Standard of Quality

Highlights of Success – What the Faculty of Economics at VŠE Has Achieved Since 2010

2010–2016: Top Rankings Among Czech Economics Faculties
From 2010 to 2016, the Faculty of Economics (NF) consistently ranked among the top three economics faculties in the Czech Republic according to the Hospodářské noviny ranking, compiled until 2017:

  • 2010 – 2nd place
  • 2011 – 1st place
  • 2012 – 2nd place
  • 2013 – 2nd place
  • 2014 – 2nd place
  • 2015 – 2nd place
  • 2016 – 2nd place

In a similar ranking by Týden magazine, the faculty always placed second:

  • 2016 – 2nd place
  • 2017 – 2nd place
  • 2018 – 2nd place
  • 2019 – 2nd place
  • 2020 – 2nd place

Public Relations & Outreach

  • Partnership with the ČEZ Foundation on co-funding the Dean’s Award Competition, where bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral students present their research results and receive financial support for further work.
  • The faculty also regularly organises a Dean’s Award competition for high school students, already in its fifth year, aimed at fostering interest in economics among secondary school students.
  • On the faculty’s invitation, honorary doctorates were awarded to Nobel laureate Richard Thaler (2015), prominent economist Hans-Werner Sinn (2017), and Professor John A. List from the University of Chicago (2022).
  • Active participation of the faculty in European Social Fund projects.
  • Near-zero unemployment rate among graduates, who rank among the most highly valued on the labour market. Alumni occupy top positions in private and public sectors and frequently return to lecture, ensuring theoretical teaching is complemented by insights from senior managers and government officials.
  • Traditional ceremonial opening of the academic year at the Prague Castle Riding Hall.
  • Organisation of faculty orientation courses for future students of NF VŠE.
  • The tradition of decorating the NF VŠE Christmas tree, providing opportunities for informal student–faculty meetings.
  • The faculty formerly organised “Open Teaching” days for secondary school students, and in 2023 introduced “Classroom Shadowing” during Innovation Week, to promote the faculty among high school students. This shadowing continued in the 2023/2024 academic year.
  • Continued participation in “Roadshow” projects, representation at the Gaudeamus Fair, the Prague Higher Education Fair, faculty Open Days, and the all-university promotional programme VŠExpedice for high school students, as well as launching cooperation with “faculty schools”.
  • Faculty presentation and student information via Facebook and Instagram.
  • A faculty newsletter for alumni.

Teaching & Study Programmes

  • September 2012: NF became the first faculty at VŠE to accredit an English-language bachelor’s programme, “Economics”.
  • 2018–2020: Successful reaccreditation of all bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programmes, incorporating international standards and restructuring of minor specialisations.
  • September 2019: Launch of the English-language master’s programme “Economics and Public Policy.”
  • November 2022: Launch of the “NF Alumni Mentoring” programme, connecting current bachelor’s students (from year 2 onward) with alumni (with more than five years of experience), to deepen the practical dimension of study.
  • January 2023: Update of elective course offerings across all study programmes, including courses enhancing language skills (e.g. 5EN382 Chapters in Economics II, 55F350 Short-term International Professional Internship).
  • May/June 2023: Revision of all study plans, increasing credit allocation for bachelor’s and master’s theses to raise the quality of final dissertations.
  • September 2023: Annual orientation course for first-year bachelor’s students, a highly appreciated event helping new students gain valuable study tips, make friends, and enjoy memorable experiences.
  • Active involvement in organising Innovation Week at VŠE, which enriches the standard curriculum with external lectures, workshops, and excursions.
  • Highlights from Innovation Weeks
  • First Innovation Week (October/November 2022) included:
    • Lectures by Prof. Jean-Robert Tyran (University of Vienna)
    • External lecture by EY experts
    • Presentation on Prague’s budget process by Ing. Patrik Paneš, Ph.D. and Pavel Vyhnánek, M.A.
    • Workshops on coal mining and trade in Czechoslovakia
    • Visits to Deloitte, the CNB (“Behind the Currency”), the Mayrau mining museum, and historic Prague sites linked to economic history.
  • Second Innovation Week (March 2023) featured:
    • Visit from the University of Glasgow delegation, including a short course “Psychology, Economics and Experiments” by T. Koutmeridis.
    • Excursions to the Supreme Audit Office, the Czech Senate, historical tours of Malá Strana, the CNB, and a residential facility for people with disabilities.
    • Guest lectures by EY, ČEZ, and experts from Prague City Hall and the Prague Institute for Planning and Development.
  • Third Innovation Week (November 2023) hosted:
    • Prof. Marco Avarucci (University of Glasgow) with a short course on “Introduction to Time Series Analysis.”
    • Vice-President of the Austrian National Bank, Dr. Kolm, delivering lectures on “Scientific Foundations for Successful Innovative Design” and “Markets vs. State Interventions.”
    • Presentations by experts from ČEZ, researcher Prof. Petr Drulák from the Institute of International Relations, and Chief Prosecutor JUDr. Lenka Bradáčová.
  • Fourth Innovation Week (April 2024) included:
    • Return visit by Prof. Theodor Koutmeridis (University of Glasgow) and guest Prof. Nikolaos Belesis (University of Piraeus) teaching “Financial Statements Analysis: Practical Guide for Economists.”
    • Excursions to the Supreme Audit Office and CNB, and lectures by ČEZ managers, JUDr. Ladislav Švec from the Health Insurance Office, among others.
  • Regular opening of the popular course “Organisation of Markets, Sectors, and the Public Sector through the Eyes of Managers,” with lectures by top executives from finance, healthcare, sport, energy, and public administration (e.g. ČEZ CEO, Chief Prosecutor in Prague, Czech Television Director, Prague Marathon Director, Head of the Maternity Ward at U Apolináře Hospital).
  • Emphasis on flexibility in scheduling, with students able to build their own timetables beyond core subjects, supporting critical thinking and pluralism of views.
  • Availability of regular consultations with the Study Office via Facebook.
  • Regular ceremonial events to honour the best bachelor’s and master’s students.
  • November 2023: Launch of the second round of Alumni Mentoring.
  • November 2023: Presentation by Prof. Pělucha on NF’s experience preparing an international Horizon Twinning project.
  • November 2023: The Department of Economic and Social Policy hosted the “Social Policy 2023” scientific conference.
  • Participation in celebrations of 70 years of VŠE, with lectures by Prof. Václav Klaus, Assoc. Prof. Eva Zamrazilová, and Dr. Karina Kubelková.

