete all parts of the entrance examination or a significant portion in a single sitting. During 2018, analysis of the conditions of the current admissions procedure and evaluation of its results was also carried out. The analysis generated recommendations for increasing the psychometric quality of departmental tests and for the procedures for publishing information on the entrance examinations for applicants. Since the autumn of 2018, that is for the 2019/2020 academic year, applicants have submitted a single application per degree programme (the number of applications for MU, however, remains unlimited), which allows them to choose up to three study plans and prioritise them. As part of the so-called joint degree, applicants could select courses from the main and secondary plans, which are offered either in recommended combinations, where timetable compatibility is guaranteed, or in open combinations, where certain plans can be combined arbitrarily across the university. A study offer has been created for teacher education programmes, reflecting their specificities in terms of symmetrical study. The electronic application, available since autumn 2018, has also undergone a significant change in 2018. The major innovation is the new design of the application form, which enhances the simplicity, clarity and usability of the application on mobile devices, in line with the current trend of user friendliness. 10 1 . 2 Academic Counselling Activities for Applicants and Collaboration with Schools 1 In 2018, the MUNI Counselling Centre implemented a number of activities which gradually lead to the completion of a comprehensive university-wide counselling system. A network of faculty sponsors of academic success - people who monitor the state and causes of academic failure at the relevant faculty and cooperate in the implementation of protective measures - was created. At the faculty level, counselling for students and applicants was strengthened by faculty counsellors. As representatives of the MUNI Students' Advisory Services, the counsellors either provide guidance or direct applicants to the right place within the university (or outside of it) to resolve their issue as quickly as possible. Consultancy at the level of individual study programmes is provided by a network of programme consultants. Consultants are available to both students and applicants throughout the admissions procedure and they are an essential part of the effort to assist applicants in choosing their study programme. In the course of 2018, the web page of the MUNI Students' Advisory Services at www.muni.cz/studenti was also launched, serving as a well-organized information source and a starting point for available forms of counselling both within and outside Masaryk University. Furthermore, a communication campaign was launched in order to help educate students and applicants about the key topics, as well as to popularise counselling. In addition to the MUNI Counselling Centre, peer mentoring is in place at the Faculty of Medicine, whereby senior students give advice to younger colleagues on how to manage their studies and the demands placed on them. At the Faculty of Science, the counselling provided by the Office of Studies is complemented by representatives of the directors of individual institutes for pedagogical matters, who are available to students at departmental level. Students of all universities in Brno also have access to the MathsandStats Support Centre located at the Faculty of Economics and Administration. Trained tutors, both students and teachers, offer consultations on the mathematical or statistical evaluation of data for diploma theses and other forms of assistance in studying mathematics and statistics to those who are interested. The services of the centre are free for all students. The MUNI Counselling Centre also offers psychological counselling, and in 2018, 281 students used its services, with 680 psychological consultations provided in total. 2018 was a great challenge for Masaryk University and its communication with applicants. The entire range of degree programmes underwent fundamental changes and therefore had to be presented to applicants in a comprehensible way. The first half of the year was devoted to the strategy of communicating the new range of study programmes, the production of printed materials for applicants and their redesign with respect to the new unified visual style of the university. The magazine Studuj naMUNI (Study atMUNl), faculty brochures and additional promotional materials for applicants have all been given a new look. In the enrolment period, applicants received special motivational newsletters in faculty variants, which informed them about the events at their prospective faculty. They could also find regular news on the Studuj na MUNI Faceb00k page or in university newsletters. In the new academic year 2018/2019, f°r the first time the university was opened to candidates on the university-wide Open Day MUNI 2018 on Friday, September 14, where visitors could explore up to three faculties or a selection of off-faculty workplaces in one day. The event was preceded by a meeting of secondary school head-teachers, which took place at the University Cinema Scala and was devoted in particular to the introduction of the new study range and discussion on the topic of academic failure. Secondary school students had the opportunity to acquaint themselves with the university through a series of traditional secondary school presentations. In addition to that, the Science Slam MUNI Tour, introduced various science fields to secondary school students in a popular form. The individual faculties also have various programmes for applicants and secondary school students. The Faculty of Science, which has organized many competitions and workshops for secondary school students over a long time, has an especially broad offer. The Bioskop Science Education Centre for elementary and secondary school students has gained considerable popularity and celebrated its fifth birthday in 2018. In 2018, the Science Academy, a similar interest programme for secondary school students, was held for the first time. The FSci and FI are collaborating on running the InterLoS and InterSoB competitions; the multi-disciplinary contest Wealth of the Earth focusing on mineral extraction was announced again in co-operation with the FEA. Thanks to the aid provided by the South Moravian Centre for International Mobility, the T-Excursion, a set of workshops offering the opportunity to experience university studies in science, was organized. Events aimed at secondary school teachers fall into a separate category, which includes the Genetics and Molecular Biology Courses, night-time bat watching excursions and other educational courses. The general public can benefit from the popular Botanical Excursions. The Faculty of Economics and Administration targets motivated applicants through a correspondence 11 1 1 . 4 Bachelor's and Master's Degree Programmes competition for secondary school students entitled Seminar of Economic Brains. The fifth year of the competition was announced in the autumn. The three best problem solvers will be given an additional special reward by the faculty: exemption from the entrance examinations. Another project, Touch Econ, aims to introduce secondary school students to university lessons and duties. Within the programme they can choose from eight to ten courses in each semester and attend lectures and seminars like regular FEA students. The faculty is co-organizer of Prezentidda, a competition in presentation skills for secondary school students and older primary school pupils. For 20 weeks in 2018, the second Foundation Course was held at the Faculty of Medicine. The aim was to prepare international applicants to General Medicine and Dentistry for the entrance examinations through intensive chemistry, biology, physics and Czech language classes. The Open Faculty Project continued at the Faculty of Arts in 2018 and applicants could once again try a test version of the LPT or become more familiar with the academic environment during the Humanities Week. The Faculty of Informatics has been developing its Ambassador Programme for secondary schools and many other seminars and workshops such as the Computer Science Correspondence Seminar or the Python Programming Course intended specifically for secondary school students. The 10th Multimedia Day took place at the Faculty of Social Studies; part of the programme focused on primary and secondary school pupils. Participants were able to try out what it is like to work in a real newspaper or form teams and play the FakeScape escape game. The School Press Club workshop was prepared for school magazine writers. In addition, the results of the competition for the best school magazine were announced, with a record number of 400 schools competing for the title. The end of the year brought the co-organizing of the national student competition pIsQworky (TicTacToe), the grand finale of which was held in the FSS atrium. Furthermore, the MiniErasmus pilot project was launched in 2018, providing secondary school students with the opportunity to experience university studies first hand. The MUNI faculties participating in the project were: FSS, FA, FSci and FEA. The year 2018 was a turning point for Masaryk University, as it was the year of institutional accreditation and a significant revision of the educational offer. The aim was to make the range of study offered more transparent for new applicants, to improve accessibility, to reduce academic failure, to reflect the current progress in scientific knowledge in the educational activities and to respond to wider social and economic trends. The bachelor's degree programmes and, to some extent, the master's degree programmes in which the university has exploited the space created by the amendment of the Higher Education Act, were most affected by the changes. In 2018, doctoral study programmes began to undergo a gradual change as well, but their systematic revision will not take place until 2019. The most prominent external manifestation of the study offer revision is the integration of newly-approved bachelor's and master's degree programmes, with a target of the number dropping by approximately a third compared to the original range of degree programmes. The final form of the study offer is the result of approximately one year of intensive preparatory activities, involving dozens of degree programme guarantors and their teams, external evaluators, representatives of faculty and university bodies, as well as non-academic staff. The university has already started offering new degree programmes in the admissions procedure for the 2019/2020 academic year, which began in November 2018. In the future, the new study offer will enable students to differentiate their educational paths to a greater extent within one programme with the aim of providing alternative study pathways. As a result, students are offered the opportunity to complete a single-subject degree programme, a single-subject degree programme with a selected specialization, or to choose a combination of a major and a minor field of study within a joint degree programme. In the admissions procedure initiated in 2018, i.e. for the academic year 2019/2020, applicants could only submit one application for a particular degree programme (although any number of applications could be submitted for MU); within this study programme, they could choose up to three different study plans. This radical innovation was accompanied by marketing support in the form of instructional videos and a new university website that explained the changes to the applicants. In addition to the faculty departments and counsellors within the MUNI Counselling Centre network, an important element in the communication of the new degree programme offer and admissions procedure was the team managing the e-mail address prihlaska@muni.cz, which answered about 8,000 questions from applicants. 12 1 . 5 Lifelong Learning As part of the transformation of the degree programme offer, changes had to be made in the process of recognition of international higher education and qualifications. The change in the study offer brought about an expansion of the portfolio of degree programmes for obtaining a certificate of recognition. Masaryk University is a sought-after institution in this respect; it examines and legally handles 800 applications annually. In addition to the aforementioned restructuring, new degree programmes were created at individual faculties. At the Faculty of Arts, it was the new bachelor's degree programme Vietnamese Studies. Not only will its graduates gain a specialization in Vietnamese and other geographically close languages, they will also acquire a knowledge of East and Southeast Asia, and a broader overview of Asian economics, culture and traditions. Students will verify and extend their knowledge during a semester-long internship abroad and a work experience placement of 250 hours. A new follow-up master's programme, Finance and Law, was made available at the Faculty of Economics and Administration. It is an interfaculty degree programme taught in cooperation with the FE, and it ties in with the bachelor's degree programme of the same name. The degree programme aims to further deepen the students' knowledge of the fields of finance and law, with a focus on the effective management of financial and other institutions. At the same faculty, the previously taught follow-up master's degree programme Regional Development and Administration was significantly modified and became the Regional Development degree programme with specializations in Project Management and Tourism. In 2018, the bachelor's degree programme Personal and Fitness Trainer was created at the Faculty of Sports Studies and was financially supported by the OP RDE MUNI 4.0 project. The degree programme focuses on the training of professionals in planning, organization, management, implementation and counselling for both professional and recreational athletes as well as the general population. The study plans are set to allow graduates to continue in both the follow-up master's degree programme Fitness Training and Applied Kinesiology and the follow-up master's degree programme Teaching Physical Education for Primary and Secondary Schools, which leads to the regulated profession of teacher at second degree primary and secondary schools. Masaryk University places great emphasis on supporting and developing lifelong learning for all professional and age groups. In 2018, 840 lifelong learning programmes were implemented across the university, attended by 18,895 students throughout the year. The most significant developments in educational activities in 2018 were in the fields of social, natural and health sciences. The offer consisted of accredited degree programmes and professionally-oriented supplementary, specialized and retraining courses for a broad range of professions. The most typical groups of participants included teachers, doctors, social workers, public and civil servants, as well as sports coaches or seniors at the University of the Third Age (U3A). However, it is not just a matter of extending the education of people of different professional backgrounds. Lifelong learning programmes also aim to popularise science in a fun and practical way. Masaryk University strives to stimulate interest in science among children and young people through these activities, to create lifelong learning competences and to promote intergenerational learning. Examples of good practice, therefore, rightly include the MjUNI Children's University or the Bioskop Science Education Centre, where several thousand primary and secondary school pupils, as well as their parents and grandparents, were educated last year. When it comes to organizing courses targeting specific audiences, methods allowing the general public access from virtually anywhere in the world are becoming increasingly important. Masaryk University uses the most up-to-date information and communication technologies for effective electronic support for education. Currently, the Elportal of the MUNI Information System provides support for this type of education. Since 1990, U3A has also been an integral part of lifelong learning at Masaryk University. It cooperates with various organizations such as Brno City Hall, the National Heritage Institute, the Moravian Library and the Moravian Museum on the implementation of educational activities. U3 A strives to support the interest of seniors in further education, to develop physical and mental activities, and to cultivate and enrich their lives. For those who cannot attend courses for health reasons, educational activities are organized in retirement homes in cooperation with the South Moravian Regional Authority. In 2018,17 training courses of this kind were organized, with a total of 285 participants. Number of students at MUNI cvi in o co co i- co oo to co co co co co O T- co co in of CO in oo co of co co in cm co 00 co cn oo co oo o 00 o co co co co 00 co cn co 00 00 in co cn o cn cm co co cm co co co cn i» co o in r- cm co co o co o co * T- o o co co Number of studies at MUNI as of 31 October Number of students (headcount) at MUNI as of 31 December 200S 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 201S 6% Doctoral degree programme - full-time 6% Follow-up master's degree programme - combined 18% Follow-up master's degree programme - full-time 0.5% Master's degree programme - combined 18% Master's degree programme - full-time 2.5% Doctoral degree programme - combined Students at MUNI according to study type and form in 2018 41% Bachelor's degree programme - full-time 8% Bachelor's degree programme - combined Proportion of students from other universities in follow-up Master's programmes at MUNI 30% students from other universities MUNI study offer in 2018 139 Bachelor's fields of study Master's fields of study Total number of degree programes, event, fields of study at MUNI, which take place in various forms, languages and field combinations. 169 129 Follow-up master's fields of study Doctoral fields of study 443 Total number of fields of study Admissions procedure for the Bachelor's and long-cycle Master's degree programmes for the 2018/2019 academic year 1 22,997 Number of applicants for study 65% Czech applicants from outside the South Moravian Region 39,684 15,079 7,969 Number of applications submitted Number of admissions Number of enrollments 1,317 Faculty of Sport Studies 3,093 Faculty of Social Studies 1,996 Faculty of Informatics 2,603 Faculty of Economics and Administration 4,877 Faculty of Education 3,118 Faculty of Law 31,707 Number of students at MUNI faculties in 2018 4,458 Faculty of Medicine 3,564 Faculty of Science 6,681 Faculty of Arts Number of students with disabilities and learning difficulties in co CO 00 to o CM in CO r» CO in CO in CO r» in i— o r» cvi CVI CM CM CM CM CM cm CM i— 1— i— I- 00 CO O * * 00 00 o in 0) in 00 r» in 0) 0) CM i— 1— CM CO CM CM CO CO Students with limited mobility and hearing and visual impairments Students with learning disabilities, mental disorders, etc. 200S 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 201S 15 STRATEGIC PRIORITY 2 Quality in Education Internal Quality Assurance and Assessment System Institutional Accreditation Surveys and Feedback Support for Talented Students Making Instruction Attractive Through New 2 . 1 2 . 2 2 . 3 2 . 4 Technology and Teaching Methods 2 . 5 2 2 . 1 Internal Quality Assurance and Assessment System In 2017, Masaryk University undertook a thorough evaluation of its internal quality assurance and assessment system and, based on the results of its own analysis declared that the existing evaluation mechanisms provide sufficient guarantees for taking on a larger proportion of social responsibility in the form of institutional accreditation. The evaluators of the National Accreditation Office for Higher Education reached the same conclusion in 2018, stating that the institutional environment of Masaryk University has been sustainable for an extended period of time, relies on properly drafted internal regulations and other documents of a strategic and balance-related nature, and that the whole quality assurance system of educational, creative and other related activities is fully operational. Care for the quality of educational, creative and related activities at Masaryk University is based on the cooperation of various bodies of the university and its faculties, headed by the 15-member Board of Internal Evaluation of MU (BIE MU) and the highest quality assessment institute . In order to strengthen independence and ensure that it is sufficient critical, the BIE MU is made up in a manner that significantly reduces potential conflicts of interest, among others through the involvement of external members who - like the student representatives - have the same rights and obligations as internal members. In 2018, the BIE MU met in 14 regular sessions, approving 349 proposals for new degree programmes and also discussed four methodological documents specifying certain procedures for ensuring the quality of university activities. In addition, individual BIE MU members attended 216 evaluation meetings dedicated to the preparation of specific study programmes. In line with the new institutional accreditation, Masaryk University's main focus on quality in 2018 was the evaluation and self-approval of study programmes, which is part of a systematic comprehensive revision of the study offer. In practice, this has thoroughly tested the majority of the new mechanisms of the internal quality assurance system in place, ensuring the quality of degree programmes: self-assessment of the degree programme (self-assessment report), peer-review degree programme evaluation (external evaluators assessment), an evaluation meeting with external evaluator and faculty management, and evaluation by BIE MU focused especially on the fulfilment of quality standards of degree programmes. As part of its decision-making activities, the BIE MU has continuously interpreted, refined and supplemented the general quality standards of MUNI degree programmes. These decisions will subsequently be summarised in a separate document and will serve as a methodological tool for the preparation of new degree programmes or further changes to the existing ones. The BIE MU was also continuously collecting suggestions for modifying the quality assurance mechanisms of degree programmes, with the premise of a more fundamental revision of the internal regulation Degree Programme Quality Approval, Management and Evaluation in 2019. In connection to approving degree programmes on the basis of new standards, Masaryk University adopted a degree programme guarantor in 2018, which was also adequately reflected in the amendment of the internal wage regulation. Simultaneously, preparations of methodological documents for the activity of degree programme councils, which will be operational as of 2019, serving as advisory bodies of individual guarantors and significantly expanding the scope for active involvement of students in the evaluation process, were set into motion. The support instruments created and developed in the IS MU environment also played an important role in approving degree programmes. Above others, the network of quality coordinators at individual faculties, which provides an administrative and technical background to the newly introduced internal evaluation procedures, needs to be mentioned. In addition to evaluating and approving study programmes, in 2018 the university also began preparation for an exceptional inspection of final theses submitted for defence over the past two decades, the main objective of which is to evaluate the functioning of existing plagiarism prevention mechanisms. As per tradition, Masaryk University, in cooperation with other partner institutions, organized a conference on Quality Assessment in Higher Education, which took place on 10-11 May 2018 in Tele. Thematically, the conference focused on the first experiences of Czech universities with institutional accreditation as well as on the mechanisms of internal evaluation and approval of degree programmes. 18 2 . 2 Institutional Accreditation 2 . 3 Surveys and Feedback 2 In 2018 Masaryk University received institutional accreditation for all 23 areas of education, as requested at the National Accreditation Office for Higher Education, which cover the vast majority of the university's courses. It thus significantly strengthened its responsibility for ensuring the quality of its activities, manifesting itself in particular in the authorization to approve study programmes within the above-mentioned areas of education. The application for institutional accreditation of MUNI was filed in December 2017 and subsequently underwent a thorough assessment by the National Accreditation Authority (NAA) in the first months of 2018. During 24 on-site visits, the individual evaluation committees paid close attention to examining the university's overall institutional environment and, in particular, the internal quality assurance mechanisms and the state and prospects for further development of each individual field of education. At its meeting on 24May 2018, the NAA Council decided to grant Masaryk University institutional accreditation for 10 years for the following fields of education, in most cases for bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes: Security courses (for bachelor's degree programmes), Biology, Ecology and the Environment, Economics, Philology, Philosophy, Religion and Theology, Physics, Historical Sciences, Chemistry, Informatics, Mathematics, Media and Communication Studies (for bachelor's and master's degree programmes), Non-academic Pedagogy, Political Sciences, Law, Psychology, Social Work, Sociology, Physical Education and Sport; Kinanthropology, Teaching, Arts and Culture Sciences, Earth Sciences, General Medicine and Dentistry (for master's and doctoral programmes), and Medical Disciplines The NAA also granted Masaryk University the right to independently create and implement doctoral-type degree programmes in the aforementioned fields of education, in cooperation with the following institutes of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic with the status of public research institutions: Astronomical Institute AS CR, Institute of Biophysics AS CR, Institute of Botany AS CR, Geological Institute AS CR, Institute of Mathematics AS CR, Institute of Psychology AS CR, Institute of Analytical Chemistry AS CR, Institute of Vertebrate Biology AS CR, Institute of Materials Physics AS CR, Institute of Plasma Physics AS CR, Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry AS CR, Institute of Czech Literature AS CR, Institute of Scientific Instruments AS CR, Institute of Global Change Research AS CR and Academy of Sciences AS CR. Institutional surveys provide long-term support for Masaryk University in terms of strategic planning and quality assurance. In 2018,10 university-wide surveys were conducted. The 2018 series of surveys began with the MUNI Reader Survey, which aimed to obtain answers to questions regarding the reader's perception of the content, scope and thematic coverage of MU's news channels. The results of the survey formed the basis for the planned redesign of the university magazine and its online version. Not just one but two graduate surveys were conducted in 2018. Early in the year, university graduates from the 2015 and 2016 were approached via email and by post and invited to take part in the 11th Employ ability of MUNI Graduates survey. In the course of the year, the new graduates of master's degree programmes completed the 22nd Completion of Studies at MUNI - Looking Back and to theFuture survey. The second year of the MUNI Applicants survey was launched in the spring; all those who submitted an e-appli-cation to study at MU, i.e. nearly 23,000 people, received an invitation to participate in the survey. Students who came to Masaryk University for a follow-up programme with a degree obtained from elsewhere, were targeted by the Motivation and Expectations of Incoming Master's Students from Other Universities survey, which has already been conducted five times. Another survey that has a specific place in the system of institutional surveys was the Study Roadmap, conducted in two waves. The target group of the two subsequent questionnaires was made up of those students who started their studies at MUNI in 2017 and were engaged in the first wave of interviewing. Typically, they reflected on their time at university during the second and third semesters of their studies, evaluating the difficulty of their studies and their educational background. The all-year-round Premature Termination of Studies at MUNI survey was conducted for the sixth time. A quarter of the respondents terminating their studies at MUNI before graduation shared their reasons for this. An important novelty of 2018 was the survey Satisfaction of Foreign Academics and Researchers with MU Services, aiming to obtain feedback from academic staff coming from outside the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The main themes of the survey were respondents' reasons for working at Masaryk University, feedback on the services offered and awareness of international employees. At the end of the year, the Motivation andExpectations of MUNI First-year Students survey was launched; half of the first-year bachelor's and master's degree students at MUNI participated. 19 2 2 . 4 Support for Talented Students The individual faculties of the university seek to provide talented students with various forms of support, from scholarship programmes through to awards and special educational activities. An important component of education as well as professional training at the Faculty of Law is the Independent Student Scientific and Academic Activity (SVOC in Czech), which strengthens the ability of students to present the results of their work and to undertake their public defence. The faculty also awards annually the IUS etSOCIETAS Award for essays containing the most interesting suggestions, views and questions related to the role of law and justice in society. In addition to the FLaw, the FS S and the Jan Hus Educational Foundation are among the presenters of the award. The Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court, the Supreme Administrative Court, the Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office and the Public Defender of Rights are involved as partners of the competition. The Faculty of Law also supports its students through participating in moot courts, which offer a unique opportunity to test their argumentation skills, acquired knowledge and teamwork in a prestigious environment. The Faculty of Medicine has a unique programme for talented students in the Czech Republic, the P-PooL (undergraduate programme for motivated medical students), which was created following the example of international universities. In addition to general medicine studies, participants in the programme also take theoretical and practical research courses. At the end of 2018, the first graduates were about to complete the programme. The Faculty of Science traditionally organizes correspondence seminars for talented high school students, in which it also involves current students of the faculty. At the same time, the faculty (co-) organized the national rounds of high school Olympics (e.g. biological, chemical and geological). The faculty offers extensive scholarship support to talented students, either in the form of scholarships or as the Dean's award or the Director's award. At the Faculty of Education, students have the opportunity to obtain academic scholarships, creative scholarships and scholarships for representing the faculty and the university. Active students of the FE can also benefit from scholarships for teaching and humanitarian activities, intended for those who have significantly contributed to helping children, young people and adults with social disadvantages, disabilities or illnesses through their activities beyond their studies. The Faculty of Economics and Administration rewards the best students with an academic scholarship, and also offers scholarships to support the final thesis project and for representing the faculty. A novelty is a scholarship supporting the acquisition of a second university degree from abroad. The best students and excellent bachelor's and master's theses receive the Dean's Award. The faculty also organizes the TopSeC or Top Students Centre, which offers students from all over MUNI a unique opportunity to meet experts from their respective fields, try out trial admission procedures, work on their soft skills and gain interesting knowledge from practice. The Faculty of Informatics provides excellent students with a scholarship according to their exam results. Newly-admitted students with the best marks in mathematics or who participated in the Maths Olympics receive a motivational scholarship of CZK 7,000. Talented students have been also supported by a scholarship programme to reward long-term excellence in academic achievements and outstanding theses. Students of the Faculty of Social Studies are eligible for the Masaryk Scholarship for Gifted Political Scientists as well as a programme to support internships. Lastly, the Innocent Arnošt Bláha Scholarship rewards the best bachelor's thesis of students of all departments at the faculty. On the occasion of Multimedia Day, the Department of Media Studies and Journalism awarded the Arnošt Heinrich Award. Part of this prize for the best and most creative bachelor's thesis is a financial reward from the South Moravian Journalists Syndicate. In addition to creative and academic scholarships, students of the Faculty of Sports Studies can also apply for a sports scholarship. Those students who represent the Czech Republic in any sport at an international level may also apply for an extension to the exam period. Students of the Faculty of Arts are eligible for a diverse range of scholarships to support their studies and related activities: academic scholarships, special scholarships, a programme to support publication activities, support for federal, cultural and artistic activities, the stimulation of international mobility and more. During Humanities Week, the Deans Award, together with a financial reward, is presented to authors of the final theses which are recognised as the best and most beneficial in the relevant field. 