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Comenius University produces high-quality research both in the natural and social sciences

pr@uniba.sk — Mon, 06 Feb 2023 11:37:00 +0100

The disciplines of science and the arts were divided into seven groups and 28 areas. The evaluated research was ranked as: world-class, important international, international, national and unclassified. Comenius University submitted a total of 39 applications to assess its labs in 21 areas. The university's departments received the highest rating in eight areas - environmental and ecological sciences, physical sciences, clinical medical sciences, mathematical sciences, political sciences, sociology and social anthropology, Earth sciences and basic medical sciences. It is difficult to compare across different disciplines because each discipline is evaluated according to different criteria. A comparison, however, is possible among Slovak labs within one field of science. Panels consisting primarily of foreign experts evaluated 308 applications. Of them, 253 were from universities and 55 were from the Slovak Academy of Sciences. Together, they assessed 10,036 researchers who were employed at the evaluated institution at least half of the time in the period of 2014 to 2019. Comenius University research accounted for nearly one quarter (24.3 %) of all world-class research output of Slovak scientists. Comenius University took a share of 17.5 % in important international output and 17 % in international output. „Our university has achieved world-class results under conditions which are anything but,“ Comenius University Rector Marek Števček says of the results. Many disciplines achieved good results despite insufficient funding of science and weak support by the state. The assessment also revealed a lagging trend in pedagogical sciences, which has several underlying reasons. „The results showed that Comenius University compares well with international research institutions in several areas. They also broke the myth that high-quality research our university is mainly done in the natural sciences. On the contrary, social sciences also scored very well,“ says CU rector Marek Števček. This is the first evaluation of scientific output of this kind. Despite certain reservations regarding the bias of the evaluation, it is one of the most unbiased assessments ever conducted in Slovakia.

COMENIUS UNIVERSITY SOLD A PATENT THAT COULD HELP SOLVE INFERTILITY

pr@uniba.sk — Wed, 01 Feb 2023 09:21:00 +0100

Infertility is an issue that affects more than 48 million couples worldwide every year. Particularly women over 40 years of age face decreasing chances of conception, even with the help of artificial insemination. Research conducted at the Pavol Jozef Šafárik University (UPJŠ) in Košice, Comenius University Bratislava and Masaryk University in Brno, which was later financially supported by the Czech group FABA Capital, led to a fundamental increase in the success rate of IVF (in vitro fertilisation) assisted reproduction and helped to commercialise the method. IVF is still one of the most effective methods of treating infertility. Its success, however, depends on the interaction of many circumstances, including the selection of a suitable embryo to be transferred to the uterus. The new technology, protected by a patent application, identifies new miRNA molecules that can be used in predicting this success. „To simplify, the identified molecules predict the woman's readiness, and the quality and suitability of the embryo for the artificial insemination process,“ explains Associate Professor Miroslava Rabajdová from the Institute of Medical and Clinical Biochemistry of the Faculty of Medicine at UPJŠ in Košice. „The innovative technology presented here consists of non-invasive collection of biological material without causing any damage to the embryo. Analysis of the miRNA molecules obtained in this manner in combination as biomarkers proved to be a suitable approach. In personalised medicine, the molecules can help predict the success of IVF by enabling the selection of a suitable embryo,“ explains Associate Professor Katarína Šoltys from the Faculty of Natural Sciences of Comenius University, and she adds: „I believe that the combination of molecular methods and the use of artificial intelligence in biomedicine can improve both health care and the quality of life for many infertile couples, but also for the rest of us." Portions of the experimental research were carried out in the laboratories of the Masaryk University in Brno. „I was invited to participate in the research by offering my experience in the field and in high-throughput analysis of miRNA molecules in clinical material. We also participated by carrying out our own sequence analyses and by experiment design aimed at taking the technology from the experimental level towards a possible applied use,” said Professor Ondřej Slabý from the Central European Research Institute (CEITEC) and the Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University. By transferring the technology into practice the universities became an integral element in the solution of the society-wide issue of infertility. „Connecting the best experts across universities is the key to success and the future of scientific progress. I am pleased that we can do it on such a high level and with the cooperation of our Czech colleagues. This is all the more important because the joint research has a very practical and society-wide significance and has the potential to positively influence the lives of many people – this fact also foreshadows its commercial success.“ said the Rector of CU, Marek Števček. The contract for the transfer of intellectual property to the start-up FETUS, IVF a.s. was signed on 20 December, 2022 among the four parties. „By joining this project, we strive to reduce the number of unwanted abortions worldwide and increase the chances for families who want to have a healthy child. Infertility treatment as a procedure is very demanding in terms of one's psychology and an initial failed transfer can have major adverse impact on possible further attempts. We are honoured to be a part of the birth of new lives with a happy story.“ adds Robert Flocius, CEO of FABA Group. One result of the cooperation was a new business incubator, fabaincube, established to help commercialise academic and university projects. The technology first entered the spotlight at Transfera Technology Day 2020 – a competition intended to create a connection between Czech science and the business community, fostering suitable conditions for mutual cooperation. Subsequently, the technology also scored in Slovakia, where the authors received the 2021 Award for Technology Transfer in the Innovations category. „This commercialisation can be considered a great success, being the first official intellectual property transfer not just for CU, but any Slovak university. We spent the whole last year preparing the transfer and are very pleased with this success. We hope that the new owner will bring this invention to market,“ says Lenka Levarská from the Technology Transfer Centre of Comenius University. The Technology Transfer Centre of Masaryk University helped establish the first contact with the investor.

