University as a living organism responding to changes in society

Masaryk University began the new academic year with a festive evening. During the event, it was stated that the university should be more than just an archive of knowledge – it should be a living organism that responds to changes in society. Rector Martin Bareš presented MU medals to outstanding teachers and individuals, and the second part of the programme included the announcement of the results of this year’s University Wine competition.

This year’s ceremonial opening of the 2025/2026 academic year took place at Besední dům in the centre of Brno. Jiří Hanuš, Vice-Rector for Personnel Policy, Academic and Cultural Affairs, opened the ceremony with a quote from a poem by Jan Skácel and then welcomed guests from the academic community and public life, including Jan Grolich, Governor of the South Moravian Region, and Pavel Konzbul, Diocesan Bishop of Brno.

In his opening speech for the new academic year, MU Rector Martin Bareš highlighted the tradition and importance of Masaryk University, outlined the university’s plans for the upcoming months, and addressed the challenges posed by the advent of artificial intelligence.

“The advent of AI will fundamentally ‘redraw the map’ of the labour market, and it is not only universities that must deal with this enormous challenge as best and as quickly as possible,” said Martin Bareš. At the same time, he also criticised the current state of Czech higher education, where, in addition to underfunding, he identified problems such as fragmentation, a lack of strategic vision and institutional inability to implement fundamental structural changes. “I also see a problem in the functioning of university interest groups, which are fragmented and often unclear as to whom exactly they represent and what interests they promote,” he said.

Rector Bareš also highlighted MU’s specific plans and continued strategic investments in the completion of the BioPharmaHub, construction of a new sports complex on the Bohunice Campus, major renovation of the Faculty of Informatics, and further development of student housing. Plans for the future include establishing a Science and Technology Park specialising in biotechnology and collaborating with the pharmaceutical industry, as well as building a new MU Archive.

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Besides planned events, the rector also talked about the role and importance of the university as an institution “that can respond to dynamic changes in society and the world at large with prudence, foresight, and wisdom ... [as] its task is to educate experts, but also responsible and critically thinking citizens who will be able to navigate a complex and changing world.” At the same time, he praised Masaryk University’s development to date. It has become the most successful Czech university in terms of the number and volume of projects in various Horizon and Horizon Europe framework programmes and is a leader in internationalisation, public procurement planning and the implementation of large investments. “We are the only university in the Czech Republic that has borrowed money for its strategic development and has been repaying a loan to the European Investment Bank for over 20 years – the good news is that the final instalment will be paid in June 2026,” reminded Martin Bareš.

At the conclusion of his speech, he also repeated part of his inaugural address from October 2019, in which he emphasized the importance of freedom, and expanded on it with a message from the recently opened envelope from Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk: “People like to be stupid, but don’t make it easy for them. Argue and debate with them.” As a physician and neurologist, he added the word “educate” to Masaryk University’s “prescription”. He emphasised the ability of the academic community to collaborate across faculties and departments, reminding everyone that the university’s successes stem from work that benefits the whole institution, not just individual units. Finally, he wished the academic community a year full of inspiration, collaboration and new challenges.

The speech was followed by the presentation of awards for outstanding teachers – traditionally, at the beginning of the academic year, the MU Rector’s Award for Outstanding Teachers is presented, and this year a new award for long-term excellence in teaching was added. The awards are announced in three categories – in the field of Natural Sciences and Medicine (Michal Veselý and Marie Budíková), in the field of Social Sciences and Humanities (Dalibor Vobořil and Vladimír Jůva), and in the field of Economics and Informatics (Helena Lukášová, Michal Brandejs). Three MU Bronze Medals were also awarded (to Otto Dostál, Radovan Fiala, and Jan Šimek). The MU Gold Medal was awarded to Michael Murphy, former president of the European University Association (EUA), for his extraordinary contributions to the development of higher education in an international context, his strengthening of MU’s profile, and his deepening of MU’s cooperation with institutions abroad.

The programme also included the announcement of the results of the University Wine competition by its secretary Markéta Pitrová. This year, a committee of academics evaluated 20 samples of white wines and 10 samples of red wines from eighteen wineries, while a student committee evaluated a total of 18 samples, including 12 samples of white wines and 6 samples of red wines.

The University Wines for the 2025/2026 academic year are a Welschriesling, Selection of Grapes 2023 from Vinařství Volařík – a mineral-driven wine with herbal notes and a lingering finish – and the Grand Cuvée Caberner 2018 from Vinařství Bíza Čejkovice, a bold cuvée with a rich fruit bouquet accented by hints of chocolate and spice.

