Foreign scientists evaluate research at UWB. The result will affect funding for the next five years

The International Panel of Evaluators (MEP) visited the University of West Bohemia during the last week of June to focus on the university's research, strategy and future direction. The resulting evaluation is important for the future funding of the WCA from the state budget.

The national evaluation of universities and research organisations has begun. The University of West Bohemia in Pilsen is another stop of the International Evaluation Panel, which is composed mainly of experts from abroad who do not work in the Czech academic environment and can offer an independent perspective. It will host them from 24 to 26 June.

The evaluators assess not only the university's scientific performance to date, but also how research is managed, funded and where it is heading. The basis of their work was a self-evaluation report, several hundred pages long, which the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen prepared and submitted at the beginning of the year. Each component will now be given space for a ten-minute personal presentation to complete. The experts will then also undergo a series of on-site meetings and interviews with university management, deans, researchers and students.

"Welcome to the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen, which currently provides higher education to almost twelve thousand students. We are basically the only Czech university that synergistically combines natural sciences, technical disciplines, humanities, social sciences and arts under one roof. Our goal is to conduct socially relevant, interdisciplinary and impactful research - including in the fields of quantum and materials technologies, power electronics, artificial intelligence, energy and sustainable development. However, as a multidisciplinary institution, we always also emphasize connections with humanities and social science contexts. The University of West Bohemia is actively involved in national and European research initiatives, including the Horizon Europe programme. We are also a proud part of the European university alliance EUPeace," said the rector of UWB Miroslav Lávička at the beginning of the evaluation.

Experts then give each component a grade from A to D. "This is a very comprehensive view of science and research. They are not only interested in the number of publications or citations, but also how research affects society, how it is supported from within the university and what is its vision for the future," said Jiří Hammerbauer, Vice-Rector for Creative Activities and Doctoral Studies at UWB. The final average grade of the university will then play a role in the distribution of money for science and research from the state budget for a period of five years. After this period, the evaluation is repeated. “The Ministry of Education will probably announce the results in January next year,” the vice-rector added.

The so-called MEP is part of the national evaluation of universities and research organisations according to the 2017+ Methodology, which is covered by the Council for Research, Development and Innovation in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.