Conference Opening and Welcome
Pavel Doleček
Pavel Doleček currently holds the position of Deputy Minister for Science, Research and Innovation. Before being appointed as Deputy Minister in 2023 Pavel Doleček had been serving as Vice-Rector for Strategic Cooperation and Development at Charles University and held the responsibility for coordination of investment and developmental projects and strategic partnerships with state administration, other universities and public and private sector. Before that he had been working at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MEYS) as the Head of the Strategic Unit and then in the position of Deputy Minister for Higher Education, Science and Research. He was in charge of the conception and realization of higher education and research policy under the authority of the MEYS, including international bilateral and multilateral cooperation, legislative framework and funding policy. Pavel Doleček has been participating in several governing boards, be it those of state-funded organizations or universities as well as program boards of institutions providing financial support for research, development and innovation. He dealt with pedagogical, publishing and research activities.
Štěpán Jurajda
Štěpán Jurajda is Full Professor of Economics at CERGE-EI, where he also served as Director. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh and was a post-doc at Princeton University. He served as Deputy Minister for Science, Research and Innovation, as vice-chairman of the Research, Development and Innovation Council, and as a member of the National Economic Council of the Czech Government. His research appeared in leading social-science journals, including the American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Labor Economics, Journal of Econometrics, Demography, and PNAS.
Ludmila Tysjačna
Ludmila Tysjačna from Technology Centre Prague serves as the Czech National Contact Point (NCP) and the national delegate to the Programme Committee for two parts of the EU‘s R&I programme Horizon Europe, namely the European Research Council (ERC) and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA). In her capacity as the NCP, she supports Czechia-based applicants primarily at the project-preparation stage, while as the Programme Committee member, she comments on the draft Work Programmes and the ensuing rules for participation in her two areas of responsibility. Her background lies in the field of International Relations.
Panel Discussion: Challenges, opportunities, experiences
Matouš Glanc
Matouš Glanc leads Czexpats in Science, an independent non-profit organization whose mission is to help develop science in the Czech Republic by drawing on experience from around the world, and works as a scientific consultant at the Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences. As a plant cell biologist, he has worked at internationally renowned institutions (ISTA in Austria, VIB in Belgium), his work has been funded by prestigious EMBO and MSCA fellowships, published in leading journals in the field, and awarded, among others, the FESPB Young Plant Scientist Award.
Hana Macíčková Cahová
Erin Claire Carson
Erin Claire Carson is Associate Professor of Numerical Mathematics at Charles University. Recipient of the 2025 SIAM Wilkinson Prize and PI of an ERC Starting Grant, her research focuses on the intersection of numerical linear algebra, high performance computing, and parallel algorithms. She earned her PhD from the University of California-Berkeley and contributes to international research leadership.
Zdeněk Strakoš
Main professional interests of Zdeňka Strakoše include mathematics of computations. After graduation from the Czech Technical University (1981) he worked at several academic institutions in Czechia (currently Charles University) and in USA (IMA, University of Minnesota and Emory University). Results of his work got several international awards and distinctions. He has served in many commissions of trust, some of which he also chaired, including one of the ERC Advanced Grants evaluation panels. Since 2011 he organizes support for the ERC applicants in Czechia.
Experience From Abroad and Discussion
Mark W.J. Ferguson
Profesor Mark W.J. Ferguson is Director Catalyst, Rapporteur & lead author of the European Commission Heitor Report for Horizon Europe. Previously Founding Chair of the European Innovation Council, Director General of Science Foundation Ireland & Chief Scientific Adviser to the Irish Government, Professor & Dean University of Manchester, Co Founder & CEO of Renovo Group plc.
Ursula Jakubek
Ursula Jakubek has been the Executive Vice-President of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) since May 2021 and is currently also the Vice-Chair of the FWF’s alpha+ Foundation. Before coming to FWF, she was Director for Finance and Human Resources at the Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW). Previous positions include Global Head of Finance & Accounting, Deputy CFO, and Authorized Signatory at Speech Processing Solutions GmbH and Head of Finance & Controlling at Philips Austria GmbH. She has served on the Advisory Board of Freytag-Berndt and Artaria KG and on the Finance Committee and Board of Trustees for the Anniversary Fund of the City of Vienna for the OeAW.
Gerd Folkers
Gerd Folkers studied pharmaceutical sciences in Bonn and Tübingen and has been Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry since 1991 and Professor of Science Studies at ETHZ Zurich since 2015. His research focused on the molecular design of bioactive compounds for the personalized therapy of tumors and diseases of the immune system. From 2003 to 2011 he worked at the Swiss NSF, and from 2004 to 2015 served as Head of the Collegium Helveticum. He has been the Swiss President of the Science Council until 2019. Emeritus since 2018. At Novartis he served from 2015 until 2025 as President of the Research Foundation. At the Freiburg Institute of Advanced Studies (FRIAS) he serves as spokesman of the steering committee.
Petter Helgesen
Petter Helgesen has a PhD in Physics from 1992. He has been the director for Ground Breaking Research at the Research Council of Norway since 2020. He is responsible for assessing and funding curiosity driven research within all disciplines focusing on excellence, including the schemes Center of Excellence and Researcher Project.
Dr. Helgesen started his career as a senior scientist at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment. Before joining RCN, Dr Helgesen worked more than 20 years for the Norwegian company, Kongsberg Group, the last years serving as the Group Vice President for Technology.
