According to the RVVI, we have eight “A-rated,” that is, excellent universities based on research performance. USB is among them!

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports has published the results of the evaluation of research organisations in the higher education sector. The best institutions received an A grade, while the weakest received a D. Among the eight “A-rated” universities is also the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice.

The evaluation is carried out by the Council for Research, Development and Innovation (RVVI) based on both self-assessment and reviews by international panels, once every five years. It is an official evaluation of higher education institutions and also has an impact on research funding.

Universities with an A grade are expected to be “excellent,” internationally competitive in their fields, possess strong innovation potential, or fulfil their vision in an outstanding way. Universities graded B should be “very good,” with excellent research results or sufficient innovation potential. Universities with a C grade are considered average, with uneven quality. Institutions with the lowest grade, D, are below average, with a number of weaknesses and shortcomings. Some institutions were not evaluated or were excluded, for example because they did not submit the required research data to the RVVI.

Universities awarded grade A:
Charles University; Masaryk University; Palacký University Olomouc; Czech Technical University in Prague; Brno University of Technology; University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague; University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice; Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague

The evaluation itself consisted of five modules:

• Module 1: Quality of selected outputs
• Module 2: Research performance
• Module 3: Societal relevance
• Module 4: Viability
• Module 5: Strategy and concept

In the first two modules, universities are evaluated annually through discipline-specific panels. Modules 3–5 are assessed once every five years by an International Evaluation Panel.

The grades A to D will have a financial impact on universities in the period 2026–2031. They will influence the level of funding institutions receive from the state for research activities in the form of institutional support for the long-term strategic development of research organisations.

At the University of South Bohemia, discussions and reflections on the results are already underway. The recommendations from this evaluation will also be incorporated into tasks under the implementation of the university’s strategic plan. One of these tasks will be to strengthen the internationalisation of research and interdisciplinary cooperation across the disciplines developed at the University of South Bohemia.