Dear Rectors, dear colleagues, members of the Coimbra Group,

dear Members of the Executive Board of the Coimbra Group,

dear Delegates,

It is a great honour for me to welcome you all to the Coimbra Group Annual Conference, held at Charles University from 16 to 18 June 2021. It is my pleasure to welcome prominent representatives from ancient European universities as well as the European Union and the United Nations delegates.

Due to the growing importance of sustainable development in recent years, a topic that has been discussed even more during the pandemic, we decided to include universities and sustainable development in the conference agenda, since not only research, innovation, and cooperation, but also a good and sustainable governance constitute cornerstones of sustainability.

I hoped you would enjoy the time spent in our beautiful city in the heart of Europe and experience both its rich historical heritage and its waves of progress and modernity, but due to restrictions caused by pandemics, we are forced to hold the conference online. Nevertheless, I am sure Charles University will fulfill your expectations vis-à-vis the programme and that you will experience excellent and fruitful discussions during the conference.

We look forward to meeting you at least online and hopefully in person very soon.

Yours faithfully,

Prof. Tomáš Zima, MD., DSc.

Rector of Charles University