NVF organized a Workshop on Supporting Career Development in Research Organizations

The event was attended by the Deputy Minister of Education, Youth and Sports, Prof. Radka Wildová, CSc., other representatives of the ministry, as well as leading figures from research organizations, universities, and the scientific community. The workshop provided a platform for discussing the findings of a qualitative survey conducted by NVF and summarized in the study.

The discussions addressed the main challenges in improving the conditions for scientific careers. Key issues included stable and transparent remuneration, project-based funding, evaluation of research, and reducing bureaucratic burden. Particular attention was given to the career paths of early-career researchers and postdocs, with proposals for systemic changes in doctoral education – such as reducing the number of programs, emphasizing quality, and introducing doctoral programs outside of traditional faculties.

Participants also debated the creation of a national postdoctoral fellowship system to strengthen mobility and reduce so-called inbreeding, as well as the introduction of transparent recruitment procedures for leadership positions. A strong emphasis was placed on building clear and internationally comprehensible career trajectories, for example through graduate schools with quality mentoring and a better separation of research and teaching activities.

Among the most frequently mentioned recommendations were the introduction of fixed and transparent salaries for senior research positions, efforts to reduce administrative burden, strengthening formative feedback in research evaluation (Methodology 17+), and expanding the range of study programs offered in English.

Representatives of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports welcomed the workshop as an important contribution to the ongoing expert debate and as an inspiration for preparing the theses and concept of the new Higher Education Act, which is now in the initial stages of development.