The Rectors’ Award of the University of Ostrava and VSB – Technical University of Ostrava has been presented to a team of researchers from both institutions for their work examining how light and CO₂ concentration inside leaves influence the development of plant stomata. These tiny pores play a crucial role in the uptake of CO₂ needed for photosynthesis as well as water loss. The significance of the findings is growing in the context of climate change, which is bringing higher temperatures, more frequent droughts and increasingly variable water availability. The award for inter-university collaboration was presented today by Rectors Petr Kopecký and Igor Ivan at a ceremonial meeting of the Scientific Board of the University of Ostrava.
The Rectors’ Award recognizes a specific creative or research achievement jointly produced by authors from both universities. The award for the 2025/2026 academic year went to a team comprising Mgr. Jan Pleva (Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava), Mgr. Martina Vráblová, Ph.D. (Energy and Environmental Technology Centre, VŠB – Technical University of Ostrava), and Mgr. Daniel Vrábl, Ph.D. (Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava).
“The joint Rectors’ Award symbolises how both Ostrava universities have evolved in recent years. Institutions that once operated largely independently alongside one another have become partners who share laboratories, students and ambitions. Engineering and natural sciences now intersect with medicine, the humanities and the arts, and it is precisely at these intersections that some of today’s most exciting research is emerging,” said doc. Petr Kopecký, Rector of the University of Ostrava.
VSB-TUO Rector prof. Igor Ivan added: “This year’s award also has a very personal dimension. The recognised project was developed through the collaboration of a married couple, each working at a different university in Ostrava. It is a wonderful example of how inter-university cooperation does not necessarily have to start with a memorandum or a grant call, but can grow out of a shared interest and mutual trust. The result is high-quality research that brings two institutions together and strengthens Ostrava’s image as a city built on education and innovation.”
The award-winning study investigates whether the number of stomata on a leaf is determined primarily by light intensity or by the concentration of CO₂ inside the leaf. The uniqueness of the research lies in experimentally separating the effects of these two factors, which normally influence one another under natural conditions. The results showed that light intensity, rather than internal CO₂ concentration, is the primary factor determining the number of stomata.
These findings are becoming increasingly important in the context of ongoing climate change. In the long term, they have the potential to support the breeding and selection of crops with more efficient stomatal regulation. The study’s international recognition is also reflected in a separate commentary published in the journal Annals of Botany, which highlights its systematic approach and the importance of its findings for further research into the regulation of stomatal development.
“I am delighted that the Rectors’ Award has recognised our long-standing collaboration with the biophysics team at the University of Ostrava. I greatly appreciate this recognition and believe that our cooperation will continue and bring further interesting results,” said Martina Vráblová, Head of the Water Treatment and Analysis Research Group.
The Rectors’ Award of Ostrava’s universities has been presented for the third time this year. Submitted projects and research outputs are assessed by an expert committee based on their innovativeness, societal impact, international significance and the uniqueness of their results. The winning team also receives a financial award of CZK 100,000.