At a ceremony today, representatives of Charles University, the Government of the Czech Republic, the Hradec Králové Region, the City of Hradec Králové and other distinguished guests laid the foundation stone for the second stage of the construction of the Campus for the Charles University Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy in Hradec Králové (MEPHARED 2). The new Campus will welcome students and researchers from the 2026/2027 academic year.
Representatives of Charles University welcomed distinguished guests led by the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Prof. Petr Fiala, and the Minister of Education, doc. Mikuláš Bek, in front of the first building of the CU Campus in Hradec Králové, which was completed in 2015. The buildings of the second stage of construction of the Campus are already taking shape in the area next to the University Hospital. Once the campus is complete, it will provide a net 40+ thousand m2 of usable space for teaching and research, with a total 70+ thousand m2 of usable space in a single location.
The Charles University Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové perform a crucial function in the education of health professionals and research. Interest in the study programmes offered, be they Pharmacy, General Medicine, Dentistry, Laboratory Diagnostics in Health Care or Nursing, is still high among students. However, the current disadvantage of both faculties is the dispersion of teaching and research departments in several buildings around Hradec Králové. The opening of the Faculty of Medicine Teaching Centre on the premises of the Hradec Králové University Hospital in 2005, followed by the construction of the first building of the intended campus, known as MEPHARED 1, in 2015 have undoubtedly already contributed to the improvement of teaching.
The construction of a new joint campus is a long-term goal of both faculties and the CU management. The connection with the first part of the campus will create a unique centre for education, research and development in the pharmaceutical and medical sciences. The proximity of the University Hospital will facilitate the link between theoretical teaching and clinical practice. It will also facilitate cooperation with the Faculty of Military Medicine of the University of Defence, whose students study at the Faculty of Pharmacy and/or the Faculty of Medicine of CU. The unique campus, the first of its kind in the Czech Republic, will thus enable the organisational and spatial linking of the teaching of medical disciplines.
The smaller Central Building will house the dean's offices and technical facilities of both faculties, as well as the language department and catering facilities. Teaching and research facilities will be situated in the newly built larger Faculty Building, where new lecture rooms equipped with state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment, a library, seminar rooms, student laboratories and practice rooms, as well as dissection rooms, a common vivarium, a simulation centre and a pharmacy simulator, are proposed.
The potential of both faculties will be more easily applied to addressing current problems in healthcare, related to the increasing incidence of lifestyle diseases, the ageing of the population and the development of new drugs such as antituberculosis and cytostatics, new dosage forms, innovative and more sensitive diagnostic procedures, and bioanalytical methods.
"I know from my own experience how many complex negotiations have to be successfully concluded to make such a large-scale project a reality. I am very pleased that the government was able to help. We have made facilitating the construction of key education construction projects one of our priorities from the outset. The life sciences, drug development and biotechnology are fields that are rapidly developing and improving our quality of life today. The development of the medical or biomedical fields and the training of the experts who will work in them is a significant investment in our future. Czech universities certainly have something to offer here," said Czech Prime Minister Prof. Petr Fiala, PhDr.
"For Charles University, laying the foundation stone of the MEPHARED 2 pavilion is a significant act. It marks the birth of a facility where the University will soon offer its students and the entire academic community, not only from the Hradec Králové Region, a modern teaching and research space for medicine, pharmacy and other biomedical sciences. I believe that the potential of the modern workplace will attract many domestic and international students and new research partners from abroad, and the interesting projects and outputs of the activities here will contribute to the further development of our society," said the Rector of Charles University, Prof. MUDr. Milena Králíčková, Ph.D.
"The effort to ensure higher numbers of graduates in not only medical, but also in non-medical and pharmaceutical, fields is a necessary response of universities to the increased societal demand for these professions. The education of graduates in these fields also deserves increased state support, which should, however, take the form of contract financing, where the state, based on a needs analysis, orders from universities the education of the necessary number of experts in key professions to ensure the health and safety of the population, and other strategic areas," said Minister of Education, Youth and Sports doc. Mikuláš Bek, PhD.
"I consider the joint MEPHARED 2 project between the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové to be crucial, especially for quality teaching and research and international cooperation. This project, like many others, is funded by the European Union from the Recovery and Resilience Facility through the National Recovery Plan. The aim of the NPO's investments and reforms is to kick-start development and to keep pace. It is a chance to strengthen the Czech Republic and prepare for the future," said the Senior Director of the EU Funds Section of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Assoc. Ing. Marian Piecha Ph.D., LL.M.
"The joint campus of the Faculty of Pharmacy and the Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Králové will provide both faculties with much-needed modern facilities for cutting-edge teaching and research and for other socially beneficial activities towards the public as part of the third role of the university. The new premises will enable further cutting-edge biomedical research in close cooperation between the two faculties, an increase in the number of students at all levels of higher education and, last but not least, the linking of existing and new study programmes between the two faculties. Compared to the existing buildings, which have been inadequate for a long time, the new campus will also offer comfort in the form of spaces for meetings, relaxation or self-study, as is common in the campuses of the world's best universities, among which Charles University ranks in the fields of medicine and pharmacy, among other," said Assoc. PharmDr. Jaroslav Roh, Ph.D., Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové.
