Resolution

Czech Rectors Conference (CRC) Plenum adopted at its 129th Meeting, CRC Annual Assembly, following resolution:

1. CRC observes with concerns the projected budget outlook of higher education institutions in 2016 with a possible decrease of up to CZK 800 million. Such decrease is unacceptable and threatens quality and functioning of higher education in the Czech Republic.
2. CRC welcomes and supports gradual legislative action on the amendment to the Higher Education Institutions Act at the Government Legislative Council and will participate in processing the implementing regulations on this amendment.
3. CRC states that strategic plans are for higher education institutions their long-term plans. CRC asks the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, by the end of March 2015, to define the content structure of a long-term plan that meets requirements for the strategic plan according to the Operational Programme Research, Development and Education.
4. CRC welcomes that higher education institutions will not be included in the act on internal audit. Each higher education institution will create its own internal regulation on internal audit and control. CRC refuses inserting the Section 87(e) in the draft of the amendment to the Higher Education Institutions Act.
5. The draft of the act on budgetary responsibility includes incorporation of higher education institutions in the sector of government institutions. CRC disagrees and suggests to exempt higher education institutions from the scope of the draft of the act on budgetary responsibility or to define their specific status as public institutions.
6. CRC supports the intention of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports to use the remaining available funds from operational programmes on promotion of already built research centres, their programmes and teams abroad in order to bring high-quality researchers and students to the Czech Republic.
7. CRC requests that the methodology for research evaluation and funding should be simple, operationally efficient and transparent with publicly available data.
8. CRC approved Annual Report 2014 on CRC activities, the report on revision of CRC economic activities in 2014, CRC operational expenses payment rules for the year 2015, and CRC budget for the year 2015.

Prague, 19 February 2015