20 Making Instruction Attractive Through New Technology and Teaching Methods 2 Electronic teaching support is integrated into the Masaryk University Information System (IS MU). It provides tools and online learning environments to teachers, students and the public. In 2018, there was a significant increase in applications. A number of novelties and innovations have been introduced: for example, in the Interactive Curriculum, which enables the students to create a schedule of their activities in the course they are studying, in the Homework Vaults, in the field of assessment (Notepads and Peer Assessment of Students), in discussion forums and in computer-based testing. Innovative applications also changed their design to benefit mobile displays. The new responsive design of File Manager for handling files and documents positively influenced user friendliness and convenience in displaying study materials and other documents on tablets and smartphones. In 2018, a brand new Peer Assessment app was developed and tested. It automates the teacher's teaching plan, enabling students to evaluate each other's tasks. Furthermore, the algorithm for distributing submitted theses to the evaluators was implemented and pilot deployment took place in several courses. To simplify access to e-courses for the public, enrolment options for e-courses via Facebook and Google have been added. If the user is logged in to Facebook or Google they do not have to fill in the registration form in IS MU and the information is automatically taken from these systems for registration purposes. The MU Catalogue of Technologies in Learning was created, providing an overview of e-learning tools used in teaching at MU. Thanks to the cooperation of teachers and IS MU operators, e-learning was further extended and a number of multimedia and interactive teaching aids, e-courses and e-publications were created. Many of them have been published on Elportal. The 8th Open Space Conference on e-learning IS MU washeldatthe Faculty of Informatics MU. The programme offered experience with the inclusion of Skype calls in the classroom, as well as inspiration on how to use video examples with teacher's commentary, examples of modern teaching texts in the form of a virtual textbook of human skeletal morphology, and promoted a discussion on data-driven education. The university's efforts to modernize and make education more attractive are reflected in the internal grant scheme of the Masaryk University Development Fund (MUDF). Some of the thematic areas supported in this competition are strengthening the practical aspects of education through courses taught directly by expert practitioners, or strengthening project-oriented teaching. Examples of such projects are listed below. The project Expansion in the Use of Multimedia Applications for Educational Purposes (FMed) focused on expanding multimedia applications in teaching neurosurgery. Fourteen videos dedicated to the main sub-specializations of this field were made. The Interactive Map of the Geographical Localisation of Folk Customs in the CzechRepublic (FA) has the benefit of providing a high degree of illustration in the study of the issue due to the possibility of visual comparison and study of linked thematic audiovisual materials. Two electronic textbooks were created as part of the Multimedia Electronic Study Material for Specialization II - Swimming (FSpS) project. Each contains 30 minutes of video footage, theory and description of aids, methods and principles of their inclusion in swimming training. Two new courses in English - Fundamentals of Human Anatomy and Physiology for Humanists (FEdu) - help explain the spatial and topographical context within the human body through the use of modern devices and technologies for virtual reality. Verbatim Theatre for Lawyers (FLaw) is a kind of documentary theatre staging real legal trials. Among others, the production Milada was staged as part of the project, incorporating screenings created from documentary footage of Milada Horáková's trial. Thanks to the project Introduction of New Forms of Teaching in the Form of Economic Experiments in the Fundamentals of Game Theory course (FEA), students are involved in an experiment and confronted with an artificially created decision-making problem, where the interactionbetween the participants takes place via a computer interface. Within the project Expanding the Offer of Statistical Courses in Doctoral Degree Programmes at the Department of Psychology (FSS), a course was created with the aim of familiarising doctoral students with modern approaches to statistical modelling in the social sciences, which will enable them to improve their scientific work. The Innovation of the Teaching Lab Course (Fl) project focused on increasing the pedagogical competences of Master's and doctoral programme students. As a result, methodological data as well as a unique pedagogical collection of activities for teaching informatics were created. With the support of the New Experiments for Teaching andPopularisingPhysics (FSci) project, new aids and instruments were acquired that allow the realisation of a range of experiments in the areas of acoustics and optics. 21 Number of MUNI students per member of academic or specialist staff Number of studies per academic as of 31 October Number of students per academic, R&D, or specialist staff member as of 31 October CO 1— CO r» i- CO 10 m CO 0 CM r« 00 cd r« r« 10 CO CM 1- 0 0) CM CM CM CM CM CM CM CM CM CM r- CO CO CM CM 1— CO CM *f *f CO 0) r« cd cd id CM CM CM CM CM 1- 1— i- 1— 1— 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 1% Doctoral degree programme - full-time 9% Follow-up master's degree programme - combined 30% Follow-up master's degree programme - full-time 1% Master's degree programme - combined 12% Master's degree programme - full-time 3% Doctoral degree programme - combined MUNI graduates in 2018 according to type and form of study 36% Bachelor's degree programme - full-time 8% Bachelor's degree programme - combined University-wide student surveys implemented at MUNI in 2018 MUNI Applicants Return rate: 20%, 4,373 respondents Motivation and Expectations of First-year Students at MUNI Return rate: 54%, 4,032 respondents Study Roadmap -2nd wave Return rate: 51%, 1,113 respondents Study Roadmap -3rd wave Return rate: 40%, 766 respondents Motivation and Expectations of Incoming Master's Students from Other Universities Return rate: 40%, 396 respondents Premature Termination of Studies at MUNI Return rate: 24%, 1,526 respondents Completion of Studies at MUNI - Looking Back and to the Future Return rate: 42%, 1,090 respondents Employability of MUNI Graduates Return rate: 30%, 1,983 respondents University-wide Course Opinion Poll -spring term 2018 Return rate: 30%, 7,608 respondents University-wide Course Opinion Poll -autumn term 2018 Return rate: 38%, 11,261 respondents Association with MUNI from the perspective of its applicants 2 good Brno campus education Masaryk What do you think of first when you hear "Masaryk University"? prestige future - tradition possibilities quality ■»* MUNI's greatest strengths from the perspective of first year students options - Information system friendly atmosphere - professional teachers method and quality of teaching study content approach of teachers 1 "What do you like about Masaryk University?" pleasant environment libraries collective extensive offer of courses time flexibility buildings and equipment Studies at MUNI from the perspective of the Master's degree programme graduates useful - great - stressful challenging — theoretical- not practical enough "Studying at Masaryk University was..." beneficial entertaining interesting long enriChinQ inspirational 23 STRATEGIC PRIORITY 3 Internationalization in Education Foreign Language Teaching 3 . 1 Foreign Language Instruction and Other Language Centre Activities 3 . 2 The Implementation of Foreign Language Degree Programmes 3 . 3 Summer Schools with Foreign Student Participation 3 . 4 Foreign Collaboration and Mobility Programmes 3 . 5 3 . 1 Foreign Language Teaching Sixty-four courses in foreign languages were prepared or upgraded at MUNI in 2018 as part of the internal project Support oflnternationalisation of Masaryk University. Selected examples of courses listed below present subjects that were newly announced in the spring or autumn semesters of 2018 and were accessible even to students outside their main field of study. The diverse range of English-taught courses at the FSS was expanded by a plethora of new courses in 2018, such as The Schengen Roadmap: adapting the EU'sjustice and home affairs to new challenges, Social Work Institutionalisation and Organization and courses offering contemporary popular topics such as the Sociology of Nationalism, Political Corruption or Religion and Identity in the Contemporary World. In connection with the preparation of a bachelor's degree programme in English, more English-taught courses at bachelor's degree level were opened at the FEA, thanks to which the range of courses for exchange students during their semester-long stays was also broadened. New courses include: Business Economics, Financial Mathematics and Optimisation Methods. At the FA, teaching in foreign languages outside the university-wide programme was financially supported in 2018 through the faculty programme Support of Internationali-sation Activities at the FAMU. Some of the newly introduced courses were: Modern Czech Theatre and Culture, Shakespeare andthe Nature of Love, Japanese Media Culture or the seminar Russian Classical Literature in a World Context. In 2018, the FSci offered a new course entitled Environment and Society and the course Copernicus - EuropeanEarth Observation, which aims to introduce students to the European space programme Copernicus. New subjects in English were also taught at the FEdu such as Special Education in International Perspectives and Fundamentals of Human Anatomy and Physiology for Humanists. In addition to the English-taught subjects, the FMed initiated support for international students through the courses Basics of Medical Terminology and Medical Czech for Advanced Students. The Masaryk University Development Fund's internal grant competition (MUDF) also aims to support activities focused on strengthening instruction in foreign languages and developing the language skills of academic staff. The projects focus primarily on the preparation of study materials or the hosting of international experts directly in the classroom. A number of projects of this nature are being carried out by the Language Centre, which is attempting to forge a connection between MUNI students and students of partner universities. Thanks to Virtual Erasmus in English, future lawyers worked on cases with students from Brussels and, in Negotiations in the Legal Environment, they cooperated with students from Helsinki. Other projects implemented by individual faculties thanks to the support from MUDF are presented below: The French Studies and International Internships (FLaw) project was based on the needs of outgoing students. The course helps them prepare for their stay abroad (e.g. filling in applications, writing a cover letter, written communication, familiarisation with the organization of teaching and accommodation). The new European Societies (FSS) course addresses the need to strengthen the teaching of the comparative quantitative analysis of contemporary societies in English. The course uses an innovative combination of lectures, group work, short videos, text and film analyses, and exercises in Excel. A new Japanese Digital Games course has been created at the FA, introducing students to Japanese digital games and their history, and the Japanese gaming industry. The outcomes of the project also help explore Japanese popular culture in general. Within Multimedia Aids in Teaching Anatomy in English (FMed), two educational films, Heart and Internal cranial base, have been created, with a native English speaker providing the commentary. The films are completed with descriptions in Latin which serve to facilitate students' understanding in seminars and training, and to emphasise important concepts. The Modern Approaches to Teaching European Union andLaw (FEA) project deals with the technical rendering of a web-based textbook that maps and clearly visualises the inner workings of the EU. There is also a version for mobile devices, tablets and e-book readers (ePub format). Within the projectSelected Chapters from GermanSyn-tax (FEdu), teaching and practice materials were created and educational literature was made available. The project's contribution is in the increase in professional linguistic and practical language competences of German students. The Development of Teaching Materials in Czech and English for the Bachelor's Degree Programme Chemistry for the Laboratory Teaching of Physical Chemistry (FSci) project supported the creation of bilingual manuals for practical laboratory tasks in physical chemistry. Two new English-taught courses, Sport Business Intelligence and Digitisation and Social Media in Sport, were offered to students at the FSpS in 2018. In addition, the course Physical Education - Functional and Core Training has been prepared for the 2019 spring term. Foreign Language Instruction and Other Language Centre Activities The Implementation of Foreign Language Degree Programmes The Language Centre (LC), the largest of its kind in the Czech Republic, has long played an important role in the internationalisation and development of language skills of MUNI students and employees. In 2018, it provided education in foreign languages for academic, professional and specific purposes at all faculties to more than 17,000 students. In addition to language courses, university students and employees could also learn academic writing, presentation skills, critical thinking or language skills for employabil-ity. The offer of regular courses for doctoral students was significantly expanded. Language competences have also been developed through e-learning or videoconferencing with experts from around the world. Thirty-two international students have decided to become teaching assistants and have been actively involved as native speakers in teaching English, Russian, French, Spanish, German and Chinese. Students from abroad receive specific support in the form of Czech lessons. A total of 56 students attended the Colourful Czech for Foreigners course, and a total of 1,035 foreigners attended Czech courses at the Faculty of Medicine. The LC also plays a role in the development of MUNI employees. In 2018,167 academics were developing their pedagogical and language skills at the LC in the form of regular classes as well as observations and consultations. Moreover, 77 non-academic employees were also learning English within the HR4MU programme. The LC welcomed five new permanent international lecturers working across MU. Native speakers also provide Chinese, Arabic and Swa-hili courses that are open to the public. The LC continues to be active in international professional organizations (CercleS, IATEFL and EULETA) as well as in the informal Wulkow Group and the Fiesole Group (a group of universities providing linguistic support to excellent post-doctoral researchers). International cooperation was intensified mainly thanks to two events organized by the LC in 2018: the Fiesole Symposium, which focused on the effective use of new technologies in teaching and research, and the IATEFL LASIG conference, which was concerned with autonomous education, which has long been a major interest of the LC. In 2018, the LC presented the results of its activities at conferences (over 30 presentations), in anthologies and in international journals (17 articles). The second edition of the book Academic English was published, and the ultimate achievement was the the publication of Videoconferencing in University Language Education, a result of the cooperation of 18 experts from six countries. Masaryk University offers the possibility to study many degree programmes in English, with some foreign language programmes being offered in collaboration with international universities in the form of joint or double degree programmes. Through promotional activities at educational fairs abroad, MUNI systematically focuses on attracting more international students. Most of the English-taught degree programmes are offered by the FSS, where it is possible to study the bachelor's degree programme International Relations and European Studies and nine follow-up master's degree programmes. Three follow-up master's programmes are offered in cooperation with universities in Europe in the form of joint programmes (European Governance, Cultural Sociology, Europe from a Visegrad Perspective). The faculty also offers seven doctoral programmes in English. The FEA allows applicants to study in five follow-up master's programmes in English: Business Management, Finance, Economics, PublicFinance andEconomics. The FEA also offers five foreign language doctoral degree programmes. The FI offers three follow-up master's degree programmes in English: Computer Systems, Communication and Security, Software Systems and Service Management, and Visual Informatics. The faculty also offers two English doctoral degree programmes. The FMed began to offer two master's degree programmes in English - General Medicine and Dentistry - several years ago, raising great interest every year. Furthermore, the bachelor's degree programme Physiotherapy and 12 doctoral degree programmes in English are also on offer. The FA has introduced two bachelor's degree programmes in English: English Language and Literature and Prehistoric Archaeology of the Near East. In three follow-up master's degree programmes, it is possible to study English Language and Literature, North-American Cultural Studies and Prehistoric Archaeology of Near East at the FA. At doctoral level the faculty offers seven programmes. The FEdu offers the following degree programmes in English: English Language for Education at bachelor's level and Special Education and Lower Secondary School English Language Teacher Training at master's level. It is possible to study five doctoral programmes at the FEdu, of which Didactics of Foreign Language can be studied in German, French or Russian. The FSpS offers the English-taught doctoral degree programme Kinanthropology. The FLaw offers five doctoral degree programmes and the FSci nine doctoral programmes in English. Summer Schools with Foreign Student Participation In 2018 the Centre for International Cooperation (CIC) organized eight summer schools and one winter school for international students from around the world. A total of 143 students came to Brno for the schools organized by the CIC. The International Law and Human Rights Winter School took place from 7 to 28 January and was attended by 27 students from Australia. Summer schools, organized from mid-May to late July, attracted a total of 116 international students. Two of the summer schools were organized by the CIC in collaboration with the University of Toronto - namely the summer school Making and Re-Making Central Europe: Imperial Pasts, Imperial Aspirations, Wars andRevolution for 13 Students and the summer school Business in Europe: Strategy in the European Context for 30 students from Canada, India, China and Pakistan. In cooperation with the University of Hamburg, the CIC also organized the Turkish Academy summer school for 18 students. In 2018, the CIC organized the summer schools Global Perspectives: Media, Communication, Culture (seven participants), World in Transition and Central European Transformation (15 participants) and International Relations and Threats to Global Security (26 participants). These summer schools were attended mainly by students from the USA, Hong Kong, Australia and Vietnam. Seven students arrived for a summer internship at university labs through the Summer Lab Research Internships at MUNI programme. The Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX) organized the 14th Icarus Meeting and Summer School in June. Individual faculties organized a number of summer schools themselves. In 2018, the seventh Energy Security Summer School took place in Tele. The event was organized by the Department of International Relations and European Studies ofFSSMU. The ljth International Interdisciplinary Seminar of the European Graduate School for the Social Sciences took place in Tele in October, with students participating from ELTE University in Budapest, Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Charles University, Comenius University in Bratislava, Masaryk University, University of Rijeka, University of Vienna, University of Zagreb and University of Zadar. Students from all over the world attended the Summer School of Sport and Exercise Sciences at the Faculty of Sports Studies. Students from the Czech Republic, Serbia, USA, New Zealand and China acquired new knowledge from the most interesting fields of sports sciences while having the opportunity to use the faculty's modern facilities, including the laboratories. Later, at the start of August and September, Israeli martial arts experts trained students at the Summer School of Combatives. The Faculty of Arts hosted the 51st Summer School of Slavonic (Czech) Studies and the 3rd Central Europe - A Birthplace of Modernity summer school. The international summer school The Middle Ages in the Mirror of the 20th Century was held in the Hans Belting Library in collaboration with the University of Lausanne and the University of Zagreb. A further two summer schools have built on the activities of archaeologists, the first of them being the Practice of ArchaeologicalExcavation summer school in Pohansko, which was also attended by students from the University of Exeter and the University of Vienna. The Rokštejn Castle Archaeological Summer School then followed. The international summer schoolJaroměř-Josefov 2018: Responsibility andlnteraction inPublicSpace took place in Jaroměř-Josefov, co-organized by the Centre for Per-formativity Research of the Department of Theatre Studies, MU Faculty of Arts, Department of Film and Theatre Studies, Palacký University Olomouc, and the Institute of Polish Culture, University of Warsaw. The Faculty of Education continued its activities in applied behavioural analysis and organized two summer schools onBehaviouralApproachesinEducation, the first of which took place in June, and the second in October. The summer school was led by Amiris Dipuglia, MD, BCBA, an internationally recognised behavioural analyst and public education consultant in Pennsylvania (USA). In October, the 7th Autumn School of Legal Writing and Related Global Legal Skills took place at the Faculty of Law in cooperation with the European Academy of Legal Theory, University of Vienna and The John Marshall Law School. Foreign Collaboration and Mobility Programmes The main part of internationalisation at MUNI is represented by international exchange programmes. In 2018, Masaryk University sent 1,892 students abroad. Most of them left for study or work experience abroad under the European Union's Erasmus+ programme. Some 1,102 students went to study through the European Erasmus and 47 through the World Erasmus + ICM. Thanks to Erasmus+, 213 interns (including 51 graduates) could also go abroad. Students mostly headed for Germany, the UK, Spain, Austria and France. Complementing Erasmus+, the internal university development project Support for MUNI Student International Mobility also supported study abroad, awarding 349 students with scholarships to study abroad. Thanks to this scholarship fund, 109 students attended universities overseas through university-wide partnership agreements or under the ISEP programme. The most frequent destinations included Japan (28), the USA (13), Hong Kong (12), China (11), Mexico (9) and South Korea (8). The scholarship fund supported 185 students leaving under interfaculty agreements and 47 students travelling abroad without being backed by any institutional agreement (so-called freemovers). The university also provided support for 36 students on brief mobility grants covering trips of up to 30 days. Outgoing students could complete linguistic and intercultural training before leaving. In November 2018, the Centre for International Cooperation (CIC) organized the annual event Keep Moving with the aim to inform students about study opportunities and internships abroad. The information campaign on foreign stays was also held as part of the matriculation of first-year students in autumn 2018. The CIC even promoted stays abroad to applicants at the university-wide OpenDay in September. 2018 also happened to be the 20th anniversary of the Erasmus+ programme in the Czech Republic. The three Brno universities MUNI, BUT and Mendel University, celebrated this anniversary at the international Erasmus* B-Day Party on 27 November. More than 600 Czech and international students joined the 20th birthday celebration of Erasmus+. In 2018, Masaryk University welcomed 1,498 international exchange students. Most of them arrived thanks to the Erasmus+ programme (721 students), mainly coming from Spain, France, Portugal, Poland and Germany. 207 students arrived at MUNI as part of the World Erasmus+ ICM programme, with the most frequent points of origin being Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Ukraine and Israel. Under university-wide partnership agreements and the ISEP programme, 140 students came to study at MU, most of them hailing from the USA. 143 students from all over the world took part in the summer schools organized by CIC MUNI. Orientation Week, organized by the CIC in cooperation with the Erasmus Student Network Brno, prior to the beginning of each semester, helps international students with their initial adaptation at MUNI and in Brno. In 2018, over 749 international students attended the two Orientation Weeks. Thanks to support from the internal development project MU Internationalisation Support, 255 international staff came to MUNI. Also in 2018, the CIC organized the so-called MUST Week, a training week for staff hailing from international universities. In 2018, a total of 86 staff members from partner universities (of which 33 were from the EU) participated in the training. They received education in the fields of librar-ianship, international relations and support for students with special needs. In November 2018, lectures were held in English at four MUNI faculties as part of the annual event Partner University Days, this time in cooperation with the University of Regensburg. In December 2018, the CIC organized the Safety & Security for International Offices workshop for employees of faculty foreign departments, CIC and employees of foreign departments from other Czech universities. The workshop, which was attended by 43 people, included practical tips and experiences shared by specialists from the University of Bergen and the Risk Advisory Service in the UK. In the course of the year, Masaryk University entered into cooperation with dozens of universities in Europe and beyond. MUNI concluded 91 new contracts under the Eras-mus+ Europe programme and 21 contracts under the Eras-mus+ ICM programme. In 2018, the university also signed nine new university-wide contracts. Overall, MUNI has signed over 1,700 partnership contracts with universities around the world. Moreover, six strategic partnerships with European universities were closed. The university has been working on the preparation of a project within the European Commission call, entitled European University. The project aims to create, together with five other European universities, a European Digital UniverCity (FEA) consortium of universities, presenting itself as a single university. In 2018, MUNI also co-ordinated two Erasmus+ Capacity Building projects: TACTIC (completion February 2019) and the Sustainable Learner-centred Teaching - advancedRecourse for Georgia and China project (FEdu). 10 most popular countries for study programmes and internships according to outgoing MUNI students Germany United Kingdom Spain Austria France Italy Portugal Poland Slovenia Belgium 10 most common incoming exchange students' countries of origin Spain France Portugal Poland Australia Germany Italy China Ukraine Turkey The international dimension of studying at MUNI 618 T Final thesis in English (in non-philological fields of study) defended in 2018 Joint, double or multiple degree study programmes implemented in collaboration with foreign universities Proportion of accredited degree programmes in foreign languages 30 Number of international students in accredited degree programmes (without the citizens of Slovakia) .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 5s 00 00 O CM 00 00 CO CM r- 1— CM CM CM CM 00 00 Number of enrolled international students Proportion of international students in all enrolled students o ■■in co I. s 200S 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Number of students from Slovakia in accredited degree programmes .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 5s O r- 00 *r CM O *r 0) O r- CM CO CO CO CO CO Number of students from Slovakia Proportion of students from Slovakia in all enrolled students 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Offer of foreign language courses for students of non-philological disciplines English Arabic Spanish Chinese German Swahili French Latin Russian 31 Young researchers from Masaryk University took home as many as six of the 21 awards from competitions organized by the French Embassy in Prague. MUNI doctoral students were successful in five of the six evaluated areas; they even won first prize in three of them. The winners received their awards, among others from three Nobel Prize winners on 20 June, 2018. The award ceremony was chaired by Jean-Marie Lehn, Nobel Prize winner for chemistry in 1987, who had also given his name to one of the awards. All honorees received a financial award and a scholarship for a research stay from the French Embassy. Photo: Zdenek Farka from CEITEC won first prize in the Jean-Marie Lehn Prize for Chemistry. STRATEGIC PRIORITY 4 Individualized Doctoral Programmes University-Wide Activities for Doctoral Students and Supervisors 4 . 1 Support Activities for Doctoral Candidates Implemented by Faculties 4 . 2 Awards for Talented Doctoral Candidates and Doctoral Degree Programme Graduates 4 . 3 4 4 . 