The president of the Czech Academy of Sciences highlights the responsibility of leading scientists to consider the real life application of their academic results in addition to promoting the Czech sciences in world leading publications.

Could you please briefly elaborate the history and background of the Czech Academy of Sciences?

The history of the Czech Academy of Sciences indeed dates back into the end of the 19th century. On 23rd January 1890 the Emperor Franz Joseph approved the foundation of the Czech Academy for Sciences, Literature and Arts, and put the new institution under his auspices. After the foundation of the independent Czechoslovak Republic in 1918, other scientific institutions were established, such as the Masaryk Academy of Labour and autonomous state institutes such as the Slavonic, Oriental and Archaeological Institutes. Robust international relationships of Czech research institutions culminated in their affiliation with the International Union of Academies and the International Research Council. After the totalitarian regime came to power in Czechoslovakia in 1948, all hitherto main scientific non-university institutions and learned societies were dissolved and instead the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences was founded (1953-1992), comprising both a complex of research institutes and a learned society. As such, it existed until 1992 when we split with the Slovaks – they founded their own academy, nonetheless, we maintain very good connections.

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