Charles University has opened the most modern campus in the Czech Republic ****************************************************************************************** * ****************************************************************************************** On Wednesday, 23 September, Charles University officially opened the new Charles Universit Hradec Králové. It is one of the largest investments in the university’s history and one o university campuses in Europe. The new campus is directly connected to the University Hosp Králové. It brings together the teaching, research, and facilities of both the Faculty of Faculty of Medicine under one roof. This creates an important European centre for educatio pharmacy, and biomedicine. The Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové play a key role in e healthcare professionals. Long-term student interest in their degree programmes—such as Ph Medicine, Dentistry, Laboratory Diagnostics in Healthcare, Medicinal Plants and Nutraceuti Nursing, and Midwifery—remains very high. The new campus will greatly improve conditions for studying, teaching, research, and daily from both faculties. It will also support cooperation between different fields, master’s a programmes, international exchange visits for students, and help attract more internationa addition, it will create new opportunities for lifelong learning and interdisciplinary res Qualified healthcare experts from both faculties will now be able to help solve current he more easily, especially those related to lifestyle diseases and an ageing population. Construction of the campus started in August 2023 and received its final building approval Teaching and research spaces are located in the main building. It includes new lecture hal audio-visual equipment, a library, seminar rooms, student laboratories, a simulation centr pharmacy, dissection rooms, and a shared animal research facility. A smaller central build dean's offices, the language department, and the canteen. The whole complex can welcome up “The opening of the new MEPHARED 2 campus in Hradec Králové clearly shows that investing i science is a priority for our government. It is not just about building modern facilities, step for the entire Czech healthcare system. By connecting the medical and pharmaceutical place next to the university hospital, we are creating top conditions for educating a new doctors and pharmacists. This is one of the biggest investments in the history of Czech hi started in 2018 under our government at the time, and I am very glad it was successfully f project cost over seven billion CZK and shows how effectively we can use European and nati build key infrastructure,” said Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš. “The opening of the new MEPHARED 2 building is a major step forward for Czech higher educa biomedical research. It creates a modern environment that connects high-quality education doctors and pharmacists with top-level research. This investment will help Czech science s internationally and will ultimately improve healthcare quality for people in the Czech Rep this important project was supported by the National Recovery Plan and that both European funds were used wisely for education, research, and innovation. I wish students, teachers, that these new facilities bring them inspiration and help move Czech medicine and pharmacy Minister of Education Robert Plaga. “The new campus was prepared over many years and is one of the largest investments in the university. However, its value is not just about the size of the buildings. Two faculties worked in overcrowded and separate places now share modern facilities built for how medici are taught today. We want our students to work with high-quality teaching, research, and m right from the start of their studies. This investment will serve Charles University and C for decades,” stated Jiří Zima, Rector of Charles University. “The official opening of this shared campus is the result of a bold vision started many ye a modern centre for education, science, and cooperation in Hradec Králové. The new campus faculties state-of-the-art space for teaching and research. Together with the Faculty of M Sciences and the University Hospital Hradec Králové, we now have a strong biomedical centr great benefits to Charles University, our region, and the whole country,” said Jaroslav Ro Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové. “The opening of the new campus is one of the most important moments for the Faculty of Med Králové since it was founded. We are gaining the most advanced academic facilities for bio in the Czech Republic, excellent classrooms and research labs, and shared infrastructure w of Pharmacy. This campus gives us a great opportunity to work more closely together, share and technology, connect study with real medical practice, and improve the quality of our t research,” stated Petr Hejna, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Králové. *========================================================================================= * Photo gallery *========================================================================================= *========================================================================================= * Key features of the building *========================================================================================= • Usable floor area: Faculty Building: 62,421 m?, Central Building: 9,436 m? • Enclosed building volume: 321,800 m? • Maximum capacity: 4,500 people • Parking: 313 car parking spaces • Bicycle storage: 190 bicycle spaces in the underground garage plus 80 additional spaces courtyard area The main structure of the building is made of reinforced concrete, built on 527 large-diam (piles). From an engineering point of view, an interesting feature of the building is the solid concrete, precast parts, long concrete beams reaching over 24 metres, and steel cabl section of the building across three floors. The campus uses 122 geothermal wells drilled 199 metres deep into the ground. On the south roof, solar panels (a photovoltaic system) generate power with a capacity of 99.9 kWp. Fresh air and comfortable room temperature are provided by tens of kilometres of ventilati handling units and fans, and over 1,000 fan coil units. The laboratories house more than 2 and the total system capacity is 1,714,570 m?