XLVth Session of the Academy Assembly of the CAS

The Assembly also discussed the Report on the Economic Situation and elected the Supervisory Commission of the Academy Assembly for the period 2014–2018. The agenda also included the end of the activity of the Grant Agency of the CAS and cancellation of its statute, further then also a modification of the Ethical Code of the Research Employees at the Czech Academy of Sciences.

At the beginning of his appearance, the President of the Czech Academy of Sciences Prof. Jiří Drahoš summarized the basic focus of the new strategy of the CAS, on which both the leadership of the Czech Academy of Sciences and the individual workplaces of the most important research institution in the Czech Republic agree: The Academy of Sciences should more strongly profile itself as an institution whose mission is cutting-edge research aimed at the problems and challenges faced by contemporary society. Prof. Jiří Drahoš emphasized that the updated mission of the CAS is expressed by its new motto “Cutting-edge research in the public interest”. As he further noted in this context, knowledge has the power to change things, which happens only on the condition that scientists actively use the opportunity to participate in shaping the environment in which we live. He responded also on the wider context of the preparation of the new strategy of the CAS. He pointed out the fact that scientific and technological development is accompanied by growing expectations of society towards science. According to Jiří Drahoš, it is also ever clearer that only large interdisciplinary research teams surpassing individual institutions can find answers to many of the problems and challenges of the contemporary world. The President of the Czech Academy of Sciences stated in this context that in terms of the development of science itself it is obvious that it consistently leads to the blurring of boundaries between traditional categories of scientific work, especially between basic and applied research. The relationship between science, education and new technologies at the same time is becoming one of the main pillars underpinning the competitive society and its sustainable development.

“The strategy AV21 aims to strengthen the role of the Czech Academy of Sciences as an independent institution, which provides quality research with an emphasis on the strategic orientation of its results into economically and socially important areas,” the President of the CAS Prof. Jiří Drahoš stated further in his speech. He also noted that the implementation of Strategy AV21 should significantly contribute to the more efficient transfer of research into education and the application spheres, including public administration, namely as a result of direct engagement with our partners from higher education institutions, businesses and public administration in creating and resolving the research programmes of the Czech Academy of Sciences. “ I firmly believe that our existing cooperation hence receives a new impulse, which supports both specific projects of cooperation between the academic and business spheres and the creation of scientifically sound bases for political decision-making. Last but not least, the usage of human and material resources in specific research programmes contributes to increasing the efficiency and transparency of the use of public means,” stated Prof. Jiří Drahoš.

At the conclusion of his appearance, the President of the CAS also noted several significant research results, which were achieved this year at workplaces of the Czech Academy of Sciences. As he stressed, the quality and high level of basic and applied research at the Czech Academy of Sciences is also confirmed by the success in the competition Česká hlava (Czech Brain), because three of the five prizes awarded were received by scientists from the CAS. The most important Czech scientific award – the National Award of the Government Czech Brain – was accepted by Prof. Emil Paleček from the Institute of Biophysics of the CAS for research in the area of the electrochemistry of nucleic acids. The award of the company Kapsch for technical sciences was received by Dr. Pavel Izák from the Institute of the Chemical Process Fundamentals of the CAS for the technology of raw biogas purification and the award of the ČEZ group went to Dr. Pavla Eliášová from the J. Heyrovsky Institute of Physical Chemistry of the CAS for research of zeolitic catalysts.

Deputy Prime Minister of the Government for Science and Research Pavel Bělobrádek also appeared at the Assembly. In his speech, he emphasized that the greatest contribution of research does not lie only in its ensuring our wellbeing and makes our lives easier and the results of scientific work move society forward economically but that it brings also critical thinking. According to Pavel Bělobrádek, science as a rational process is based precisely on that.

Also the manager of the team of advisors of Prime Minister of the Government Vladimír Špidla spoke to the delegates of the Assembly. “Science and research are not just tools for maintaining competitiveness, but they are also important for education and social cohesion,” noted Vladimír Špidla. He then stressed the fundamental importance of interdisciplinary research.

Prepared by: Department of Media Communication of the Head Office of the CAS

Photo: Stanislava Kyselová, Academic bulletin