1 University-Wide Activities for Doctoral Students and Supervisors Masaryk University tried to further improve conditions for doctoral students in 2018. In the context of the national debate, the university has increased its scholarships for internal doctoral students beyond the amount guaranteed by the state. The minimum amount of the scholarship was thereby increased from 7 to 12 thousand crowns. Moreover, the actual amount of scholarships paid out to doctoral students is significantly higher at individual faculties thanks to specific scholarship programmes. Masaryk University currently offers nearly 130 doctoral study fields, with approximately 2,800 doctoral students enrolled. The university prepares and conducts its doctoral degree programmes in close cooperation with the Czech Academy of Sciences. This led to the signing of three key documents in May and June 2018, namely the Memorandum of Cooperation, Doctoral Degree Programme Collaboration Agreement and the Student Exchange Agreement. Among other things, the university undertook to include the cooperating workplace of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic in its diploma in the case of a jointly-accredited doctoral degree programme. The CEITEC PhD School implemented the international doctoral degree programme Life Sciences with specialization in bio-omics and structural biology, based upon the principles of innovative doctoral programme design. The emphasis is on scientific excellence, attractive institutional facilities, access to state-of-the-art technology infrastructure and a personal approach, as well as the development of soft and transferable skills. Important milestones were achieved for the development of the CEITEC PhD School in 2018. A biomedical doctoral degree programme focusing among others on molecular medicine was accredited at the FMed. The CEITEC PhD Student Committee was established and the so-called Bridge Fund, a fund for promoting interdisciplinarity between doctoral students was founded for the purpose of linking the life sciences with material sciences. The total number of doctoral degree students in 2018 was 289, with individuals from 46 different countries, including the 41 students of the Life Sciences programme. As a follow-up activity, a postdoctoral platform was established in the form of the CEITEC Postdoc Peer Committee to support the postdoctoral community. The aim is to prepare training and development courses and to directly link postdocs to the internal functioning of the organization (e.g. by their participation in selected advisory bodies of management). The university platform provides a variety of tools for supporting the management of doctoral degree programmes and for doctoral students across all fields. In Spring Semester 2018 the PREFECT course took place, providing doctoral students at all MUNI faculties with the essential theoretical foundations and practical skills for project management. The knowledge and skills acquired were subsequently tested using grant applications as examples (Horizon 2020, International Visegrad Fund, etc.). In August 2018, a summer school for doctoral students was held at the University Centre Tele, aimed at developing soft skills, pedagogical skills and academic writing skills. A key activity promoting interdisciplinarity within the university is the year-round MUNI Seminar Series of lectures by international experts, divided into the Life Sciences Seminar Series, Seminar Series in Social Sciences and Humanities and Seminar Series in Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science. In 2018,26 lectures took place. Lectures in the field of Life Sciences enjoyed the greatest popularity, averaging more than 200 listeners per lecture. A specialized extension of the Seminar Series is the Mendel Lectures, featuring Nobel Prize Laureates lecturing at Masaryk University. Seven of these events took place in 2018. The lectures are held at the Refectory of the MU Mendel Museum and are open to doctoral students across all fields, contributing to interaction and interdisciplinary discussion. Doctoral degree students are deliberately involved in research projects and become members of large research teams. The creative potential of all students - particularly doctoral students - has been supported by the Student Project Support Competition since 2010. In 2018, the contest was subsidised in the amount of over CZK 138,308,000, covering particular university research projects and student academic conferences. In the past year, 169 projects were supported by funds earmarked for this competition, including 10 student scientific conferences. Masaryk University recognises the achievements of its doctoral students every year with the Rector's Awards, which are divided into two categories: Best Students in Doctoral Programmes and Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation. In September 2018, a workshop was organized for supervisors of doctoral students in cooperation with the Careers Centre and Ph.D. school of the University of Vienna. The entire workshop was led by the director of the Job Centre of the University of Vienna, Lucas Zinner. The main focus was on the latest trends in leadership of emerging scientists. 34 Support Activities for Doctoral Candidates Implemented by Faculties Awards for Talented Doctoral Candidates and Doctoral Degree Programme Graduates Masaryk University faculties make an effort to motivate and support their doctoral students through support programmes, grants and awards. The FI implemented a new scholarship programme to increase the attractiveness of doctoral studies, raising the amount of regular doctoral scholarships for all first-year doctoral students and those in the upper grades who achieve high-quality publication results. A well-established scholarship programme, where better-paid positions are created for talented doctoral students, has continued successfully. At the FEA, doctoral students were able to attend the Masaryk University Economic Seminars, so- calle d MUES seminars, which represent a platform for the presentation and discussion of economic topics among researchers, students and the public. In May the Faculty also held the international conference Young Economists' Meeting in Brno. Starting in the autumn semester of 2018, an internal-programme conference was organized within the doctoral studies at the FSpS with the aim of presenting the state of preparation and implementation of the dissertation theses. Active participation in the conference is part of the conditions for the successful completion of doctoral studies. The FA introduced a scholarship for excellent doctoral degree students, a one-year special scholarship awarded to the 15 best doctoral students. The faculty also hosts a great number of doctoral conferences organized by the individual fields of study and departments. The FLaw regularly hosts the international COFOLA conference for young scientists and doctoral students. For the purposes of strengthening the methodological basis of doctoral studies, the course Research inlaw andMethods of Scientific Work was introduced. The FMed changed the composition of postgraduate courses and now includes, for instance, field-specific, soft skills and dissertation courses. For successful doctoral graduates the faculty organizes the Junior Researcher competition. In 2018, a total of 24 projects were supported with CZK 8.9 million. Doctoral students at the FEdu could draw on funds from a programme to support talented full-time doctoral students. The purpose of the programme is to create the financial conditions for the full involvement of doctoral students in excellent research tasks. The FSS organizes an annual competition for its EDIS PostdoctoralPublication Grant with the aim of supporting publication activity by young scientists. At the FSci the activities of doctoral students are motivated by scholarships which support their participation in international conferences, internships, etc. Doctoral degree students and graduates receive numerous awards, most often for their scientific work. As part of the programme Brno Ph.D. Talent, 25 doctoral students of Brno universities received support in 2018,18 of which are based at Masaryk University. The award-winning doctoral students are engaged in a wide range of scientific fields including leukaemia research, geology and information browsers, and plant research, representing the FSci, FMed and FI MU. A scholarship from the City of Brno in the amount of CZK 100,000 a year for a period of three years will help them fully pursue their scientific work. Martin Gajarský from CEITEC MU received the MEYS Award for his study of non-canonical secondary DNA structures, which can play an important role, and not only in the regulation of gene expression, and are closely linked to the aging of the organism or cancer. From the competitions organizedby the French Embassy in the Czech Republic, young scientists from Masaryk University brought home 6 of the 21 awards in 2018. MUNI representatives won the main awards in the following competitions: the JosephFourier Award for projects in the field of computer science, the Jean-MariaLehn Award for Chemistry and the Jacques DerridaPrize for Social Sciences and Humanities. The Albert Schweitzer Award in medicine and the Sanofi Award in pharmacy generated further prizes for MUNI representatives. The Werner von Siemens Award (2nd place for best doctoral dissertation) was awarded to Michaela Fojtů from FMed for her research on nanoparticles as a tool for targeted cancer therapy. Their original solution of the significant issue of antibiotic resistance brought Matěj Bezdíček and Dita Říčná from FMed first place, associated with a financial award, in the ist year of the Angelini University Award. Gabriela Pavlasová, Ph.D. student the FMed, received the Discovery Award in 2018 for examining the function of the CD20 molecule, which is found on the surface of leukemic cells. The IUS et SOCIETAS Award for 1st place went to Jan Petrov, a doctoral student of the Constitutional Law and Theory of State programme, for his work Populism and the de-judicialisation of politics. Kristýna Tronečková, a doctoral psychology student at the FA MU, succeeded in the programme the Masaryk Distinguished Chair, which provides support for research internships of Czech academics, scientists and doctoral students at the host institution of the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center in Israel. The winners of the 2018 EDIS publication grant competition, announced by FSS MU, were Jakub Drmola and Karel Svačina. Seminar Series in 2018 Lecturers in Life Sciences Anthony Davis, University of Bristol, UK Erik Sahai, Francis Crick Institute, London, UK Donald Hilvert, ETH Zurich, Switzerland Vincenzo Costanzo, IFOM - Fondazione Istituto FIRC di Oncologia Molecolare, Milan, Italy Cristina Reschke, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Ireland Stephen O'Rahilly, University of Cambridge, UK Andrew deMello, Francis Crick Institute, London, UK Phil Selenko, Leibniz Institute of Molecular Pharmacology, Berlin, Germany Javier Martinez, Max F. Perutz Laboratories, Medical University of Vienna, Austria Konrad Lohse, Institute of Evolutionary Biology, Edinburgh University Oliver Muhlemann, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Switzerland Helmut Grubmiiller, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Germany Tom Sherratt, Department of Biology, University of Carleton, Canada Robert Konrat, Max F. Perutz Laboratories, University of Vienna, Austria Thomas Greb, Department of Developmental Physiology, University of Heidelberg, Germany George A. Calin, The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA Lecturers in Mathematics, Physics & Computer Science Robert Bryant, Duke University, USA Nigel Hitchin, Oxford University, UK Roger Blandford, Stanford University, USA Anuj Dawar, University of Cambridge, UK Ulf Leonhardt, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel Javier Esparza, Technical University of Munich, Germany Lecturers in Social Sciences & Humanities Barbara Stollberg-Rilinger, University of Muenster, Germany Barbara Vinken, University of Munich, Germany Juan-Camilo Cardenas, Universidad de Los Andes, Colombia Jan Royt, Charles University, Czech Republic Number of international students in doctoral programmes i— i— CO o cm co cm cn cn co cm cm in cm Number of doctoral students from Slovakia Number of doctoral students from other foreign countries Proportion of international doctoral students (incl. Slovakia) in all doctoral studies 200S 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 201S Top foreign employers of doctoral studies graduates Harvard University, USA University of Oxford, Great Britain Columbia University, USA University of California - San Diego, USA University of Washington, USA University of Toronto, Canada Karolínska Institutet, Sweden Ghent University, Belgium University of Iowa, USA University of Massachusetts, USA 330 Doctoral studies graduates in 2018 Doctoral study programmes Doctoral study programmes conducted with the Czech Academy of Sciences Number of students in doctoral programmes at MUNI cn co co o 00 10 00 co o co o) cm 10 co cn co 00 co o cm o 00 cm 00 cm io cm 00 10 co 00 co cn co co cn cm 00 00 10 co 00 cn cm cn o co o cm Full-time studies as of 31 October Combined studies as of 31 October 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 37 ^00000000^ Research Excellence and Relevance Masaryk University's Scientific Performance International Research Support Knowledge Transfer and Utilization of Research Results 5 . 1 5 . 2 5 . 3 5 . 1 Masaryk University's Scientific Performance In 2018,1,869 academic papers with affiliation to Masaryk University were published and indexed in the Web of Science (Articles, Proceedings Papers and Reviews). The number of publications is higher than in 2017, which corresponds to the growth in MUNI publishing activity, which is also linked to the increase in the citation rate of authors from Masaryk University. In addition to the publications listed in the Web of Science database, a number of expert monographs and book chapters have been published in both international and domestic publishing houses. Another positive is that the proportion of papers by MUNI authors published in prestigious journals remains high. In 2018,37% of outputs were published in the first quartile (among 25% of the given discipline's top journals). The most prestigious journals in which MUNI authors are published include Nature-affiliated journals, Leukemia, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Angewandte Chemie, etc. Another significant achievement in MUNI scientific performance is the acknowledgement of 16 publications from 2018 as Highly Cited according to WoS. The stratification of publishing results across disciplines, conforms to the trends from previous years. Plant sciences are now ranked second after environmental sciences. Other disciplines with the greatest number of publications include biochemistry, molecular biology, neuroscience, oncology, ecology, astronomy and astrophysics. The number of academic publications co-authored by Masaryk University researchers as part of international collaborative efforts is also increasing. The observed share of publications indexed on the Web of Science in 2017 was 52% and by 2018, this figure had risen to nearly 55%. The greatest number of such publications was created in cooperation with institutions in the USA (14%), Germany (13%), the United Kingdom (11%), France (8%), Italy (8%) and Slovakia (8%). Key foreign institutes that collaborated with MUNI authors included the largest French government research organization, the Centre national de la recherche scientifique, the top university in international rankings, the University of Cambridge, and the leading research institution, the University of London. Within the Czech Republic, MUNI scientists most frequently collaborated with the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (20%), Charles University (11.5%), Palacký University in Olomouc (5%) and BUT (5%). Selected Scientific Discoveries and Achievements CEITEC MU scientists have improved a method for exploring biomolecular structures A new approach to measurement and a computer algorithm created by Thomas Evangelidis and Kostas Tripsianes from the CEITEC Institute of Masaryk University has yielded significant progress and better means of determining the structure of biomolecules such as proteins and nucleic acids. Their publication on a completely new approach to the automated evaluation of the spectra of monitored proteins by means of nuclear magnetic resonance, which brings significant savings in both time and costs, was published by Nature Communications. Geologists have found a fragment of Venus at Tuřany in Brno Experts from the FSci Institute of Geological Sciences explored the location near the Brno-Tuřany district, which used to be inhabited in the early Stone Age. They searched the fields primarily for semi-finished products for the making of stone tools, so that they could examine the raw materials the objects used to be created from. During the mapping, the geologists accidentally discovered part of a female statuette that they originally considered to be a pot handle. The exceptional find is associated with the culture of Moravian painted ceramics, which existed in the area about 6,600 years ago. A CEITEC MU research team has described the function of the key molecule for leukaemia treatment A team of researchers and medical experts led by Mark Mráz have opened up new possibilities for cancer therapy. For 20 years, oncologists have been using antibodies that bind to the surface molecule of cancerous cells, CD20, to treat leukaemias and lymphomas. So far, however, they hadn't discovered its function. It was first described by researchers from CEITEC MU and doctors from the Brno University Hospital under the leadership of Marek Mráz. Their discovery was published by the distinguished scientific journal Leukemia with an impact factor of 10. Researchers from the FSci MU discovered that invasive plants are, on average, taller than native species The functional properties of non-native plants, such as their height or leaf area, affect whether they become invasive or not. The fact emerged from an extensive study by an international scientific team led by experts from the Institute of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, and the Institute of Botany, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. The results of the study, which focused on the territory of the Czech Republic, were published by the world's leading journal Nature Communications and will find a use primarily in nature conservation. 5 . 2 International Research Support 5 . 3 Knowledge Transfer and Utilization of Research Results 5 In 2018, Masaryk University continued its successful involvement in international research support programmes. As in the previous year, MUNI ranked among the most successful Czech institutions in the calls for the Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Framework Programme so far. MUNI was the second most successful institution in terms of both the volume of finance received and the number of successful project proposals. In 2018, 9 new H2020 projects were launched. The total number of approved MUNI projects funded under the EU's framework programmes thus reached 59, with a total budget in excess of CZK 600 million. One of the most outstanding successes of last year was the acquisition of two ERC grants - the biologist Marek Mráz from CEITEC MU succeeded in the Starting category. Next, mathematician and computer scientist Daniel Kráľ transferred the ongoing ERC Consolidator project from the University of Warwick in the UK to FI. Another excellent result was also the progress of scientists IvanFoletti (FA) and Pavel Pleka (CEITEC) into the second round of the ERC Consolidator competition and gaining the highest rating (without financial support). Thanks to their exceptional quality, the projects of both scientists will be funded from national resources. MUNI has long been the most successful beneficiary of grant support in the SoMoPro regional programme, co-funded by EU R&D framework programmes. The programme focuses on supporting scientists of excellence coming to the South Moravian region from abroad. During the nine years of this programme, 50 projects out of 71 were implemented at MUNI. Specifically in 2018, there were 10 projects running. In late 2018, the third meeting of the Masaryk University International Scientific Advisory Board (ISAB MU) was held. The Board consists of Professor Josef Jiŕičný (ETH Zurich), Professor Peter Williamson (University of Cambridge), Professor Thomas A. Henzinger (1ST Austria) and Professor Marie-Janine Calic (LMU). The Chair of the Board is Molecular Biologist Mary O'Connell, who has been with CEITEC MU since 2014 under the ERA Chair programme. Based on the recommendations from the previous year, the key theme of the ISAB MU meeting was the discussion of the doctoral degree programme with a closer focus on the social sciences and humanities. The main recommendation arising from the discussion was to build an overreaching school for doctoral students (Graduate School) to unify the rules for doctoral studies across faculties; further suggestions recommended supervision in the form of specialized commissions and coordination of courses aimed at improving the so-called soft skills across all disciplines. From the perspective of the Technology Transfer Office (TTO), 2018 was very successful. The UK company Artios Pharma Ltd., which has been cooperating with MUNI on the development of new cancer treatments, signed a license agreement with the university for compounds patented by MUNI. The licensing of Hypothesis, software for online psychological diagnosis, was a unique success of the commercialisation of a scientific output in the humanities. The Military Hospital Brno uses the system (free of charge as part of research collaboration) for diagnostic checks on army recruits; in 2018, the Central Military Hospital in Prague also licensed the software for hundreds of thousands of crowns. Cooperation with application partners under the brand name Tested in Antarctica also flourished. Based on consumer tests conducted by scientists at the university's polar station in Antarctica, the first three trademarks for domestic products were awarded in 2018. This collaborative mode of work attracted attention both from the media and relevant companies; at the end of 2018 a new scientific expedition was launched, carrying a further 10 product types to be tested in the coming season. The TTO continued in the further commercialisation of MUNI's intellectual property. As a result, MUNI received CZK 1,896,088 in revenues from licensing and co-ownership contracts; revenues from internships and consultations generated another CZK 526,622. As part of two-week summer internships, 21 trainees from 8 workplaces from various corners of the Czech Republic traded places at the TTO. In accordance with MUNI's Strategic Plan, the CTT worked on setting up cooperation processes with the application sphere in selected social science fields. A pilot study was carried out at the FA and then recommendations for procedures in the case of transfer of knowledge to the application sphere were subsequently formulated. CTT also focused on the ongoing implementation of the TA CR GAMA project, thanks to which we are supporting promising technologies with commercial potential emerging from our university (s 0- calle d Proof of Concept pr oje cts). Three internal calls were made in 2018, with a total of nine projects supported. In addition the CTT continued its PR activities, including the publication of the INTERFACE newsletter, the sixth TT Day and a series of events for application partners, from which promising new collaborations emerged. MUNI technologies were presented to investors at several international conferences. The CTT is an active member of the national platform Transfera.cz. 41 Proportion of 2018 publications in journals according to their impact factor by quartile Publications according to the Web of Science database (articles, reviews and proceedings papers) Note: Data for 2018 are not complete due to Web of Science indexing delay. 9% Uncategorised 9% ESCI 12% Q3 Number of MUNI publications in the Web of Science database o a> r- c\l t- o co co 00 mmoc\icocococo incooc\iT-T-«oin OOCOsTCOOt-^O r-~ t-~ t-~ t-~ t-~ cT cm oj Number of publications (articles, reviews and proceedings papers) issued in the given years Note: Data for 2018 are not presented due to Web of Science indexing delay and the incompleteness of this data. 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Number of MUNI publication citations according to the Web of Science database cm t- 0> 1- «0 t- <\j r-- <\j co CO co co cm co co o m in in co 1- t- cv co o in cv co co co m cm m 1- co r~- o co co co co Number of citations in the given year (published articles, reviews and proceedings papers) * Data for 2018 are not complete due to Web of Science indexing delay. 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018* 42 Top 10 foreign institutions involved in joint publications with MUNI authors in 2007-2018 according to most cited results 5 University of California University of Toronto Harvard University Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique University of Texas System Assistance Publique Hopitaux Paris University of Barcelona Ruprecht Karls University Heidelberg Max Planck Society Helmholtz Association Non-investment revenue from EU framework programmes 05 j— O o m o CO Non-investment revenue from EU framework programmes in thousands CZK o CO cJ 05 00 co cn in oo in cJ III CM CM CO CO CM I 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 201S Prestigious grants awarded to MUNI researchers (investigation launched 2014-2018) 43 Research Efficiency and a Stimulating Research Environment University-Wide Support Services for Creative Work 6 . 1 Support for Qualification Growth and Academics'Performance 6 . 2 6 . 1 University-Wide Support Services for Creative Work Excellence in research is supported by Masaryk University through internal MU Grant Agency (GAMU) projects. In 2018, two calls were announced in category E - Excellent Results. CZK 6,158,638 went to support some 15 applications. A programme to support the preparation of international grant applications by applicants seeking funding from prestigious international grants (Category F) also ran successfully: 11 applications were supported and the total amount exceeded CZK 800,000. Moreover, the preparation of nine ERC project proposals was supported from a scheme of specific funding to support ERC grants in the amount of CZK 300,000. In 2018, MUNI held its seventh annual interdisciplinary research project competition — Category G — with four additional projects selected for support. Moreover, the MUNI Award in Science and Humanities was held for the first time, targeting newly-arrived outstanding scientists, ERC holders or ERC applicants with excellent ratings. It was thanks to this category that the ERC project holder, mathematician and computer scientist Daniel Kráľ transferred from the University of Warwick to FI MU. A series of seminars, presentations, training sessions, and individual consultations were held throughout 2018 with the aim of increasing MU's success in national and international grant competitions. A particularly popular event was the fourth annual Grants Week, this time focusing on international funding sources, especially Horizon 2020. In the course of its three days, Grants Week offered a varied programme aimed at raising awareness of Horizon 2020 among several target groups: presentations by current H2020 project leaders and a workshop on project design addressed scientists; academic staff in key leadership positions benefited from a strategic workshop presenting the institution's success inH202o; and administrative staff could participate in an intensive workshop on the financial aspects of the H2020 programme and reporting. The entire Grants Week programme took place in English. A number of other events organized in 2018 were also dedicated to the H2020 programme, focusing mainly on the preparation of competitive project proposals, both under H2020 and in specific grant schemes (the Marie Sklodows-ka-Curie event and social science consortium calls). Another example of the events organized by the Research Office in 2018 was the Day of Applied Research, aiming to increase awareness of the possibilities of applied research and a regular seminar with the provider on currently announced GA CR competitions. Bibliometrics activities also ran successfully in 2018, under the auspices of the Centre for Scientometric Support at MUNI, established in 2017. Since 2014, when the InCites analytical tool from Clarivate Analytics (formerly Thomson Reuters) was acquired for MUNI, the rate of incorporating bibliometry into various contexts of scientific activity has continued to rise. Regular bibliometric activities include the preparation of background analyses for the needs of habilitation and professorship procedures. As a result, the Centre for Scientometric Support at MUNI is regularly used by applicants across the university. In 2018 a total of 19 analyses for habilitation or professorship procedures were created. The preparation of faculty support analyses for annual evaluations is another regular activity. These analyses have been significantly improved since the previous year, the number of criteria has increased and verbal interpretations of observed phenomena have been added. In addition to these regular activities, the Research Office also creates highly robust ad hoc analyses tailored to the needs of the unit in question. Further potential of bibliometric support lies in the study of publication patterns in individual disciplines and support for individual units in preparing publication strategies. Following the change in the national research evaluation methodology, the Research Office also focused on educational activities in this area. The first lecture from a series for the broad academic community Research Evaluation in the Czech Republic - clarity for academic practice was held in 2018. There were also several on-demand presentations, tailored to individual faculties, where the new evaluation system, including its impact, was discussed in more detail and in a specific context. 6 . 2 Support for Qualification Growth and Academics' Performance 6 The individual faculties of the university strive to provide support for enhancing the scientific performance and publication quality of their academic staff through internal programmes. These include the use of institutional support resources, but also other faculty funds intended to support the formation of scientific teams, habilitation or professorship procedures at various stages of preparation, the publishing of scientific journals or the internationali-sation of publication activities. Young researchers are also often provided with targeted support. Examples include the following: At the Faculty of Arts, a clearly laid out support system for those applying for prestigious grants was constructed using institutional programme funding; in 2018, several information meetings on individual outstanding project formats were held at faculty level. The faculty has also established The Dean's Grant Fund for the Support of Scientific Activities, intended among other things as a starting programme for beginning researchers. In 2018,12 out of 27 projects were supported. In 2018, the Faculty of Sport Studies supported the participation of selected researchers at thematic Info Days and workshops (e.g. the SC1-H2020 Consortium Building Workshop in Brussels, a workshop within the Marie Curie Sklodowska RISE project - Interconnection of research and entrepreneur ship, the How to write a successful project in the H2020 programme workshop, etc.). In 2018, motivational criteria for the preparation and submission of research and development projects of interdisciplinary, non-university and international character were proposed and applied; the result is the FSpS motivational directive On support for research activities rewarding the proposer of selected research and development projects. A system of motivational support for quality outputs in WoS, Scopus and for professional books is also being prepared and about to be implemented in 2019. The Research and Project Support Department was established at the Faculty of Social Studies, enabling the utilisation of project support know-how in research grant calls. At the same time, a motivational programme that appraises high-quality scientific results as well as quality citation responses, instruction in English, promotional activities at secondary schools, etc. has been put in place at the Department of Political Science. New criteria for qualification procedures were prepared at the Faculty of Medicine (valid from January 1, 2019) using foreign opponents and committee members in tendering procedures. Simultaneously, a new policy for the strategy and external relations of the faculty was set up, in particular for promoting the results of science and research. At the same time the faculty strives to support the development of the soft skills of its employees and offers courses in English, rhetoric and economic competences. For 2018, the Faculty of Education announced a four-programme document Publishing Support Strategy: Programme I - Publishing support in reputable international journals registered in WoS or Scopus databases (11 articles supported), Programme II - Support for the publication of conference proceedings submitted to WoS or Scopus databases (3 proceedings), programme III - Support for the publication of an extremely demanding/quality professional book (3 publications), programme IV - Support for the publication of a professional book (7 books). As every year, the faculty also financially supported the preparation of qualification procedures. Faculty of Informatics focuses on selected research topics and projects that draw on the connection with the faculty's industrial partners. A milestone at the faculty was the establishment ofiheDonaldErvinKnuthProfessorial Chair after the first round of the MasarykAwards in Science and Humanities announced by Masaryk University. Every year in March, the Faculty of Economics and Administration announces a Career Growth Support Programme for internal academics who wish to habilitate or apply for a professorship. Similarly, the faculty supports the publishing activities of its academics with the annually announced Programme for the support of publication of scientific books and articles in scientific journals. On the basis of the faculty contract, FEA employees and PhD students have the opportunity to attend an ACRE A training course at a special price. The Faculty of Law provides support for the publishing activities of its academic staff abroad in the form of rewards. At the Faculty of Science, a whole set of motivational measures in the care of human resources in the scientific environment is being introduced within the prestigious HR Excellence in Research Award. Furthermore, specific rules are implemented at individual institutes, which uses tiered rewards to motivate the academics to publish in the best international journals (Top 1%, 10% and Qi ISI Web of Knowledge). In 2018, the faculties also organized discussions for academic staff on the topic of implementation of the R&D M17+ assessment methodology. 