Research Universities Association

The Research Universities Association (RUA) consists of seven institutions covering all areas of university education - humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and technology.

News

12 May

AVUni warns against the exclusion of universities from the European Competitiveness Fund

The Czech Association of Research Universities (AVUni) has published its statement on the proposed amendments to the framework of the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF). The Association warns that the proposed changes could significantly limit the ability of universities and European University Alliances to directly access funding under this instrument and to participate in strategic European Union projects.

7 Jan 2025

Position on the Czech Republic's starting points for Cohesion Policy 2028+ (Czech)

The Research Universities Association, one of the leading platforms representing higher education in the Czech Republic, has issued a Position on the Czech Republic's Cohesion Policy 2028+.

23 Aug 2024

Czech research cooperation in the EU is growing only slightly, AVUni is doing well

RUA Chair Martin Bareš considers it necessary to define excellent institutions.

21 Jun 2024

RUA dominates Horizon Europe - TC Prague analysis

Research teams and individuals from RUA account for approximately 77% of the financial support intended for the Czech higher education sector in the Horizon Europe program. The highest support goes to research facilities and individuals from MUNI, followed by CU, CTU and PUO.

About RUA

The Research Universities Association was established in 2019 and now consists of a total of seven institutions covering all areas of university education, humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and technology. Its members are Charles University, Masaryk University, Palacký University Olomouc, Czech Technical University in Prague, University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, Brno University of Technology, and the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice. The Association's priorities include the quality of education, excellence in science, strengthening the scientific infrastructure, exchange of experience and support for the transfer of research results into practice, which is also related to, for example, the protection of intellectual property and the establishment of start-up and spin-off companies. Emphasis is placed on mutual coordination, so domestic higher education can compete with the best universities in the world.

Members

Charles University

Charles University was founded in 1348 and is one of the oldest and best-rated universities in the world. It is made up of 17 faculties and has been involved in shaping Czech social and cultural life since its foundation, and many of its graduates have succeeded on a global scale and achieved scientific excellence. The university is also a member of the European University Alliance 4EU+ and the Coimbra Group. It chairs, among other things, the Central European Universities (CE7) and is also part of the Eastern Partnership University Cluster (EaPUC), which connects leading EU universities and the best universities from the Eastern Partnership countries.

Masaryk University

Masaryk University, founded in 1919, consists of ten faculties and more than 200 departments, institutes and clinics covering a wide range of academic and research fields. Masaryk University is the EU13 leader in obtaining prestigious scientific grants from Horizon Europe, and its mission is to contribute with its scientific activity, student education and social action to the quality and healthy life of all generations and to a free, cohesive and safe society.

Palacký University Olomouc

Palacký University Olomouc is the second oldest university in the Czech Republic. It consists of eight faculties and one university institute, offers more than a thousand combinations of study programs, and is attended by more than 23 thousand students. UP profiles itself as a scientific university, in addition to quality education, it builds on the top performance of its employees and students in the field of science and research, it runs several modern scientific and research centers that employ recognized international teams. Key research activities are aimed, among others, in the fields of biomedicine, biotechnology, optics, molecular and cell biology of plants, material chemistry, particle physics, nanotechnology, new materials, and a number of other fields.

Czech Technical University in Prague

The Czech Technical University is one of the largest and oldest technical universities in Europe. Currently, CTU has eight faculties - civil engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, nuclear and physical engineering, architecture, transportation sciences, biomedical engineering, information technology. Over 19,000 students study there.

University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague

The University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague is one of the largest domestic institutions focused on technical chemistry, chemical and biochemical technologies, materials and chemical engineering, food industry and nutrition, the environment and economics and management. The institution's activities profile it as a research-based technical university with high-quality basic and applied research and a good international reputation. There is a reliable cooperation with industry, active transfer of scientific knowledge into practice, participation in innovation and industrial research and development.

Brno University of Technology

Brno University of Technology consists of eight faculties and has three university institutes. Students can get a quality education in a wide range of fields from technical, scientific, economic to artistic. A significant part of BUT's activities consists of research and development, which takes place mainly at research centers. Thanks to grant support, the university has managed to build five of its own scientific centers and, in addition, together with other universities and scientific institutions, it also participates in the activities of two centers of excellent research.

The University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice

The University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice (USB), founded in 1991, is a multidisciplinary university with eight faculties, with around nine thousand students studying in more than 230 accredited programs. In addition to providing quality education, our goal is to conduct excellent science. In both of these activities, it strives to achieve high standards and social relevance. USB is profiled as a research institution with a focus on the natural sciences, humanities, and social sciences, and it has already become an important center of science and research in the South Bohemian region, as well as at national and international levels. It cooperates with hundreds of institutions around the world, also thanks to its two unique research infrastructures, the South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses CENAKVA in Vodňany and the Czech Arctic Research Station of Josef Svoboda in Spitsbergen.

Documents

Charter of the Research Universities Association (in Czech) The rectors signed the Charter in July 2019. BUT joined in June 2022. USB joined in June 2024.

Contacts

Ing. Zdeňka Pavlačková, Ph.D.
RUA Secretary

pavlackova@vutbr.cz