Jan Slovak, Professor from Masaryk University (the Czech Republic), will present the university experience on a university campus development and attracting private investments.

The Masaryk University Campus in Brno-Bohunice is the largest construction project in the higher education sphere in Central Europe. The construction project was launched in 2004. The campus in Brno-Bohunice was officially opened on 23 September 2010. The entire construction project was financed through loans of the European Investment Bank as well as through the European Union Structural Funds and Masaryk University funds.

Today, the Masaryk University Campus is an up-to-day educational and research center primarily accommodating students of three faculties: the Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Science и the Faculty of Sports Studies.

Also, the campus hosts numerous research centers. The CEITEC (i.e. Central European Institute of Technology) project emerged from a common project of six most significant Brno universities and research institutions. The major scope of the project is to establish an internationally acclaimed center of research and education. In the CESEB (Centre of Experimental, Systematic and Ecological Biology) project, students, teachers and scientists are engaged in parallel activities in both instruction and scientific research of two departments of the Faculty of Science: Department of Experimental Biology and Department of Botany and Zoology. The Centre for the Study of Toxic Substances (CETOCOEN) project covers the development of chemical and toxic tools monitoring the quality of environment. The Centre is a result of an ambitious project aimed at establishing a unique platform interconnecting scientific research and commercial sphere in the areas of environmental and sustainability issues.

The university complex provides 5,000 students and 1,500 academic and research employees with a superior study and work environment. The campus comprises a versatile base for a wide range of student activities: students are welcome to use the modern library and computer room, facilities for doing sports and informal communication, accommodation facilities for students and employees of Masaryk University as well as catering facilities – Academic Restaurant and Academic Canteen. All campus interiors are suitable for students with special needs, a large number of whom are enrolled at Masaryk University. All buildings and routes are wheelchair accessible and three separate navigation elements – leading lines, audio and tactile navigation – are implemented in order to help students with impaired vision.

Reference information: The 2nd University Cities Forum – Leveraging University Vitality for Urban & Regional Development – will be hosted on November 30th – December 2nd 2017 in Tomsk by National Research Tomsk State University. The main objective of the Forum is to form a joint agenda to increase the university’s influence on the development of the new urban and regional economy, the concentration of high-tech companies in cities as well as the development of university campuses as centers of gravity for businesses. The Forum’s program includes three tracks:University and the new economy of the city/region, University in complex urban ecosystem, University and disruptive social changes.

Source: Masaryk University, www.muni.cz