/hour. Special software was needed to control all this equipment runs together. The project puts a strong focus on capturing rainwater. Water from the central building ro in an underground storage tank and used mainly to water the outdoor plants. Any extra wate a natural wetland area. Rainwater from the larger faculty building roof flows into a newly artificial pond. The design and project documentation were created by Bogle Architects. The main constructi carried out by a partnership of two building companies: BAK stavební společnost, a.s., and “Building the Charles University Campus was a great challenge, not only because of its siz because of the high-tech equipment inside the buildings—from the geothermal system with 12 to the large laboratory space with over 200 labs. I am glad that together with the univers team, and our construction partner, we successfully finished this ambitious project. I wou Charles University for their trust, as well as all designers, supervisors, and hundreds of their professional work,” said Robert Špott, Managing Director of SYNER. “Completing the MEPHARED 2 project proved that our company can handle even the most techno demanding projects. Building cleanroom laboratories, animal research facilities, and advan for biomedical research required perfect teamwork across all construction and technical tr thank our partner company and Charles University for their great cooperation. The result i complex that will serve generations of future doctors and pharmacists,” added Radek Mrázek stavební společnost a.s. *========================================================================================= * Construction costs *========================================================================================= The total estimated cost of the MEPHARED 2 project and its equipment is currently around 7 Most of the costs are covered by grants. Around 4.52 billion CZK comes from an EU grant under the National Recovery Plan (NRP), and CZK comes from the Czech state budget to cover VAT. A grant of 616 million CZK from the Mi Education, Youth and Sports (MEYS) was used for the new central building, and around 30 mi from the Programme Johannes Amos Comenius (OP JAK). Charles University is contributing app billion CZK from its own funds. Representatives of the construction companies and site supervisors were well aware of the limited financial resources. They actively looked for ways to optimize materials and techn As a result, the final construction budget increased by a minimal 1.38% compared to the or *========================================================================================= * Opening of the campus *========================================================================================= During the summer months of 2026, both faculties moved from their old buildings into the n The new campus will welcome students from both the Faculty of Pharmacy and the Faculty of Hradec Králové on 29 September, when the new academic year begins. Together, the two facul 3,600 students. *========================================================================================= * Funding *========================================================================================= The construction of the new Faculty Building (MEPHARED 2 project) is funded by the Europea the National Recovery Plan, sub-component 3.2.4: Investments in the development of selecte facilities (Investment ID: Z332802000005). The project is also co-funded by the Programme Johannes Amos Comenius (OP JAK), call no. 0 call for Higher Education Institutions – Quality, specifically through the university-wide Quality at CU” (registration number: CZ.02.02.01/00/23_023/0009064). The construction of the new Central Building is co-funded under the Ministry of Education, (MEYS) programme 133 240 (project registration number: 133D241000017). *========================================================================================= * Information about the Charles University faculties in Hradec Králové *========================================================================================= The Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové offers a wide range of attractive study options. include a master’s degree programme in Pharmacy, a bachelor’s degree programme in Laborato in Healthcare (available in full-time or combined study forms), and a follow-up master’s p Bioanalytical Laboratory Diagnostics in Healthcare. Students can also take the bachelor’s Medicinal Plants and Nutraceuticals, which is followed by the master’s programme in Phytoc English, the faculty offers master’s programmes in Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. A undergraduate students study at the faculty. Students also use the faculty’s own Garden of for practical training. For doctoral studies (Ph.D.), there are 20 degree programmes avail of Pharmacy is also a top research institution and ranks among the scientifically stronges at Charles University. In the QS World University Rankings 2026 by subject, Pharmacy & Pha Charles University ranked among the top 200–250 universities in the world. The faculty als learning programmes for the public. The Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Králové is one of the top medical education and research in the Czech Republic. It offers master’s degree programmes in General Medicine and Dentis Czech and English, as well as bachelor’s degree programmes in General Nursing and Midwifer 2,000 undergraduate students study at the faculty, with international students making up a of the student body. Every year, more than 200 new doctors graduate from the faculty. For medical training, the faculty offers 48 programmes (including 3 for dentists) and over 20 programmes in full-time or combined forms. It also organizes lifelong learning programmes and the general public. In addition, the faculty focuses on biomedical and clinical resear research take place across 11 theoretical institutes at the faculty and 32 clinical depart University Hospital Hradec Králové. Charles University • Founded in 1348 • 17 faculties (14 in Prague, 2 in Hradec Králové, and 1 in Pilsen) • 8,800 employees • 55,000 students • 10,000 graduates per year • 34,000 participants in lifelong learning courses each year • Ranked 92nd in the QS World University Rankings: Europe