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The Student Wines selected by the committee are a Pinot Blanc, Late Harvest 2023 from Château Valtice – a fresh wine with delicate meadow-flower aromas and a touch of apricot – and a Dornfelder, Late Harvest 2022 from the Rajhrad Monastic Winery, a deep garnet wine marked by robust fruitiness and a subtle smoky note.

The awarded wines were blessed by the Bishop of Brno during the evening and will represent the university at official events. The ceremony concluded with a performance by the Masaryk University Symphony Orchestra, which, under the baton of Martin Mazánek, performed Mozart’s Symphony No. 21 in A major.

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The evening’s programme marked the official start of the new academic year, reminding all participants of the values and traditions upon which Masaryk University was founded. It also highlighted that the university is committing to significant investments and facing new challenges, in which it will build on its reputation from previous decades.

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MU Rector’s Award for Outstanding Teachers

Michal Veselý – Faculty of Science

He teaches courses focused on mathematical analysis. Students rate his lectures highly for their engaging and clear nature, and for his ability to combine theory with practical examples.

Dalibor Vobořil – Faculty of Arts

He works at the Department of Psychology at the Faculty of Arts. Students appreciate the clear structure of his lectures, his understandable and humorous explanations, and the way he smoothly involves the audience in the teaching process.

Helena Lukášová – Faculty of Informatics

She leads the Studio of Graphic Design and Multimedia at the Department of Visual Computing. Students of her courses praise the information-rich, comprehensible, and beneficial content of her teaching.

The MU Rector’s Award for Long-Term Excellence in Teaching

Marie Budíková – Faculty of Science

She has worked at the faculty since 1980. Her focus is on teaching statistics and probability, as well as preparing future secondary school mathematics teachers.

Vladimír Jůva – Faculty of Sports Studies

He has been teaching pedagogical disciplines for more than forty years, with a particular focus on general pedagogy, didactics and sports pedagogy. He is also highly regarded within the professional community.

Michal Brandejs – Faculty of Informatics

He has been teaching since 1986. His specialisation is in engineering subjects focusing on the principles of computer technology, Unix and computer network services.

Silver Medals of MU

Otto Dostál – graduate of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering (now the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication Technologies) at Brno University of Technology, researcher and developer at the Institute of Computer Science at Masaryk University

Thanks to his intensive work on building and operating the metropolitan optical network in Brno, as well as using the optical network for processing and storing medical records, he made a significant contribution to the creation and development of the Internet in Brno. He also created the Metropolitan Digital Imaging System in Medicine (MeDiMed), the first of its kind in the Czech Republic.

He was awarded the Silver Medal of Masaryk University for strengthening the reputation of the university at the national and global level and deepening MU’s cooperation with institutions in Czechia and abroad.

Radovan Fiala – Deputy Head of Core Facility – Josef Dadok National Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Centre at CEITEC MU

He has made a significant contribution to the development of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and its use in structural biology. He was the long-term head of the Josef Dadok National NMR Centre at CEITEC MU, which today also functions as the national node of Instruct-ERIC, a European research infrastructure.

He was awarded the Silver Medal for his long-standing contribution to the development of science, research infrastructure, and international cooperation at MU.

Jan Šimek – sculptor

Despite persecution by the communist regime, he created a number of significant and memorable works. The sculptor’s monumental installations include the outdoor sculpture Between Heaven and Earth in Želešice near Brno and the ten stations of the Way of Life on the Southern Slope in Lázně Jeseník. Since 1997, his work named Springs of the Earth has complemented the Botanical Garden of the MU Faculty of Science, while other works have found their place in the courtyard and interior of the Besední dům and in the Goose on a String Theatre in Brno.

The Silver Medal is awarded for his civic courage and contributions to culture.

Gold medal of MU

Michael Murphy – President of the National University of Ireland, President of University College Cork (2007–2017), President of the European University Association (EUA) from 2019 to 2023

He transformed the EUA into one of the largest representative associations of higher education in the world. During his presidency, Martin Bareš was elected to an eight-person expert group that would later become an advisory body to the European Commission on the creation of a European strategy for a global approach to research, innovation and education. His most significant contributions while leading the EUA were the strategic steps he took to promote the “Universities without Borders” vision for the decades to come, as well as a new organisational strategy for the association itself.

The Gold Medal was awarded in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to the development of higher education in an international context, his strengthening of MU’s profile, and his deepening of MU’s cooperation with institutions abroad.