The Strategic Plan of the ICS (2021–2028)

Strategic Priorities

2.1 Contribute to the position of MU as a top research university by developing its e-infrastructure background, based on active involvement in national and international e-infrastructures, in particular e–INFRA CZ and EOSC; to promote interdisciplinarity through active involvement and cooperation with other research infrastructures at MU and beyond.

2.2 Coordinate and systematically develop the principles and strategy of Open Science at MU, establish MU as a significant bearer of large research data repositories, built in compliance with fair principles and involved in the EOSC ecosystem in order to promote the longterm improvement of the decision-making culture based on (scientific) facts in the Czech Republic (development of scientific diplomacy).

2.3 Continuously develop the position of ICS as an internationally recognized workplace of applied research, especially in the strategic areas of cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and e-infrastructures, with targeted use of the results achieved directly in the university environment.

2.4 Support IT-oriented interdisciplinarity in doctoral studies, offer appropriate dissertations topics and collaborate across doctoral degree programs at the university by qualified care of the synergistic application of IT principles in solving interdisciplinary research topics related to the ICS’s strategic research directions.

Specific Strategic Priorities in Individual Strategic Areas of ICS Research

2.5 Be the leading national workplace in the field of research and application of autonomous cybersecurity tools, with a particular focus on the tools and processes that enable to master the transformative influence of artificial intelligence on cybersecurity.

2.6 Develop the concept of maximum automation of the cybersecurity team, whose focus is to research advanced methods of ensuring situational awareness and prediction of cybersecurity incidents.

2.7 Study and develop models, tools and processes for validation, verification and deposition of AI methods in order to become a national reference institution in this field, in particular for the processing of cybersecurity data, life sciences and medicine and the operation of large-scale IT systems.

2.8 Develop research in the field of explicability of the behavior of artificial intelligence methods with subsequent development of applied XAI (explainable AI) methods, to achieving the position of a national leader in this field.

2.9 Create a flexible (cloud) infrastructure for data extraction from scientific data repositories in particular in the following areas: (i) health and life sciences, (ii) environmental, toxicological and pharmaceutical data, (iii) operation of e-infrastructures, including data specific to cybersecurity research; in connection with point 8 then actively contribute to the building of data repositories in these areas.

2.10 Develop research and progress in designing and accelerating algorithms for efficient use of high-performance (HPC) e-infrastructures and large data warehouses. Support and develop interdisciplinary research by targeting the MU research teams’ needs in national and international contexts, especially in large research infrastructures, the EOSC and EuroHPC; playing a key role in this area within the national e-infrastructure e–INFRA CZ.

2.11 Develop research in the field of access control to IT resources (authentication and authorization infrastructure), including the development of appropriate tools with an aspiration for broad international deployment.

2.12 Develop the Open/FAIR Data concept, especially in relation to methods, processes and tools for creation, operation and further development of open repositories of scientific data; involving actively (in coordination) in the preparation of the national concept and the subsequent building of a network of such repositories within the Czech Republic and their connection to international activities.

Key Results and Indicators

Common

2.i High quality of publication results, especially in D1 and Q1V journals and at top conferences; a growing trend in the number and quality of results.

2.ii Significant share of publications with foreign partners (a growing trend).

2.iii Increase the number of habilitated employees (associate professors and professors) so that at least two habilitated workers cover each strategic topic.

2.iv Extent of involvement in international authorities (working groups, panels, standardization institutions and groups…), specifically in the position of leaders or their deputies

2.v Growing involvement in international projects and similar activities with a significant position in the project framework; coordination of international projects (measured by a number of projects, position in them, and volume of funds raised).

2.vi Number of successful doctoral graduates led by ICS employees; a number of supervisors– consultants from among ICS employees (regardless of the field of study); a growing trend in the leadership of doctoral students under dual supervision (with a foreign institution).

2.vii Number of cooperating foreign workplaces (the primary indicator are exchange stays for trained doctoral students and employees).

2.viii Number of cooperating industrial partners (a growing trend) and development of contract projects research (national and international).

2.ix Number of active cooperation with the state administration or self-government (projects, studies, contract research…).

Specific

2.x Number of large research infrastructures with active (contractual) cooperation with ICS.

2.xi Number and extent of managed repositories of scientific data.

2.xii Create the framework for the development and continuous training of autonomous cybersecurity tools.

2.xiii Create the system and methodology for system validation using the principles of artificial intelligence.

Tools for Achieving Strategic Objectives

2.a Emphasize increasing academic qualification — professional guidance of doctoral students in consultants’ role, securing habilitated employees, and preparing for securing at least one professorship position.

2.b Continuing the internationalization of team members, recruitment, and ongoing maintenance of foreign workers in post-doc positions.

2.c Deepening cooperation with existing foreign partners – extensive involvement in international research communities through joint projects, working groups, organization of conferences and exchanges; specifically deepening cooperation and involvement in European and possibly in global infrastructures.

2.d Deepening cooperation with the state administration and the commercial sector – continuing and developing existing cooperation, finding opportunities to create new ones, ensuring the transfer of research and development results into practice, obtaining continuous feedback and initiative for research and development topics.

2.e Submitting projects with significant research or development potential and applied outputs commercialization.

2.f Establishing cooperation with hospitals in the Czech Republic to store medical data for Research (in progress with FN Brno and MOU).

2.g Developing collaboration with RECETOX.

2.h Offering post-doc positions in AI analysis of multimodal health data (with more precise specification sub-domains – e.g., omic and clinical data, imaging and clinical data, time series).

2.i Applying research prototypes to clinical practice in cooperation with medical groups or with industry — with appropriate national and international funding.

2. j Involving in the creation of European Health Data Spaces at the national level.

2.k Targeted interaction with other significant research infrastructures in the field of life sciences and environmental protection at both national and international level; searching for potential in particular project collaboration within Horizon Europe.

2.l Active role in the university strategy of renewal and development of research infrastructures; active role at the national level in further developing research infrastructures and especially their IT background.

2.m Direct support for the ICS involvement in other research infrastructures, especially in coordination with other MU workplaces.

2.n Specific involvement in university-wide support of interdisciplinary teams requiring significant IT support or resources.

2.o Implementing the Open Science Strategy muni 2022–2028.