Cutting-edge Research: Challenges and Opportunities
One of the main features of an effective system of research management and funding is targeted support for cutting-edge science, or the provision of mechanisms that enable the development of internationally competitive teams, scientists, and researchers in a sufficiently targeted and selective manner.
The discussion on the support of excellence in the Czech Republic has recently gained momentum, especially in connection with the Concept of Institutional Support for Excellence at Selected Universities and within the Czech Academy of Sciences. The aim of the conference should be to reflect on this debate and clarify the basic issues and challenges of supporting excellence in the Czech environment, including the addition of an inspiring foreign perspective. A key issue is to present a vertical view of this area, where interventions from providers are appropriately complementary, and institutional, which illuminate the internal tools of research organisations and their nurturing of talent.
Thus, the aim of the conference is not primarily to define excellence philosophically or in general (from a disciplinary or individual perspective), but to show its manifestations, conditions, and challenges, including in an international context, through concrete examples of the experiences of researchers and organisations. This should help to clarify the issues and positions across the R&D&I system—between government administration, research organisation management, and scientists themselves.
These themes then pose challenges for current and future support for cutting-edge research, particularly in the areas that KRECON 2025 will address:
- Does our research system enable meaningful support at all stages of the careers of top scientists?
- Can we evaluate the impact of the schemes and tools we use?
- Can we assess the excellence of our scientists, research outputs, and/or research projects?
- How should we set up evaluation and targeted support for top PhD students and postdocs?
- What should and should not be done anymore at the national level through providers and other central bodies?
- How are internal schemes set up in top research organisations, whether within the Academy of Sciences or, for example, the Association of Research Universities?
- Can institutional disciplinary policy and the prioritisation of top research fields and lines of research be defined at all in today’s multidisciplinary universities?
Suggestions for foreign speakers:
The main contribution of speakers from abroad is to provide an insight into the situation in other countries (relevant to the Czech Republic). The envisioned input is a case study that would focus on or outline solutions adopted/debate taking place in the speaker’s country that are/is similar to solutions adopted/debate taking place (or envisioned) in our country.
About KRECon
The annual Knowledge, Research, Education Conferences, KRECon for short, have been held in the National Library of Technology since 2010. The intention of the conference is to provide an open space for international and national experts, and other relevant actors in the Higher Education and R&D&I sector to freely discuss new, not yet unresolved topics (at least in the Czech Republic) and to ask open provocation questions.
Details
The first day of KRECon is held in English, the second day in Czech.
The KRECon 2025 conference is free of charge.
Conference Board
Pavel Doleček (Deputy Minister for Science, Research and Innovation) - chair
Martin Fusek (Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences)
Štěpán Jurajda (CERGE-EI)
Ladislav Krištoufek (vice-rector for scientific and creative activities of the Charles University)
Martin Loebl (Learned Societ)
Šárka Pospíšilová (vice-rector for research and doctoral studies, Masaryk University)
Martin Svoboda (National Library of Technology)
The KRECon 2024 Conference is organised by the National Library of Technology in Prague (NTK).
