Interviews

Róbert Zsembera: My goal is to make our universities more attractive

Published: 29. 9. 2025
Author: Šárka Jansová
Photo: archives of Róbert Zsembera
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Róbert Zsembera of HLAS-SD has long been involved in higher education management, and since 2023 he has served as state secretary at Slovakia’s Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth. One of his key tasks has been preparing the new Higher Education Act, recently approved by the government.

The Slovak government approved a new Higher Education Act this August. What are its main points?
The new law focuses mainly on studies and brings students benefits in several areas. These include strengthening practical training – for example, by setting minimum levels of work experience in certain study programs – a new approach to credit recognition, whether from mobility abroad or other forms of study (such as micro-certificates or even secondary school), and the possibility of replacing a final thesis with an internship. It also introduces a buddy system in which senior students help first-years, the creation of doctoral schools to improve teaching, presentation, and methodological skills of PhD candidates, so they can become better university teachers, and many other measures.

 

Does the law also bring changes for teachers?
Yes, the biggest change is probably the possibility of tenure – employment until the age of 70 for all university teachers who have passed a selection procedure and worked at a university for more than nine years. Until now, this option was available only to associate professors and professors, and after a much longer wait. A positive development is also the right to creative leave – a sabbatical once every seven years, lasting up to six months.

 

You are also changing university infrastructure. What does that involve?
We are working to significantly reduce the high investment backlog of Slovak universities, thanks in part to nearly 170 EUR million allocated from Slovakia’s Recovery and Resilience Plan for the renovation of university buildings and dormitories. At the same time, state budget allocations have been increased for this purpose, so all public universities in Slovakia are undergoing renovations, large or small, which will make both teaching and accommodation more attractive for students. Starting next year, universities will also be able to use funds from the State Housing Development Fund for construction, purchase, or modernization of dormitories.



At the meeting of Slovak President Peter Pellegrini with Indian President Droupadi Murmu.

 

And what about support for researchers?
The ministry supports research institutions and scientists in several ways. In addition to standard grant support for basic and applied research through calls from the Slovak Research and Development Agency or the Scientific Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education and the Slovak Academy of Sciences, recent years have brought specialized mechanisms such as scholarships for excellent researchers (R2-R4) or support for strategic research and development through public-private partnerships. We also provide systemic support by centrally ensuring free access for researchers to international scientific publication databases and by financing open-access publishing, which increases the reach and citation of research results. Last but not least, I should mention the ongoing improvements in supporting researchers’ participation in international research infrastructures such as CERN, EuXFEL, ECRIN, and EMBL. In recent years, Slovak scientists have achieved several significant results in fields such as medicine, physics, chemistry, and environmental technologies. Many have gained international recognition through prestigious awards, publications in leading journals, or international funding. Examples include a new method for detecting prostate cancer and other types (such as breast or pancreatic cancer) based on glycan analysis – more accurate and faster than the standard PSA test – developed under the leadership of Dr. Ján Tkáč. Another is the development of unique antibodies for detecting proteins in tumor tissue, used in cancer diagnostics, led by Professor Silvia Pastoreková. I would also highlight the international contribution of Professor Fedor Šimkovic to neutrino physics, and of Professor Michal Fečkan in nonlinear mathematical analysis – Professor Fečkan is repeatedly ranked among the top one percent of the world’s most cited researchers.

 

Do you also cooperate with the Czech Republic in education and science?
Yes. Under the 1999 agreement between the Slovak and Czech governments on scientific and technical cooperation, a bilateral call for joint research projects was announced in October 2021. A total of thirteen projects were approved in fields such as ICT, biomedicine and biotechnology, and materials research and nanotechnologies. These projects run for 36 months with a budget of 1.425 million EUR. We are currently preparing a new call, expected to be announced in October 2025. Slovakia also works with the Czech Republic through the multilateral scientific and technical cooperation program in the Danube region. This involves joint projects between organizations from Slovakia, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Montenegro, Serbia, and France. At present, 33 multilateral projects are being implemented, 13 of them with both Slovak and Czech partners, running until June 2027. Alongside these formal frameworks, we communicate regularly with the Czech Ministry of Education on a working level. I see our relations as very good and beneficial.

 

 


CV BOX
Róbert Zsembera (born July 9, 1992, in Nové Zámky) is state secretary at the Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic, responsible for higher education and academic research.
He studied at the Faculty of Education and the Faculty of Management of Comenius University in Bratislava.
He has many years of managerial and leadership experience gained in academic governance and university management. He served as chairman of the commission for university dormitories and accommodation, vice-chair of an academic senate, and member of the rector’s board. He also worked as director of the rector’s office at Comenius University, coordinating strategic and crisis processes.
In addition, he teaches at university level and has previously developed methodologies and teaching materials for educational programs.


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