Radomír Pánek Visits CAS Institutes, Aiming to Strengthen the Academy’s Unity

What are the CAS institutes currently working on, and how are their employees faring? These are just some of the questions being explored firsthand by the CAS President, Radomír Pánek. At the end of January, he launched a series of visits during which he’s been meeting with CAS institute leadership as well as other colleagues, with whom he’s been discussing his vision of closer cooperation and strengthening the unity of the Czech Academy of Sciences.

The Czech Academy of Sciences and its 54 institutes are not defined only by buildings, labs, research facilities, and libraries, but above all by the people who work there. “I was looking forward to these visits. Although we are in contact with the heads of our institutes, I also wanted to meet other colleagues to inform them about what we’re working on in the Academy Council and the direction in which we want to develop our institution,” says CAS President Radomír Pánek. He adds that in-person contact with researchers cannot be replaced. “As I see it, one of the main purposes of these visits is to strengthen the sense that at the Academy, we’re all pulling together and have a unified vision of how to move forward.”

In this context, Pánek has also spoken about the communication strategy of the CAS during his visits. Its aim is to increase the institution’s visibility and credibility as a unified whole. “In relation to everyone we communicate our activities to – whether the public, the decision-making sphere, or industrial partners – we want to present ourselves as a trustworthy, comprehensible, and transparent institution,” Pánek emphasizes.

HIGH-QUALITY RESEARCH AT THE CAS
Radomír Pánek launched his “tour” of the CAS institutes on 29 January 2026 together with the vice-presidents of the CAS by visiting two institutes – the Institute of Photonics and Electronics and the Institute of History.

The leadership of the Institute of Photonics and Electronics of the CAS presented scientific activities and selected results, and researchers guided the guests through the laboratories. The visit was concluded by a meeting with staff, which received positive feedback, as noted in a news update on the institute’s website: “The entire visit took place in an open, businesslike, and constructive atmosphere and confirmed the importance of personal dialogue between the leadership of the Czech Academy of Sciences and researchers from individual institutes.”

Visiting the Institute of Photonics and Electronics of the CAS.

Radomír Pánek also presented his vision for the institution’s development during a discussion at the Institute of History of the CAS, where he met with its leadership – including Director Martin Holý and Deputy Director Eva Doležalová.

Discussions on scientific topics as well as institutional development continued on 17 February 2026 at the Nuclear Physics Institute of the CAS. “The visit provided an opportunity for the CAS leadership to become acquainted with the Nuclear Physics Institute’s specific research activities as well as its laboratory and technical facilities. It also enabled an open exchange of views on our institute’s further development and on supporting excellent research in nuclear and particle physics and their applications,” participants summarized.

Visiting the Nuclear Physics Institute of the CAS.

Key research directions and current topics related to the functioning of the Academy were also discussed at the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry of the CAS.

The discussion during Pánek's visit to the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry of the CAS.

PRESENT AND FUTURE PLANS
Visits to other CAS institutes focused on the humanities and social sciences followed a similar pattern – CAS institute leadership presented the activities of their researchers and teams, as well as achievements and future plans, and guided the delegation through their facilities. Pánek spoke about the institution’s overall direction and new initiatives that will support researchers, such as the Academy of the Future program and the emerging joint-stock company. More information about additional visits can be found in updates published by the individual CAS institutes at the links below.

The first phase of the visits is currently underway, with a second phase planned for autumn 2026 or early 2027. We will return to the topic in an interview with Radomír Pánek.

Radomír Pánek and the vice-presidents of the CAS also visited the Institute of Archaeology of the CAS in Brno.

UPDATES FROM CAS INSTITUTES ON RADOMÍR PÁNEK’S VISIT:
Institute of Computer Science of the CAS
Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics of the CAS (Czech only)
Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the CAS (Czech only)
Institute of Philosophy of the CAS (Czech only)

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Written and prepared by: Luděk Svoboda, External Relations Division, CAO of the CAS
Translated by: Tereza Novická, External Relations Division, CAO of the CAS
Photo: Dita Hladíková, External Relations Division, CAO of the CAS; Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics of the CAS; Nuclear Physics Institute of the CAS; Institute of Inorganic Chemistry of the CAS; Institute of Archaeology of the CAS, Brno

The text is released for use under the Creative Commons license.

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