To set trends and look for topics on which public institutions and private companies should focus within their social responsibility, this was achieved, among other things, by the discussants in the first debate organized within the project Partner Network of Universities for Social Responsibility. They also addressed the issue of responsible procurement, support for the transfer of research results into practice or volunteering, but also focused on defining what social responsibility means.

On Tuesday, June 23, 2020, the discussion was attended by the representatives of the management, academic sttaff and students from Brno schools, public administration and the Innovation Centre. Specifically, the Quaestor of Masaryk University (MU) Marta Valešová, the representative of the academic community of the Brno University of Technology (BUT) Anna Putnová, Mendel University student Filip Kouřil and MU and BUT students Vojtěch Kundrát, Deputy Governor of the South Moravian Region Jan Vitula, the Marketing Director of the South Moravian Innovation Centre Michal Veselý, and the lawyer of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs Adam Gromnica. The debate was moderated by Sylvie Formánková from Mendel University. There were different views in the debate, from the fact that social responsibility is just a marketing ploy to excuse elites who have contributed to the disintegration of the society and the environment, to the fact that it is a necessary concept that forces companies and institutions to take responsibility for the development of their surroundings.

The European Commission defines these principles as the responsibility of companies for their impact on the society, with the company integrating social, environmental, ethical and consumer issues as well as human rights into its strategy and day-to-day activities. Anna Putnová, a member of the Ethics Committee of the Brno University of Tehnology and the committee of the Society for Ethics in Economics, which has been dealing with the topic of social responsibility for a long time, reminded that it is a concept that is over seventy years old. "There is no need to doubt that the university has social power, whether it is in terms of allocating resources or influencing the young generation and thus shaping the future," Putnová said.

The Quaestor of Masaryk University, Marta Valešová, added that universities already fulfil a number of principles of social responsibility, but they could act more as institutions that set trends and connect people who are engaged in socially responsible activities. "Also, as the second largest employer in the region, I think it is our duty to draw attention to these principles and perhaps be leaders in what is important in this area."

The discussants agreed that the role of universities is primarily in education and that they can lead their students to think in their future positions and behave on the basis of the principles of the social responsibility. According to Michal Veselý, the Marketing Director of the South Moravian Innovation Centre, this is already beginning to show that students at Brno universities are very interested in solving today's global social challenges through business activities.

The Brno discussion meeting was organized by the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts in Brno, Masaryk University, Mendel University in Brno, the Technical University in Liberec, the Veterinary and Pharmaceutical University in Brno, the University of Technology and Economics in České Budějovice and the Brno University of Technology. The media partners were the university magazine Universitas and MUNI TV. The Brno debate on the general topic of social responsibility will be followed in the autumn by two more meetings in Ostrava and Prague, which should focus on more specific tools of social responsibility, namely the role of universities in the outbreak of the social crisis and helping to manage the climate change.