THE RECTOR OF COMENIUS UNIVERSITY APPOINTS MEMBERS OF THE LEADERSHIP OF THE UNIVERSITY AND THE FACULTIES

pr@uniba.sk — Wed, 01 Feb 2023 09:16:00 +0100

Jana Duračinská was appointed as Vice-Rector for Property Management and Investment, Jozef Masarik as Vice-Rector for Science and Doctoral Studies, Radomír Masaryk as Vice-Rector for External Relations, Viera Štvrtinová as Vice-Rector for Quality and Development Jozef Tancer as Vice-Rector for International Relations. These five will continue serving their second terms. Eva Viglašová was appointed by the rector to the position of Vice-rector for Education and Social Affairs. „The four-year term of office which is ending today, began with the celebration of the university’s centenary, but then came the pandemic, which was followed by a struggle to preserve academic self-government, the war in Ukraine and a rapid increase of energy prices. Despite all this, we managed to achieve a number of successes – the number of students who are interested in studying at the university has been increasing since 2019, we launched the renovations of dormitories that were decades in the making, and the VER ranking showed that our university hosts world-class research,“ said the Rector Števček. „I hope that in our second four-year term we will be able to address additional priorities – focusing on increasing the intensity of the renovations, on digitising our processes and strengthening the international dimension, particularly as part of our European alliance, ENLIGHT.“ Comenius University consists of thirteen faculties. After 1 February, current deans will stay for another term of office at four of them. Eduard Burda continues to lead the Faculty of Law, Peter Fedor continues as the dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences, Andrea Čalkovská stays at the Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin and Daniel Ševčovič remains for another term as dean of the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics. The Faculty of Medicine will have a new dean, Juraj Payer, and so will the Faculty of Education whose new dean is Katarína Žilková. Peter Štarchoň becomes the new dean of the Faculty of Management from 1 March. The Faculty of Arts will be electing its new dean on 20 February. Two faculties have not made use of the transitional provision of the new law, and will only be able to hold their elections once amended regulations reflecting the changes in the Higher Education Act are in place. Until that time, the rector appointed Viktor Bielik as acting dean of the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport and Lucia Mokrá as acting dean of the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences. The rector and the deans will officially assume their posts at an appointment ceremony which takes place on 8 March in the CU Auditorium.

