CZARMA meeting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
On 9 April 2026, the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted a meeting with representatives of CZARMA focused on developing cooperation with Czech researchers working abroad and strengthening collaboration between CZARMA and Czech diplomatic missions in various countries. The aim of the meeting was to identify barriers to international research mobility, support the internationalisation of Czech science, and foster stronger cooperation between public administration, research institutions, and the professional community.
The first part of the discussion focused primarily on the PROPED programme, which supports targeted activities promoting Czech scientific and business excellence abroad and facilitates the establishment of international partnerships. The second session addressed visa and residence procedures for international researchers, practical barriers to international mobility, support for brain circulation, and opportunities for deeper engagement with Czech scientists working abroad.
Representing CZARMA, Ondřej Hradil from Masaryk University introduced the association as a professional platform bringing together more than 500 members from around one hundred institutions across the Czech Republic. He highlighted CZARMA’s role in community building, professional development, advocacy, and international cooperation.
A significant part of the programme was devoted to a presentation by Matouš Glanc from the Czexpats in Science initiative. He presented activities aimed at connecting Czech researchers working abroad with the Czech research environment. He emphasised that Czech science must remain open to the world, talent, and international collaboration, and introduced a model of regular networking events organised in cooperation with Czech embassies and consulates. Between 2023 and 2025, a total of 17 events were held in European and non-European cities, attracting more than 500 participants.
Jan Chmelík, Science Diplomat at the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Washington, D.C., presented current trends in research and innovation in the United States. He discussed the rapid development of artificial intelligence, the semiconductor industry, and biotechnology, as well as emerging regulatory requirements related to research security and technology protection. He highlighted the growing importance of transatlantic cooperation and the role of embassies as entry points for building partnerships between Czech and American institutions. He also presented examples of collaboration between Czech universities and U.S. partners and pointed to opportunities within U.S. national laboratories and major scientific events planned for 2026.
Zuzana Maršálková from EURAXESS Czech Republic opened a practical discussion on barriers to international researcher mobility. She highlighted the strong cooperation with the Department of Asylum and Migration Policy of the Ministry of the Interior and with Czech diplomatic missions, while also drawing attention to persistent challenges, including lengthy processing times, limited embassy capacity, insufficient digitalisation, high health insurance costs for family members, and complex tax and social security issues related to mobility abroad. The key recommendations included full digitalisation of processes, standardisation of procedures, and stronger European coordination of researcher mobility.
Representing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, David Nový from the Visa Department presented the current instruments supporting international researchers in the Czech Republic, particularly the long-term residence scheme for scientific research and the Key and Scientific Personnel Programme. He confirmed the Czech Republic’s commitment to making it easier for international researchers to access the Czech labour market and noted that research-related applications already benefit from priority processing. At the same time, he acknowledged that further improvements would require greater digitalisation and stronger coordination between public institutions.
Building on the roundtable discussion, Petra Vaculíková and Blanka Collis summarised the main systemic barriers identified by research institutions and the research management community. They emphasised that complex administrative procedures lead to talent loss, project delays, financial costs, and lower success rates for Czech institutions in international funding competitions. Key priorities of the forthcoming CZARMA position paper include the full digitalisation of visa procedures, harmonisation of mobility rules across the European Union, simplification of social security and health insurance regulations for cross-border mobility, and the introduction of specific exemptions for researchers.
The main conclusion of the meeting was a shared recognition that the internationalisation of Czech research and support for international mobility are strategic priorities that continue to be constrained by administrative, legislative, and institutional barriers. Participants agreed on the need for systematic cooperation among the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, other government ministries, research institutions, EURAXESS, CZARMA, and international partners.
The next steps will include the preparation of a joint CZARMA position paper on researcher mobility, continued dialogue with relevant ministries, and support for European initiatives aimed at the digitalisation and harmonisation of research mobility rules within the European Research Area.
