UCM joined the V4 OmbudsLink project: promoting cross-border cooperation
Published: on 28.5.2025
The University of St. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava has become a partner of the international project V4 OmbudsLink: Fostering Collaboration Across Borders, which is implemented with the support of the Visegrad Fund. The main applicant and coordinator of the project is the Czech Ombuds Platform in Education under the leadership of Dr. Jaroslav Šotola from Palacký University in Olomouc. Another project partner is the Polish organisation Academic Network for Safety and Equality.
Aim and focus of the project
The project aims to strengthen cooperation and exchange of experience between ombudsmen at universities in selected V4 countries - Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia. An ombudsperson is an independent person or position that protects the rights of individuals in a selected area, provides advice and support, promotes a culture of equality, proposes measures and changes, and leads education and awareness raising. The main objective is to create a peer support network that contributes to building transparency, credibility and accountability of university ombudsmen as new actors for equality and safety in the academic environment.
The project supports:
- Capacity building and professionalization of the work of ombudsmen,
- strengthening professional networks between educational institutions,
- sharing examples of good practice and mutual learning.
Responding to current challenges
The institution of university ombudsmen is relatively new in the V4 countries and is developing dynamically. In the Czech Republic and Poland, there has been a significant increase in the number of universities introducing the position in recent years. In Slovakia, this topic is also becoming more and more discussed and UCM was among the first universities to introduce the institute of university ombudsmen.
The project responds to three main challenges:
- Low level of experience and the need for inspiration - ombudsmen often face unclear definition of their role (position) within the institution or lack of support from university management.
- Lack of visibility and accessibility - the Ombudsman's services are not sufficiently promoted and therefore remain unused.
- The issue of accountability - although ombudsman functions operate on the principles of confidentiality and informality, it is also important that they are transparent and formally anchored in the university environment.
Planned activities and outputs
The project team will:
- Analyse the current status and needs of ombudsmen in the partner countries,
- collect and evaluate examples of good practice,
- prepare user-friendly recommendations and methodological guidelines for both novice and experienced ombudsmen,
- build a digital community platform for sharing resources, tools and experiences.
The project will also include a series of workshops, online discussions and expert meetings that will foster the professional identity of ombudsmen and create a basis for long-term cooperation and knowledge exchange within the region.
Benefits for the V4 region
The project builds on the cultural and institutional similarities of the V4 countries, which create a favourable environment and conditions for cooperation and the transfer of innovative solutions. Strengthening the position of ombudsmen will contribute to a safer, fairer and more transparent academic environment. The results and outputs of the project will also serve as a framework and inspiration for universities in countries where this function is not yet a common part of institutional structures. The impact of the project will be reflected in the improvement of the university environment and the strengthening of mechanisms to protect staff and students in academia. It will also contribute to building a more inclusive and safer academic culture, while supporting the exchange of good practice between partner institutions and contributing to the creation of sustainable structures for promoting equality and dignity within higher education.
