Interdisciplinary Sustainable Development Network

Project outline

The project is focused on strengthening contacts between universities, research institutions and other bodies related to environmental issues and sustainable development (SD) in the Czech Republic, it will develop international contacts and should enhance the impact of HE and research institutions on SD practice. This interdisciplinary project will create a multidisciplinary platform that will be linked to applied research and specific policy measures in the field of sustainable development. The project is based on collaboration with foreign institutions, and will develop the existing cooperation model (a Regional Centre of Expertise, RCE) within a Czech context and link it to an international network of institutions; it will assist the transfer of experience and ideas between different stakeholders in the Czech Republic. Thus potentially new forms of regional cooperation will emerge.

Specific project objectives

Create a new functional form of regional cooperation in teaching and research involving both actors from academia, from the non-academic practical sphere and nonprofit organizations. In this regard, the following will be undertaken:

•   establishment of a network of cooperation within the Czech Republic which will connect applied research, teaching and practice

•   connect to international networks, using international experience and patterns of cooperation, contacts for joint training, internships, summer schools (Charles University will organize summer schools and send students and staff on university internships)

•   network development  will be supported by an analysis of examples of good practice, networking, and both existing and newly developed forms of cooperation

•   link existing communication platforms, stage joint conferences, strengthen the possibilities of publication and the public presentation of project results

•   appropriate forms of communication will be strengthened and a cooperation model developed. The project will bring about innovations to existing forms of instruction with regard to skills applicable in practice, link university departments, invite stakeholders from the practical sphere and use methods for applying relevant skills.

•   prepare internships and training opportunities

•   selecte exemplars of good practice, demonstrate the possibility of involving students in work in a commercial enterprise

•   create new teaching modules for the cultivation of communication skills in a foreign language and work on international and interdisciplinary team projects on sustainable development, building a range of distance learning, summer schools and internships abroad for students outside of Prague.

Project Partners

1. South Bohemian University in České Budějovice

2. Masaryk University, Brno

3. Green Circle – NGO umbrella organization

4. Veronica – environmental NGO from Brno

5. Biological Center of the Academy of Sciences

6. Institute of Systematic Biology and Ecology of the Academy of Sciences

7. Business Leaders Forum

8. The University of Finance and Administration – private university