"Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU) creates a secure academic environment that supports education, science, research, technology development and innovation without compromising the integrity, availability and confidentiality of people, information or the university's infrastructure. The main priority is to protect the life and health of students, employees and visitors to the university," the strategic document begins.
It is engaged in enforcing not only legal requirements but also internal safety standards. "This document is not just a formal list of visions, values, security pillars, rules and principles in the field of security for CTU. It is a strategic cornerstone that defines how we as an institution think about security - systematically, responsibly and with a long-term view," said CTU Rector Vojtěch Petráček.
No university in the Czech Republic has apparently adopted such a comprehensive and strategically anchored security policy. CTU perceives the safety of students, academics and staff as an important part of the institution's culture, not just as a reactive approach to risks or ocurrent incidents.
"Security and its solutions do not have to come after a crisis or incident, but should be actively built in advance," said Jaroslav Compel, the CTU's security director, who believes security is not an obstacle, but a path to success. CTU's security policy also places a strong emphasis on internal communication and awareness.
The document names the main threat areas as Physical Threats, Cyber Threats, Targeted Influence, Human Factors, Natural and Technical Threats, and Legal and Reputational Risks. It also defines the security strategic objectives for the period 2025-2027 and lists the CTU strategic measures to be applied by the end of 2025.
The CTU's security policy is in line with current European and national priorities in the field of institutional resilience and research security - on 23 May 2024, the Council of the EU adopted a recommendation on strengthening security in research and innovation, which calls on Member States to protect the academic environment from unwanted knowledge transfer, foreign interference and breaches of ethical standards.