INNOVATION OF DOCTORAL STUDIES AT THE FEM CULS PRAGUE

Research results and university performance measures have been frequently discussed topic in the Czech higher education system. Performance can be improved by establishing innovations in education in many areas. At higher education sector the performance within research activities is of the same importance. Various authorities have been making an effort to establish a set of measures to assess research performance at institutional level. This paper focuses on the assessment of research activity within an institution – the Faculty of Economics and Management (FEM), Czech University of Life Sciences (CULS) Prague – with the use of Data Envelopment Analysis model (DEA). The measured units (DMUs) are 12 FEM departments. Based on the findings revealed by the DEA model application various measures adopted by the faculty in order to improve research and education performance are introduced. Following the widespread trend in many countries the focus of the effort is in training of university teachers and students. This aim is being partially accomplished by the Project Operational Program Prague – Adaptability (OPPA), which is focused on the innovation of the Ph.D. studies at the FEM. The main project aims are i) to improve students’ research experiences, ii) to provide appropriate conditions for Ph.D. students at the departments/faculty and iii) to launch tools for better communication among Ph.D. students and their supervisors.