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Anniversary Wishes: Eva Zažímalová

19 November, 2021

CERGE-EI celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Eva Zažímalová, President of the Czech Academy of Sciences, looks back and considers CERGE-EI a dignified and respected institution in the field of modern economic research and education.

Eva Zažímalová: "On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education –Economics Institute (CERGE-EI), I would like to say a few words about the broader context of this important anniversary. 

Above all, I am pleased to state that the first agreement on cooperation between the Czech Academy of Sciences and CERGE was signed shortly after the establishment of the center. In the following years, thanks to ever closer mutual relations and contacts, a joint workplace of the Economics Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Charles University was created, which has gradually become a recognized research center not only domestically but also internationally. It is clear that this success would not have been possible without the significant contribution of Charles University as a key partner in our joint efforts to strengthen modern economic research and education in the post-communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

The joint workplace of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Charles University, as one of the first such workplaces in the Czech Republic, has enabled close integration of research and doctoral education. Thirty years is long enough to show whether a research model is viable. I believe that its vitality is best evidenced by the fact that there are now more than fifty joint workplaces of the Czech Academy of Sciences with universities. In the specific case of CERGE-EI, it is notable that it has succeeded in providing evidence of its own viability not only through excellent scientific erudition, but also through research focused on public policy, particularly on the current issues and challenges today's society is facing.

A number of successful projects, from which many publications have been awarded at home and abroad, and numerous research, popularization, publication, and teaching activities, are eloquent evidence. The quality of research is also proven by the fact that many CERGE-EI researchers have won prestigious scientific awards. I must also emphasize that in the most recent evaluation of the quality of research at the Czech Academy of Sciences, this workplace performed very well. I am therefore pleased to say that its current leadership is successfully continuing the efforts of its predecessors.

After thirty years of engaging in demanding scientific work, it is clear that CERGE-EI is a dignified and respected member in the field of modern economic research and education. It is an important member of the social science institutes of the Czech Academy of Sciences. Over the past thirty years, CERG-EI has earned an irreplaceable position among them. I, therefore, wish CERGE-EI to continue on this successful path thanks to its enthusiastic and diligent people so that the results of its work can continue to be a significant and valuable contribution to the development of research, education, and culture."

Prof. RNDr. Eva Zažímalová, CSc. is a Czech biochemist, president of the Czech Academy of Sciences since March 2017, and one of the European Commission's Chief Scientific Advisors since 2021.

Read more about CERGE-EI's history, achievements, and wishes on its 30th anniversary website.