47 9% R&D targetted funds (MUNI as a co-beneficiary, e.g., GA CR, TACR, OP RDE, etc.) 6% EU structural funds (OP RDE) 9% Funding from foreign sources (e.g. 7th FP, H2020, international foundations) 45% Funding from the state budget and regional authorities (e.g. Czech Science Foundation, NPS, specialized research) 2,311,411 Total in thousands CZK 0,3% MUNI resources (e.g. donations, other non-public funds) Structure of non-investment R&D revenues in 2018 31% Institutional R&D support MUNI's share in acquired institutional R&D aid in the Czech Republic in 2018 Total amount of acquired non-investment R&D revenues in thousands CZK co CO J— p~ CO 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Grants acquired from Czech Science Foundation for MUNI Grants acquired from GA CR for MUNI as sole beneficiary in thousands CZK Grants acquired from GA CR for MUNI as co-beneficiary in thousands CZK 1— CM r» O) 1— i— CO o o CO CM 00 o CO i— m CO o in CM CO cn CO 1— CM 00 i- O CO CM in CD of in CO O o in o CM CO o CM 00 i- 1— I- I- CM CM CM CO CO CM CO in r» in CM 1- CO CM CO CO r» 0) CO CM 00 CM r« CO CO r» i- 00 1- o in m o> m 00 CO c\T r» CO CO in CO 00 00 CO of o i— i- CM CM m in m CO 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Grant categories announced by the MU Grant Agency (GAMU) CO Student grants Scientist grants Specific university research Research support programme c CD A Student Research Projects B Student Scientific Conferences The Rector's programme C Excellent Master Thesis D Student Magazines E Excellent Results F International Grants Arrangement G Interdisciplinary Research Projects H Individual High Risk/High Gain Projects I MUNI Award in Science and Humanitites mulating Research Environm Interdisciplinary research projects supported by the MUNI Grant Agency in 2018 ency and a Sti Pelcová Marta, Mgr. Ph.D. Faculty of Science MU / Faculty of Medicine MU New trends in bioanalytical approaches for personalized pharmacotherapy of schizophrenia Vácha Martin, doc. RNDr. Ph.D. Faculty of Science MU / Faculty of Medicine MU / CEITEC MU At the Cross-road of Magnetic Fields and Light: A New Perspective of Cell Clock Control Research Effici Koledová Zuzana, Mgr. Ph.D. Faculty of Medicine MU / Faculty of Informatics MU Deciphering the mechanisms of mammary epithelial branched pattern formation through iterative biological and mathematical modelling Stehlíková Dana, Mgr. Ph.D. Faculty of Arts MU / Faculty of Medicine MU / Faculty of Science MU / Language Centre MU Herbaria manuscripta Bohemiae et Moraviae usque ad annum 1500 Mendel Lecturers in 2018 Elena Conti, Max-Planck-Institut fur Biochemie, Germany Tom Misteli, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, USA Mark Ptashne, Sloan Kettering Memorial Cancer Center, New York, USA Steven Benner, Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution, Alachua, USA Eric F. Wieschaus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute / Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, USA Rudolf Jaenisch, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, MIT, Cambridge, USA Patrick Sung, Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, USA 49 A S A R Y K UNIVERSITY'.S MONTHLY^ IS THE BEST PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION MAGAZI IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC Masaryk University's magazine scored big in the 16th annual Golden Semicolon competition, the longest-running Czech competition evaluating corporate media. The magazine won 1st place in the Best G2C Magazine and Newspaper (public and government media) category. Since 2005, MUNI has been publishing a monthly journal 10 times a year, with a break in the summer. In 2018, the magazine was redesigned in keeping with changes in the university's visual identity and reader survey results. The new look of Magazine M was introduced to mark the 100th anniversary of Masaryk University. Photo: The editorial team from Masaryk University with the Golden Semicolon award. 38 9 STRATEGIC PRIORITY Organizational Culture Based on Shared Values Inspirational University Environment University Associations and Student and Staff Activities Internal Communication Visual Identity Career Counselling Services Provided to Persons with Special Needs 7 . 1 7 . 2 7 . 3 7 . 4 7 . 5 7 . 6 Ethics and Equal Opportunities 7 . 7 7.1 7.2 Inspirational University Environment University Associations and Student and Staff Activities As per tradition, Masaryk University recognized the extraordinary achievements of its students and employees in 2018. In 2018, 33 MUNI employees, students and graduates received MU Rector's Awards. In October 2018, Masaryk University awarded an honorary doctorate in law to Professor Michael Paul Seng (USA), a prominent expert in constitutional law, comparative law, the US federal justice system and fair housing policy issues. In April 2018, the university awarded a MU Gold Medal to Professor Ladislav Rabušic and a MU Silver Medal to Ing. Vojtěch Moštěk in connection with the celebrations of the 20th anniversary of the Faculty of Social Studies. AnMUsmall bronze medal went to Milan Václav Drápel, proposed by the Faculty of Science, and to Jana Silarová, proposed by CEITEC. Doctor Miroslav Souček and linguist Dušan Slosar received the City of Brno Award 2018 from Mayor Markéta Vaňková. This award also went to two MUNI graduates, writer Kateřina Tučkova and journalist Luděk Navara. Associate Professors Marek Mráz and David Kosař (both ERC grant holders) were awarded the Neuron Prize for Young Scientists in 2018. Šárka Pospíšilová and Michael Doubek from the Department of Internal Medicine, Hematology and Oncology of the Faculty of Medicine received the J.E. Purkyně Award from the board of directors of the Czech Medical Association for the best academic publications. Gabriela Pavlasová, a doctoral student at CEITEC, received the Discovery Award in the basic research category for exploring the function of the CD20 molecule that occurs on the surface of leukemic cells. Dominika Sladká, a sociology graduate from the FSS, received an honourable mention for her Bachelor's thesis in the Edvard Beneš Award competition and won second place in the Czech Demographic Society competition for the best graduate thesis in the field of demography. Adam Strašák, a history graduate from the Faculty of Arts, came in first place in the social sciences and humanities category of the 6th Student Competition of the Academia Publishing House. Professor Lenka Spinarová was awarded the title LADY PRO in the 23rd Czech 100 Best competition. During Teachers'Day celebrations, Ivan Foletti from the Faculty of Arts and Eduard Hofmann from the Faculty of Education were awarded the Medal ofMEYS. Tomáš Perutka, a student of the Faculty of Science, received the Česká hlavička award for his work on algebraic number theory. Master's degree students Katarína Kravčíková from the Faculty of Arts and Petr Steindl from the Faculty of Science received the MEYS Award, which is presented for outstanding results in studies or scientific activities related to studies. The university community welcomed the beginning of the 2018/2019 academic year by awarding the Rector's Award for Outstanding Teachers and the SKAS Award for Student Participation in Instruction. Music was provided by the excellent Husak Quartet. Other important events followed in September: the ceremonial opening of the reconstructed buildings of the Faculty of Arts, the groundbreaking ceremony of SIMU, and, last but not least, the planting of a linden tree in Lipová Street at the Faculty of Economics and Administration as part of the 100 years, 100 lindens project. In November, a Linden of Liberty was planted at the Centre of Medicinal Plants during a ceremony attended by the deans of the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Social Studies. Throughout the year, the university supported or co-organized a variety of student events and activities, chief among themBrno 17th, a unique commemoration of the importance of the events of 1939 and 1989 that all Brno universities participate in. In October, the Osmy Brno university regatta was held on the Svratka River; a Masaryk University mixed crew competed with crew from BUT. Once again, May saw three performances by the ProFI-divadlo student theatre ensemble. This time, the ensemble brought American novelist Chuck Palahniuk's controversial novel Fight Club to the stage. Students from the Faculty of Informatics also organized the 18th Film Festival of the Faculty of Informatics, where short films made by students and graduates of the faculty are shown. Individual faculties also organized various informal student and staff meetings. Among them were sporting events such as the Law at the Highlands or the Bike to Work contest, in which a total of 33 FEA staff members and doctoral students, divided into eight teams, took part. The first Campus Day event was also held, intended as a meeting of students and staff members at University Campus Bohunice (from the FSpS, FMed and FSci). At this all-day event, participants could compete in pétanque, table tennis and other sports. During Dies academicus in May, the MUNI Chess Champion Tournament took place; 25 players from 5 countries competed against each other. All MUNI faculties were represented. In March 2018, the Wight in the Library event was held for children of FSS employees. The Faculty of Education prepared Teacher's Day celebrations with lectures, concerts and banquets. The faculties at the University Campus Bohunice organized a joint deans' barbecue, intended as a meeting of students with the deans of their faculties. Similarly, the fourth year of a student-staff barbecue entitled Schrddinger's Grill was held at the Faculty of Informatics. Both barbecue events were organized by student clubs active at the faculties. 7 . 3 Internal Communication 7 Student Associations in general are an important part of the university, contributing to cultural and student life. In 2018, there were over 50 active associations at the faculty or university level at MUNI. These associations are involved in a wide range of activities, including student television, charity, and the organization of cultural events. For instance, the Student Cyber Games association, whose core team consists of MUNI students, has been attempting to forge a connection between school and entertainment through student competitions since 2003. The pIsQworky and Prezentidda events are the outputs of their efforts. The Friends of Nordic Animals Association works in a similar way, covering activities organized by students from the Faculties of Informatics and Science for secondary school and university students. Several faculty-based student associations have a long tradition and contribute to building school spirit; they include the Association of Medics (FMed), ELSA Brno (FLaw), the Student Union of the Faculty of Informatics, Open Brno (FEdu) and the student magazine Halas (FSS). On the university level, the LeMUr online magazine provides information for students. Students from the Faculty of Sports Studies recently established the FUKS association, whose aim is to organize university sports competitions and events. Every year, the Faculty of Arts Students' Endowment Fund organizes activities aimed at connecting students and associations. Students from the endowment fund are responsible for regular events such as Semester Start, the SemesterEnd festival and a lantern parade to commemorate 17 November. The Faculty of Medicine is the home base for MIMSA (Masaryk International Medical Students Association), which organizes meetings of international and Czech medical students and, among other things, organizes the annual Charity Week. Students can learn about the activities of associations operating at the university and decide whether to join one at the traditional Associations Fair organized by the MUNIE university association. The Masaryk University Student Ball is also becoming increasingly popular. Last year, it took place in Bobycentrum in Brno on 5 December 2018; its theme focused on the upcoming 100th anniversary of the founding of Masaryk University. In line with MUNI's internal communication strategy, in 2018 a total of 10 electronic newsletters were sent out to more than 4,000 staff members. The May newsletter, which was opened by 56% of addressees, generated the greatest interest, and readers paid the most attention to news about the increase in wages. The other newsletters were read by 46% to 51% of addresses. Yammer, MUNI's internal communication network tool, underwent dynamic growth. In January 2018, this tool had 2,433 active users, of whom 1,491 were university staff members; at the end of 2019, it was utilized by more than 3,000 people, 1,806 of whom were staff members. Almost two years after its launch, Yammer is used by third of MUNI staff. User activity is also rising. In September 2017, the number of regularly active Yammer users oscillated between 550 and 600, while between September and December 2018, this number increased to 800 to 900 active users. Questions and discussions about the unified visual style and its implementation, as well as information for employees regarding MUNI 100 celebrations, contributed significantly to user activity. Work continued on preparing the contents of the Employee Portal as an additional tool for internal communication. Testing and modification of the portal's structure also took place. Application designs (Quick Links, Calendar, University News, Documents, Daily Menu, etc.) were created. The Employee Portal was ready to be launched and made available to university staff in early 2019. So far, all the above-mentioned communication channels are available only in the Czech language. Considering the growing number of foreigners at MUNI, the need for internationalization arose in the area of internal communication as well. For this reason, a survey carried out among international employees by the Strategy Office in 2018 included questions related to internal communication. Survey results indicate that 54% of international academic staff respondents do not speak Czech, while another 25% can use basic Czech vocabulary. The least available information for foreigners working at the university, with regard to the language barrier, is that related to events at MUNI (limited or unavailable for 53%), to the possibilities of presenting one's own research outside MUNI (52%) and to the decisions taken by the management/faculty (50%). More than three quarters of international staff members surveyed would welcome a newsletter about university affairs in English. The results of the survey were taken into account when preparing an internal communication strategy for foreign employees. 53 7 7 . 4 Visual Identity 7 . 5 Career Counselling Masaryk University's uniform visual style consists of three elements: logo, font and specific colour. These and other graphic elements, including how they are to be used, are precisely defined in a style guide. The aim of having an original font designed was to visually unify faculties, departments, workplaces and institutions and to make affiliation with MUNI discernible at first sight. Neue Haas Unica is one of the complementary fonts and is used for lower-level titles and for longer texts. The university is slowly transitioning to the new visual style, in which each faculty has its own logo and a clearly defined complementary colour to facilitate its identification. The new visual style was successfully launched throughout the university. Materials including internal documents, diplomas, mercantile printed materials, posters, invitations, presentation materials, websites, social networks, final thesis templates, and interior and exterior building signs are gradually changing. A new version of the university's visual system was created for the university's websites in line with the new unified visual style of MUNI. The central MUNI website and another 130 websites were converted to the new system. The change in the university's visual identity was communicated at workshops and meetings with external relations staff and vice-deans, and through newsletters and presentations at individual faculties. Munishop supported the implementation of the new visual style by promoting it among applicants, students, employees and graduates. The MUNIE team presented new promotional item collections at several events (fashion shows, competitions and student events) that foster a sense of community. At the same time, a team of students created the popular Instagram account @nosim_muni, thanks to which university hoodies and t-shirts have become a trendy part of the university's identity. The new visual style aims to present Masaryk University as modern, innovative and straightforward. The MUNI Career Centre is Masaryk University's HR/ consultancy agency. It provides a space where students, employers and university target groups can interact and develop mutual relationships and thereby boosts MUNI graduates' standing among employers. The centre offers services, events and programmes for participating target groups. It is also committed to developing collaboration with the private and public spheres. The centre was responsible for developing JobcheckIN, the university's career portal, which it continues to administer and improve. As of late 2018,7,479 MUNI students and fresh graduates were registered on the portal, as well as 412 employers offering 2,886 jobs. This portal thus serves as a central job advertising space at MUNI, connecting employers and students looking for internships, traineeships, and jobs both during their studies and after graduation. In autumn 2018, the 12th JobChallenge career fair for students and fresh graduates was held; more than 2,700 university students attended. In addition, 10,000 copies of JobMagazine, created and published specifically for the fair, were distributed at the university as well as at the exhibition grounds. Another successful event in 2018 was the first HRChal-lenge conference on Employer Branding, attended by both commercial and non-commercial employees. The interactive events Industry Showcase and Road of Alumni once again proved successful with MUNI students and graduates. In total, 465 students attended events where potential employers were present and other corporate workshops. A traditional two-day meeting called Prvakoviny (First-Year Student Meet) was held for newly admitted first-year MUNI students. Its aim was to help new students acquaint themselves with their faculty, prepare for studying at university and start a career. A total of 1,342 people registered for Prvakoviny. A total of 261 students came for individual career consultation, coaching or psychodiagnostic testing. Frequent themes included career direction, setting priorities, and specific steps to take and strategies to use in job seeking. Another 161 students sought help with CVs, motivation letters and career profiles on the JobCheckIN career portal. Developmental courses, attended by 498 students in 2018, focused on career planning and skill acquisition. 54 7 . 6 Services Provided to Persons with Special Needs 7 . 7 Ethics and Equal Opportunities 7 The Support Centre for Students with Special Needs (Teiresias Centre) serves people with disabilities at all MUNI faculties and departments. Eighty workstations are available in public classrooms and study rooms operating nonstop, of which 74 are equipped with computers providing access to all available assistive software for people with disabilities. Teiresias also has its own publishing house for tactile literature, including tactile graphics and maps, as well as a video recording studio for producing materials in Czech sign language. In 2018, the university staff included four people who were blind or seriously visually impaired, eight people who were deaf or seriously hearing impaired, and three wheelchair users. Under Rector's Directive No. 8/2014, both staff members and students are equally entitled to the centre's services. In autumn 2018 there were 526 students with disabilities enrolled at MUNI: — 60 visually impaired students (a year-on-year decrease of 13%) — 46 hearing impaired students (decrease of 4%) — 50 physically disabled students (decrease of 17%) — 216 students with specific learning disabilities (increase of 15%) — 154 people with autism spectrum disorders, other psychological difficulties or chronic somatic diseases (increase of 9%). In 2018, four of these students (one with a visual impairment, one with a hearing impairment, one with a mobility impairment and one with a specific learning disability) studied abroad for a semester; eight foreign students with disabilities studied at MUNI under exchange programmes. The total number of people with disabilities at MUNI increased slightly; the number of students with sensory and physical disabilities is decreasing at a rate roughly corresponding to the year-on-year decrease in the total number of MUNI students (12%), while the number of students with other types of disabilities is increasing. Of the total number of students with disabilities, 450 met the criteria for MEYS to share service-provision costs with the university. In addition to regular and combined degree programmes, in 2018 Masaryk University provided lifelong learning programmes to 59 people with disabilities. MUNI public library collections include 1,730 library items in Braille; the total number of digitally adapted titles available is 7,394, including titles available as hybrid books, a format developed by Masaryk University. On 15 March 2018, Masaryk University chaired the Association of Service Providers to University Students with Special Needs. The Masaryk University Academic and Professional Employee Code of Ethics of spring 2008 lays down the basic ethical requirements for professional conduct of Masaryk University employees. As a result of this directive, including an amendment in force since late 2015, several oversight boards have been set up to monitor compliance with ethical principles, including the Equal Opportunity Panel of Masaryk University, a permanent advisory body to the Rector of Masaryk University that oversees the application of and adherence to MU's non-discrimination and equality principles. In 2018 no issues were submitted to the Equal Opportunity Panel of Masaryk University. The MU Ethics Committee (EC) dealt with two internal issues in 2018. The first matter concerned a suspected violation of Article 7 (1) and (2a) of the Masaryk University Academic andProfessionalEmployee Code of Ethics ("Code ofEth-ics"); in a resolution issued on 26 April 2018 the Ethics Committee stated that the Code of Ethics had not been violated. The second case concerned suspected violations of Articles 2, 7 (3) and 9 of the Code of Ethics; in a resolution issued on 19 November 2018 the EC determined that Article 7, in particular paragraph 3, and Articles 2 and 9 of the Code of Ethics had been violated. The Ethics Committee for Research (ECR) is an independent multidisciplinary body of MUNI. Its mission is to oversee the application of and adherence to relevant ethical standards in research conducted at MUNI, and it is particularly concerned with human subjects including work with biological material of human origin. During 2018, the ECR dealt with 172 projects, most of which were new project proposals submitted to the ECR for approval. The other cases involved mainly revisions of already running projects, inspections of projects that had already been allocated funds, and consultation on potential projects. The ECR also dealt in detail with the issue of informed consent and the protection of personal data in the context of the new GDPR law, in particular in relation to the use of biological samples for research purposes. In addition, ECR members were actively involved in the Alliance4Life international initiative, which brings together research centres from nine European countries - namely in the field of research ethics and integrity - and participated in three related workshops. 55 7 Masaryk University Rector's Awards 2018 Rector's Award for Outstanding Creative Activity Mgr. Dušan Klinec Faculty of Informatics MU prof. RNDr. Václav Matyáš, M. Sc., Ph.D. Faculty of Informatics MU RNDr. Matúš Nemec Faculty of Informatics MU Mgr. Marek Sýs, Ph.D. Faculty of Informatics MU RNDr. Petr Švenda, Ph.D. Faculty of Informatics MU Rector's Award for an Outstanding Doctoral Thesis MUDr. Tomáš Kazda, Ph.D. Faculty of Medicine MU Mgr. Josef Wilczek, Ph.D. Faculty of Arts MU Rector's Award for Outstanding Doctoral Candidates MUDr. Martina Kosinová, Ph.D. Faculty of Medicine MU Mgr. Tomáš Peterka Faculty of Science MU Rector's Award for Outstanding Students in Master's Programmes Mgr. Samuel Pastva Faculty of Informatics MU Mgr. Martin Toul Faculty of Science MU Rector's Award for Outstanding Artistic Activity Mgr. Markéta Bohmová Faculty of Education MU Rector's Award for Long-term Excellence in Research doc. Mgr. Lumír Krejčí, Ph.D. Faculty of Medicine MU prof. JUDr. PhDr. Miroslav Mareš, Ph.D. Faculty of Social Studies MU Rector's Award for Outstanding Research Results Achieved by Young Scientists under 35 years Mgr. Jan Kolář, Ph.D. Faculty of Arts MU RNDr. Terezie Mandáková, Ph.D. Faculty of Science MU / CEITEC MU Rector's Award for the Active Development of Civil Society Be. Alžběta Bajerová Faculty of Social Studies MU Be. Dominika Betáková Faculty of Social Studies MU Be. Vojtěch Bruk Faculty of Social Studies MU Mgr. Miloš Gregor, Ph.D. Faculty of Social Studies MU Be. Ondřej Chlupáček Faculty of Social Studies MU Be. Jakub Jusko Faculty of Social Studies MU Be. Samuel Kolesár Faculty of Social Studies MU Be. Kateřina Křivánková Faculty of Social Studies MU Mgr. Michael Myklin Faculty of Social Studies MU Be. Karin Sólymosová Faculty of Social Studies MU Mgr. Petr Střítežský Faculty of Social Studies MU Be. Lucie Svozilová Faculty of Social Studies MU Jan Švestka Faculty of Social Studies MU Mgr. etMgr. Petra Vejvodova, Ph.D. Faculty of Social Studies MU Rector's Award for Outstanding Teachers Mgr. Miroslav Chocholatý, Ph.D. Faculty of Education MU Mgr. Maria Králová, Ph.D. Faculty of Economics and Administration MU doc. MUDr. Pavel Matonoha, CSc. Faculty of Medicine MU 56 Satisfaction and identification with the university based on student surveys Survey MUNI Applicants Spring 2018 MUNI applicants who submitted their applications to Bachelor's or long-cycle Master's degree programmes consider the available fields of study and MUNI's prestige to be the university's greatest strenghts. They also appreciate the attractiveness of the university environment, as well as the variety of extracurricular activities and the location of the university. For the majority of applicants (87%), university education is a method of self-implementation, and almost all of the addressed applicants (94%) wish to be simultaneously gaining specific practical experience during their studies. Survey Motivation and Expectations of First-year MUNI Students Autumn 2018 One fifth of the freshmen turned in only one application form - for MUNI. For 89% of all respondents, Masaryk University ranked first in their university preferences. The strongest reason for applying for MUNI was the quality of education. A third of the respondents rate studies at MUNI as exceeding their expectations. For the vast majority of freshmen, studying at MUNI is a good choice, most notably thanks to the attitude of the teachers, the pleasant environment and the equipment of university buildings. Survey Study Roadmap - 2nd and 3rd wave of survey Spring and Autumn 2018 Students in Bachelor's and long-cycle Master's programmes included in longitudinal research after the first semester of their studies at MUNI express satisfaction with their choice of Masaryk University (98%), the faculty (96%) and the field of study (92%). Almost half of the respondents interviewed after the second semester were involved in extra-curricular activities (47%). Students at MUNI have long been most satisfied with the professional quality of teachers, their approach to students and also with the material background of their studies. Survey Motivation and Expectations of Incoming Master's Students from Other Universities Spring 2018 Most of the queried students stated that, in terms of content and teaching methods, studying at MUNI exceeded their expectations or fully met them. The reasons that motivated the respondents to choose MUNI for their follow-up studies are mainly the follow-up degree programmes on offer, the prestige of Masaryk University and the quality of education. One third of respondents consider their current studies at MUNI an excellent choice, for another 60% MUNI is a good choice. Survey Completion of Studies at MUNI -Looking Back and to the Future Spring - Summer 2018 Following their graduation, the addressed graduates most often list independence, the ability to orientate themselves in the flow of information and professional theoretical knowledge among the main competencies that they have acquired at MUNI. In their opinion, MUNI's strongest aspects include the prestige of the university, the degree programmes on offer, the location of the school, the extensive libraries and the information system. Of the graduates who are no longer studying or working at MUNI, 87% wish to stay in touch with Masaryk University, a large proportion of them are willing to engage in closer cooperation and participate in university projects or events. Survey Employability of MUNI Graduates Winter - Spring 2018 95% of MUNI graduates from 2015 and 2016 are satisfied with the life skills that the university has given them. In case of repeating their studies, four fifths of the respondents would re-elect Masaryk University. 90% of the interviewed graduates are currently employed or own a business, most of them have started working within one month of graduation. 8 out of 10 graduates work directly in the fields, which they have been preparing for during their studies, and perceive their jobs as promising. More than two-thirds see their prospects for social prestige as very good or good. A A A THE UNIVERSITY 0££||ij THE FIRST CAFE WHERE CUSTOMERS ARE SERVED BY WAITERS Wl|f MENTAL DISABILITIES H f k new Café Práh de iure ope at the Faculty of Law at the end of 2018. It provides a quiet en for students and employees, and thanks to the non-profit organization Prah South Moravia, peop with serious mental disabilities can find employment there. Their work at the cafe gives the non-organization's clients a chance to return to normal life, acquire work experience and habits and r ^ ' I j I ' ' • skills. Masaryk University plans to pursue further collaboration with the non-profit organisation a cafes of the same kind also at other faculties. ř I STRATEGIC PRIORITY Inspiration and Social Responsibility Key Projects Implemented in Response to Societal Challenges 8 . . 1 Masaryk University in the Media 8 . . 2 Cultural Role 8 . . 3 Alumni Relations Development 8 . . 4 Mendel Museum 8 . . 5 Munipress (Masaryk University Press) 8 . . 6 Library Services 8 . . 7 8 . 