Meeting of International Evaluation Panel took place at VŠE as part of evaluation of results of creative activities in accordance with Methodology 17+

Since 2018, the system of evaluating the results of creative activities in the Czech Republic has been changed according to the methodology approved by the Government of the Czech Republic in February 2017. The evaluation is carried out by the Council for Research, Development and Innovation. The abbreviated name “Methodology 17+” is generally used for the Methodology for the Evaluation of Research Organizations and Targeted Support Programs for Research, Development and Innovation.

The evaluation takes place at three levels, namely at the national level, at the level of grant providers for the long-term conceptual development of research organizations and at the level of the research organization itself. The evaluation is focused on 5 areas, so-called modules:

• M1 – Quality of selected results;
• M2 – Research performance;
• M3 – Social relevance;
• M4 – Viability;
• M5 – Strategies and concepts.

The task of the International Evaluation Panel (MEP) is to evaluate the quality of the creative activities of research organizations within Modules 3 – 5. The Prague University of Economics and Business has paid special attention to the preparation of the international evaluation.
Under the leadership of the Vice-Rector for Research and Science Prof. Petr Musílek a self-evaluation report was prepared (module M3 was prepared by the faculties, modules M4 and M5 were prepared at the school level), and this extensive material was subsequently approved by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MŠMT). At the same time, the process of appointing an international evaluation panel took place. In accordance with the Statute and Rules of Procedure of the International Evaluation Panel VŠE, the Rector appointed members of the panel, with the fact that professional evaluations will be performed only by foreign evaluators from major European universities. The VŠE proposal was approved by MŠMT without any comments. The evaluation was planned as a so-called on-site visit, but due to the pandemic situation, it had to take place from November 9 to November 11, 2020 in the form of online using the MS Teams platform.

The composition of the International Evaluation Panel is as follows:

• Jérôme CHABANNE-RIVE, Prof., M.Sc., PhD, iaelyon School of Management, Lyon, Jean Moulin University (France), EIASM Executive Director, (Chairman)
• Alfred Wagenhofer, Prof., Dr., Dr.h.c., Institute of Accounting and Control, University of Graz, (Austria),
• Ann Jorissen, Prof., PhD, University of Antwerp, (Belgium),
• Stefano Guzzini, Prof., PhD, Uppsala University, (Sweden),
• Tomasz Mickiewicz, Prof., MA, PhD, Aston Business School, (UK),
• Vatroslav Škare, Izv. Prof. PhD, University of Zagreb, (Croatia),
• Axel Polleres, Prof., D., Vienna University of Economics and Business, (Austria),
• Dimitris K. Despotis, Prof., PhD, University of Piraeus, (Greece),
• John Shutt, Prof., PhD, Northumbria University, (UK),
• Giuseppe Ciccarone, Prof., D, Sapienza Università di Roma, (Italy),
• Martin Eisend, Prof., PhD, European University Viadrina, Vice President for Research, Graduate Education, and Transfer, (Germany),
• Ms. Lucie Núnez Tayupanta, PhD, is a member of MEP appointed by MŠMT,
• The Secretary of MEP is Martina Sušánková, Head of Department of Science and Research VŠE.

The three-day program was very intensive and foreign evaluators had the opportunity to assess the creative activities of individual faculties not only on the basis of presentations by deans or vice-deans for science and other academic officials, but also had the opportunity to meet successful grant solvers and ask questions to students and graduates of doctoral programs.

Rector of VŠE Prof. Hana Machková was extremely satisfied with the course of the evaluation. “I would like to thank all the colleagues who contributed to the preparation of this very important evaluation. I followed the entire program and can say that all faculties prepared diligently for the evaluation. I was glad that we were able to present the results of the VŠE’s creative activities to foreign colleagues in the form of a Peer Review. I do not like the so-called rating from the table, which is often skewed. Of course, I am sorry that we could not make a real “on-site visit” and could not welcome the evaluators in our modern premises and discuss with them in person. However, given how long the various online meetings have been going on, I think we are all used to this way of doing things. The discussions were very open and the feedback provided by the evaluators is extremely valuable to all of us. I do not know how the evaluation will turn out, but we tried to show the evaluators the whole wide range of activities of the Prague University of Economics and Business and its six faculties in the field of creative activity and also explain the VŠE strategy and the framework in which our research activities take place. ”

The results of the evaluation should be known by the end of May 2021.