“We are of course pleased with the result and we take it as confirmation that CTU has been moving in the right direction in recent years,” says CTU Vice-Rector for Science, Research and Doctoral Studies Jan Zeman. “At the same time, we approach the evaluation with a certain humility, because we know that the real value of such an evaluation also lies in the recommendations for further development. We want to take them seriously and continue to work with them.”
Evaluation process by the international panel
The evaluation by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports is not a one-off check or a mere comparison of numbers. The university must first prepare extensive documents in which it describes its research environment, strategy, science support system, personnel policy, doctoral studies, infrastructure and specific examples of benefits to society. On the basis of these, the university is then assessed by an international evaluation panel composed of experts from abroad. The result is not only an overall grade, but also an assessment of individual areas and parts of the university, which names strengths and room for further development. The process also includes a visit by evaluators directly to the campus. “During the visit, the panel meets with representatives of the management and other parts of the university, gets acquainted with the functioning of the support processes and visits selected workplaces. It is a very intensive process of several days, during which the university has the opportunity to show not only its results on paper, but also how it actually works in practice,” explains Zeman. At CTU, this visit took place in June 2025.
CTU succeeded in all main categories
CTU received an A grade in all key modules and an overall rating of A – Excellent. In its summary, the panel described the university as an overall excellent institution with a strong commitment to research, education and service to the wider society. It also appreciated that CTU has made significant progress since the previous evaluation in 2020, including in the development of research centers, commercialization and institutional tools for supporting science. According to the evaluators, the university is moving from the role of a regional leader to a more prominent European player.
Specifically, the panel praised the quality support for research and development, strong infrastructure, a good balance between basic and applied research, and progress in implementing recommendations from the previous period. It also highlighted the clearly formulated mission and vision, quality institutional tools, and concrete steps in the development of research centers, internationalization, support for talents, and innovation.
The module focused on social relevance also came out positively. The panel praised CTU for its ability to translate research results into practice, cooperate with public institutions and industry, and at the same time communicate them clearly to the public. The report includes, for example, technologies that can be used in healthcare, specifically the CoroVent lung ventilator deployed during the pandemic, or methodologies and tools for transport safety.
Among the evaluated components, the Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics, and Cybernetics (CIIRC) achieved the best result. It was the only one to receive the highest rating of 5 in all assessed indicators. The evaluators also appreciated the strong ties to the European and global research community and the relevance of the research in terms of future social impact.
Room for further improvement
The evaluation does not only provide a result, but also specific recommendations for further development. One of the main topics is doctoral studies. The panel appreciated that CTU, after the previous evaluation, shortened the maximum length of doctoral studies from seven to six years and took further steps to improve conditions. At the same time, however, it recommended continuing further, in particular striving for a shorter real length of studies, stronger support for doctoral students and better development of transferable skills.
The report also warns of a higher rate of non-completion of studies and that financial and working conditions can discourage young researchers from completing their studies. "For us, the area of doctoral studies is one of the topics where we know that we have room for improvement. The evaluation named it very accurately and I think it is good that it openly points this out. No strong research university can do without high-quality conditions for doctoral students and young scientists in the long term," says Zeman. The panel also recommends expanding the offer of soft skills and interdisciplinary education for doctoral students and young researchers. One of the opportunities is the creation of a university hub focused on languages, ethics and principles of responsible research, including by using the potential of the MÚVS and the EuroTeQ alliance.
Another topic is a stronger international and global anchoring. The panel praised CTU's European ties and its cooperation in international networks, but at the same time recommended expanding the strategic perspective beyond the European framework, strengthening the international component of the faculties and more actively creating conditions for the arrival of top scientists from abroad. The report also draws attention to the need for more attractive career conditions for young talented researchers and greater motivation to advance to the highest professorial positions.
The recommendations also aim at greater interdisciplinarity and cooperation across the university. According to the panel, CTU has strong capacities and appropriate tools, but the high degree of autonomy of individual departments
components can sometimes slow down joint initiatives and broader cooperation. The evaluation also recommends further strengthening the ethical, social and humanistic dimensions of technical research and paying more attention to gender aspects of the academic environment, although in the institutional framework the evaluators appreciated that CTU had already taken important steps in this area
In its summary recommendations, the panel also pointed out that the further development of CTU will require clearer institutional anchoring and profiling of some components. In the case of the Masaryk Institute of Advanced Studies, there is a need to define its role more clearly within the university. In this context, the report recommends considering a stronger orientation towards teaching topics related to social, ethical and managerial aspects of technical education. For the Faculty of Information Technologies, in addition to strong popularization and educational activities, the panel recommends further strengthening the research profile of the faculty and its orientation towards current topics in modern informatics.
"I must say that the report is valuable precisely because it names some things critically without major euphemisms. For the MÚVS, it opens up the question of its further institutional anchoring, for FIT, the need to strengthen its research profile more strongly. And in addition, it reminds us that if CTU wants to be a truly strong European technical university, it must work much more consistently with the topics of ethics, social relevance and gender equality. These are all areas that there is no point in avoiding," Zeman points out.
The results of the evaluation will also be reflected in negotiations with deans
CTU therefore sees the evaluation not only as confirmation of the level achieved, but also as motivation for further improvement. It wants to continue to be inspired by the good practice of leading foreign technical universities, including partners in the EuroTeQ alliance. The school's management will also continue to work with the results of the evaluation at the level of individual parts of the university. "In the coming period, we want to discuss the findings with the deans and other representatives of the faculties and together look for room for further progress where the report identified strengths and reserves," concludes Zeman. In line with the vision of the new rector, Michal Pěchouček, systematic work with international feedback should help strengthen the quality, openness and European ambitions of the university, according to him.