Elite scientific teams from Comenius University are awarded
On 13 December 2017, elite scientific teams from Comenius University in Bratislava received Comenius Silver Medals from the university’s rector, Professor Karol Mičieta, in the Rector’s Hall.
“Two years ago, the Accreditation Commission identified thirty-seven elite teams at Slovak universities; nineteen of these were at Comenius University. This year seven out of the seventeen newly-identified elite teams were from our university,” said the rector.
In the field of historical sciences and ethnology, the Archaeology: Modern Research in Slovakia team, based at the Faculty of Arts and under the leadership of Professor Jozef Bátora, succeeded in the second round of assessment. In the area of social and behavioural sciences, an elite team called Social Contexts in Local Communities, at the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences, was identified; it is under the leadership of Professor Martin Kanovský. Under the leadership of Professor Stanislav Tokár, the team of Physics of High Energy is an elite outfit working at the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics. Bioinformatics and the Functional Analysis of Biological Systems is the name of an elite team working in the areas of chemistry, chemical technology, life sciences, information sciences, automation, and telecommunications at the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics as well as at the Faculty of Natural Sciences under the leadership of Associate Professor Katarína Mikušová. In the area of Life Sciences, the elite team of Experimental Biology of Plants was identified; it is under the leadership of Professor Alexander Lux from the Faculty of Natural Sciences. In the fields of medical, pharmaceutical, and non-medical health sciences, there were two successful Comenius University teams: Translational Research in Oncological Illnesses from the Faulty of Medicine, under the leadership of Associate Professor Jozef Mardiak; and the Cardiorespiratory System and Visceral Pain team based at the Jessenius Faculty of Medicine under the leadership of Professor Andrea Čalkovská.
“I would also like to mention those who were placed just behind these elite teams. Several leading Comenius University scientists did not participate in this comparison. This speaks volumes about the scientific and research potential of our university, and this is an important signal for our students and all those interested in studying here,” the rector said.
“There is still a lack of a national science policy, and the financial support for science, research, and education by the government is insufficient and poorly distributed. There is a minimal presence by the business sector in terms of financing, and despite this worthy project of the Accreditation Commission, the identification and support of excellence in science and research is still insufficient,” said the Vice-Rector for Science and Post-Graduate Study,Professor Peter Moczo. “One of the most serious consequences of the long-standing situation in relation to science, research, and education is the continuing departure of many talented young people for study and creative work opportunities abroad. And as we well know, without talented and educated young people here, there is no reasonable future,” the vice-rector said.
The event was attended by Jozef Jurkovič, who is the general director of the Higher Education Section of the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic: “I am sure that thanks to your high-quality work and the support of the university and faculty leadership, you will be able to inspire your colleagues and remain demanding of yourselves as well as of others, allowing the university to stand on solid and high-quality foundations that will enable it to grow further. You will allow us to then use your results to improve policies and indeed the whole system.”
“Over the passage of time, it seems that our project of identifying elite teams has had a certain reaction from the public, but it is apparent that the improvement of the trustworthiness of our universities and the reduction in the emigration of young talent can only be halted by systematic action in this area. A number of universities have supported and promoted their elite teams. It is important to highlight the clear dominance of Comenius University in this regard,” said Professor Ľubor Fišera, Chairman of the Accreditation Committee.
In addition to the elite scientific teams from Comenius University, the event was attended by Professor Peter Samuely, Vice-President of the Slovak Academy of Sciences; Associate Professor Martin Putala, Chairman of the Higher Education Council of the Slovak Republic; and other guests.
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