1 Key Projects Implemented in Response to Societal Challenges Through its work, the university not only focused on accessible education, but also on collaboration with various partners to bring about positive changes in the social environment. Masaryk jUniversity, the "junior university" intended for children aged 9 to 14, has enjoyed great popularity. MjUNI's 5th year, which started in the autumn of 2018, differs from the previous one by opening a pilot scheme for older children aged 15-17. The Alumni and Friends of Masaryk University Association annually announce s the TGM Grants to support the development of civil society. MUNI students can apply for a grant and receive support for organizing debates, lectures, meetings, festivals, conferences and other activities aimed at the development of democracy and a civil society. The FEdu launched the Open University project. Its aim is to build an open environment at Masaryk University and create a system of support measures for ethnic minorities (especially for Roma students at MUNI). The FEA supports traditional cooperation with the non-profit sector. Since 2012, the Centre for Non-profit Sector Research has been operating as a research centre of Masaryk University. In 2018, researchers' activities focused on creating interactive maps of the non-profit sector in the Czech Republic. The FEA Public Administration Institute joined the organizing team of the Young Citizens Academy seeking to educate young active students at the municipal, regional and national levels. The FSS also actively cooperates with non-profit organizations, mainly through the implementation of joint projects. For example, the Department of Sociology has been involved in projects related to the Research ofKinshipFos-terCareinExcludedLocalities (IQ Roma servis) or Schools of Equality: equality begins at school (NESEHNUTÍ). In addition, FSS collaborated with the Lipka educational institution on the development of social and civic competences of primary and secondary school pupils. In cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce, the FEA continued to implement the Playpark Brno project, a unique training programme for start-up entrepreneurs. Young people can attend free workshops led by excellent instructors and mentors, where they learn how to sell their ideas and start a successful business. In November, Women's Start-up Day was held in connection with the project. In 2018, representatives of the association Zvolsi.info travelled through the Czech and Slovak Republics with their series of lectures called the Surfer's Guide to the Internet and a workshop on media literacy. Students of political science at the FSS further expanded their activities with the projectFakescape, a game that teaches high school students how to work with resource verification and to avoid misinformation in an entertaining manner. Foreign medical students associated in MIMSA organized another Charity week in 2018. They managed to collect CZK 80,000 at the fundraiser and donated it to the charity Debra, which helps people with butterfly wing disease. Volunteers from the Faculty of Medicine then organized a WorldDiabetesDay 2018 in the Olympia shopping centre. The charity eventEthics on run, organized by the Institute of Medical Ethics of the FMed, generated a contribution of CZK 35,000 for the Úsměvy (Smiles) association, which provides assistance for people with Down's syndrome and their families. In April, the Wight ofEducation took place - an evening full of workshops and screenings on various topics related to education. The event is organized by the Open Student Association, which was established at Masaryk University and seeks to transform the education of teachers in the Czech RepublicThe FEdu organized another Inclusive Week, followed by the Round Table on the Issue of Beginner Teachers, which emerged from research among new teachers. Every year, the School of Human Rights is hosted by the Pro Bono Alliance at the premises of the Faculty of Law. Workshops on domestic and sexual violence and the rights of victims of these crimes are examples of the activities offered at the school in 2018. The Faculty covers its students' participation fee through a scholarship. At the same time, the FLaw launched a two-semester course called Law in a Nutshell for Seniors in 2018. FSpS students regularly participate in organizing events for handicapped athletes or work as instructors in extracurricular activities. With the aid of MUNI students, another year of the Special Olympics took place in Brno as part of the Regional Games. In cooperation with FEdu students organized academics and students from the FSpS the international Student Academy of Psychomotor ics in Brno. Thanks to the project Quality in Inclusion of Pupils with Special Educational Needs, FSpS students are leading physical extracurricular activities for children at primary and secondary schools. The Stockholm Convention Regional Centre has its headquarters at the University, working to build capacities, transfer technology and promote the proper management of chemicals in Central and Eastern Europe and other continents. 8.2 8.3 Masaryk University in the Media Cultural Role Media analysis in 2018 focused on 15 selected key media with higher audience ratings, aimed at the general public and simultaneously paying regular attention to institutions of higher education. The analysis showed that the media image of Masaryk University in the monitored media corresponds to the fact that it is the second most significant university in the Czech Republic, engaged a wide range of fields. At the same time, it confirmed that access to central media is more difficult for institutions based outside Prague, given that most editorial offices are located in the capital. Compared to its competition, Masaryk University is good at promoting its own themes in the media, but Palacký University is also active and successful in this respect. However, both of the aforementioned universities still lag behind Charles University in terms of the number of experts who give their opinions on various subjects in the media. Among the themes that Masaryk University managed to successfully promote in the media are communicating the results of a sociological survey at the FSS and the activities related to education as protection against disinformation deserve a positive evaluation. The events of 1968, which the media had great interest in, were successfully utilised in the media as well. The fact that the media pursued the topic of institutional accreditation, which is quite complicated in the eyes of the general public, can also be considered an extraordinary success. Last but not least, the commencement of the construction work on the Simulation Centre enjoyed considerable publicity. Although Charles University, as expected, is still predominant in the national media, mainly thanks to its expert commentaries Masaryk University is also gradually increasing its presence. At the same time, analysis shows that in most of the monitored media, individual universities are relatively proportionate to the total number of media outputs. In the rankings of experts most cited in the media, specialists from the humanities predominate, with political scientists, experts in international relations and sociologists having the strongest representation. Among the Deans of MUNI faculties, Martin Bareš from the Faculty of Medicine made it onto the list of those most cited. The overall favourable media image of MUNI is underscored by the fact that in 2018 there were no negative media reports on the university at all. Even in 2018, when the media were dealing with a number of plagiarism cases, the university was presented as an institution taking action against this undesirable phenomenon. In 2018, the University held a large number of cultural and social events for the academic community as well as the general public. Starting in January, the 99th anniversary of the University's founding was celebrated, along with the introduction of a new visual style. At the Dies academi-cus in May, outstanding students and scientists received the Rector's Award and the Symphony Orchestra of Masaryk University presented itself as part of the evening's programme. In 2018, the University Cinema Scala managed to maintain its status as the most visited single-screen cinema in the Czech Republic. The venue hosted several traditional film festivals (e.g. Mezipatra, One World and Ekofilm) and a few brand new ones (Serial Killer, an Iranian Film Festival). In addition to film-related events, the cinema also hosted many academic, cultural and social events in 2018. One of the most important was the ceremonial release of the new film Talks with TGM, which was organized by MUNI on the 100th anniversary of the founding of Czechoslovakia. There was also a large meeting of secondary school teachers organized by MEYS and a three-day international Symposium organized as part of the Brno Biennial held at the cinema. Student cultural events, such as the staging of a new ProFIdivadlo theatre play or the FI Film Festival, again attracted a large number of visitors. Since 2007, Masaryk University has been a part of the science-popularising event Night of Scientists. This unique event gives visitors the opportunity to discover science and see the work of scientists at the university. The theme of the Night of Scientists 2018 was 100 years of Czech science. 9 faculties and 5 MUNI workplaces participated in 7 scientific zones. During the 135 points of the programme, the greatest Czech achievements, inventions, experiments and personalities were presented. The programme was made up of the natural sciences, the humanities, technology and economics. The Night of Scientists at Masaryk University was attended by a record 8,000 visitors of all ages. In April, the 9th Science slam MUNI took place. Five MUNI scientists participated and František Blahoudek from the Faculty of Informatics was the winner. In autumn, there was a slam tour of secondary schools, where MUNI scientists visited 16 schools in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. November brought the traditional MUNI University Wine, which provides a great opportunity for a social gathering of the academic community and university partners. The end of the year as usual brought the advent concert of the Vox Iuvenalis choir. 8 . 4 Alumni Relations Development 8 . 5 Mendel Museum Masaryk University remains dedicated to cultivating a long-term relationship with its graduates, recognising their potential for further university development. The fact that this interest exists also from the side of the graduates is evidenced by the results of completed graduate surveys at MUNI in 2018, in which 74% of graduates said they wished to stay in touch with the university even after graduation. Another 15% are in contact with MUNI through professional or other study engagements. In order to mobilise graduates, and not only on the occasion of the centenary of the University in 2019, it was necessary to obtain an overview of the database of contact details of graduates and to update it in accordance with the GDPR rules that came into force in mid-2018. In 2018, registration to the MUNI Alumni Network within the information system was also modified, whereupon a strategy of marketing activities leading to the development of this database was designed and implemented. Instead of the traditional printed Graduate magazine, a magazine for the centenary of Masaryk University with similar thematic coverage was prepared. The university is planning to start publishing a magazine for graduates electronically from 2019. In April, graduates of the Faculty of Social Studies were invited to the Annual FSS Alumni Meeting to mark 20 years of the faculty's existence. The event included a concert and guided tours of the faculty building. At the Faculty of Law, the 12th year of the international conference Days of Law took place in November, which also serves as an annual graduate meeting. In 2018, the university mainly used electronic communication tools to contact its graduates. For example, the Faculty of Informatics sent out its first newsletter in English to its graduates in the spring term of 2018. The Faculty of Sports Studies also strives to communicate with its graduates via electronic channels. The alumni receive invitations to vocational-training activities such as Coffee with Coach, or to meetings with Olympic champions. The Faculty of Education awards the Teacher of the Year award, which goes to inspiring FEdu graduates. Within the implementation of the new communications strategy, a complete redesign of the website absolventi. muni.cz was carried out in accordance with the new unified visual style of the university. The Masaryk University Graduate Card, which continued to generate growing interest from graduates in 2018, has also been redesigned. Utilising it enables graduates to gain both university and commercial benefits. The Mendel Museum is an institution with supra-regional significance, which participates not only in the legacy of G. J. Mendel and its promotion in the Czech Republic and abroad, but also in the promotion of fields and activities of Masaryk University. The first larger activity connected with fostering the legacy of G. J. Mendel was the opening of the Old Brno Abbey Museum exhibit. The exhibit provides an insight into the history of the Augustinián Order, in which G. Mendel worked as a pupil, teacher, scientist and abbot. At the level of the scientific interconnection of Mendel's legacy and modern science, the prestigious series ofMendel Lectures continued, once again welcoming a plethora of excellent scientists from all over the world under the expert supervision of associate professor Lubomír Krejčí. In addition, the an-nual Rare Disease Day meeting also continued successfully. For the third year in a row, the museum was responsible for the major part of the Mendel K(now)s festival programme for the general public. The festival is dedicated to the anniversary of Mendel's birth and takes place in the premises of the Old Brno Abbey. The site was visited by 3,500 visitors during the festival weekend. The Mendel Museum has built up a whole network of cooperating prestigious institutions and important contacts at home and abroad. In 2018, representatives of the Mendel Museum took an active part in the international conference of the UMAC University Museum Network in Miami and UNIVERSEUM in Glasgow, where they received support for the holding of this prestigious event in Brno in 2019. As part of its educational activities, the museum expanded its offer by programmes for primary schools. The programmes are popular with teachers as a form of interactive teaching. In 2018, Mendel Museum was not only entrusted with activities related to the legacy of G. J. Mendel. It took care of the realisation and video mapping projection The Year of Grief andLoss onto the building of the Rector's office as a reminder of 1968. It also prepared and ensured the complete implementation of the Year of Independence andFreedom exhibition dedicated to the split of Czechoslovakia, which was located in front of the entrance of the building of the MUNI Rector's office. The museum also coordinated the creation of the animated film TGM related to 1918. Throughout 2018 the museum's staff was also involved in the preparation of the MUNI 100 exhibition and other parts of the Masaryk University anniversary celebrations. Compared to 2017, the total number of visitors of the museum increased to 18,500. 8.6 8.7 Munipress Library Services (Masaryk University Press) The 2018 editorial plan was enriched by the preparation of titles devoted to the history of Masaryk University. At the end of the year, two Munipress publications bearing the new university logo went into print: Timeline of Masaryk University 1919 -2019 and the Myths and Traditions of Central European University Culture. In cooperation with the libraries of the founding faculties of MUNI, the publishing house compiled a list of the first university productions, where the first 100 titles were assembled. The Golden Fund collection comprises almost 700 volumes; it is in the process of digitisation for educational and archival purposes and is gradually being displayed on the Munispace website. The portal was visitedby 27,999 readers in 2018 and recorded 67,499 e-books read; an increase of 40% compared to last year. The field of electronic publishing relies primarily on academic and scientific journals. The university published 58 titles, many represented in databases such as Web of Science, Scopus, DOAJ, CEEOL, EBSCO, ERIH+ or CrossRef. 17 databases are used by the OJS editing system, managed by the publishing house, which is part of the international Public Knowledge Project. A representative of the publishing house participated in the international workshop PKP Sprint. Heidelberg 2018 as a member of the development group. New book titles are typically published in both printed and electronic versions simultaneously. In 2018, the University published 249 academic publications and 81 educational literature titles within the Munipress brand. The following publications attracted great attention: The Relationship of the Czech Public toward Nature and the Environment, Values and attitudes in the Czech Republic 1991-2017, Fasciculus florum, a translation of K. J. Erben's Kytice into Latin. In the popular-science edition Munice two titles were published. David Havel's book: The Onset of the Latin Written Culture in the Bohemian Lands was nominated for the Josef Hlávka Award. Hana Librová received an award for outstanding achievement from the Czech Sociological Society for her book The Faithful and the Reasonable. The publishing house was using and developing the web-based environment as well as the university e-shop for the presentation of the results of scientific research, pedagogical and popularisation activities. A joint workplace - Munishop - was established in the building of the publishing house. Munipress presented its publishing activity at a workshop of the Association of European University Presses in Riga. The Masaryk University library network, consisting of central faculty libraries, department libraries and special-purpose libraries (The Teiresias Centre and Tele University Centre), managed a library collection of 1.7 million library units for 35,794 registered users, making 603,089 absentee loans. The offer of electronic information resources (EIR) has been significantly expanded. In addition to the research information sources, contractually provided by the CzechELib National Centre since 2018, the libraries have been significantly involved in the MUNtyStudents project, where 14 new EIR packages were acquired for educational purposes (e-books, encyclopaedias and journal archives). A record purchase of EIR amounting to CZK 84 million was made last year; almost 60% of the total being covered by external off-budget MUNI resources. Other areas where the extraordinary MUNl4Students subsidy was used was the strengthening of library technologies (replacement of user computers, purchase of four new pieces of self-service lending equipment, the introduction of RFID technologies at the FEA, the acquisition of scanners and copiers for users, the provision of interactive tools for students on the FEdu teaching practice) the replacement of furniture and, last but not least, reconstruction of library spaces. For example, seminar rooms for group work and informal student meetings at the FS S or the reading room, the team study room and magazine reading room at FA. Great attention was paid to the vocational training of librarians and the exchange of experience. In cooperation with the Association of University Libraries, the FSS Library organized the first year of the Librarian Academy for ManagersKAM 2018. The seminar focused on professional and personal development of managers and executives of university libraries. The cycle of education for MUNI librarians continued with six lectures. The University Campus Library organized the traditional Erasmus MUST week, attended by 16 librarians from 9 European countries. The libraries have been actively participating in education in information literacy and student education; they provided a total of 647 lectures in accredited courses at MUNI. Moreover, they organized a number of educational lectures, exhibitions and other events for users and visitors, for example the popular Wight with Andersen. At the same time, the traditionally highly positive evaluation of libraries in the graduate survey was maintained -99.2% of respondents expressed their satisfaction with MUNI library services. 8 Publications and libraries in 2018 686 publications in total available in the Munispace online reading room 249 scientific publications issued by the Munipress publishing house 1,730 library units in Braille 58 issues of professional journals published by MUNI in 2018 27,995 1,710,659 35,794 visits to the online reading room Munispace publications available in the MUNI library fund registered users actively utilising MUNI libraries Media image of MUNI in 2018 according to the type of article 31% MUNI expert commentary 22% Article focusing on the university 47% Mention of the university MUNI publicity in 64 Top 10 most visited MUNI events in 2018 8 European Researchers' Night Lantern Procession on 17 November Videomapping to commemorate 1968 Masaryk University Students' Ball proFldivadlo Performance Campus Day Faculty of Informatics Film Festival Multimedia Day Exhibition of Medicinal Plants Humanities Week Top 10 themes related to Masaryk University in the media Senate elections and Rector's candidacy Training hospital SIMU+ Research in Antarctica The Fakescape game to counter fake news President's inauguration Institutional accreditation Videomapping to commemorate 1968 Finishing reconstruction of the Faculty of Arts Sociological study of the happiness of Czechs The Faculty of Medicine taking on more medics Top 10 MUNI experts appearing in the media Lubomír Kopeček, politology Hana Lipovská, economy Miloš Gregor, politology Michal Pink, politology Mikuláš Bek, Rector Stanislav Balík, politology Vít Hloušek, international relations Martin Bareš, Dean of the RMed Miroslav Mareš, security studies Josef Kraus, security studies 65 STRATEGIC PRIORITY 9 Personnel Management and Employee Development Internal Personnel Management Regulations 9 . 1 Qualitative Growth and Employee Evaluation 9 . 2 Open Personnel Policy and Related Services 9 . 3 Employee Training and Benefits 9 . 4 9 . 1 Internal Personnel Management Regulations 9 . 2 Qualitative Growth and Employee Evaluation The year 2018 was, in the area of internal standards concerning personnel management at Masaryk University, devoted to the implementation of all changes that had been prepared in the previous year. At the beginning of the year, new Regulations on Competitive SelectionProcedures at Masaryk University and new Internal Wage Regulations (iWR) entered into force. A substantial part of the IWR was effective only from the middle of 2018, especially also in connection with the amendment of the Collective Agreement and the related wage tariff adjustments. The Internal Wage Regulation presupposed a revision of the classification of employees in wage groups, or their re-classification, and therefore most of the first half of 2018 was devoted to this. In connection with this, a new MUNI Job Catalogue, i.e. the implementing regulation for the new IWR, came into effect. The catalogue defines and characterises academic and non-academic positions at MU. It defines, in particular, the general job description for academics, and classifies the positions of academics and other employees into wage tariff groups, including education or qualification requirements. The catalogue also includes a general job description of other employees, non-academics, templates of job descriptions and an indicative list of typical jobs included in individual wage groups. The new Regulations on Competitive Selection Procedures at Masaryk University have been in effect since the turn of the year 2017/2018, and the whole of 2018 was devoted mainly to their implementation. The implementation of modernized processes, such as employee adaptation, employee appraisal with all its outputs, continues as well as the work on job systematisa-tion. Furthermore, faculty and rectorate regulations concerning working hours registration were introduced and attention was paid also to the digitisation of the personnel agenda - eHR at MU. A big piece of news with long-term importance is the gaining of a HR Award by two MUNI units; the Faculty of Science and CEITEC. The European Commission recognises with this award (HR Excellence in Research Award) that an institution is working in the area of human resources in accordance with the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers, i.e. that its processes and tools are in line with best European practice. Other faculties and other higher education institutions have also joined this initiative and will apply for the award in the upcoming period. In 2018, Masaryk University welcomed 14 new professors and 53 new associate professors. Upon recommendation by the Scientific Board of Masaryk University, the president of the Czech Republic, Miloš Zeman, appointed 14 people to professorships. Rector Mikuláš Bek further appointed a total of 36 university employees and 17 employees of other institutions to associate professorships. Seven academics who had habilitated at another institution also became associate professors. Outside of MUNI, two employees of our university were also appointed professors in 2018. In 2018, altogether 53 habilitation procedures at Masaryk University terminated in appointment. 68% of them were employees of Masaryk University while in other cases they were external applicants. From a gender perspective, 60% were men and 40% were women. The average age of associate professors was 43.3 years (range 33-60 years). In 2018, the Scientific Board of Masaryk University approved a total of 14 proposals for professorial appointments, which were submitted to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. The vast majority of cases (8) were employees of Masaryk University. From a gender perspective, 78.5% were men. The average age of the appointed professors was 46.4 years (range 39-58 years). Habilitation and Professorial Appointment Procedures at Masaryk University are still governed by MU Directive No. 7/2017 Habilitation Procedures and Procedures for Professorial Appointments. There were no major changes in the related legislation during 2018. Since 2018, the Masaryk University Rector's Office has fully implemented a non-academic staff appraisal system, including all relevant outputs, such as annual work goals, development and education plans, identification of new talent and potential successors, and suggestions for improving team efficiency. In 2018, this system was, with the support of the rectorate team, gradually extended to other MUNI workplaces and units. Work on the outputs of employee appraisal is in progress. In 2018, a number of events and activities were carried out on the basis of the outputs from the evaluation. Especially in the development and training of employees, but also in support of internal cooperation and communication. Open Personnel Policy and Related Services Employee Training and Benefits Since 2015, Masaryk University has been implementing a Personnel Policy Support Programme with the objective of financially supporting the recruitment of new, especially foreign, excellent academic and other professional staff at Masaryk University. The programme co-funds the first two years of a given employee at the university. In 2018,15 employees at 6 faculties were involved in the Personnel Policy Support Programme and a total of CZK 4.7 million was spent. The International Support Office (ISO) also showed steady activity in 2018. Its mission is to provide support to foreigners and their family members with a long-term work-stay at MUNI during relocation to the Czech Republic. The office offers support and assistance prior to arrival as well as immediately after, thus facilitating the orientation of the foreigner in the complicated and often confusing situation concerning registration duties in the Czech Republic. Throughout their stay the office provides support to foreigners on a number of practical issues. In 2018, 65 foreigners and 18 family members were assisted in 282 situations. During the year the Office processed 965 inquiries from foreigners, administrative and scientific staff. At the same time, 15 bulk e-mail messages were sent giving information about changes in legislation, residence obligations and, as a bonus, cultural and social activities. In September 2018, an introductory seminar for newly employed foreigners took place within the framework of the Postdoc@muni project, and in October the ISO office organized a seminar for MUNI administrative staff called Entry and Registration Obligations of Foreigners in the Czech Republic with representatives from the Department of Asylum and Migration Policy of the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic as speakers. A survey was conducted with foreign academics and scientists working at Masaryk University in 2018, which investigated their feedback on existing services provided to incoming foreign workers. More than 400 employees from outside the Czech Republic and Slovakia were approached, 114 of them were involved in the survey. They evaluated the cooperation with MUNI very positively from the first contact and were also satisfied with the atmosphere in the work team and equipment of the workplaces. They see potential for improvement, in particular, in the availability of information. 7 out of 10 respondents plan to work at MUNI in the future. The results of the survey will serve to strengthen communication channels with foreign employees, to promote the use of English as a second operational language at the university and to further improve services for foreign employees. In 2018, the Pedagogical Competence Development Centre (abbreviated to CERPEK in Czech) continued its successful activities which had begun as one of the tools for systematic improvement of the quality of teaching at Masaryk University in June 2017. The number of course graduates in 2018 was expanded by nearly twenty successful participants, and another training programme was launched. In June 2018, the second year of the conference focused on related issues was held with the title The University Teacher Is a Student Again: Pedagogical Competence Development Courses. The results of the research in the given area, experience not only with university education and the possibilities of improving the quality of teaching but also regarding the first CERPEK courses were presented at the conference. The Language Centre prepared language courses for MUNI staff and the public. In addition to traditionally offered exotic languages, it also offers practically-oriented courses: English/German for work and life undEnglish/German for stress-free journeys, designed to facilitate communication abroad not only for work but also for the personal life of our employees. The faculties supported their employees, for example, by carrying out internal training on professional topics (science and research projects, human resources and tax issues) and by training in the use of programmes and specialized software for teaching. As in previous years, in 2018 Masaryk University continued to provide its employees with a standard range of employee benefits. In addition to catering services for employees at MUNI's own catering facilities and in the form of meal vouchers (total amount CZK 32.7 million), MUNI spends significant funds on supplementary pension insurance (CZK 17.3 million), preventive care and vaccinations (CZK 1.13 million) and rewards that recognise life and career anniversaries (CZK3.8 million). Last but not least, MUNI strives to provide opportunities to harmonise staff members' family and working lives, which is another of the objectives of MUNI's personnel policy. Wherever the type of work allows, employees may choose flexible working hours, limited workloads and the possibility of working outside the place of permanent work; the so-called home office. Non-academic employees are entitled to 30 days of leave per calendar year, which is over and above that dictated by law. Number of MUNI employees 0) CO CO o O) CM 00 o to (O to 1— r« 00 in 00 r« r« m m m (O m in in 00 cn i- i- i- CO in * * * * * in in in in in in cv to to cv O) m cv m m r« o> CO 00 cv in m to r« r» 00 CM CO in (O 00 o i— o o> o i— CO CO CO CO CO CO Number of employees (headcount) Mean full-time employee equivalents 200S 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 201S Qualification structure of MUNI employees in 2018 5.2% 9.9% Professors Associate professors 48.6% Other employees 11.9% Research experts and specialized employees 16.8% Assistant professors 2.6% Instructors 3.4% Lecturers 1.5% R&D staff involved in teaching and education 70 Number of newly appointed MUNI associate professors and professors Newly appointed professors at MUNI Newly appointed associate professors at MUNI I CO CM CO Lfl CM ■ 1 co CM ■ in il II I co I 00 CM I CO co co I 200S 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 201S Mean and median wages of academic staff at MUNI Academic staff - mean wage in CZK Academic staff - median wage in CZK 00 CO CM lfl o CO CM o CO CO CO lfl lfl lfl 00 lfl lfl lfl 1^ in in CO Total non-investment revenues per MUNI employee * in <* O CO t- CM CM CO co *r o CM m m m m O) oo m 00 CO i-co CO O) in in co Non-investment revenues in thousands CZK per MUNI employee 200S 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 201S STRATEGIC PRIORITY Infrastructure and Institutional Management Support for Project Preparation and Implementation University Infrastructure and Facilities Accommodation Infrastructure and Catering Services Building Management and Operation Efficiency Financial Balance Sheet for 2018 University Budgeting Internal Control System Masaryk University Archives Providing Information 10.8 10.9 10.1 Support for Project Preparation and Implementation In 2018, the Office for Development (OFD) provided university-wide support for preparing, implementing and sustaining ESIF-funded and development projects. Methodological and administrative support is provided individually according to the needs of individual project teams at MUNI. The OFD responds to teams' needs by sharing examples of good practice. Several times a year, it also organizes workshops at the Rector's Office or as part of off-site meetings, providing a platform for valuable feedback and improving project services. By the end of 2018, 5 projects in which MUNI is the main recipient and 5 projects in which MUNI is a partner were supported in all 3 priority axes (PA) in the amount of CZK 1.7 billion and CZK 68.7 million, respectively, with funds from the Development, Research and Education Operational Programme. In PA 1, Strengthening Capacities for Quality Research, two MUNI projects and two partner projects were submitted to the grant provider in 2018 in the amount of CZK 1,165 million and CZK 64 million, respectively. In PA 2, Development of Universities and Human Resources for Research and Development, three projects with a total amount of CZK 516.6 million were approved. One of these projects is of a strategic nature and focuses on the overall development of MUNI. In PA 3, Equal Access to High-quality Preschool, Primary andSecondary Education, three partner project applications in a total amount of CZK 4.7 million were approved in 2018. In the Interreg V-A operational programmes, five projects involving cross-border cooperation with Austria in the amount of CZK 24 million were approved. In 2018, MUNI participated in six Centralised Development Projects - in five of them it was the main coordinator of interuniversity cooperation and in one of them it was a partner with financial participation. The total amount of funding received by the university was CZK 10.1 million. The MEYS allocated CZK 120.4 million to meeting the indicators of the MUNI Institutional Plan (IP) for 2018. These indicators were met by the outputs of 23 internal projects and those implemented at individual faculties and institutes. As part of IP 2018, another year of a university-wide competition sponsored by Masaryk University Development Fund was launched. CZK 12 million was allocated to this activity by decision of the rector; 257 project applications were submitted, out of which 163 projects were selected by the evaluation committee. One of the major achievements of the past year was the submission of a grant application and the launch of preparatory and implementation work on the MUNIqstudents project. During the nine months of project implementation, teaching equipment across MUNI will be modernized at a cost of CZK 335 million. In autumn 2018, the preparation of strategic project applications for the next ESF and ERDF calls for universities (European Social Fund and European Regional Development Fund) was launched. Both projects aim to improve the quality of educational activities at the university. The fundamental outputs of the second year of the implementation of the MUNI 4.0 project include the preparation of documents for the granting of institutional accreditation, the launch of the MUNI Counselling Centre's communication campaign aimed at improving graduation rates and meeting the milestone of 30% of people being trained in education and language competencies. The MU Internal Assessment Board approved proposals for creating four new study programmes and for converting two existing study fields into study programmes. The SIMU+ project entered its second year of implementation in 2018. The most important events included the commencement of construction work on the Complex Simulation Centre of the Faculty of Medicine, the completion of the second phase of comprehensive renovation at the Faculty of Economics and Administration, the construction of a multimedia-integrated newsroom and a simulation laboratory at the Faculty of Social Studies, the construction of an experimental laboratory for geologists at the Faculty of Science and making the buildings of the Faculty of Social Studies and the Faculty of Arts wheelchair accessible. Additionally, many teaching aids and items of equipment were purchased. The implementation of the MUNI^students project is very closely linked to the preparatory phase. In the course of 5 months, 91 projects based on public contracts were implemented. All the university's economic centres involved have significantly modernised their teaching facilities. MU's Wi-Fi network was strengthened and expanded, the University Contact and Monitoring Centre was modernized, IS MU infrastructure was upgraded and the Joint Training Centre at the MUNI Campus was modernized. Electronic information resources were also purchased. 