Experts from the International Advisory Commission contributed to the debate on the development of the UHK

The International Advisory Commission of the University of Hradec Králové is an advisory body to the Rector. It currently has five permanent members, all from influential foreign universities. The members of the commission are prof. John R. Anchor, PhD from the University of Huddersfield, Great Britain, Teresita Maria Sevilla Peñuela, PhD from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Colombia, prof. Ing. Radovan Hudák, PhD from Technical University of Košice, Slovakia, prof. Teodorico de Castro Ramalho from Universidade Federal de Lavras, Brazil and Prof. Ts. Dr. Ali Bin Selamat, PhD from Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology, Malaysia.

The International Advisory Commission enables an independent, objective, and highly professional evaluation of the university in fulfilling its mission, its creative and pedagogical activities, maintaining consistency and dynamics of internal strategy, viability, social relevance, and knowledge transfer. Furthermore, it allows us to use the lens of international standards set at foreign workplaces to assess the current situation at UHK, identify its strengths and weaknesses, potential and opportunities, and suggest a path to change.

The commission meets twice a year. Unfortunately, due to pandemic measures, the commission could only meet online, with the last online meeting taking place on June 29–30, 2021.

Three members attended the first personal IAC meeting at the beginning of June 2022, and their program at the UHK was very intensive. Monday's topics in the Rectorate's meeting room were divided into two blocks. In the morning, our foreign experts discussed with the university and faculty management the previous recommendations of the IAC and the current situation and plans of the UHK in the areas of: 

• Internal evaluation,
• Evaluation of humanities results,
• Recognition of excellent teams or workplaces and their ability to transfer technology into practice.

The afternoon part of the meeting was then focused on: 

• Strategic international partnerships,
• Cooperation with excellent universities or institutions complementary to UHK,
• Virtual mobility as a tool for extending the possibilities of internationalization.

On Tuesday, the commission visited all four of our faculties. Faculty representatives discussed with commission members their particular and urgent issues. On this occasion, there was also a guided tour of virtual classrooms at the Faculty of Informatics and Management, followed by an excursion to laboratories at the Faculty of Science.

This was followed on Wednesday by a final summary of the entire meeting and a reflection on the topics discussed. Finally, the International Advisory Commission formulated inspiring recommendations for the further development of our university.

The informal part of the visit eased the busy work program. As part of it, our guests visited the city brewery and experienced local brewery technology. They saw the perfect piano craftsmanship at world-famous manufacturer Petrof. The whole visit concluded with a tour of the neo-Gothic castle Hrádek u Nechanic, which was built as a representative summer and hunting lodge of the Harrach family, and a walk through the beautiful gardens of the English romantic park.

"We are very grateful to all members of the International Advisory Commission for how much time and work they have devoted to further improving the environment at UHK. I appreciate their valuable insights and professional experience. I believe that the series of meetings was also beneficial for the UHK representatives, and I look forward to continuing this successful cooperation," adds the Rector of the University of Hradec Králové, Kamil Kuča.

The next meeting is scheduled for November 2022.