Research Groups
The AVU Research Groups are collaborative spaces dedicated to artistic and theoretical inquiry across a range of thematic areas.
All groups are initiated by AVU researchers themselves and shaped around topics and concerns they consider meaningful. While the programme primarily supports doctoral research, all groups are open to AVU faculty, students, and external collaborators.
Interdisciplinarity is central to the Research Groups programme. The groups connect perspectives from the arts and humanities, as well as from the social and natural sciences, often extending beyond AVU to include partners from local and international institutions.
Aims
The Research Groups aim to create an environment where researchers can work together systematically and over the long term—sharing methods, exchanging feedback, and developing thematic lines of inquiry that might otherwise remain dispersed across AVU studios and departments. By fostering these research communities, AVU strengthens its research capacity and increases its visibility in national and international contexts.
The Research Groups programme is developed and coordinated by AVU’s Doctoral Research Department under the oversight of the Vice-Rectorate for Internationalisation and Research. The Department provides conceptual and administrative support, while the AVU Research Board conducts annual reviews of the programme and ensures its alignment with AVU’s research strategy and institutional priorities in ethics, sustainability, and inclusion.Each Research Group is led by an active AVU researcher (faculty), often in collaboration with external experts.Membership in the groups is open at two levels: Core members, who participate regularly (typically PhD candidates and faculty), and Affiliated members, who join occasionally or contribute to selected projects (such as MA students, alumni, external collaborators).
Research Groups Launch
The Research Groups programme will be officially launched on 15 December at the Research Groups: Forming Fields, a public event held at AVU Veletržní. Join us to learn about the overall Research Groups programme and the individual thematic groups.Following the launch, all seven groups established so far (see below) will open to new members. If you are interested in joining one or more of the groups, you will be invited to submit a short expression of interest (onboarding guidelines will be provided at the launch event).AVU researchers (faculty) are also welcome to propose new Research Groups focusing on relevant thematic areas. Detailed information about the requirements for initiating a new group will be presented at the launch.