10.2 University Infrastructure and Facilities In accordance with the MU Strategic Plan Implementation Scheme for 2018, the development and refurbishing of MUNI facilities and technology continued. In 2018, the current MEYS investment programme 133 210 and the new grant programme 133 220 for 2018-2024 with the possibility of an extension until 2027, were prepared and implemented. Three projects were carried out in 2018 with funding from subtitle 133 21J. In the autumn semester, the investment project Reconstruction and Completion of the Premises of the Faculty of Arts atArne Nováka was finalised. All its parameters were fulfilled, and the large, modern complex of buildings at the Faculty of Arts was completed. The total construction costs amounted to CZK 290 million; Masaryk University used CZK 21 million of its own resources. In 2 018, the Reconstruction of the Faculty of Arts Building at Joštova 13 project was under way. The state subsidy for this project amounts to CZK 117 million, whereas MUNI is providing CZK 11 million. Total project expenses in 2018 were CZK 43 million. In 2018, the investment project Reconstruction ofMaR ILBIT and Pavilion Z at the University Campus Bohunice was approved and registered. The goal of this project was to renovate campus buildings at a cost of CZK 17 million. Work was completed at the end of 2018. MEYS investment programme 133 220, subtitle 133 22J, includes a grant for Masaryk University to support teaching and education in the amount of CZK 873 million. MUNI is required to contribute 15% of costs, a requirement laid out in Call No. 1, which was issued by MEYS at the end of 2018. Regarding the Reconstruction and Completion of the Complex at Botanická Street, design work began in 2018 to optimise buildings to meet the current needs of users. Documentation necessary for acquiring a building permit was drafted. Other projects planned in 2018 included the Reconstruction of Lecture Halls at the Faculty of Law, the Replacement of Heating and Cooling Units at the UCB and the Student Centre at UCB. Outside of the MEYS programme and project financing, Masaryk University implemented 30 construction and investment projects in 2018 amounting to CZK 73 million using its own resources. These projects included construction work on the UCB, namely the replacement of the old cooling system with a glycol-based one for CZK 5.3 million, the modification of office spaces in pavilions Ai and A17 of the Faculty of Medicine for CZK 3 million, and modifications to pavilion A36 for CZK 1.5 million. A classroom was also partitioned in pavilion An for CZK 3.2 million. A multifunctional catering facility connected with a café was established at the Faculty of Education for CZK 5.5 million. The boiler rooms of the ACS-run Sladkého and Bratří Zůrků dormitories were renovated for CZK 11.5 million. The completion of MUNI's scientific, research and educational infrastructure was also carried out with funding from OP RDE projects. The main such project is the Strate- gic Investments of Masaryk University in SIMU+ Education, which includes several subprojects that are described below. As part of the SIMUFMed project an invitation to tender for a general contract worth CZK 680 million was issued. In 2018, the first two scheduling milestones were met; the performed work amounted to CZK 54.4 million. The FEA SIMU construction project entered its second stage, which included the renovation of nine classrooms and lecture halls. Construction costs amounted to CZK 18.2 million and equipment costs to CZK 1.9 million. As part of the SIMUFSS project, the renovation and modernization of three classrooms for simulation teaching was completed. The total cost, including equipment, was CZK 3.6 million. Work on the SIMUFEdu project, which involves the construction of a simulation track with tyflo engineering elements, was postponed in order to better coordinate it with other construction work planned at the faculty before 2020. Design work was carried out in keeping with the timetable for the SIMU FA project, the objective of which is to build a recording and acoustic studio and sound laboratories. With the implementation of SIMU TEIRESIÁS, the Faculty of Arts building in Jaselská Street was made wheelchair accessible and barrier-free toilets were completed at the FSS. Total construction costs amounted to CZK 3 million. The RECETOXRI project involves construction work at pavilion A29 at the UCB. It consists of the completion of two underground floors, where a bank for environmental and biological samples will be built. The estimated costs of this project are CZK 137 million. In 2018, a general contractor was selected and construction began at the end of the year. As part of applying Masaryk University projects to the ERDF II and OP E calls, the design preparation of the activities Adaptation ofE-block for the Language Centre in the complex at Vinařská, the Laboratory of Motion for FSpS in building A34 UKB, the building of the A8 pavilion at the UCB for the Faculty of Science and wheelchair access at the Faculty of Education and Arts for the TEIRESIÁS Centre took place. 10.3 Accommodation Infrastructure and Catering Services 10.4 Building Management and Operation Efficiency Accommodation and Catering Services (ACS), as a special purpose unit of Masaryk University, provides accommodation and catering to university students, employees and guests (its services are available to the public on a commercial basis). In 2018, the ACS fulfilled the tasks laid out in MUNI's strategic plan and also met its approved financial goals. In fact, it significantly exceeded its planned income target, which will enable the completion of the modernizing of block A2 of the Vinařská dormitory. The ACS remains the largest provider of catering services for students at a public university in the Czech Republic. Revenue from commercial activities in the fields of hotel accommodation and catering represents a major source of ACS income. Accommodation was provided in 12 university dormitories in various locations in Brno featuring 4,004 beds. Rooms are reserved using the ISKAM reservation system, where students can see the currently available capacity and choose the dormitory they prefer. In 2018, demand slightly exceeded supply. The Lomená dormitory was closed, and the building was subsequently sold to the city of Brno. The sale of the Cikháj resort was also debated. An additional 228 beds are available to the public, employees and university lecturers in MU's UNI hotels. The Slapanice University Centre is used primarily for commercial activities. Wi-Fi coverage was made available in all dormitory buildings. Emphasis was also placed on increasing fire-safety standards in housing and the ongoing modernization of student rooms in dormitories. Food service for students and staff was provided at 13 catering facilities: in the Vinařská canteen, the Academic Canteen, the provisional Veveří canteen, and the Academic Restaurant at the UCB with non-stop operation, as well as in seven bistros, one café, one pizzeria and the full-service Academic Club restaurant. The termination of the Academic Canteen's lease, the closing of cafeterias at the FEA and the limited operation of the Veveří canteen due to the dilapidation of the Faculty of Law building significantly contributed to the downward trend in the overall number of meals provided. In addition to meat and low-energy meals, students could also choose gluten-free, vegetarian, and lactose-free meals and meals cooked using regional products. The wide selection of meals available, including short order dishes, is presented in Czech and English on LCD screens and on the MobilKredit mobile application. Diners can now also acquire information about allergens and the nutritional value of dishes. The Building Management System (BMS) of MUNI was expanded in 2018 to include additional locations. At the Faculty of Arts, the BMS was introduced in newly reconstructed buildings. In four UCB pavilions (ILBIT), the original management system was replaced with a solution compatible with the BMS. In the Faculty of Sports Studies gymnasiums at the UCB more energy efficient lighting that can be controlled with the BMS was installed. Further expansion of the BMS at the UCB involves the installation of a precise air-conditioning system in the CEITEC microscope room and the replacement of controllers in pavilion Z. Several buildings administered by the ACS (Bratří Zůrků and Sladkého) were also connected to the BMS. In total, more than 200 new facilities were connected to the BMS in 2018. As part of the technical data inventory for the BIM, the passporting of pavilions A20 and A2 at the UCB was completed. In more than 150 MUNI buildings, the main shut-offs and utility gauges (water, gas, heat and electricity) were passported. In cooperation with the ICS and RMU, a new fire protection module for the KOMPAS application was developed and deployed, which shows all elements related to building fire safety. In 2018, fire-protection documentation for the RMU and UCB buildings (evacuation plans and instruction sheets) was updated and printed. To support investment activities, data checks and consultation with suppliers of technical building inventories and renovation work were carried out. Data were continuously provided for the needs of public procurement (cleaning, servicing, painting, etc.) and other activities related to the operation of buildings and technology. In the area of operation, analysis and process records, a module to support regular maintenance (legal revisions and inspections) was implemented in 2018 as well as pilot operation of this module for the needs of the RMU Operations Department. The goal of introducing CAFM is to increase maintenance efficiency and the possibility to analyse its performance. As part of Central Facility Management, the preparation of other integrated operating services in the field of energy and occupational safety and health and fire protection continued. Electronic training in OSH and FP, including implementation in IS MU, was gradually introduced. A detailed analysis of the current energy measurement and regulation system was carried out, including a proposal for a central energy-consumption monitoring system in MUNI buildings. 10.5 Financial Balance Sheet for 2018 10.6 University Budgeting Masaryk University's total non-capital earnings in 2018 were CZK 7,077 million, which represents an increase of CZK 706 million compared to 2017. Costs in 2018 amounted to CZK 6,949 million. For 2018, MUNI recorded a profit of CZK 128 million after tax, which represents 1.8% of MU-NI's total revenue. In 2018, Masaryk University paid CZK 5,071 thousand in income tax. In total, MUNI was provided with CZK 5,120 million in non-capital funds from public sources in the Czech Republic as well as from foreign sources (a year-on-year increase of 17.1%). The non-investment contributions and subsidies provided by MEYS totalled CZK 4,349 million (up 24.6%). Funds from other state budget sources and local government budgets were provided in the amount of CZK 575 million (a year-on-year decrease of 0.3%). Foreign subsidies amounted to CZK 196 million (down 35.6%), while revenue from structural funds amounted to CZK 610 million. The MEYS non-capital contribution to educational activities and subsidies for institutional support in 2018 amounted to CZK 2,729 million, which is 38.6% of the total revenue. The non-capital contribution to educational activities (A+K indicator) was CZK 2,016 million (a year-on-year increase of 14.1%), and institutional support was provided in the amount of CZK 714 million (up 18.2%). Non-capital subsidies for student accommodation and meals were provided in the amount of CZK 23 million (down 1.5%). Non-capital subsidies for research and development (institutional and project-specific) amounted to CZK 1,841 million (a year-on-year increase of 1.5%), of which CZK 1,215 million was from the MEYS (up 10%). A further CZK 520 million came from other state budget sources and local government budgets (down 5.9%), 107 million CZK from foreign research subsidies (down 32.5%) and 179 million CZK from subsidies for research projects under OP RDE. MUNI revenue from non-public sources amounted to CZK 2,183 million (a year-on-year increase of 5.8%), of which CZK 1,989 million come from MU's main activities (up 6%) and CZK 193 million from complementary activities (up 2.7%). In 2018, MUNI managed assets with a total purchase value of CZK 17,400 million (a year-on-year increase of 4.3%), of which CZK 17,028 million was in tangible fixed assets (up 4.1%) and CZK 372 million was in intangible fixed assets (up 15.1%). The total accumulated depreciation of assets amounted to CZK 6,940 million. The total depreciation of assets is 39.9%. The university maintained the trend set in the previous two years and made only minor changes in its budget for 2019. One of the newly-introduced changes to the budgeting rules involves establishing the contribution of individual university economic centres to the financing of centralised investment projects and major repairs that MUNI agreed after a careful analysis of planned investment projects in 2019-2024. During this period, MUNI plans to conduct extensive renovation work; to refurbish and develop existing university infrastructure, especially with support from MEYS investment programmes and operational programmes (OP RDE); and to take advantage of current opportunities to purchase and exchange real estate. By making the most of these possibilities, it would no longer be possible to cover funding and co-funding requirements from existing balances in centralised funding accounts. Therefore, a new part of the financial resources was allocated in the MUNI budget, to which the faculties and university departments contribute according to their share in utilised areas. For 2019, it is CZK 41 million, which replaced the existing centralised funds for financing investment construction projects and major repairs. For the purpose of co-funding and funding investment projects, an amount of approximately CZK 23 million was allocated, with the consent of the MUNI Academic Senate, in centralised funds from the additional grant for educational activities in 2018 by the MEYS. In connection with this change, the system for calculating charges for the use of centralised resources was transformed. Now, each economic centre pays based on its overall share in contributing to the previous year's revenues. Another important change was a modification to the weighting of the RUV (artwork output) indicator that was updated from 0.67% to 0.70% based upon the actual value of allocated RUV points for MUNI (0.03 of a percentage point was shifted to the RUV from the RIV indicator). 10.7 Internal Control System 10.8 Masaryk University Archives The main criteria that ensure the effective functioning of the MUNI Internal Control System (ICS) are a functional financial management system, which was established in accordance with Act No. 320/2001 Coll., on Financial Control in Public Administration, as amended, and Decree No. 416/2004 Coll., and an internal audit. The efficiency of the internal control system at MUNI is ensured by integrated methodological procedures that include a system for competency assignment across all linear and project management, as well as a transparent risk management system. Additional strengths include a highly functional electronic workflow, and a transparent system of ongoing and follow-up financial inspections. Internal auditing is performed in accordance with the Act on Financial Control, the MU Internal Auditing Statute, and international auditing standards. Auditing is focused on financial and project management, internal systems, processes and risk management. The severity of any discrepancies found is assessed in relation to the significance of the risk in question; the internal audit is based on financial corrections carried out as a result of inspections by public administrative agencies. Internal auditing continuously monitors and regularly evaluates the ICS at MUNI and projects, including the fulfilment of measures adopted. In accordance with the annual activity plan, a majority of all auditing activity carried out in 2018 included project sustainability auditing linked to RDIOP and OP RDE. Their subject matter focused on areas related to funding, project input and goal transparency, and the implementation of mandatory monitoring indicators. In 2018, a total of 98 financial and project inspections took place at MUNI. Of the total number of projects audited, Czech Science Foundation (GA CR) projects represented 62%; OP EC projects, 9%; H2020 projects, 5%; OP RDE and RDIOP projects, 8%; MA projects, 4%; and other projects, 12% (MI, OP E, TA CR, SoMoPro, Norway Grants and other grant projects). In 2018, payments for breaches of budgetary discipline, including penalties, amounted to CZK 1,768 thousand. The highest additionally assessed amounts were mainly related to public procurement, with the share of partners amounting to 71% of the total assessed base. In view of outcomes from internal auditing, management, and external inspections, it may be said that the key financial control requirements, that is, demonstrability and the "four eyes and two signatures" principles for any financial operation, have been met. The internal control system is functional, and risk has been kept at a reasonable minimum. The archive supervises MUNI's filing service, selects materials to be archived, keeps records of them, facilitates the study of archival materials and provides related professional activities. In 2018, 20 disposal procedures and 6 non-disposal procedures were conducted. In total 187 metres of documents were assessed, of which 124 metres were selected for archiving. As part of the non-disposal procedures, the personal collections of six prominent figures were acquired. They included the collections of philosopher, psychologist, Czech resistance fighter and political prisoner Robert Konečný; founder and first dean of the Faculty of Social Studies of MU, sociologist Ivo Možný; writer, journalist and translator Antonín Přidal; historian Jaroslav Mezník; psychologist Boleslav Bárta; and legal historian Jiří Cvetler. At the end of the year, the archive recorded a total of 240 funds and collections with a total of 2,429 metres; 60.5 metres of archival documents of an institutional nature and 9 metres of the newly inventoried collection of František Trávníček were processed. A total of 80 researchers visited the reading room, 6 of whom were foreigners, making altogether 243 research visits; 215 searches were made for official purposes and 102 for private use. In 2018, the archive contributed to preparing publications for MUNI's centenary; it provided extensive research services for authors, prepared documents, digitised images and text materials, and provided expert consultation. It also provided the same services to the curators of the MUNI 100 exhibition planned for 2019 and to the Czech Television producers of a documentary about MUNI entitled OpenFortress (Otevřenápevnost). Materials from the archive were also presented at the University and Republic Exhibitions, 100 years - 100 objects - 100 stories (Charles University) and 1993: A Year of Independence and Freedom? (Mendel Museum of MU). The archive was involved in an international COURAGE research project entitled Cultural Opposition: Understanding the Cultural Heritage of Dissent in the Countries of the Former Socialist Block, where it contributed to creating a digital database of online and offline collections. In cooperation with the Regional Authority of the South Moravian Region, the archive was again involved in the Brno Museum Night event; more than 150 people visited the archive on capacity-limited tours, and approximately twice as many visited the freely accessible parts of the archive. The ELZA software prototype underwent internal testing. It was developed as part of an applied research project funded by the Technological Agency of the Czech Republic and designed for the electronic processing and description of archival materials. This software is still under development and is expected to be fully implemented by the end of 2019. 10.9 Providing Information Since MUNI is a public university, information provision is its leading, and in many cases most frequent, activity. The greatest measure of information was provided directly by MUNI staff, depending on expertise, in response to various types of request. Answers to these requests were not mandatory under the law. For example, 614 requests for information sent to the general MUNI e-mail address info@muni.cz were processed, and more than 8,500 requests for information were submitted to prihlaska@muni.cz, an e-mail address designated for communication with applicants. To process written requests for information mandatory under the law, guidelines were prepared in accordance with the Act on Free Access to Information and published atmuni.cz/general/information_providing/mu_regulations. In 2018,18 written requests for information were submitted in this way, all of which were processed by the legal deadlines. In 2018, the courts heard no cases against Masaryk University related to its legal obligation to provide information. In this period, neither Masaryk University nor any of its employees were subject to any sanctions for failure to comply with the law. Total non-investment MUNI revenues CO cn Non-investment revenues in thousands CZK CO 0,319 in ,305 076,9 CO o T- o CO CO J— 1"^ CO 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 294,606 MUNI fund depletion (excluding subsidy special-purpose funds) 1,430,565 Own sources and supplementary activity 1,566,347 Other public sources for R&D 7,076. Total non-investment MUNI revenues in 2018 in thousands CZK Structure of non-investment revenues in 2018 in thousands CZK 2,015,949 Educational activity contribution (indicators A+K) 1,047,158 Other public sources for educational activities 722,328 Institutional R&D support 6% Other costs 52% Personnel and social costs MUNI cost structure in 2018 17% Subsidy write-offs and transfers to funds 10% Material, utilities, maintenance, insurance 15% Services, travel, scholarships Total investment expenditure at M 05 in in CO o in Investment expenditure in thousands CZK cm co co co co I 200S 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 201S Immovable and movable MUNI assets in thousands CZK cm co 0) cm co co o o cm co cm co r» 1— co 1- co co o * 1- co o co 1- cm m 0> co in co in o 0> of co * * cm cm o i- o m * m co o to cm 0> i— co o cm co in (O r» r» CO co o o o o o T— I- 1- I- cm m r« co 1— * cm m m o cm 1- (O 0) cm to co co ^ co cm co (O to ^ ^ i- r» in to o co co cm in in cm to co r» cm cm 1— (0 O cm cm (O o i- co co o_ co 0> co cm cm co co co in in in in (O Immovable MUNI assets Movable MUNI assets 200S 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 201S MUNI facilities with year-round use in 2018 122 Useful area of these facilities 421,934 m2 Classrooms and laboratories 58,007 m2 Net useful area of these facilities 240,314 m2 Outdoor sporting grounds 9,309 m2 Libraries, archives and reading rooms 9,231 m2 74 74 74 Information Systems and IT Support Development of Information Infrastructure and Information Systems 11.1 Masaryk University Information System 11.2 11.1 Development of Information Infrastructure and Information Systems The Masaryk University Information Infrastructure falls under the activities of the Institute of Computer Science (ICS MU). The development of the information infrastructure of Masaryk University, the backbone of which is about 140 km of optical cable network, has been significantly influenced by the implementation of the MUNfystudents project in 2018. A key activity was a significant expansion in coverage of almost all MUNI locations with a state-of-the-art wireless network. A total of 1,059 new access points was acquired, with 104 switches, and approx. 6,700 metres of new cabling was added to the service backbone. As part of the project, the Institute coordinated a massive replacement of computers and printers reserved for students at the faculties; about 1,000 PCs and 20 multifunctional printers were involved in total. The project's resources were also used for extensive reconstruction of the central computer study room (CPS), which is now divided into three zones: a study zone intended exclusively for self-study, a quiet zone for relaxation and refreshment and a social zone for teamwork; all this while maintaining the unique 24/7 opening hours with appropriate technical and social facilities. In addition to the project, the building of a single MUNI cloud infrastructure on OpenStack architecture continued; there is a total computing capacity of 3,500 cores available to which 18 GPUs were added. VMWare Cloud Storage of Critical Services has 1PB available; user data has almost 4 PB; 1.2 PB has been added for data storage at UKB. The CERIT-SC e-infrastructure has acquired a 60-node computing cluster with 2x AMD EPYC 7351 processors and 10 PB storage. Migration of user data to the Microsoft O365 environment has also begun, and a new system for central management of employee computers and laptops has been created in the MS Windows environment. To support employee and student orientation, the IT Services Catalogue, which also includes services provided by individual departments of the university, has been revised. The internationally certified CSIRT-MU security team has deployed a new generation of monitoring infrastructure at the 40-Gbps MUNI backbone, implemented a blocking system for the unwanted operation of unsafe domains and extended the system for managing reported security incidents. There are over ten major university-wide internal information systems at MUNI. They are covered by the MUNI Portal, which collects information not only from these systems in a well-arranged way tailored to the needs of the user. Besides the MUNI study Information System, a key university-wide system is the economic and administrative information system, which provides comprehensive support for university administration in economics, human resources, wages, research and internal administration. It consists of two closely interconnected subsystems - EIS Magion, provided by an external supplier, and the internally developed INET, supplemented by the web GIS Kompas, which was also developed internally. Magion serves 916 users from MUNI's economic and personnel departments, and consists of economic, property and personnel-wage modules. INET is designated for the entire university community (33 thousand active users) as a Magion extension, significantly complementing and expanding its functions, which also covers science, research, internal administration and operational services. Kompas is designated especially for the operations departments and building management staff to search and visualise real estate and technology objects. Seven universities cooperate on Magion development, all associated in the MagNet network coordinated by MUNI, which systematically cooperates with all universities in the Czech Republic. In 2018, Magion's development responded both to changes in Czech and EU legislation (by supporting the GDPR regulation, by implementing the guaranteed wage, by transition to qualified digital signatures according to elDAS), and to selected operating requirements (adjustments for foreign wage payments, job position systemisation support, and linking contracts and orders with the Internal Contract Register). The year 2018 brought INET further development of the electronic-paperless office. In the economy, the development and pilot operation of the system for creating, approving and signing of economic contracts continued (for example, a link to O365 was created), the system for designing and approving scholarships went into routine operation. In the HR department, pilot operation of a newly-developed comprehensive register of working time and a new system of proposing and approving variable components of wages (bonuses) was launched, and development of a system for creating and approving labour-law documents began. To support GDPR, a personal data processing register and a detailed personal overview of personal data recorded in economic-administrative information systems were created. 