The first implementation phase of the ELI Beamlines project was concluded and the laser facility in Dolní Břežany was inaugurated on October 19, 2015 in the presence of many distinguished guests from the world of science and politics. The initial greetings were given by Czech and foreign guests, including the President of the Czech Academy of Sciences Jiří Drahoš, Director of the Institute of Physics Jan Řídký, the President of the Senate of the Czech Republic Milan Štěch, Archbishop of Prague Dominik cardinal Duka, Director General of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) Francesco Sette, Director General of the ELI-DC International Association Wolfgang Sandner, Chairman of the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructure John Womersley, French physicist and founder of the ELI project Gérard Mourou, Deputy director for science and technology in the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California Patricia Falcone. Guests were invited to see laser and experimental technologies directly in one of the laser halls. and Marina Hužvárová a Jana Olivová.
Within the frame of the Week of Science and Technology, you can visit an exhibition named Encyclopaedia of the Book. Read more it in the interview with the author of the so-called book by Petr Voit. and Dagmar Hartmanová.
In this issue, we feature an interview with the president of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (AS CR), Prof. Jiří Drahoš. The interview focuses on funding science and research at AS CR and the methodology that has become the universal tool for distributing money to the whole Czech science as a whole. On the basis of this government-conceived tool, the institutional financial grant for the AS CR should be reduced by about 50 percent by 2012. and Marina Hužvárová.
Featured in this issue is the interwiew with Professor Petr Ráb, a member of Academy Council, and of the Steering Committee of the Evaluation of Academic Institutes. Through this evaluation, the Academy Council is provided a full report of the research effectiveness of Academy Institutes. The process of research assessment is supervised by foreign evaluators. and Marina Hužvárová.