Internationalisation

  • Since winter semester 2022/2023, students have had the opportunity to attend extra-semestral courses taught by international professors (5EN381 Chapters in Economics I, 5EN382 Chapters in Economics II). These courses aim to broaden students’ perspectives through instruction by accomplished academic experts from prestigious foreign universities, introduce them to modern, trending courses abroad, offer alternative teaching approaches, and above all, motivate them to undertake study stays abroad.
  • Examples include:
    • Winter semester 2022/2023: Prof. Jean-Robert Tyran (Vienna University of Economics) with Experimental and Behavioral Economics.
    • Summer semester 2022/2023: Prof. Theodor Koutmeridis (University of Glasgow) with Economics and Psychology.
    • Winter semester 2023/2024:
    • Repeat course Behavioral and Experimental Economics by Prof. Tyran.
    • Dr. Marco Avarucci (University of Glasgow) with Introduction to Time Series Analysis.
    • At the end of November, Prof. Michele Battisti (also University of Glasgow) with Labour Market: Little Theory, More Applications.
    • Summer semester 2023/2024:
    • Further extra-semestral courses by visiting professors, including another session by Theodor Koutmeridis and courses involving Dr. Petri Kuosmanen (University of Vaasa) and Dr. Sebastian Lutz (University of Vienna), who participated as part of the standard semester instruction.
    • May 2023: As part of developing internationalisation in doctoral studies, Prof. Jean-Robert Tyran taught an interactive course Scientific Publishing in Economics at the faculty. The aim was to engage PhD students, demonstrate the importance of scientific publishing in economics, and show how to successfully publish in top journals.
  • Examples of Broader International Cooperation
    • KDI School of Public Policy and Management: Launch of an incoming double degree programme. In March 2024, a joint webinar with KDI School was organised to spark interest among potential Korean students to study at NF VŠE under this double degree arrangement.
    • University of Glasgow:
      • Cooperation began in October 2022.
      • March 2023: Visit by the University of Glasgow delegation, including a workshop for Czech students and academics celebrating the 300th anniversary of Adam Smith’s birth.
      • Future plans involve teaching exchanges for academics and, in cooperation with VŠE’s International Office, preparations for mutual student and PhD mobility.
      • Spring 2024: Academic collaboration was successfully launched with a research workshop held during a visit by the Vice-Dean for International Relations and the Director of the Laboratory for Experimental Economics (LEE) from Glasgow.
      • June 2024: Successful execution of the long-planned “Prague-Glasgow Summer School in Economics,” which included Czech and Glasgow students and received highly positive feedback.
    • Ocean University of China:
      • End of June 2024: Renewed cooperation following a visit by a Chinese delegation to NF VŠE, with plans to organise future summer or winter schools in economics, student exchanges aimed toward double degree programmes, and academic exchanges in teaching.

