The Kellner Family Foundation signed cooperation agreement with Charles University

The cooperation between Charles University and the Bakala Foundation and the Kellner Family Foundation will make it easier for Czech students to continue their education and successfully enter the labor market.

"We see supporting the education of talented Czech students at elite foreign universities as an opportunity to bring our country to the world level in a given field. That is why we want scholarship holders to return to the Czech Republic after completing their studies and bring what they have learned to the world. I believe that cooperation between Charles University and family foundations, which have been supporting students for a long time, will significantly simplify the process of recognizing foreign education, the so-called nostrification, and facilitate the return of young talents to the Czech Republic," said Renáta Kellnerová, founder of the Kellner Family Foundation.

In the case of students sponsored by the two foundations, Charles University has undertaken to process their applications for recognition of foreign university diplomas (so-called nostrification) within a shorter period of time. This is the process of recognizing a foreign university degree (or part of it) as equivalent to a degree obtained in the Czech Republic. In the Czech Republic, the decision on nostrification pursuant to Sections 89 and 90 of the Act on Higher Education is made primarily by public higher education institutions that offer similar study programs. 

 "Any investment in the education of the young generation in the Czech Republic is an investment in a better future for our society. I believe it is beneficial to enable young people who have gained study experience abroad thanks to the two foundations to benefit from their education when they return to the Czech Republic. Opening new horizons and sharing knowledge on an international level helps to expand the boundaries of knowledge and thus supports the development of society as a whole. I think it is important that Charles University can help successful students with the recognition of their foreign education and support them in continuing their careers at home," said Prof. Milena Králíčková, Rector of Charles University.

The Memorandum of Cooperation between Charles University and the two foundations also aims to contribute to broadening the knowledge and experience of young scientists in various scientific disciplines and to provide opportunities for academic cooperation with foreign institutions.

"We are very pleased to be present at such an important moment and to be able to contribute our years of experience in the field of study abroad in order to facilitate the nostrification process. Talented students who embrace the challenge of studying abroad take on significant responsibilities and commitments. Our mission is to support them in their professional dreams by providing financial assistance or guidance to them and their families, and to motivate them to return home by, among other things, facilitating their return. The academic world has a lot of work to do in this regard. We are delighted to be working with such experienced partners as Charles University and the Kellner Family Foundation. We also believe that the signing of the Memorandum will help to open the debate that the topic of nostrification deserves in society," said Michaela Bakala, Chair of the Bakala Foundation Board of Trustees.

Both the Bakala Foundation and the Kellner Family Foundation support promising students in their studies in the Czech Republic and abroad through scholarships, grants and other projects, thus striving to make a long-term contribution to the development of education at all levels of society. The Kellner Family Foundation has been offering scholarships for higher education since 2009 and has supported 273 Czech students to date. In the current academic year, it is supporting 63 university students. The Bakala Foundation has supported 216 students in the 15 years of its scholarship program, sending them to 63 of the world's top universities.

Original Press Release Here.