11.2 Masaryk University Information System The Computer Science Centre of the Faculty of Informatics provides the administration of university studies through the Masaryk University Information System (IS MU). The system includes administrative and communication services, electronic support of teaching and courses for the public, services for science and research, graduates, the internet Shopping Centre, University Repository and Bureau for electronic administration of applications and official acts including file service and contract register. In 2018, the development of IS MU focused on the elec-tronisaton of processes that facilitate study, teaching and administrative duties of applicants, students, academics, clerks and other MUNI users, and on increasing user-friendliness through responsive design, which represents comfort while working and studying on touchscreen mobile devices. Development of agendas related to the transition to the new study structure continued, also with regard to the temporary concurrence of offered fields of study and programmes. The development focused on creating a system for accreditation and quality education support. A register of doctoral boards and committees was created for doctoral study programmes. The whole process of approving the accreditation procedure was incorporated into Bureau of the IS MU and file service of IS MU. Changes in the new programme structure were reflected in the extensive adaptation of the admission procedure agenda and in the newE-application form. InBureau and the file service, the system for electronic signing was modernized and is now, in accordance with the legislation, based exclusively on a qualified electronic signature and provides a unique solution allowing the signing of tens of thousands of decisions at once. In this way, 66,472 documents were signed in Bureau and the file service in 2018.185,209 files were filed, recording a total of 260,962 documents. The processing of documents follows the rules of a total of 1,590 agendas and in 2018,29,011 users actively worked with the files. In the Internal Contract Register, 3,387 contracts were published at 23 MUNI workplaces. The year 2018 was influenced by many legislative changes and in connection with the adoption of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a comprehensive mechanism respecting the legislation and the processing of personal data protection was introduced on 25 May 2018. A new set of Privacy applications was created to manage personal information. Within the electronisation of study agendas, new services for study support at MUNI were introduced. A pilot version of the Study Planning application has been created to help students understand the requirements for successful completion of their studies. The new version of Calendar has had added many useful features, such as syncing with some of the most widely used external calendars. In Search, the criteria for a more comfortable search have been refined and the new autocomplete has improved in completing the searched text by expanding the searched for words in applications, help, text and other IS MU items. A number of tools for e-learning support have been created or upgraded in the system. A technical solution for sending out bulk mail using an HTML editor has been developed and is used for graphic e-mail editing. A new way of registering in the MU Alumni Network in a responsive design and a new visual style has been implemented for MUNI graduates. A new educational activity called IS Academy aims to improve user's work with the system by performing tasks directly in the system. There were also 47 training sessions and presentations organized in the framework of user education. The MUNI Shopping Centre, providing sales in particular of educational and cultural activities to both MUNI users and the public, generated a turnover of CZK 164 million from a total turnover of CZK 1.51 billion in 2018. In the same year, a total of 108,222 orders were processed for 72,648 customers, out of a total of 1,073,756 orders and 439,821 customers since the beginning of the centre's operation. The development focused on a further deployment of checkout applications that enabled card payment directly at the Shopping Centre Checkout terminal. In the plagiarism detection systems Theses.cz, Odevzdej.cz and Repozitar.cz, search algorithms, support for comfortable use on mobile devices, and other inter-university collaboration functionalities in the area of document originality control have been improved. The systems started to be used more significantly also by secondary schools for secondary vocational activities or seminar, course and graduation works. In 2018, the IS MU development team led an inter-university centralised development project which provided a number of agendas in the study information systems, prepared systems for a new study structure, implemented technical solutions for personal data protection, mass signing by a qualified electronic signature, inter-university accessibility of study and the implementation of other legislative requirements. 1 1 Total visits to www.muni.cz 3,389,000 visits in 2018 E-mails at MUNI 52 million e-mails delivered in 2017 (approximately 143,000 e-mails per day) 88 million e-mails rejected for security reasons 55 million e-mails delivered in 2018 (approximately 152,000 e-mails per day) 106 million e-mails rejected for security reasons 171,700 documents in 2017 of the total 263,700 documents) 177,700 documents in 2018 of the total 260,900 documents) Number of documents in INET and Magion systems electronically signed using the Signature Book application Storage capacity available to MUNI employees 2017 á k 2,900™« 3,900tb 2018 Turnover in the SUPO 138 milion CZK 86 Information system MU in numbers in 2018 1 1 1,003,295,308 Total number of IS MU visits 57,084 persons used IS MU regularly 78,572 persons accessed IS MU occasionally 5,322,779 maximum number of IS MU pages opened in one day As of 31 December 2018, the IS MU data pool held ca. 136 million files amounting to a total of 27 4 TB. IS MU data is recorded in a total of2,220 database tables subdivided into 185 categories. Total number of scripts (individual programmes) in the IS MU: 3,171. Number of IS MU source code modifications: 9,643. Maximum server throughput: 1,578,240 requests processed per hour. Total server downtime: approximately 1,200 minutes. Development of electronic application processing using the records service application Number of purely digital documents 2014 2015 2016 2017 Use of JobCheckln online portal in 2018 412 employers using the services of the portal 2,886 job offers advertised 7,497 students and fresh graduates registered in the portal 6,020 mediated contacts 87 12 MU Faculties and University Institutes Faculty of Law Faculty of Medicine Faculty of Science Faculty of Arts Faculty of Education 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 ■Hill-»; i if III miniu ■išli á„ I II E..JI-: illlilili iiiiiii '-iiiiiii '...únii iiiiiii hiiilmi ■minii i: inii imi 1-4«, b.: iiiiiiilliiiiii iliiüifi ■■■■■■iiiiíiiiiíliilíliiiiiilliii llllllf » KI in iiiili iDiiiiHUiilIíiíiíííiii lil-Jliil ilílillllil ÜiiÜr I JI í liiiíiiiH jHMIi JHíKliH iiliiííiíiifiiíiiiiilL; iWiiiii íiWiiiiilliíiiillllil Wliiíti liiHiiiiiiíiiJHWHI Hllinii 12.1 Faculty of Law The faculty's core field of study is Law, implemented in a full-time mode within the five-year Law and Legal Science Master's degree programme. There is a long-term stable interest in this field, with a total of 2,205 applicants in 2018. In addition to the long Master's programme, the faculty also offers the three-year Bachelor's degree programmes Legal Specializations and Public Administration, which are intended more for law practitioners and are offered exclusively in combined form. The same applies to the follow-up Master's degree programme Public Administration. In total, 2,917 students were enrolled in the faculty's Bachelor's and Master's programmes in 2018. The faculty also offers a doctoral degree programme, Theoretical Legal Sciences, in both full-time and combined forms. Moreover, the Financial Law and Financial Sciences programme can also be studied in English and Polish. Recently, several excellent new research-oriented doctoral study programmes - Legal Theory and Public Affairs, Intellectual Property Law, Comparative Corporate, Foundation and Trust Law and Comparative Constitutional Law - were established and accredited as part of the Transitional Jurisprudence project in cooperation with the Institute of State and Law of the Academy of Sciences. The faculty provides both its students and the general public with access to the largest law library in Central and Eastern Europe, which includes a digital library preserving the faculty's historical book collections, the European Documentation Centre, newly-reconstructed classrooms and a mock courtroom. The Faculty of Law is a member of several prestigious associations of law faculties (international Association of Law Schools, European Law Faculties Association and Rotterdam Law Network). It differs significantly from other law schools by the high number of short-term courses taught in foreign languages by visiting international professors. In 2018, the faculty welcomed more than 40 of these teachers. The number of incoming foreign scholars and student exchanges has been increasing; in 2018 the number of incoming students was higher than the number outgoing for the first time. The number of courses offered in foreign languages is also growing; there were more than 90 in 2018. Under the Erasmus+ programme, the faculty has concluded contracts with more than 120 universities from 28 European countries. Newly, exchange stays have been made possible, for example, at the Universitě Saint-Louis (Belgium), the Catholic University of Toulouse (France), the National University of Public Service (Hungary), the Julius Maximilian University of Wurzburg (Germany), the University of Porto (Portugal), the University of Klagenfurt (Austria) and the University of Lleida (Spain). There is also a tradition of cooperation in the form of joint projects, publications and short-term programmes with the John Marshall Law School (Chicago, USA), the University of Bialystok (Poland), Gdaňsk University (Poland) and the University of Vienna (Austria) under bilateral cooperation agreements. May 2 018 saw the signing of a memorandum with the John Marshall Law School (JMLS), which defined new collaborative opportunities based on shared common goals and responsibilities. Moreover, also in 2018, the long-term cooperation with JMLS and Professor Michael P. Seng, a prominent representative of this school, was ceremonially commemorated and honoured by the awarding of an honorary doctorate by Masaryk University to Professor Seng for his lifetime's work and contribution to the development of law and legal science. The Department of Legal Practice and Clinics organizes activities that develop students' hard and soft legal skills and improve their abilities and future careers options. The department works closely with a host of reputable law firms, non-profit organizations and private entities. The Lifelong Learning Centre created a new two-semester lifelong-learning course entitled Law in a Nutshell for Seniors which provides an overview of law, what law pertains to and what the obligations and rights of ordinary people are. The faculty organizes an annual alumni meeting and official faculty ball; in 2018 this event was held for the 46th time. The faculty strives to develop communication and information platforms through the faculty's Facebook page, the faculty alumni Facebook group and other social networks. In 2018, another traditional meeting of prominent alumni of the Faculty of Law was held, the 12th Days of Law international conference. Young legal scholars and doctoral students had the opportunity to attend the successful 12th annual COFOLA conference. In addition, alumni are welcome at the Law in the Highlands sporting event. In December 2018, the Faculty of Law's Academic Senate elected a new dean, doc. JUDr. Mgr. Martin Skop, Ph.D., who took office on 1 April 2019. A TEAM FROM THE FACULTY OF ME D I THE T HE MEA SU RE FRO M SO BY N A SA ITH HELP Julie Dobrovolna's team from the Faculty of Medicine has tested in practice a mathematical procedure for calculating human stress. Researchers had already come up with a concept of long-term stress measurement based on thermodynamics, where stress is defined as the body's response to environmental stimuli capable of triggering such a response. In 2018, the research team used special borrowed software ^nd, thanks to this collaboration, they joined two projects funded directly by NASA. Photo: Research team leader Julie Dobrovolná (formerly Bienertová-Vašků). 12.2 Faculty of Medicine The year 2018 at the Faculty of Medicine was marked by the arrival of a new dean, prof. MUDr. Martin Bareš, Ph.D., who replaced prof. Jiří Mayer, CSc, as of 1 February, after his second term of office. Right from the start of his term, the new dean addressed one of the most important challenges facing the faculty, namely the negotiation of a national action plan to increase the number of medical students. This plan was approved by the Government of the Czech Republic and represents a significant contribution to the financing of the General Medicine study programme. The faculty has also introduced a performance budget as of 2019, which provides strong incentives for all departments and institutes at the Faculty of Medicine. At the end of 2018, 2,888 students were enrolled in the faculty's Master's degree programmes, 742 in Bachelor's degree programmes and 202 in follow-up Master's programmes. In total, the faculty had nearly 4,400 students in 2018. In July 2018, ground was broken on the building of the Medical Simulation Centre of the Faculty of Medicine (SIMU). Once completed, it will be a unique teaching centre for medical and non-medical students. Interest in studying at the Faculty of Medicine continues to be high; 7,596 applications for the Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes were submitted in 2018 (of which 3,373 were for the General Medicine programme and 1,149 for the Dentistry programme). A total of 720 first-year students enrolled in 2018 (301 in General Medicine and 49 in Dentistry). In addition to the medical Master's degree programmes mentioned above, the faculty currently provides education in several three-year Bachelor's, follow-up Master's degree programmes, and educational programmes for non-physician healthcare staff. These include Physiotherapy, DentalHygienist, Nutrition Therapist, Optics and Optometry, Orthoptics, Radiology Assistant, Laboratory Assistant, Paramedic, General Nurse, Midwife, Intensive Care, Nutrition Specialist, and Optometry. In 2018, preparations began for accrediting the new study programmes Bioanalytical Laboratory Diagnostics in Medicine - Embryologist, Pharmacy, and Public Health Service. In 2018, the faculty participated in organizing several events including the Campus Day meeting in May. This sports day, which also features cultural and social events, born out of cooperation with the faculties operating at the university campus and CEITEC MU on the occasion of Dies academicus20i9, received a very positive response. On 9-10 November 2018 the Faculty of Medicine held a national meeting of representatives from medical faculties in the Czech Republic and Slovakia with more than a hundred participants, including representatives from the Ministry of Education. The response to the meeting was overwhelmingly positive. Thirty-four projects were submitted in response to a call for proposals from the Czech Health Research Council; two proposals directly submitted by the Faculty of Medicine and four which were co-proposed by the faculty won grants. In total, the faculty received funding for six projects - a success rate of 17.6%. The total amount allocated for these successful projects by the Czech Health Research Council was CZK 33.5 million. The faculty was also awarded three grants funded by the Czech Science Foundation worth a total of CZK 17.5 million. Doctoral graduates may participate in the Junior Researcher competition organized by the faculty. In 2018, this scheme funded 24 projects for a total of CZK 8.9 million. Šárka Pospíšilová and Michael Doubek from the Internal Hematology and Oncology Clinic of the Faculty of Medicine received the J.E. Purkyně Award from the board of directors of the Czech Medical Association for the best academic publications. Doctoral students Matěj Bezdíček and Dita Říčná won first place in the first annual Angelini University Award competition thanks to their original contributions to the important issue of antibiotic resistance. ARGEST «ONLINE E L DATABASE OF CZECH FLORA NO UEGETATIO ň ation reqarclinq ■ erts and laypeople alike will now be able to find all verified information regarding the diversity of Czech flora in one place. The pladias.cz portal, which was coordinated by experts from Masaryk University, is a comprehensive database of vegetation on the territory of the Czech Republic. The portal uses data from several Czech herbaria collections, extensive sources of literature, botanical databases and field research. It based on 13 million source records, including interactive maps. The new site is freely available online. oject manager of pladias.cz, Milan Chytrý, from the Faculty of Science MU. 12.3 Faculty of Science In 2018, a total of 1,846 students were enrolled in Bachelor's degree programmes at the Faculty of Science, and there were 827 full-time and 17 combined students in Master's degree programmes. Interest in studying at the faculty remains relatively stable; in 2018/2019,2,432 people applied for a Bachelor's degree programme, having submitted 3,389 applications. The faculty restructured its study programmes in 2018. It also implemented a university-wide quality assessment system; all newly-accredited degree programmes passed both the professional assessment conducted by independent evaluators and MU's BIE evaluation. Before the changes, the faculty originally offered 37 Bachelor's and 48 Master's degree programmes; the faculty now offers 20 Bachelor's and 33 Master's degree programmes that first began admitting students for autumn 2018. The change reduced the number of programmes on offer by more than a third. The new programmes are more structured; the new study plans often offer specializations that correspond with the previous fields of study. The faculty gained accreditation for three completely new Master's degree programmes. The professionally oriented Geoenvironmental Risks and Remediations programme is the first programme at the Faculty of Science in which graduates will be awarded an Engineer's degree. Another newly-accredited professionally-oriented programme is Radiological Physics, which has been authorized by the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic. In the course of the year, work began on preparing the professionally oriented Biotechnology programme, which will also grant its graduates the title of Engineer. The faculty offers a wide range of doctoral degree programmes, with more than 800 doctoral students currently enrolled. Support for the activities of doctoral students is provided in the form of motivational scholarships, which support student participation in conferences, international events, internships, etc. More than CZK 23 million was spent on these activities in 2018. In 2018 the Faculty of Science was granted the prestigious HR Excellence in Research Award by the European Commission. This award has a direct impact on the welfare of existing as well as newly-recruited staff by, for example, funding activities providing vocational and professional growth and support for obtaining external grants from H2020, ERC and other programmes. In 2018, the Faculty of Science adopted a strategy for strengthening its international prestige. For example, start-up grants are providing to excellent emerging experts, such as the recipients of the prestigious MUNI Award in Science and Humanities. Furthermore, specific rules have been implemented at individual institutes in the form of targeted tiered rewards in order to motivate students to publish in top international journals (top 1%, 10% and Qi ISI Web of Knowledge). In the course of 2018, the faculty submitted project proposals to both national and international programmes of the GA CR; MEYS; Horizon 2020; the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic; etc., requesting a total amount of CZK 1.97 million in funding. During 2018, the faculty cooperated with other MUNI institutes on research and teaching activities (FMed, FSpS and CEITEC). This cooperation resulted in joint projects implemented at the RECETOX Institute, the Preclinprogress project focused on chemistry and experimental biology, and the preparation of an application in response to the second call for proposals announced by the European Regional Development Fund, as well as the further interconnection of research and teaching activities. The faculty continued to strengthen activities related to communicating with its employees, students and the public. The faculty newsletter was first distributed in 2018 and quickly became a popular means of communication. Its purpose is to inform students and employees about events at the faculty. The launching of faculty Facebook and Insta-gram accounts also contributed significantly to improving communication. In 2018, the faculty co-organized several events, including the first Campus Day, which included a sports tournament between three of MUNI's faculties and CEITEC. The Science Academy for secondary school students was also held for the first time. The faculty also thinks of children: among other events, it hosted the MjUNI Children's University at the university campus in Bohunice and at the historical faculty campus in Kotlářská Street. A nationwide round of the Chemistry Olympiad was also held at the faculty, several open houses were held for those interested in studying at the faculty, and a number of professional clubs and distance-learning seminars in different fields also enjoyed great popularity. In addition, the public could attend many public lectures, excursions, and professional courses, with the Mght of Scientists being the largest such event in which 35 facilities presented their work. The faculty site was visited by over 3,500 visitors during the event. 12.4 Faculty of Arts The Faculty of Arts offers study programmes in diverse fields of study, including philology, history, art, cultural studies, philosophy, pedagogy, psychology and religion. In 2018, more than 6,500 students were enrolled at the faculty. The faculty received 6,130 applications for Bachelor's degree programmes and 6,130 for follow-up Master's degree programmes in 2018. The faculty's degree programmes also underwent a major overhaul as part of the accreditation process. A wide variety of scholarship programmes are in place to support students at the FA. To boost student motivation, the Dean's Prize of the Faculty of Arts is awarded annually during Humanities Week for excellent Bachelor's, Master's and Doctoral theses. Recipients are awarded scholarships in addition to their diplomas. Nine summer schools with international participation were held at the faculty, including the 51st Summer School of Slavonic (Bohemistic) Studies and the 3rd Central Europe: A Birthplace of Modernity summer school. During the academic year, another 18 international events, workshops and conferences took place. In 2018, there was a slight decline in student mobility at the faculty, which likely reflects the reduction in the total number of students at the faculty. There were 504 outgoing students and 581 incoming international students at the faculty. The number of incoming employees is increasing; 1,061 international guests visited the Faculty of Arts in 2018, and 747 members of the faculty's academic staff went abroad. The faculty continued its efforts to foster international relations; new cooperation agreements with Czech Centres in Ukraine and interfaculty agreements with universities in India, China and Switzerland were signed. The existing collaboration with Rikkyo University in Japan, National Taiwan Normal University and National Taiwan University was expanded. A double-degree programme contract was signed with Rovira i Virgili University in Spain as part of the Catalan Language and Literature Bachelor's programme. In 2018, the faculty focused on promoting its study programmes at educational fairs in Moscow, Kiev, Astana, Almaty, Guangzhou, Baku, Tbilisi, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The aim was to recruit applicants for programmes implemented in English and Czech and students for the Department of Czech for Foreigners. There were 650 students enrolled in doctoral programmes in 2018; in recent years the percentage of doctoral students at the faculty has been gradually increasing. As part of the Inter cultural Dimension ofDoctoral Studies in Philology project, agreements on the integration of international doctoral courses in philological fields were concluded with 11 foreign universities for newly-accredited programs. Four jointly-supervised doctoral theses were defended, and another 11 jointly-supervised doctorates are under way. For the top 15 doctoral students, an excellence scholarship for one year was introduced. In 2018, the faculty was highly successful in gaining project funding from highly prestigious grant programmes, mainly via EXPRO GA CR grants and bilateral-project grants awarded by the Czech Science Foundation. The faculty's success in the field of top international research is rooted in its broad research base supported mainly by standard Czech Science Foundation project grants and the promisingly increasing number of applied research projects funded under TA CR schemes. Additionally, projects based on cooperation between the Faculty of Arts and the City of Brno continued, one of the most significant being the History of Brno project, which will culminate in the publication of an eight-volume synthesis of the city's history. The Faculty of Arts initiated the involvement of Charles University and Palacký University in Humanities Week in 2018. This public-awareness-raising week was opened with a public debate between faculty deans and a joint symposium on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Czechoslovak Republic entitled 1918: TGM and New Quests for Czech Science and Philosophy. The Faculty of Arts' Institute of Czech Language, together with a team of linguists from 13 countries, helped prepare the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Czech, which was awarded the prestigious main prize in 2018's 25th annual competition organized by the Union of Interpreters and Translators. It was selected as the best lexicographic title out of a field of 63. The faculty also organized a number of Open Days and LPT dry runs, and participated in the Night of Scientists. Events organized for high school students and for the public were listed at otevrena.phil.muni.cz. Several activities for the public were also organized by student clubs, whose activities are supported by the faculty's Scholarship Programme for the Support of Associations, Cultural and Art-related Activities of Students of the Faculty of Arts. In 2018,18 projects were awarded a total of CZK 190,897. Typical projects include theatre performances, the publication of student magazines, and the organization of seminars and cultural events. 12.5 Faculty of Education Nearly 5,000 students were enrolled at the Faculty of Education in 2018, of which 2,717 were in Bachelor's programmes, 536 in Master's programmes and 1,399 in follow-up Master's programmes. For the 2018/2019 academic year, 7,634 applications were received. There were 139 doctoral students at the faculty, studying in four study programmes: Special Education, Pedagogy, Specialization in Pedagogy and Philology. During 2018 many fields of study were successfully transformed into study programmes which already be implemented in the 2019/2020 academic year. Forty-six new study programmes have recently been accredited at the faculty, of which 23 are Bachelor's programmes and 23 in the related Master's degree programmes. In October 2018, the Faculty of Education was the first in the Czech Republic to receive accreditation from the Ministry of Health for training new non-medical healthcare professionals as part of the Behavioural Analyst, Behavioural Analyst Assistant and Behavioral Technician programmes, which will be on offer from September 2019 in the form of lifelong-learning qualification courses. Eighty-three international students participating in mobility programmes were welcomed to the faculty, while 198 of the faculty's own students went abroad to study or complete internships. The faculty revised its existing agreements on collaboration and innovated the way in which it promotes student mobility. New contracts were concluded with JAMK Jyvaskyla (Finland), the University of Leu-ven-Limburg (Belgium), Marnix Academie (Netherlands) and the University of Cergy-Pontoise, Paris (France). In addition, collaboration with the University of Minnesota (USA) and The Hague University of Applied Sciences (the Netherlands) was intensified to improve internationalization. The faculty organized or helped organize 10 academic conferences in the 2018 calendar year, nine of which were international and four of which were attended by more than 60 people. Furthermore, several summer schools took place, such as the Summer School ofAppliedBehavioral Analysis and the Summer School in Educational Transactional Analysis under the guidance of Austrian lecturer Dr. Sylvie Schachner. Doc. PaedDr. Eduard Hofmann, CSc, received a prestigious award for his contributions to the development of the didactics of geography and the theory and practice of field teaching, namely the Tier 1 Ministry ofEducation, Youth and Sports Medal, the highest award in the field of education. The MU Rector's Award for Teacher of the Year in the Field of Social Sciences and Humanities was presented to Mgr. Miroslav Chocholatý, Ph.D. The Commemorative Letter of the Minister ofEducation, Youth and Sports for representing the Czech Republic in international knowledge competitions held in 2018 was awarded to RNDr. Hana Svobodová, Ph.D. The Faculty of Arts Dean's Award for Outstanding Doctoral Thesis went to Mgr. et Mgr. Marek Lollok, Ph.D., and the MU Rector's Award for Outstanding Artistic Work was presented to Mgr. Markéta Bohmová, a Voice Education - Music graduate. In 2018, the faculty was involved in 7 GA CR projects, 28 MUDF projects, two interdisciplinary projects, one existing TA CR project, three new TA CR projects and 13 specific research projects. The faculty is also pursuing 14 projects receiving funding under OP RDE. In 2018, two cross-border projects under the Operational Program Interreg CR-SR, eight Erasmus+ international projects, one HORIZONT 2020 project and one COST project were also under way at the Faculty ofEducation. Moreover, faculty staff engaged in international cooperation in implementing Visegrád, AKTION and MOBILITY projects, collaborated with the Czech Development Agency to help the Ukraine and more. A total of 95 projects were implemented at the Faculty of Education in 2018. The faculty's largest investment project in 2018 was the result of involvement in the Support of the Development of Study Environment at Universities project, as part of which the faculty invested a total of CZK 34.5 million. Thanks to this project, the university acquired, among other things, 248 new classroom computers, equipment and furniture for 18 classrooms and 5 music rooms, new printers for student use, more Wi-Fi access points and new electronic databases as well as other teaching equipment. In 2018, several events for employees, students and the general public were held at the faculty, including Teachers' Day celebrations, aSportsDay for Children and the Faculty of Education's Advent Concert. In the autumn, the faculty was involved in the sixth annual Inclusive Week educational event, organizing several discussions and seminars. In 2018, it organized the Roundtable on the Issue of Beginning Teachers, which took place on the occasion of the publication of the research results of a Faculty ofEducation team dealing with the professional situation of novice teachers. The faculty also hosted a discussion with Ukrainian journalist Denys Kazansky on the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Grow with Go gle OUTSTA SHARED DING PERSO THEIR KNOW ALITI HOW WITH STUDENTS. AMONG THEM WAS A SUCCESSOR TO THE HABSBURG THRONE AND A GOOGLE DIRECTOR ts from the Faculty of Econom r field and build on the knowle During 2018, students from the Faculty of Economics and Administration were able to meet important professionals in their field and build on the knowledge acquired in their courses. At the end of October, Karl Habsburg-Lorraine visited the faculty to give a lecture on a century of development in Central Europe, from the transnational Habsburg monarchy to the modern region. In December, Tatana le Moigne, director of the Czech, Slovak, Romanian and Hungarian branches of Google, passed on her experience with the transformation of the labour market and digitization. Discussions with prominent figures are highly sought-after events that enrich the learning experience at the faculty. Photo: A Google director Tatana le Moigne at a discussion with students. 