Research & Science

  • Research at NF VŠE is strongly oriented toward practical application, for example through conferences on social policy, foreign exchange interventions, and other topics.
  • High publication output per academic staff member.
  • Activities of the Laboratory for Experimental Economics (LEE), including:
    • Engagement with the University of Glasgow.
    • Involvement of high school students in economics through experimental methods.
    • LEE participants raised CZK 13,000 for charities through experiments.
    • Significant collaboration initiated with scholars from Babeș-Bolyai University on experimental economics.
  • 2010–2023:
    • 19 successful habilitations to Associate Professorship (docents) and 5 to Full Professorship.
    • Faculty secured and managed 25 GAČR (Czech Science Foundation) grants.
    • New doctoral courses accredited in cooperation with prestigious international universities, e.g. course 55F960 Scientific Publishing in Economics, taught since 2023 by Prof. Jean-Robert Tyran.
Conferences, Grants, and Scientific Achievements
  • 17 November 2019: Hosted the ceremonial conference “30 Years on the Thorny Path to Freedom and the Defence Against Those Who Seek to Take It Away.”
  • 2022: Hosted the international scientific conference “Social Policy, the Impact of Inflation on the Social Sector.”
  • February 2023: Press conference on “The Future of Nuclear Energy in the Czech Republic, Construction of New Blocks by Czech Industry.”
  • April 2023: Press conference on “The Application of Economic Policy in Czech Agriculture Amid the Energy Crisis During an Emerging Recession.”
  • May 2023: Regional Economic Seminar in České Budějovice, organised with the Ministry of Industry and Trade and VŠE’s Department of Regional Studies.
  • September 2023: International Conference on Economics, Finance and Business co-organised by ESCP Business School, Paris; NF VŠE Prague; and the International Institute of Social and Economic Sciences.
Strategic Research and International Projects
  • Long-term strengthening of faculty cooperation with practice, e.g. with the Ministry of Industry and Trade, ČEZ, and other organisations.
  • Applied economic research in cooperation with international universities, such as the new contract research project funded by the European Commission (12/2022 – 07/2024) supporting the transformation of coal regions in the Czech Republic.
  • Successes of young academics and PhD students in obtaining prestigious external scholarships and support, e.g.:
    • PhD student Ing. Marek Feurich selected by the Regional Studies Association (RSA) to attend European Commission seminars on EU cohesion policy.
    • PhD student Ing. Vojtěch Dvořák received a prestigious Neuron & IOCB Tech Internship in Israel.
  • Since April 2023, the faculty is represented by two experts on key evaluation panels of the Czech Science Foundation (GAČR) — a significant achievement given GAČR is the sole Czech institution awarding targeted public funding for basic research.
Awards and Recognitions
  • November 2023: Kamila Němečková, NF graduate, won 3rd place in the Atlas Copco Services Prize 2023 with her thesis on “Economic Impacts of Reducing the Share of Conventional Cars and Their Replacement by Electric Vehicles in the Czech Republic.” Her thesis supervisor, Assoc. Prof. Miroslav Ševčík, CSc., received an award for outstanding guidance.
  • November 2023: NF was awarded a GAČR scientific grant led by Assoc. Prof. Mgr. Ing. Miroslav Vacura, Ph.D., on “Who Is Speaking? Pragmatics and Ethics of Large Language Models in Democracy.”
  • May 2024: A Horizon project proposal on “New Sustainable Business and Production Models for Farmers and Rural Communities” (HORIZON-CL6-2024-COMMUNITIES-02-2) advanced to the second round; VŠE acts as a partner with Prof. Ing. Martin Pělucha, Ph.D. responsible for the project.
  • May 2024: High school student Štěpán Drábek, mentored by Pavel Potužák from NF VŠE, received the Czech Learned Society Prize for exceptional scientific activities with his thesis “On the Nature and Origins of Inflation in the Czech Republic (2020–2023).” His work also won 2nd place nationally in the SOČ competition in the Economics and Management category.
  • June 2024: NF VŠE and ESCP Business School, Paris, jointly organised the International Conference on Economics, Finance and Business.
  • February 2024: Ing. Nikola Magdalena Taylor, Ph.D., from NF’s Department of Economics, published an analysis of the financial health of the municipality of Velké Popovice in the local newsletter.
  • March 2024: NF’s Department of Regional Studies successfully hosted the international conference “Leadership & Politics & Governance in Turbulent Times: Global and Geopolitical Challenges in a Changing Europe,” in collaboration with universities in Newcastle and Angers.
  • June 2024: Prof. Martin Pělucha (VŠE) and Assoc. Prof. Roman Chytilek (Masaryk University) led a seminar at MU Brno titled “Science4Policy,” based on European Commission JRC concepts.

Cooperation with Practice

  • The faculty has established close ties with top policymakers and leading managers in the Czech Republic. NF students thus have the opportunity to attend lectures by key figures shaping economic policy. Practitioners are also invited into courses, including:
    • Daniel Beneš (CEO of ČEZ)
    • Prof. Antonín Pařízek (renowned obstetrician)
    • Marian Jelínek (hockey coach, personal coach)
    • Milan Fridrich (Programme Director of Czech Television)
    • Lenka Bradáčová (Chief Prosecutor) and many others.
  • Cooperation with the Karlovy Vary Region: Programme of expert and empirical support for NF diploma students, with regional awards for outstanding theses on topics like spa industry recovery post-COVID and more efficient public transport.
  • Autumn 2017: Establishment of the NF Alumni Club, regularly organising:
  • Lectures in the “Alumni Wednesdays” series,
  • Workshops for students,
  • Surveys to gather feedback on studies and monitor graduate employment.
  • Since November 2022: Organisation of the NF Alumni Mentoring programme.
  • Since spring semester 2017/2018: Launch of the minor specialisation “Practicum in Public Administration,” which includes three-month internships at the Permanent Mission of the Czech Republic to the OECD in Paris.
  • From November 2022: Practical dimension of teaching further enhanced by the faculty’s active role in Innovation Weeks at VŠE.