Faculty Evaluation by the International Evaluation Panel under the Methodology for the Evaluation of Research Organisations in the Higher Education Segment 2025+
This is an excerpt from the report of the International Evaluation Panel (IEP), which conducted an on-site visit to the Faculty of Fine Arts of Brno University of Technology (hereinafter referred to as the Faculty) in June 2025 to assess its development over the period 2019–2023 under the Methodology for the Evaluation of Research Organisations in the Higher Education Segment 2025+. The excerpt summarises the Faculty’s results in Module M3, which focuses on the quality and societal relevance of research and its outcomes—particularly research projects, their impact, knowledge transfer into practice, and public communication and engagement. The evaluation marked a significant success for the Faculty, which improved from grade C for the period 2014–2018 to grade A for the period 2019–2023. The IEP also highlighted the Faculty’s substantial progress across all categories that had previously been assessed less favourably or had not been assessed at all.
Name of the Evaluated Unit: Faculty of Fine Arts (FFA)
FORD: 6 – Humanities and the Arts
Introductory Information
Looking at the Faculty of Fine Arts (FFA) of Brno University of Technology, several aspects stand out. The Faculty demonstrates remarkable growth while maintaining both academic excellence and social responsibility. Its mission integrates art education with research addressing contemporary challenges such as climate change and gender inequality, demonstrating leadership in topics of high societal relevance. The establishment of the Research Centre in 2023 and the launch of the postdoctoral programme reflect the Faculty’s strategic capacity-building in research. With 387 students across six programmes and highly selective admissions (the second most selective in the Czech Republic), FFA upholds rigorous standards. While FFA achieves above-average gender representation across students, staff and leadership, women are represented more strongly in academic mid-level, administrative and technical positions, and less strongly in senior leadership roles. Most noteworthy is FFA’s strong international positioning through its memberships in ELIA and the Society for Artistic Research, combined with an interdisciplinary approach that co-creates dialogue between art, design, architecture, technology, the humanities and the social sciences. Its commitment to open research exemplifies contemporary arts education that combines academic rigour with public engagement and social impact.
Evaluated Unit Ranking
Evaluation of Unit
| Having evaluated the individual criteria of Module M3, please summarise your evaluation in the context of the module, describing and justifying the strengths and weaknesses of the unit being evaluated. | |
| 3.1 Introductory information about the unit under evaluation | NOT RATED |
| 3.2 Recognition by the research community | 5 – Outstanding |
| 3.3 Research projects | 4 – Very good |
| 3.4 Research results with existing or prospective impact on society | 4 – Very good |
| 3.5 Transfer of results into practice | 4 – Very good |
| 3.6 The most important activities in the field of popularization of R&D&I and communication with the public | 5 – Outstanding |
| 3.7 Implementation of the recommendations in Module M3 | 5 – Outstanding |
| Average rating 1–5: | 5 – Outstanding |
| Grade A–D: | A |
Summary Assessment
The Faculty of Fine Arts demonstrates very good to exceptional performance across the evaluated criteria, earning an outstanding overall rating. The Faculty has established solid recognition within the arts research community, ranking among the best nationwide in fine art and design, with international awards and global academic engagement. Research projects demonstrate a strong interdisciplinary character with direct societal relevance, addressing contemporary challenges through partnerships with diverse institutions and communities. The Faculty translates research into practice through well-structured transfer mechanisms spanning government bodies, cultural institutions, communities and commercial sectors. Most notably, FFA excels in R&D&I popularization through diverse, high-quality public engagement activities, including international conferences, specialised festivals and innovative digital platforms. The Faculty’s exceptional response to previous evaluation recommendations has transformed areas of weakness into strengths, particularly in contract research and applied research impact. With clear mission alignment and demonstrated societal impact, FFA is also positioned as a leader in publicly engaged research in art and design.
Summary Recommendations
In the next phase, FFA should pursue larger-scale international funding, for example through EU Horizon Europe programmes, and establish strategic collaborations. Building on domestic success, FFA should further expand its international reach through European and global networks and platforms. The Faculty should develop comprehensive frameworks for measuring long-term societal impact, using, for example, systematic tracking mechanisms and longitudinal studies. Enhanced intellectual property strategies and technology transfer mechanisms could accelerate the commercialisation of digital innovations. Stronger collaboration across TU Brno faculties, particularly with technology and engineering, should enable interdisciplinary student work and foster the potential of FFA to contribute to a university-wide STEAM approach (integrating Art + Design into STEM), thereby leveraging its strengths in societal collaboration and impact for other fields. The Faculty should document its successful approach for other arts institutions, while scaling successful innovations internationally. These developments will strengthen FFA’s position as a model within technical university environments.
Responsibility: doc. MgA. Filip Cenek