Members section

Head of Educational section: doc. Ing. Eva Cudlínová, CSc.

Members of Educational section: prof. PhDr. Michal Lošťák, Ph.D.; Dr. George Sakellaris, Ph.D.; Ing. Kateřina Tomšíková;
Ing. Ladislav Jeřábek

Objective: To create a joint bioeconomics course for undergraduate and graduate students – online or at universities using an interdisciplinary team of experts.

We believe that a common approach and mutual information about activities and results from individual university workplaces will help to create a form of bioeconomic education faster and with better quality.

THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION IN A RENEWED EU BIOECONOMIC STRATEGY

The renewed bioeconomic strategy for a sustainable Europe of 2018 explicitly mentions the importance and support of bioeconomy education in the second point, entitled "Deploy bioeconomies rapidly across Europe".

Bioeconomic strategy in economic practice has the potential to create 1 million new "green" jobs by 2030. For these positions, it needs a new generation of experts, which can be created by today's students. An important task of the education system is to inspire the current generation of students and prepare them for inclusion in a new type of economy.

BIOECONOMICS REQUIRES A NEW UNIVERSITY APPROACH

It is a new field, the creation of which will require new approaches in teaching. Universities should rethink traditional teaching and focus on a multidisciplinary approach involving economics, society, science, technology and lifelong learning. Few universities in the Czech Republic have all these fields and experts under one heading. Even if the required experts at the university are, they do not always want to get involved in bioeconomic research and teaching. Therefore, it is expedient to bring together experts from several universities and, ideally, experts from practice and the EU, as part of the creation of a new bioeconomic field.

FORM OF STUDY

There are two possible approaches:

Integrate bioeconomy and value chain approaches into existing curricula (plant and animal sciences, food technology, forestry, energy, etc.);
or launch a separate training program to address various aspects of the bioeconomy.

In general, however, students should first learn one discipline - to become a good chemist, a good technological technician or a good agronomist. The next step should be to link expertise with a broader picture of the bioeconomy.

EXISTING ACTIVITIES THAT CAN BE FOLLOWED

for summer schools, international and Czech bioeconomics courses;
new form and type of education – online.

EDUCATION GROUP ACTIVITIES

Analysis of the current situation in education in the EU - current and newly offered courses at European Universities.
Creating a network of cooperation between Czech and foreign partners according to individual topics of bioeconomics - biochemistry, economics, biology and across topics.
Communication with practice, industry - an important prerequisite for the integration of academic studies and practical experience.