Resolution

Czech Rectors Conference (CRC) Plenum adopted at its 150th Meeting the following resolution:

1. CRC supports the strategy of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports for the year 2020 to strengthen the institutional part of public higher education institutions funding. CRC agrees with a minimal increase in the budget of public higher education institutions by approximately CZK 800 million from the chapter of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports as well as with the expected increase in funds for science in the amount of approximately CZK 900 million.
2. CRC supports the principles of evaluation and funding of research organizations in the higher education sector in the Methodology 2017+. CRC considers it a good principle to separate the research and development results evaluation process, which the Research, Development and Innovation Council is responsible for, and the methodology of transparent funding for research and development, which is the responsibility of the provider.
3. CRC asks the Ministry of Finance to take into account the particularities of the higher education sector and research and development in setting the rules for ESIF 2021+ financial flows:
   
   • CRC requires a maximum of 5% co-financing from the beneficiaries' own resources as higher co-financing is not feasible due to the budget structure of higher education institutions and research organizations as well as due to the rules of state aid,
   • CRC calls for ex-ante funding to be maintained as higher education institutions and research organizations do not have sufficient free and “uncoloured” financial resources at their disposal to launch large investment projects,
   • CRC requires that higher education institutions and research organizations based in Prague should not be discriminated in their access to ESIF as their outputs and results are of nationwide, or more precisely Europe-wide impact.
4. CRC requests the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports:
   
   • in compliance with the CRC Resolution of 7 December 2017, to ask the EU for a block exemption from the ban on public funding of education under operational programmes for private higher education institutions,
   • to inform regularly about the progress of negotiations with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Regional Development on the upcoming programme period and CRC is ready to provide proper cooperation.
5. CRC has criticized CERGE-EI's Analysis of Alternative Results Evaluation Procedures in Module 2. CRC disagrees with the use of AIS (Article Influence Score) of individual articles to assess the quality of scientific publications. This analysis brings distorted results that are not transparent and therefore unacceptable for higher education institutions.
6. CRC considers as binding the statement of J. Marek, Director of the Department of the Council for Research, Development and Innovation at the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic, that the evaluation of results will be based exclusively on the AIS of journals, not the AIS of articles. CRC requests the completion of the database published on the Research, Development and Innovation Council’s website.
7. CRC asks the Ministry of Finance for a clear methodological interpretation on the VAT treatment at public higher education institutions.
8. CRC considers the May 2019 elections to the European Parliament important for further development of the Czech Republic. CRC statement adopted in this matter is annexed to this resolution.
9. CRC requests that the discussion of the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic and the Research, Development and Innovation Council on Methodology 2017+ will be conducted with CRC representatives and its relevant working groups.

Annex: Czech Rectors Conference Statement on the European Parliament Elections.

Jihlava, 25 April 2019