Change of opening hours of the Accommodation Department

Wed, 26 Jul 2023 14:36:00 +0200

Dear guests,

we inform you that the Accommodation department of CU Mlyny will have a change of opening hours from 07.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. from February 1, 2023. CU Mlyny

Comenius University invites secondary school graduates to its Open Doors Days

pr@uniba.sk — Wed, 25 Jan 2023 13:43:00 +0100

On the morning of 28 January the Faculty of Arts opens its premises to interested students and the Faculty of Education will be open in the afternoon. Future applicants will be welcome to visit the Jessenius Faculty of Medicine on 6 February and the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics opens its doors on 8 February, with the Faculty of Natural Sciences and the Faculty of Pharmacy following on 10 February. The Evangelical Lutheran Theological Faculty will allow individual visitors on request throughout February. The Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences holds an open day on 2 March and the Faculty of Roman Catholic Theology of Cyril and Methodius follows on 30 April. The Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics holds a summer open doors day on 7 June for students who have not graduated yet. Those who consider studying at these faculties will have the opportunity to meet their lecturers, students and members of the management. They will learn about the faculty itself, the admission process, available study programmes and overall organisation of the study. There will be opportunities to ask teachers and students questions and get first-hand information. Visitors will also have access to some labs. Faculties have different deadlines for submitting applications. In most cases though, applications need to be submitted by the end of February or March. Some faculties have April deadlines.

Second year of the MaTeK project

Tunde.Kiss@fmph.uniba.sk — Mon, 23 Jan 2023 11:51:00 +0100

The year 2022 was remarkable for the consortium of the MaTeK project since they all met in person for the first time after more than a year of online cooperation. The transition from online conferences and seminars to face-to-face meetings significantly accelerated the research progress that started in 2021. Project coordinator, assoc. prof. Mária Slavíčková from the Department of Didactics in Mathematics at the Department of Didactics in Mathematics, Physics, and Informatics, together with colleagues from partner universities, prepared a summary of key moments from the second year of the mentioned project in the form of a short video, which we invite you to watch.

"Winter Wet Lab" winter school at Comenius University

Tomas.Vinar@fmph.uniba.sk — Fri, 20 Jan 2023 17:33:00 +0100

27 PhD students and young scientists from Europe will meet at Comenius University on February 1-8, 2023 to participate in a winter school, the aim of which is to sequence and analyze the pangenome of a unicellular organism. The event is organized by the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics together with the Faculty of Natural Sciences and the Natura non-profit within the international projects PANGAIA and ALPACA financed by the Horizon 2020 program. The projects are aimed at designing bioinformatics methods for representing and comparing the genomes of a large number of individuals. The participants of the event will work on a research project comparing the genomes of several strains of a certain microorganism with the aim of jointly creating a scientific publication that will be completed and submitted for publication after the event. "It is extremely important for future bioinformaticians to get an idea of how the laboratory part of such a project works," says dr. Vinař from the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics. "In bioinformatics, experience with biological laboratory environment significantly improves the ability to communicate with biologists." "We already have experience with this type of laboratory exercises for computer science students. For our doctoral students and young researchers, such an event is an excellent opportunity to acquire new pedagogical skills," adds prof. Nosek from the Faculty of Natural Sciences. Participants will acquire or deepen skills ranging from laboratory work to bioinformatics analysis to collaboration in scientific teams and dissemination of results. "We will use the experience gained at this event to innovate courses for study programs in bioinformatics, biochemistry and genetics," concludes dr. Brejová from the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics. ALPACA and PANGAIA projects received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 956229 and 872539.

REGISTRATION FOR SCHEDULE

Fri, 20 Jan 2023 14:40:00 +0100

Students can register for the class schedule of summer semester 2022/2023 from January 28th, 2023,...

Criteria for acceptance

Fri, 20 Jan 2023 12:00:00 +0100

Criteria for accepting applicants for full-time bachelor's and master's studies in English at the...

ERASMUS – NEW CALL FOR ONLINE APPLICATIONS FOR STUDY IN THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2023/2024 OPEN!

Fri, 20 Jan 2023 14:43:00 +0100

Deadline: February 15, 2023.