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Will there be a new university in the Karlovy Vary Region? The question has been asked by regional and national politicians, media and especially locals in the region for the last few months. The establishment of a university in the Karlovy Vary Region is one of the important topics for President Petr Pavel. He heard the options for the establishment of a stable higher education from the Rector of UWB Miroslav Lávička together with the Minister of Education Mikuláš Bek. Half an hour earlier, the governor of the Karlovy Vary Region, Jana Mračková Vildumetzová, also had a meeting, preferring the option of an independent university.

"I consider today's meeting with the President very beneficial. I had the opportunity to present the current activities of the University of West Bohemia in the Karlovy Vary Region and at the same time to outline our idea of a possible expansion of activities if the conditions we consider necessary for this can be met. Mr. President has clearly declared that his priority is to expand the existing form and strengthen the offer of study programmes. We are able to fulfil this. At the same time, however, I considered it important to draw attention to the fact that the possible establishment of a competing public university could fundamentally affect our further steps in the region," said the Rector of the UWB after the meeting.

As a university with more than 35 years of experience in the Karlovy Vary Region, UWB offers an extension of its existing activities as well as know-how for the development of higher education in this region. The option offered by UWB, with the working title Campus Karlovy Vary, would in the first phase, in addition to the continuation of education provided by the current two faculties, i.e. economics and pedagogy, offer the gradual involvement of other faculties, such as design and art and medical studies, and especially from 2027 a newly created autonomous university institute, a kind of centre of regional education and research. This would have its own director and the range of study programmes would be expanded to include those that meet the needs of the region, such as balneology, social work, tourism, school psychology or security.

"We have been saying for a long time that we are a university for the entire West Bohemian region, i.e. for both the Pilsen and Karlovy Vary regions. Every year we have approximately 300 graduates permanently residing in the Karlovy Vary Region, 40 of whom complete their studies directly at branches in the region. What has always slowed us down from further expansion of our studies was the lack of funding from the state. Now, however, there is a real opportunity to finally move this issue forward," said Miroslav Lávička, the rector of UWB.

At the end of May, another meeting will take place between the university and the Governor of the Karlovy Vary Region, who will be a guest at the meeting of the Academic Senate of the UWB.