Brno universities are strengthening their cooperation and seeking a common approach to attracting international talent

Brno's universities are connected not only by the city in which they operate, but increasingly also by the challenges they share. On Thursday, 24 September, representatives of the leadership of Brno universities responsible for internationalisation, marketing and external relations met with representatives of the Brno City Municipality to discuss how to make better use of the potential of the university ecosystem in attracting international students and researchers. The meeting provided an opportunity to coordinate activities aimed at strengthening Brno's position as an international university and innovation hub.

Brno is an interconnected university, research and innovation ecosystem whose strength lies in the concentration of universities, research centres, technology companies and other institutions. Hosted by Brno University of Technology at the BUT Tržnice Centre, the meeting built on existing cooperation and provided an opportunity to identify further areas in which Brno's universities, the city and other partners can work together to strengthen Brno's position as an attractive university city with an international reach.

The meeting, which brought together representatives of Brno University of Technology, Masaryk University, Mendel University in Brno, University of Defence, University of Veterinary Sciences Brno, Janáček Academy of Performing Arts and the Brno City Municipality, followed a broader discussion on the development of South Moravia's talent ecosystem held in the preceding days during the JCMM General Assembly. While the regional debate focused on strategy and linking different talent support instruments, the meeting with city representatives addressed specific issues related to attracting international students, researchers and professionals to Brno and supporting their long-term stay in the city.

“Our shared goal is not only to attract talented international students, researchers and professionals to Brno, but also to identify them early, support their development and offer them prospects for long-term professional and personal fulfilment. We therefore need to connect universities, research institutions, the city, the region and companies into an open talent development ecosystem – ranging from scholarships, professional internships, mentoring and joint research or innovation projects to high-quality career opportunities. This could also include new forms of recognition for talented students already at the Master's level, building, for example, on the experience of the Brno Ph.D. Talent programme. Equally important is the development of services for international professionals and their families that make integration easier and encourage them to connect their future careers and lives with Brno,” said Iveta Šimberová, BUT Vice-Rector for Human Resources Management and Internationalisation.

One concrete example of this cooperation is the Study in Brno platform, which promotes Brno to prospective international students. Participants evaluated the project's activities to date and discussed its operational arrangements, links with the nationwide Study in Czechia initiative and opportunities for further development. The long-term objective remains to build Brno's brand as a student and innovation city while distinguishing it from other university destinations.

However, simply attracting the attention of students or researchers is not enough. During the meeting, representatives of Brno universities therefore also discussed scholarships for incoming international students and researchers, which could be further developed through cooperation between the universities, the city and JCMM, as well as a joint strategy for attracting international talent in connection with the activities of the Brno Expat Centre. Another important topic was accommodation capacity for international students and researchers, which would benefit from being addressed in the broader context of the city as a whole rather than solely from the perspective of individual institutions.

Participants agreed that the next step will be to identify specific areas in which the universities, the city and other partners can work together. These include, in particular, promoting Brno abroad, supporting incoming students and researchers, talent development, joint internationalisation activities, cooperation with companies, and the development of services that make it easier for international professionals and their families to move to and remain in the region over the long term. The meeting should therefore be followed by further working sessions focusing on specific instruments, the division of roles and opportunities for joint funding.

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Author	Mgr. Lenka Hubáčková
Published	2026-10-01 10:48
Link	https://www.vut.cz/en/but/f19528/d369397