Resolution

Czech Rectors Conference (CRC) Plenum adopted at its 136th Meeting the following resolution:

1. CRC appreciates that the Minister of Education, Youth and Sports, Mrs. Kateřina Valachová, respected proposal made by Representative Bodies of Higher Education Institutions for nomination of members to the National Accreditation Bureau for Higher Education, both in the case of the National Accreditation Bureau for Higher Education Council and the National Accreditation Bureau for Higher Education Appeal Committee. CRC agrees with the proposal to appoint Mr. Stanislav Labík as the chairman of the National Accreditation Bureau for Higher Education Council and Mr. Ivan Barančík and Mr. Tomáš Jelínek as the vice-chairmen of the Council as well as with the proposal of members of the Council and the members of the National Accreditation Bureau for Higher Education Appeal Committee.
2. CRC is outraged at budget proposal of the Ministry of Finance for the whole education chapter in medium-term outlook which is absolutely in contradiction to declared support for education as one of the government policy priorities. At this moment when new students are admitted to higher education institutions, there is no sign of any new government proposal that would rectify the reduction of recent years and guarantee that the study of both newly admitted and present students will be adequately funded. CRC invites the academia to express public opposition to the initial proposal of the Ministry of Finance and to support the increase in the budget for higher education institutions as well as in the budget for education in general.
3. CRC asks the Minister of Education, Youth and Sports, Mrs. Kateřina Valachová, whether she has already requested the release of promised 260 mill. CZK from budget reserves for additional funding of higher education institutions budget for the year 2016.
4. CRC appreciates actions of the Deputy Prime Minister for Science, Research and Innovation, Mr. Pavel Bělobrádek, to increase the budget for research, development and innovations for the year 2017. CRC fully supports the increase of total funding for science, research and innovations of 3.75 bill. CZK compared to the year 2016, as approved by the Government of the Czech Republic on the 30 May 2016.
5. CRC is outraged by the unexpected shutdown of the information system of Czech research, development and an innovation result register and insists on putting this information system back into operation. Its non-functioning directly threatens transparent evaluation of research, development and innovation results as well as the subsequent allocation of funds for development of research organizations. CRC has no intention to tolerate the inability of the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic to meet legal standards in evaluating the research, development and innovation results and demands that personal responsibility for this situation be drawn.
6. CRC asks the Government of the Czech Republic to decide in time on the way of scientific results evaluation as well as on the way of allocation of research funding for the year 2017 and to discuss it with Representative Bodies of Higher Education Institutions. At the same time, CRC considers necessary to prevent any abrupt changes in the system.

Pilsen, 2 June 2016