EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND RESEARCH

The education level of population belongs among positive features of the Southern Moravia Region (almost 56% of the inhabitants have completed university or college education). From an employer's point of view, Southern Moravia can be considered one of the most favourable areas of the Czech Republic.

At the moment there are 12 universities and colleges in the Southern Moravia Region. In six state universities in Brno with their twenty-nine faculties there are more than 60 thousand students. In five private colleges there are almost 2,000 students. As regards the proportion of the number of university students per one inhabitant, Brno is in the first place in the Czech Republic.

All universities play an important role in the development of science, research and innovation. Therefore the Southern Moravia Region, City of Brno in particular, is a residence of a wide range of research institutes including several branches of Academy of Science (e.g. Biophysical Institute, Institute of Zoological Physiology and Genetics, and Institute of Landscape Ecology).

Masaryk University in Brno is the biggest university in Moravia and at the same time one of the fastest growing tertiary education institutions in the Czech Republic. The university has the following nine faculties: Faculty of Economics and Administration, Faculty of Informatics, Faculty of Social Studies, Faculty of Sports Studies, Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Education, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Natural Science.

Brno University of Technology offers studies at Faculty of Architecture, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication, Faculty of Chemistry, Faculty of Information Technology, Faculty of Business and Management, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Fine Arts.

Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry in Brno is focused on agricultural and forestry areas, which is also reflected in its faculties: Faculty of Agronomy, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Faculty of Business and Economics, Faculty of Horticulture.

University of Defence was established through a merger of three military universities, i.e. Military Academy Brno, Military University of the Ground Forces in Vyškov and Military Medical Academy of Jan Evangelista Purkyně in Hradec Králové. At the moment this university comprises of three faculties: Faculty of Economics and Management, Faculty of Military Health Sciences, Faculty of Military Technology.

University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences in Brno comprises of three faculties: Faculty of Veterinary Hygiene and Ecology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Pharmacy.

Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno is represented with two faculties: Faculty of Theatre and Faculty of Music.

The private colleges include the following:

Akademie Sting Brno offers bachelor degree study programmes in the field of economics, accounting, financial control and management of small and medium-size companies.

Karel Engliš College Brno is also focused on bachelor degree study programmes in the field of economic, management, law and information systems.

Newton College Brno, education in the field of economics and management.

Rašínova College Brno also offers bachelor degree study programmes focused on legal and economic education.

Brno International Business School is focused both on bachelor and master degree study programmes in the field of economics, management and law with a possibility of gaining the internationally recognized MBA and DBA degrees.

College of Economics in Znojmo was established in 2005 and it is focused on education in the field of accounting and financial management of companies, marketing and management in tourism, with the aim to issue internationally recognized certificates of Balance Accountant, which open an opportunity to find a job in multinational companies in the whole European Union.

In the Southern Moravia Region there is a wide offer of primary schools, secondary schools and professional schools with a wide range of specialisations available in most of the towns in Southern Moravia. From the individual secondary school specialisations and apprenticeships in the region, the most important ones include mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and information technology. The other important study specialisations in the region also include: car mechanic, car electrician (Blansko, Brnocity, Brno suburbs and Znojmo), health care (Brno-city, Znojmo), building industry (Brno-city, Vyškov), logistics (Brno-city, Břeclav), chemistry (Brno-city), furniture-making industry (Vyškov) and wine making, fruit-growing and agricultural business (Břeclav).

Construction of the Masaryk University campus in Brno-Bohunice is one of the developmental programs of the region. The campus is being built on a 30-hectare area in the western part of Brno. The academic part of the campus on an area of approximately 14 hectares is financed from the EIB resources; the remaining part of the infrastructure is designed for a developmental construction projects. Planned within the project is a construction of the following facilities: technological park named MEDIPOLIS, where companies in the field of research and biomedicine applications would find their background, sports centre, student hostel, student canteen and accommodation facilities. A university campus designed in such a manner represents a new quality regarding the merge of academic and business environments.

Great concentration of universities and colleges in Brno creates a potential for development of highly qualified workforce and for an effective orientation toward research and development.

Very important for further development of the town is the project Czech Technology Park Brno that interconnects research, development and enterprise in the field of light hi-tech industry and strategic services, in corporation with the university sphere. Substantially involved is Brno University of Technology that co-operates with a great number of companies on the projects of business applications. This institution looks intensively for connections with foreign and local companies and appreciates opportunity for co-operation.

In 2003, Technological Incubator run by the South Moravian Innovative Centre started operating on the premises of Brno University of Technology. The incubator provides to new enterprisers complex of services in the areas such as processing of prospectus and financing, especially subsidies, or offer of spaces for their business for a temporary period of time and non-commercial lease.

Orientation towards construction and development of technological parks, university campuses and scientific/research incubators creates the basis for permanent development not only of the city, but also of the region that is open to the European partners.