Panel Discussion: Institutional view I. - Providers
Ondřej Slabý
Ondřej Slabý is the head of the Department of Biology at the Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University in Brno. He leads the Center for Precision Medicine at University Hospital Brno. He is a board-certified clinical geneticist and a pioneer of precision medicine in the Czech Republic. Now he serves as President of the Czech Health Research Council and Vice-Chairman of the Scientific Council of the Minister of Health of the Czech Republic. His work has been recognized with multiple awards, including the Czech Ministry of Health Award for Medical Research and Development.
Petr Baldrian
Petr Baldrian was born in Prague in 1972. He received his PhD in Microbiology at the Charles University in Prague. His research aims to elucidate the role of microorganisms in ecosystem processes, the use of microbes in biotechnology and their response to global change. He is a professor of Environmental Sciences who lectures and supervises students and serves as the editor of ecology journals and member of a European Research Council panel. Currently, as the member of the Academic Council he is responsible for the support of scientific excellence within the Czech Academy of Sciences.
Petr Konvalinka
Petr Konvalinka graduated from the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU), majoring in Structural and Transportation Engineering. In 2002, he was appointed associate professor in the field of Theory of Building Structures and Materials. Six years later, he was appointed Professor. Since 1984, he has worked at the CTU as an academic staff member and was consistently engaged in research activities. From 2014 to 2018, he served as rector of the CTU and in September 2018, he was appointed as the chairman of the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic. He retained his mandate in 2022.
Lucie Núñez Tayupanta
Lucie Núñez is currently the Director of Research and Development Department at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic. From 2016 to 2023, she worked as Head of the European Research Area Unit at the same institution. She is responsible for creating and developing strategy for an effective R&D policy at national level and engaging stakeholders to ensure its successful implementation. Furthermore, she is involved in implementing international cooperation in R&D, coordination of the Czech participation in international R&D programmes and for the implementation of the large research infrastructures policy and their funding.
Milan Jirsa
Milan Jirsa is a head of the Laboratory of Experimental Hepatology and vice-head of the Centre for Experimental Medicine IKEM. He also serves as professor of clinical biochemistry and member of the doctoral studies board at Charles University First Faculty of Medicine. He graduated at the Faculty of Medicine and Science. His research focus covers disorders of bile secretion and genetic liver diseases. He contributed to discovery of genetic basis of hereditary jaundice, metabolic liver diseases and hereditary amyloidosis. He became the GACR presidium member in 2021 and president in 2025.
Panel Discussion: Institutional view II. - Research organisations
Ladislav Krištoufek
Ladislav Krištoufek is a Vice-Rector for Research at Charles University, a member of the Czech governmental R&D&I Council, and a professor of economics. He is the only Czech social scientist listed among the Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers 2022 and for 2023 the only ranked economist in the Widening countries. He currently sits as the Clarivate Research Council member. In the R&D&I Council, he is a rapporteur for the national research priorities, research excellence, and the Czech Science Foundation.
Šárka Pospíšilová
Šárka Pospíšilová is the Vice-Rector for Research and Doctoral Studies at Masaryk University and works at CEITEC MU, the Faculty of Medicine MU and University Hospital Brno. Her professional focus is on research and diagnostics in cancer genomics. She is the co-author of more than 250 scientific publications, 7 patents and professional books and received numerous scientific awards. She is also a member of important national and international consortia focusing on genetic and hematological diseases (EHA, ERIC, 1+MG, GDI, GoE…) and research infrastructures. She was elected a member of the prestigious EMBO organization and actively participates in the popularization of science for the public.
Libor Grubhoffer
Libor Grubhoffer graduated in chemistry/biochemistry from Charles University, received his doctorate in microbiology/virology at the Institute of Serums and Vaccines and the Institute of Microbiology of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences; was appointed Professor of molecular and cell biology at the University of South Bohemia (USB); researches ticks and pathogens transmitted by them; founded the cross-border study program Biological Chemistry together with Kepler University in Linz; was former Director of the Institute of Parasitology CAS, Dean of the USB Faculty of Science, USB Rector and president of the Learned Society CR; currently serves director of the Biological Centre CAS, v.v.i. in České Budějovice; has been author/co-author of more than 180 scientific publications.
Jan Konvalinka
Ladislav Janíček
Moderator
Otakar Fojt
Otakar Fojt is an experienced science diplomat based at the British Embassy in Prague. He is a part of the Science and Innovation Network of the UK Government. He has been advising on international research and innovation collaborations since 2003. In 2023, His Majesty the King Charles the III awarded Otakar an honorary Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in recognition of Otakar’s services to Science and Innovation in the Czech Republic.
Otakar Fojt is a Chair of the Board of Trustees of Palacký University in Olomouc and he is a member of the Board of Trustees at Technical University in Ostrava. He is a member of the Scientific board of the Central European Institute of Technology of Masaryk University in Brno. He is also a member of the Commercialization boards of Charles university in Prague and Palacký university in Olomouc.
Otakar Fojt received Biomedical Engineering Masters (1994) and PhD (1997) at the Brno University of Technology. He was awarded a Chevening scholarship at the University of Oxford (Merton College) in 1996 and 1997. Otakar then worked for four years as a Postdoctoral research fellow at the Department of Mathematics at the University of York and as a visiting scholar at the Fields Institute in Toronto. In 2001 and 2002, he was a Managing Director of a small technology company operating in Central Europe.