12.6 Faculty of Economics and Administration In 2018, more than 2,500 students were enrolled at the Faculty of Economics and Administration, of which 1,410 studied in Bachelor's degree programmes, 1,087 in follow-up Master's programmes and 83 in doctoral programmes. In the course of the year, the study programmes at Masaryk University's Faculty of Economics and Administration were reaccredited in connection with the entry into force of the amendment to the Higher Education Act. In the process, a new offering of study programmes was established at the FE A. A new system of faculty regulations governing the internal evaluation of study programmes at the FEA, which reflects MUNI standards, was also introduced. In connection to these changes, steps were taken to build a quality assurance system, and a new faculty Board of Study Programmes was set up as a platform for internal discussion and evaluation of study programmes. In 2018, innovations were implemented in the faculty admissions system, which will be introduced in 2019. In connection with the long-term priority of reducing the number of students who do not complete their degrees, the introduction of faculty and field/programme sponsors for academic success was also a crucial point. In 2018, discussions continued on establishing a double-discipline interfaculty study programme in English, as well as supporting the extension of the range of fields of study on offer with direct participation of international universities in France, Italy, Portugal and Finland. The faculty has managed to maintain the number of outgoing students leaving for study or work experiences abroad and increase the number of international students admitted as full-time students in follow-up Master's degree programmes in English and the number of incoming exchange students (more than 200 students a year in total). In 2018, the network of new Erasmus+ partners was successfully expanded, and the faculty had a presence at several international fairs (e.g., in Vietnam, Russia and the Netherlands). Compulsory general knowledge courses and field-specific doctoral courses were restructured and updated in the process of re-accrediting doctoral programmes. Following the relevant government regulation, the obligation to complete an internship abroad or its equivalent was introduced, and uniform standards for completing long-term internships as part of Ph.D. studies at the FEA were established. In doing so, the faculty continues to support its doctoral students in practically applying their knowledge on the market. One fundamental qualitative change in science and research at the FEA to occur in 2018 was the large increase in the number of projects funded by prestigious grant schemes, especially the Horizon 2020 programme. At the end of 2018, the faculty had implemented or received approval for four H2020 projects, including cooperation with the large industrial manufacturer Gorenje Group (Slovenia). Moreover, the faculty was the only institution in the Czech Republic to receive support for a project focused on the socioeconomic sciences entitled New Mobility -High-Speed Transport Systems and Traffic Behaviour of the Population under the Long-term Inter-sector Cooperation call for proposals (the OP RDE programme); the FEA is the main project coordinator and cooperates, for example, with Charles University, Czech Railways and Siemens. In the realm of business partnerships, the faculty received new support from the companies ABSL and IBM Slovakia. Another important achievement was the signing of memoranda of cooperation with ABB, Ltd. and Blue Shield International. Nearly all the FEA students were directly affected by collaboration with KPMG, an important faculty partner that has sponsored reading corners in the faculty's building. Equally important is the faculty's involvement in the national Economic Olympiad competition, of which the FEA became a partner in 2018. In the realm of public activities, the FEA, together with other MUNI faculties, joined the MiniErasmus pilot project. This project gave secondary school students the opportunity to find out what it is like to study at university. The faculty also organizes TopSeC, or Top Students Centre, which offers students from all MUNI faculties a unique opportunity to meet experts in their fields, practise tendering, work on their soft skills and gain interesting practical knowledge. In 2018, students had the chance to attend workshops held by Ernst & Young, Delloitte and Bisnode, and take part in an excursion to the Vienna Insurance Group in Vienna and the Lidl logistics centre in Mefin. Furthermore, the FEA made its premises available for a ceremony commemorating the 100-year anniversary of Czechoslovak statehood and a small-leafed linden was planted at the faculty, one of a hundred such trees planted in the South Moravia Region as part of the 100 Lindens, 100 Celebrations project. In 2018, lectures given by Karl Habsburg-Lorraine and Tatana le Moigne, the director of the Czech branch of Google at the FEA received heavy media coverage. YOUNG COMPUTER IENTIST FROM MASARYK IUERSITY HELPE IMIIIATE ERRORS NSTITUTE 12.7 Faculty of Informatics In 2018, the faculty saw increased interest in Bachelor's degree programmes (the number of applications increased by 18% year-on-year); more than one third of the applicants met the criteria for waiving the entrance examination. The percentage of Slovak students in Bachelor's and follow-up Master's programmes rose slightly to 52%. Since 2014, the faculty has been providing motivational scholarships in the amount of CZK 7,000 to newly-admitted Bachelor's programme students with excellent secondary school grades in mathematics or who have won prestigious competitions. Students can receive academic scholarships for excellent academic records. In the spring semester 136 students were eligible for this scholarship and in the autumn semester, 106 students. In 2018, the faculty successfully completed the process of accrediting new degree programs. Three follow-up Master's study programmes can now be studied fully in English. Also new is the single-subject Computer Science study programme. In 2018, the faculty established a new scholarship programme to increase the attractiveness of doctoral studies. Regular doctoral scholarships for all first-year doctoral students and those in higher years who have high-quality publications have been increased with faculty funding. In February 2018, scholarships were increased by a fixed monthly amount of CZK 3,700. Together with the basic scholarship and specific research funding, the faculty now provides active, successful doctoral students with a scholarship of at least CZK 18,700. In addition, special calls under the already established scholarship programme for supporting talented doctoral students, within which a limited number of better-paid positions can be created for talented doctoral students, continue to be announced. Funds for these positions are obtained from departmental budgets, project grants and contributions from the faculty's commercial partners. At the end of 2018,30 companies were cooperating with the faculty as part of the Association of Industrial Partners: 4 companies as strategic partners, 10 companies as partners and 16 companies as SME partners. Only a company that directly supports doctoral research with a scholarship amounting to a minimum of CZK 10,000 per month can become a strategic partner. Since 2016, the faculty managed to increase the number of such supported positions from 4 to 10. Special attention is also paid to graduates who, as employees of various companies that maintain close ties with the faculty, provide feedback, for example, by collaborating on the accreditation of the faculty's innovated study programmes. Under standard exchange programmes (primarily Eras-mus+, but also individual contracts), a total of 59 students travelled abroad to study and another three to participate in work traineeships; 47 foreign students arrived at the faculty under mobility programmes. Thirty-eight foreign students (including Ph.D. students, but not counting students from Slovakia) were enrolled in the faculty's English-taught programmes. A large portion of successfully defended theses were written in English: over half of Master's degree theses and over one third of Bachelor's degree theses (100% of dissertations). The faculty also tried to maintain communication with graduates; in the spring semester of 2018, the first English-language newsletter was distributed to FI graduates. The FI graduates' group on Linkedln has over 1,500 members (out of over 5,000 FI graduates). There is increasing emphasis on theses that are written in cooperation with the private sector. In 2018,39 Bachelor's degree theses and 68 Master's degree theses that were produced in cooperation with companies were successfully defended. In 2018, faculty employees received funding and started to work on six GA CR projects (five standard projects, one international project with Germany), and two TA CR projects, as well as one MIT - OP EIC project, MEYS - Mobility, one MEYS OP RDE project (as a partner at MUNI with ICS), one South Moravian Region project, and a Ministry of Culture - NAKIII project and two interdisciplinary GAMU projects. Thanks to the new Masaryk Award in Science and Humanities (MASH) grant scheme, the faculty was able to recruit prof. Daniel Kráľ from the University of Warwick; he was appointed to the DonaldErvinKnuthProfessorial Chair, 12.8 Faculty of Social Studies In 2018, 2,825 students were enrolled at the Faculty of Social Studies in Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes. In the same year the FSS carried out the transformation of fields of study into study programmes, using it as an opportunity to diversify its curricula and innovate some of the original fields. In Bachelor's degree programmes this change was completed in 2018; in Master's degree programmes it will be completed in the first half of 2019. The year 2018 was a festive one, since the faculty celebrated its 20th anniversary. The faculty took the opportunity to strengthen internal cohesion and improve relations with the public and graduates. To mark its anniversary, the FSS organized a series of events for the academic community and the public, including a meeting of graduates and a music festival. During the celebrations, a bust of the faculty's founder, Dean Emeritus prof. Ivo Možný, was unveiled. As part of Faculty Day on 19 April, the FSS presented the I. A. BláhaAward to the authors of the best Bachelor's theses. Nine students received the award, each representing one of the faculty's departments. The award is connected with a scholarship and an appearance at a student conference. In November, the 10th Multimedia Day was held at the faculty, organized by the Department of Media Studies and Journalism in cooperation with the Association of High School Clubs of the Czech Republic. The faculty has a long track record in excellence in teaching courses and offering degree programmes in English. In 2018, the Bachelor's degree programme International Relations and European Studies was opened for the second year; 34 students enrolled. Conflict and Democracy Studies, a follow-up Master's degree programme in political science, was promoted online on both national and international websites as well as at international fairs. Thanks to the implementation of projects supported by the MU Development Fund, the FSS's offering of courses taught in foreign languages was expanded to include the new courses Introduction to Linear Models (international Territorial Studies) and European Societies (Sociology). In 2018, the Department of International Relations and European Studies of the FSS organized the 7th annual International Energy Security Summer School in Telč. In October, the 17th international interdisciplinary seminar European Graduate School for Social Sciences took place in Telč, with students attending from ELTE University in Budapest, Jagiellonian University in Cracow, Charles University, Comenius University in Bratislava, Masaryk University, the University of Rijeka, the University of Vienna, the University of Zagreb and the University of Zadar. The Center for Psychotherapy Research at the Department of Psychology organized the 6thPsychotherapeutic Symposium in May, the topic of which was case studies. The Department for Research and Doctoral Studies and the Project Support Section were merged to create the Department for Research and Project Support at the Fac- ulty of Social Studies. The aim of establishing this department was to strengthen the quality of project support and to make better use of project support know-how. A new website that provides comprehensive information for project promoters was created. The department also produces a regular newsletter to help relevant project-related information reach the department's target audience. The FSS actively cooperates with non-profit organizations, especially through the implementation of joint projects. An example of such cooperation is collaboration with Lipka, an environmental education facility that aims, among other things, to develop the social and civic competence of primary and secondary school pupils through education about sustainable development. Furthermore, the FSS participates in the creation and verification of programmes for teachers and secondary school students that will lead to the development of competences for democratic culture. In collaboration with the Centre for the Study of Democracy and Culture, the FSS focuses primarily on building the values of human dignity, human rights, democracy and the rule of law, and fostering a critical understanding of the world. The Department of Sociology cooperates with the non-profit organization NESEHNUTÍ Brno on the OP RDE project Schools of Equality: Equality Starts at School. Students and teachers at the Department of Political Science participate in the continuation of the project Choose Your Info: Fight Against Fake News, which was followed by the Fdkescape project, an educational escape game for high school students. The Department of Environmental Studies co-organized the 44th International Ekofilm Film Festival. Among the members of the jury were the prominent Israeli director and university teacher Yael Perlov and former Environment Minister Ladislav Miko. The festival attracted more than 5,000 visitors. 12.9 Faculty of Sports Studies In 2018,836 students were enrolled in Bachelor's degree programmes and 387 in follow-up Master's degree programmes at the Faculty of Sports Studies. There were 66 students in the doctoral degree programme. In 2018, 361 graduates successfully completed their studies. Applicants for Bachelor's studies showed the greatest interest in the Physiotherapy, Sports Management, and Physical Education and Sport with a Specialty in Coaching programmes. At Master's level, demand for all fields of study was fairly balanced. Applicants from other universities interested in follow-up Master's programmes made up one third of all applicants. In 2018, the faculty successfully re-accredited existing Bachelor's degree programmes, which have been transformed into a new degree programme, Physical Education and Sport with individual specializations. As a result, in 2019, students will be able to enrol in this degree programme and choose specializations, such as regeneration and nutrition in sports, coaching, etc. As part of OP RDE MUNI 4.0 projects, a new Bachelor's degree programme, Personal and Fitness Trainer, was accredited. Master's degree programmes were re-accredited as well. Two courses with newly-acquired accreditation and authorization were introduced at the faculty within the lifelong learning programme: CORE TRAINING with the Use of the Bossa and Bosu® Balance Sections and Medic for Recreational Activities. Consequently, the faculty has updated cooperation agreements with coaching associations and with associations and clubs providing coach training, and created new lifelong-learning programmes. The publication activity of faculty academic staff increased in 2018. A total of 50 journal articles were published, along with 4 monographs, 7 book chapters, and 53 articles in conference proceedings. In the period under review, the faculty submitted 88 project proposals to faculty, university, national and international grant schemes. Contractual research with Aries continued under Operational Programme Enterprise and Innovation for Competitiveness. The implementation of the faculty-wide project Physical Activity, Cognitive Functions and Selected Aspects of Fitness of Children Aged 10-11 Years, which is financed by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, began. The faculty assumed the role of co-investigator in the OP RDE project Quality Inclusive Education of Students with Special Educational Needs in Primary and Secondary Schools and was a partner in an international NASME (New Age of Sport Management) project aimed at sharing sports management skills within the Erasmus+ network. The year 2018 saw the establishment of the Panel on Ethics of Research at FSpS, which comments on ethical aspects of research with human subjects. In cooperation with the Faculty of Education, the FSpS organized the Students'Academy ofPsychomotricity20i8 with the subtitle We Like to Move It. This event is held annu- ally, each time in a different country, under the auspices of the European Forum of Psychomotricity (EFP). In 2018, the FSpS developed cooperation with foreign institutions; three new contracts were signed with partner universities in Finland, China and Slovakia. As part of mobility programmes, 33 students, 14 academic and 5 non-academic employees went abroad. The number of incoming international students rose to 64, and 12 international university employees arrived for a study stay or to complete a training course. The faculty began cooperating with Beijing Sport University, and now 18 students from this university are studying part of the specially prepared Football Referee degree programme in 2018/2019. The summer-school offering has also been expanded. The traditional 6th Summer School of Combatives was held, and the Summer School of Sport and Exercise Sciences was introduced in 2018. During 2018, the FSpS organized or participated in the organization of a great number of events with a society-wide impact. Most demanding was the organization of the Czech Academic Games. As part of the Games, the FSpS held the first annual Weightlifting and Fitness Training in Strength Sports conference. The Metrostav Handbike Cy-clomarathon was held in cooperation with the faculty, and other sports, charity and educational events for the public were organized in cooperation with partners in the region, including the Special Olympics, the Brno Juggling Convention, the Meeting with Olympic Champions, the MasarykRun, Cafe with Coach, Children's Day withMole and Hippo, The European Day of Psychomotorics and Physiosaturday. The first annual Campus Day event, which the FSpS co-organized with other institutes based at the University Campus Bohunice, was a huge success. At this event, employees and students from all parts of the campus had the opportunity to meet informally while enjoying sports and cultural offerings. 12.10 Central European Institute of Technology In 2018, MU's CEITEC institute employed 307 scientific and technical staff (FTE), of which more than one third are foreigners and one half are women. The institute prepared an HR strategy and action plan to meet the requirements of the HR Excellence in Research (HR Award) to improve the working conditions and career advancement prospects of all employees. The tenure system has been introduced to increase career security for scientists, and exit questionnaires newly provide feedback. CEITEC researchers published about 300 articles in prestigious peer-reviewed scientific journals in 2018 -51% in journals that rank in the top 25% in their fields in terms of impact factor. According to Nature Index data, CEITEC employees are responsible for roughly one third of MU's scientific performance. Pavel Plevka and his team of structural virologists examined the antibody that destroys tick-borne encephalitis. Mapping the viral life cycle and structure will make it possible to search for substances that can stop infection. The results of their work were published in Nature Communications. A team led by Helene Robert Boisivon with scientists from the 1ST Institute and Freiburg University described the function of the hormone auxin, which plays an important role in plant development. It is involved in the regulation of embryo development, and the embryo begins to produce the hormone itself at a certain stage of growth. The findings were published in Nature Plants. A new approach to measurement and a computer algorithm developed by Thomas Evangelidis and Kostas Trip-sianes from the Protein-DNA Interactions research group provided better means to determine the structure of biomolecules. Their work on the new use of nuclear magnetic resonance was published in Nature Communications. Lukas Trantirek's research group described the development of in-cell NMR technology, which enables the characterization of nucleic acid structures at the atomic level in the complex environment of living human nuclei. The results were published in the Angewandte Chemie International Edition. The FioooPrime forum considers this publication a work of extraordinary importance. Marek Mraz received a prestigious ERC grant for research on chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, for which he will be able to draw EUR 1.5 million. He was also presented the prestigious Neuron Award for Young and Promising Scientists in medicine by the Neuron Endowment Fund. He received this award for his research on B-cell lymphomas and the recognition of the BCR signalling pathway. Gabriela Pavlasova, a doctoral student at the Faculty of Medicine from Marek Mraz's research group, received the Discovery Award 2017 for exploring the function of the CD20 molecule, which can be found on the surface of leukemic cells. Zdenek Farka from Petra Skladal's research group was awarded the Jean-Marie Lehn Prize for Young Scientists in chemistry for his research on detecting various substances, including salmonella bacteria. CEITEC coordinates the Alliance for Life Sciences, a partnership of 10 research universities and institutes from nine Central and Eastern European countries. Its aim is to improve the strategic management of partner institutions and contribute to positive changes at a national level. In collaboration with VIB Gent, the first phase of the PASSAGE project was implemented, supported by the H2020 Teaming Phase I. This partnership was successfully established, and a project worth tens of millions of euros was prepared for the H2020 Teaming Phase II, where implementing and strengthening excellent research will be crucial. The list of the most prestigious international projects implemented in 2018 includes RNADIAGON (MSCA-RISE), where Ondřej Slabý is the coordinator of an international consortium of seven partners. The only two H2020 Widening Fellowship grants awarded in the Czech Republic went to Panagiotisi Alexiou and Jaclyn Quin at CEITEC MU, which succeeded in the H2020-Health social challenge as a partner of the MyPal project and in the H2020 research infrastructure programme with the EPIC-XS project. Excellent research is supported through the Czech Science Foundation EXPRO scheme from which two CEITEC projects won funding. Two other projects submitted in response to the OP RDE call, SINGING PLANT and A-C-G-T, also received financial support. .OmCEflT] ATIONAL CUS-EJUO RESCUE In October 2018, Cyber Czech, a national cyber security exercise, was held in Brno; the scenario focused on the defence of rescue systems. A total of 24 defenders selected from various public agencies whose activities are related to rescue systems took part in this security exercise. Some technologies have changed in comparison with previous years, and new offensive practices were introduced. This security exercise is regularly organized by the National Cyber and Information Security Agency (NCISA) in cooperation with Masaryk University. 12.11 Institute of Computer Science The Institute of Computer Science conducts cyber security and e-infrastructure research and is in charge of the operation, conceptual development and methodological supervision of MU's information infrastructure (except the IS MU agenda). This unique combination of research and extensive service provision enables the institute to provide high-end service as well as conduct research and development to deliver high societal value. In the field of cyber security research, 2018 saw the implementation of the OP RDE project Cyber Crime Centre of Excellence (C4E), coordinated by the ICS by way of the CSIRT MU team, and the joining of teams from the Faculties of Informatics and Law to form an excellent research environment that integrates the legal and sociological aspects of cyber security into informatics. The development of C4E is currently supported by 10 projects, of which three are international; four new projects were implemented in 2018. The CSIRT MU security team also addresses the issue of cyber security literacy, not only at MUNI, but also at other universities and through close cooperation with the NCISA. The ICS coordinated the Comprehensive SolutionofPersonal Data Protection in Higher Education Institutions, a joint project between all 26 public Czech universities, as part of which solutions were prepared in the areas of internal legislation, legal recommendations, guidelines, mapping and recording processes of personal data processing, preparation of information systems, research data, education and awareness of users, etc. in accordance with GDPR regulation. At the university level, repositories were also classified in terms of their usability for storing data with different sensitivity levels, and corresponding recommendations were issued. In connection with the implementation of legislation related to trust in the digital environment (elDAS), the ICS initiated, in cooperation with CESNET, the creation of a system infrastructure for working with private keys and certificates for a qualified digital signature as well as the establishment of a consortium of 14 universities, which joined the initiative in 2018. The ICS took over representing the Czech Republic in the OpenAIRE Advance project (in the role of National Open Access Desk), which addresses the openness and ver-ifiability of publicly-funded research and making publications open access and research data open data. In terms of the long-term protection of digital data, the ICS also participates in the preparation of certified guidelines for bit-level protection. These activities are complemented by efforts to provide a portfolio of necessary electronic information resources, especially in cooperation with CzechLib. From the perspective of further development of support for economic and personnel activities, a key decision was made to begin offering commercial consultation on technical specifications for the university's future economic-personnel information system. A concept incorporating the core of such a system - with an external supplier - into the user interface that is being developed with ICS's own means was prepared. The aim of commercial consultation will be to verify the support of this approach in the current offer of the suppliers of relevant systems. In 2018 the CERIT-SC research infrastructure, part of the ICS, contributed to the creation of e-INFRA CZ, an integrated national infrastructure, the other founding members of which were CESNET (coordinator) and the IT4lnnovation national supercomputing centre at VSB-TUO. At the end of the year E-INFRA CZ was approved by the Czech government as the only national e-infrastructure in the Czech Republic, and the scope of its funding was determined. Work on OP RDE projects continued; they provided support for the investment activities of two research infrastructures, CERIT-SC and ELIXÍR CZ: Capacity Building. The most significant result of the combined efforts of these two infrastructures was the creation and operation of the ELIXIR AAI international authentication and authorization infrastructure, which was recognized as the first infrastructure service of the pan-European ELIXIR research infrastructure in 2018. Another important result was the involvement in the preparation of two H2020 projects in the role of chairs of the working groups (work package); both projects have been approved by the European Commission for funding. In the EOSC-Life project, the institute was entrusted with building an authentication and authorization infrastructure for the entire cluster of European research infrastructures in life sciences and medicine. 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 hLaW of Medicine HVleO of Science TOCI Veveří 158/70, 61180 Brno Kamenice 753/5, 625 00 Brno Kotlářská 267/2, 61137 Brno Faculty Faculty Faculty of Economics __ _ of Arts rn of Education HtQU and Administration rtn Arna Nováka 1/1, 602 00 Brno Poříčí 623/7, 603 00 Brno Lipová 507/413, 602 00 Brno Faculty Faculty CCC Faculty cc c of Informatics of Social Studies POO of Sports Studie rOpO Botanická 554/68a, 602 00 Brno Joštova 218/10, 602 00 Brno Kamenice 753/5, 625 00 Brno University Institutes Central European Institute of Computer if\r\ Institute of r^dTcr* Science IvsO Technology vstl I bU Botanická 554/68a, 602 00 Brno Kamenice 753/5, 625 00 Brno University Facilities Language Centre LC Masaryk University Archives Centre for International Cooperation CIC Komenského nám. 220/2, 662 43 Brno Žerotínovo nám. 449/3, 602 00 Brno Komenského nám. 220/2, 662 43 Brno Support Centre for Students with Special Needs (Teiresiás Centre) Komenského nám. 220/2, 662 43 Brno Technology Transfer Office TTO Komenského nám. 220/2, 662 43 Brno Mendel Museum Mendlovo náměstí 907/ia, 603 00 Brno University Centre _ Central Management Tele UCT Structure oftheCEITEC Project Career Centre CC Náměstí Zachariáše z Hradce 2, Koliště 1965/133, Komenského nám. 220/2, 588 56 Telč 602 00 Brno 662 43 Brno Specialized Units Accommodation and nr\r\ Masaryk University Management of the University Catering Services AUb Press (Munipress) Campus at Bohunice Vinařská 471/53, 603 00 Brno Rybkova 987/19, 602 00 Brno Kamenice 753/5, 625 00 Brno List of Abbreviations University ACS Accommodation and Catering Services ISMU Masaryk University Information System BIE Board of Internal Evaluation IP Institutional support / Institutional plan BIM Building information modelling ISAB MU International Scientific Advisory Board of BMS Building management system Masaryk University C4E Cyber Crime Centre of Excellence IWR Internal wage regulation CEITEC Central European Institute of Technology LC Language Centre of Masaryk University CERIT-SC Centre for Education, Research and LPT Learning potential test Innovation in ICT MIMSA Association of International Medical CERPEK Pedagogical Competence Development Students at Masaryk University Centre MU/MUNI Masaryk University CIC Centre for International Cooperation MUDF Masaryk University Development Fund CSIRT-MU Computer Security Incident Response MUST week Masaryk University Staff Training Team Week EC Ethics Committee P-Pool Undergraduate programme for motivated ECR Ethics Committee for Research medical students EDUC European Digital UniverCity (consortium RCS Regulations on Competitive Selection of universities) Procedures at Masaryk University EUSOC European Graduate School for the Social RECETOX Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in Sciences the Environment FA Faculty of Arts RMU Masaryk University's Rector's Office FEA Faculty of Economics and Administration SBMU Scientific Board of Masaryk University FEdu Faculty of Education SCMU MU Shopping Centre FI Faculty of Informatics SCSSN Support Centre for Students with Special FLaw Faculty of Law Needs (Teiresiäs) FMed Faculty of Medicine SIMU+ Strategic Investments of Masaryk FSci Faculty of Science University in Education FSpS Faculty of Sports Studies SUPO System of Payment of Claims FSS Faculty of Social Studies TopSeC Top Students Centre GAMU Grant Agency of Masaryk University TTO Technology Transfer Office HR4MU Human resources development and U3A University of the Third Age international research orientation at MU UCB University Campus Bohunice ICS Institute of Computer Science UCT University Centre Tele ICS Internal control system INET Economic-administrative Information System 114 Other ABA Applied behavioural analysis BUT Brno University of Technology CESNET Czech Education and Scientific NETwork, association of universities in the Czech Republic and the Czech Academy of Sciences CAFM Computer aided facility management CV Curriculum vitae CZ Czech Republic CzechELib National Centre for Electronic Information Resources elDAS European Union regulation on electronic identification in the internal European market EIR Electronic information resources EIS Electronic information system ELSA European Law Students' Association EMBO European Molecular Biology Organization ERC European Research Council ERIH+ European Reference Index for the Humanities ERDF European Regional Development Fund ESF European Social Fund EU European Union EULETA European Legal English Teachers' Association FP Fire protection FTE Full-time equivalent GA CR Czech Science Foundation Gbps Gigabit per second, bit rate unit GDPR General Data Protection Regulation GIS Geographic information system H2020 EU Research and Innovation Framework Program IATEFL International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language ICM International Credit Mobility ICT / IT Information and communication technologies / information technologies ISEP International student exchange programmes km Kilometre MA Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic MEYS Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic MI Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic MIT Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic NA A National Accre ditation Authority NAFSA National Association of Foreign Student Advisers NCISA National Office for Cyber and Information Security NPS National Programme of Sustainability OP E Operational Programme Employment OP EIC Operational Programme Enterprise and Innovations for Competitiveness OP RDE Operational Programme Research, Development and Education OSH Occupational safety and health PA Priority axis R&D Research and development RDIOP Research and Development for Innovations Operational Programme RFID Radio frequency identification RIV Information Register of R&D results RUV Register of Artistic Outputs SoMoPro South Moravian Programme for Distinguished Researchers SR Slovak Republic TA CR Technology Agency of the Czech Republic TB Terabyte TGM Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk TIC Tourist Information Centre of Brno UN United Nations USA United States of America VIB Flanders Institute for Biotechnology WoS Web of Science 115 Annual Activity Report Masaryk University 2018 Published by Masaryk University, Žerotínovo nám. 617/9, 60177 Brno Editor: Šárka Řehořová, Strategy Office, MU Rector's Office Content and editorial collaboration: Ivana Gerlová, Martina Vidová and Jana Sobotková Translation: Simon Hooper, Nicholas Orsillo Production: Pavla Hudcová, Office for External Relations and Marketing, MU Rector's Office Edition series design: Milan Katovský and Kateřina Katovská Graphic design and DTP: Milan Katovský and Pavel Kotrla Photography: CanStockPhoto, Martin Indruch, MU and Magazín M photo archives 1st edition, 2019 © Masaryk University, 2019 © Masaryk University, 2019