Science and Research in the National Museum
In 2017 the science and research activities of the National Museum staff included a wide range of projects and research tasks financed by institutional support and objective-targeted support. With the Institutional Support for Long-term Strategic Development of Research Organization (IP DKRVO), the staff of the individual specialist departments of the National Museum participated in 57 research projects. The results of this research were presented in the form of papers or posters at 79 domestic and 49 foreign conferences. The research-related related publishing activities performed within the framework of IPRDCA formed the dominant sharer of all outputs reported in the Register of R&D results (RIV), as in previous years. A trend towards an increase in the number and quality of annually reported publications is documented by the publishing of more than 90 articles in prestigious high-impact foreign periodicals and 16 professional books. Long-term high quality and quantitative success in research activities are documented in the Evaluation of the Results of Research Organizations, in which the National Museum received a total of 12,240.19902 points in the evaluation of 902 results (RIV 2016). In this evaluation, the National Museum ranked 53 out of 241 research organizations in the Czech Republic.
As always, great emphasis is placed on the popularization of scientific and research activities, which is reflected in the wide spectrum of educational and popularization activities (e.g. public lectures, media presentations, excursions, workshops, pedagogical activities, etc.). It is also worth mentioning the institution’s tradition of developing national and international cooperation, which enhances awareness of it and involvement within European and worldwide consortia, associations and platforms. In addition to the traditional high interest of domestic and foreign researchers and scientists, there is a noticeable increase in the number of internships of foreign students in the individual departments of the National Museum.
In 2017, the National Museum confirmed its success in obtaining and managing grant-backed projects in basic and applied research. In that year, its staff carried out 9 projects of the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic, winning a public tender with the gain of 5 new standard projects beginning in 2018. As part of the Programme of Research into National and Cultural Identity for 2016-2022 (NAKI II), the National Museum managed 3 projects and also received 4 new projects starting in 2018. The 6th biennial cycle of internal scientific (8) and interdisciplinary (2) grants for National Museum staff was also launched in 2017 to support the development of basic research related to the institution's collections.
In 2017 the three-year mandate of the present Scientific Council of the National Museum ended, and it will continue with new members and a new mandate from 2018. In October 2017 the National Museum was registered on a new list of research organizations maintained by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Science (MŠMT).