“The Bursar is a key management position at the University, so we approached the selection process with the utmost care. I would like to thank the current Bursar, Marta Valešová, who has held this position for the past eight years, for her work and wish her all the best in her future professional and personal life. It is also a great honour for me to appoint David Póč as the new Bursar. He is a professional with many years of experience in business and the management of public institutions. Throughout his career he has shown exceptional diligence, responsibility and a clear vision for the development of the organisations he has worked for. His track record of contributing to the development of many strategic projects, such as the Simulation Centre at the Faculty of Medicine and the MUNI BioPharma Hub, based on his in-depth knowledge of the European Structural and Investment Funds, is beyond reproach. I am sure that in his position as Bursar, he will use his professionalism, strategic thinking and determination to bring stability and new opportunities for growth to Masaryk University,” said Rector Martin Bareš.
David Póč is a graduate of the Public Economics programme at the MU Faculty of Economics and Administration, and he spent two years studying at Valdosta State University in the US, where he focused on political economy. He has worked at the Faculty of Economics and Administration since 2005, and since 2007 has also been head of its Strategy and Development Department. At the Department of Public Economics, he supervises Bachelor’s and Master’s theses in the fields of public procurement, public sector control mechanisms, strategic management in the field of human resources development at local and regional level and in the field utilising resources from the EU Structural and Investment Funds.
With Rector Martin Bareš coming into office, David Póč participated in the creation of a long-term thematic vision of the University’s development, which included possibilities of linkage to strategic investments in infrastructure, and was also involved in the creation of the strategic development project “Innovation for a Healthy and Safe Society”. One of the projects already underway is the construction of the MUNI BioPharma Hub, supported by the National Recovery Plan. “This is a framework strategy that provides a thematic vision of where the University wants to go in the future, defines the individual areas that the University could develop and support, and addresses societal challenges. One of these areas is human health, where the University has a long history in education, science and research,” said David Póč, who has been the director of the MU 2021+ Strategic Project since 2022 and in recent months has also served as the head of the MU Office for Strategy and Development.
“As Bursar, I would like to follow up on this year’s pro-growth MU budget, which reached a record CZK 11.8 billion this year, and ensure that the University continues to be able to raise funds from its own activities and that we are successful in attracting external funding from development and research grant schemes. My goal is to continue this trend and create conditions for sustainable funding of MU development priorities,” added David Póč. “I think it is important to promote opportunities for international cooperation, where Masaryk University has long demonstrated – not only through its position in international rankings – that it has the highest ambitions in education, science and research, as well as in issues such as sustainability.”
David Póč succeeds Marta Valešová, who is leaving the University after eight years. In his new role as Bursar, Póč will draw on his experience in development projects and strategic management in the public sector. An experienced economist, he will also continue to work on securing sustainable funding for MU.