"The Education and Research Centre of Charles University in Hradec Králové, a joint campus of the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Pharmacy, helps to address the increasing demand for high-quality modern teaching, science and research at both institutions. The spatial and organisational connection of both institutions, with a direct link to Hradec Králové University Hospital, in the vicinity of the Military Medical Faculty of the University of Defence, an important partner of both faculties, creates a unique centre of teaching and research in the field of medicine, pharmacy and biomedical sciences in one location, and an immediate link between theory and practice," said Prof. MUDr. Jiří Manďák, Ph.D., Dean of the Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Králové.
"The European Commission has negotiated a contingency plan for investment in all Member States to help revive the economy after both the epidemic and the subsequent crisis following the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. I believe that the academic centre of Charles University in Hradec Králové is an example of a well-chosen European investment in the Czech economic recovery plan, as are the other two planned university campuses in Prague and Brno. And that the Czech Republic will succeed in building three new university campuses – to the delight of scientists, teachers and students," commented Václav Lebeda, spokesman for the Representation of the European Commission in the Czech Republic.
"Investing in the education of young people is the best way to spend any money, not just public money. Therefore, it is our honour and pleasure to have the opportunity to participate in such an important project and to contribute our expertise to ensure that all new buildings reliably serve their mission and create ideal conditions for their users," said Ing. Radek Mrázek, MBA, Vice-Chairman of the Board of BAK stavební společnost, a.s.
When completed in 2026, the Campus of Charles University in Hradec Králové will be an exceptional building of its kind, providing conditions for the development of medical disciplines and thus facilitating the high-quality education of top professionals, especially pharmacists, doctors, nurses and specialists in laboratory diagnostics.
Charles University Campus website: https://www.kampushk.cuni.cz/EN/
Visualisations of the future shape of the CU Campus (by Bogle Architects s.r.o.) are available for download here.
Photos from the ceremony are available for download here.
Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Kralove
The Faculty of Pharmacy at Charles University in Hradec Králové is celebrating the 55th anniversary of its establishment in 1969. It offers a number of attractive study options, including the Master's programme in Pharmacy, the Bachelor's programme in Laboratory Diagnostics in Healthcare in full-time or combined form and the follow-up Master's programme in Bioanalytical Laboratory Diagnostics in Healthcare. In English, it is possible to study the Master's programmes Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. There are approximately 1,400 students studying undergraduate courses at the faculty. We also use our own Garden of Medicinal Plants for teaching students. The Faculty of Pharmacy of Charles University is also a top research institute and is one of the highest quality faculties of Charles University. Pharmacy and Pharmacology at Charles University is ranked 151st-200th in the "QS World University Ranking 2023 by subject".
Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Kralove
The Faculty of Medicine at Charles University in Hradec Kralove is one of the best educational and research institutions in the field of medicine in the Czech Republic. It provides Master's programmes in General Medicine and Dentistry in both Czech and English and in the Bachelor's programmes in General Nursing and Midwifery. More than 1,800 students study at the faculty in all study programmes, of which about one fifth are international students. More than 240 new doctors graduate from the Faculty of Medicine every year. The faculty offers specialised training programmes for doctors, as well as programmes for those interested in lifelong learning, and more than forty doctoral programmes. The faculty is also dedicated to biomedical and clinical research. Teaching and research take place at 11 theoretical institutes of the Faculty of Medicine and 32 clinical departments shared with the University Hospital Hradec Králové.
Campus of Charles University in Hradec Kralove
The MEPHARED 2 project is a continuation of MEPHARED 1, which was completed in 2015. The aim of the project is to contribute to increasing the number and quality of personnel for research and development in the field of medicine, pharmacy and other biomedical sciences and for all types of healthcare provided to the populace of the Czech Republic. The defined goal can be achieved primarily by making the educational and research activities of both faculties more attractive and better, which is the main purpose of this project. The extension of the campus will result in over 40 thousand m2 of net usable space for teaching and research and a total of over 70 thousand m2 of usable space in a single location. The connection with the already completed first part of the CU Campus will thus create a unique educational and research centre, the first of its kind in the Czech Republic. It will integrate teaching, research and development in the medical and pharmaceutical field, with a direct connection to clinical practice at the immediately adjacent Hradec Králové University Hospital and the Faculty of Military Health of the University of Defence, whose students also study at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy.
The cost of construction of the Central Building is just under 900 million CZK. The cost of construction of the Faculty Building will amount to 5.2 billion CZK incl. VAT. In addition, equipment worth approximately 1 billion CZK incl. VAT will be purchased. The Central Building will be financed from the Ministry of Education and Science's 133 240 Development programme for the renewal of the material and technical base of medical and pedagogical faculties of public universities. The faculty building is applying for financial support under the National Renewal Plan, component 3.2 Adaptation of the capacity and focus of school programmes and component 3.2.4 Investments in the development of selected key academic departments. In view of the current amount of subsidy funds received and pledged, Charles University and its faculties in Hradec Králové will contribute approximately 2 billion CZK to the financing of construction and the acquisition of equipment.
The author of the building design and project documentation is Bogle Architects. The general contractor of the building is the association of construction companies BAK stavební společnost, a.s., and SYNER, s.r.o.
Charles University
- founded in 1348
- 17 faculties (14 in Prague, 2 in Hradec Králové and 1 in Pilsen)
- 8 800 employees
- 51 000 students
- 8 000 graduates per year
- 16 000 participants in lifelong learning courses per year
- 86th place in the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024
