Legends of Czech Science Who Succeeded Against the Odds Remembered at the Anniversar












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            * Legends of Czech Science Who Succeeded Against the Odds Remembered at the Anniversary Me
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            “We might be the best out of Czech homebodies, but we should be much better than this”, wa

            ideas of Rector Václav Hampl’s speech at the ceremonial meeting celebrating Charles Univer
            anniversary on April 7. With Rector Hampl at the meeting of the Czech Conference of Rector
            was delivered by the Prorector for International Affairs and Mobility Professor Jan Škrha.

            the academic community to create high quality international environment at all faculties a
            establish a national fund to finance or co-finance exchanges of young researchers between 
            of age and reciprocal exchanges of young researchers from abroad.

            “With the upcoming division of Czech universities into the categories of research universi
            rest”, Charles University must be aware of the requirements that are inextricably connecte

            and maintaining the status of excellence”, Rector continued.
            Rector asked the academic community to rethink the role of international university partne
            Charles University has over 200, and use them in a way that is more relevant to research a

            of young academics. In his view, postdoctoral and young assistant professor exchanges shou
            one semester long, but they should instead follow a research plan and allow for participat
            projects abroad. He also criticised the insufficient numbers of students taking advantage 

            exchange programme.
            “Not even the legends of Czech Science worked in ideal conditions – and yet they succeeded
            Those gathered in the Great Hall of Karolinum surely appreciated the mention of the fight 

            ministerial bureaucracy, which consumes a large portion of academics’ energy. Rector remin
            that “already back in the late 19th century, many scholars whose results secured them thei
            spent the rest of their productive life as academic bureaucrats out of touch with actual r

            cannot afford to waste our potential this way”. He also urged the academic community to fi
            of reducing routine work and come up with mechanisms of opposing the dictate of sheer quan
            output established by the system of governmental funding.
                                                                                                      
            Rector mentioned the Egyptologist František Lexa, the Hittitologist BedřiLeft to right: Pr
            Heyrovský as examples of the positive effect of international collaboratiProfessor Jiří Kr
            in the past. According to the Rector, Charles University’s internationally renowned schola
                                                                                                      
            excelled in the fields in which vigorous international collaboration was a pre-requisite o
            existence. The negative effect of the lack of international collaboration can prove fatal,
            by the example of the excellent physiologist and neurologist Professor Vilém Laufberger, w
                                                                                                      
            the 1950’s nominated for the Nobel Prize for his 1935 discovery of ferritin, but in the en
            a star of only Czech, not international science.                                          
            “If we wish to succeed in our mission of mining for knowledge, we must collaborate in both

            international academic community”, concluded the Rector, reminding that collegiality is on
            values of the academic community, even though it is at odds with the extreme individualism
            egotism which plagues the Czech academia.

            In the following speech, Professor Lubomír Mlčoch from the Faculty of Social Sciences comm
            anniversary of the death of Professor Karel Engliš, the greatest Czech economist.         
                                                         Right to left: Professor Josef Petráň with hi
                                                         assistant professor Dr. Martin Čížek and the 
                                                         Professor Milan Sojka                        
                                                                                                      
            Professor Josef Petráň received the Representation Award for his book about the building o

            published by the Karolinum press. The Creativity Award was granted in memoriam to Professo
            for his book “The History of Economic Theories”. The publication sums up Professor Sojka’s
            Dr. Martin Čížek from the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics was also awarded the Creativi

            his paper “Experimental Results for H-2 Formation from H- and H and Implications for First
            published in the Science journal.