On the occasion of the 116th session of the Slovak Rectors’ Conference, the highest representatives of Slovak universities, the Ministry of Education and other important institutions gathered in Tatranská Lomnica on 16 and 17 October 2024. For the first time in its history, the Slovak Rectors’ Conference (SRC) was hosted in the Tatras by two universities in Košice, the Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice (UPJŠ) and the Technical University of Košice (TUKE).
The meeting was attended by members of the SRC – rectors of Slovak universities – and the invitation was accepted by the State Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic (MŠVaM SR), Róbert Zsembera, with other senior staff of the Ministry, Paula Puškárová, Chairwoman of the Committee for Education, Science, Youth and Sport of the Slovak Parliament, Robert Redhammer, Chairman of the Executive Board of the Slovak Accreditation Agency for Higher Education (SAAVŠ), representatives of the Council of Higher Education Institutions (RVŠ) and the Student Council of Higher Education Institutions (ŠRVŠ).
The discussions addressed current challenges and perspectives in higher education, including the potential of scientific research in Slovakia. Discussions were held on the financing of Slovak universities and the possibilities of a new financing methodology, on the promotion and creation of more favourable conditions not only for students but also for employees of higher education institutions. Co-organization of this important academic event was undertaken by two universities in Košice, UPJŠ and TUKE. The two-day programme included two meetings of the SRC and one meeting of the SRC Institute.
