{"id":27919,"date":"2024-02-12T12:11:34","date_gmt":"2024-02-12T11:11:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/?p=27919"},"modified":"2024-08-19T16:47:24","modified_gmt":"2024-08-19T15:47:24","slug":"interview-with-ing-tomas-fojtik-director-of-the-t-g-masaryk-water-research-institute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/2024\/02\/interview-with-ing-tomas-fojtik-director-of-the-t-g-masaryk-water-research-institute\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Ing. Tom\u00e1\u0161 Fojt\u00edk, director of the T. G. Masaryk Water Research Institute"},"content":{"rendered":"\"\"<\/a>\n
Photo: T. Hrdinka<\/h6>\n

He has been Director of TGM WRI for a year. How does he evaluate this first year and what has he already managed to change for the better in our Institute? How does he remember his twenty years at the Institute as regular employee? And what are his plans and goals for the future regarding the direction of TGM WRI? \u201eI would like to continue fulfilling my vision of creating a recognized and functioning institute of national and European importance as a research base for the field of water management with such a working culture and environment that it would be a target and prestigious workplace for quality and satisfied experts willing to actively cooperate,\u201c says the Director of our Institute, and newly also the president of the International Commission for the Protection of the Elbe, Ing. Tom\u00e1\u0161 Fojt\u00edk.<\/p>\n

Mr. Director, allow me to start with a\u00a0usual question. Do you remember the\u00a0moment when water first appealed to you so much that you decided to dedicate your professional life to it?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u00a0don\u2019t remember the\u00a0specific moment. It is probably due to the\u00a0fact that we are used to taking water for granted. I\u00a0believe this approach is not good. Water is one of the\u00a0most precious \u201ethings\u201c we need and we should treat it accordingly, value it and take proper care of it. The\u00a0work at our Institute opened my eyes even more in this regard, and thanks to it I\u00a0began to perceive the\u00a0importance of\u00a0protecting water and the\u00a0aquatic environment much more intensively.<\/p>\n

You have been working at T. G. Masaryk Water Research Institute since 2004. Do you remember your beginnings and your first project?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u00a0joined TGM WRI in the\u00a0GIS and cartography department, where there was a\u00a0wonderful team \u2013 I\u00a0spent great times there that I\u00a0would like to thank my colleagues for. One of the\u00a0first projects I\u00a0worked on and which I\u00a0subsequently led was the\u00a0collaboration with the\u00a0Land Surveying Office and the\u00a0Czech Hydrometeorological Institute on the\u00a0creation and updating of ZABAGED\u00ae, specifically the\u00a0geometry and numbering of watercourses, water bodies, and catchment boundaries. This long-term project, which continues to this day with other activities, showed me, among other things, how important quality and guaranteed data are and, above all, cooperation, without which it would be difficult to achieve the\u00a0desired goals in water protection. The\u00a0activities of the\u00a0GIS and cartography department are intertwined with the\u00a0activities of most branches of our Institute. Thanks to this, I\u00a0came into contact with a\u00a0wide range of implemented projects, and thus had a\u00a0unique opportunity to get to know the\u00a0entire scope of our organization. This experience helps me a\u00a0lot in my current position.<\/p>\n

You have completed your first year as Director of TGM WRI. How would you rate your year at this institution? Did it meet your expectations?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Rather, I\u00a0ask myself whether I\u00a0have fulfilled the\u00a0expectations of my colleagues both inside and outside our Institute. Of course you have to ask them about that. I\u00a0try to do everything to make my colleagues happy and our organization to flourish. We are only at the\u00a0beginning of the\u00a0journey. When I\u00a0became Director a\u00a0year ago, I\u00a0found a\u00a0lot more, shall we say, \u201echallenges\u201c than I\u00a0expected. I\u00a0started working immediately and believe me, it was not an easy year. But I\u00a0could never do it all by myself. Success and progress would not have occurred if it were not for great colleagues who want to move our Institute forward. Many thanks to all of you for your joint efforts!<\/p>\n

Do you consider your long-term work at TGM WRI as an advantage, or\u00a0rather as a\u00a0disadvantage?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Certainly as an advantage, BUT… During the\u00a0more than twenty years at TGM\u00a0WRI, I\u00a0had the\u00a0opportunity to get to know in depth its functioning, activities, people, but also areas that did not function quite as they should. For the\u00a0position of Director, this is essential for understanding the\u00a0organization and subsequent quality management. The\u00a0above-mentioned \u201eBUT\u201c hides the\u00a0need to maintain sufficient perspective, impartiality, and distance. Which is very important, but also difficult. However, it cannot be done without it. I\u00a0dare to say that I\u00a0succeeded, although it was not always easy and painless. From this position, I\u00a0would like to give back to the\u00a0Institute and the\u00a0people in it everything that they gave me\u2026 in a\u00a0good way :-).<\/p>\n

Where do you think TGM WRI should go and what are your goals and plans for the\u00a0future?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I\u00a0would like to continue fulfilling my vision of creating a\u00a0recognized and functioning Institute of national and European importance as a\u00a0research base for the\u00a0field of water management, with such a\u00a0working culture and environment that it would be a\u00a0target and prestigious workplace for quality and satisfied experts willing to actively cooperate. Even though many things have already been set up correctly and changed for the\u00a0better, we are still at the\u00a0beginning of the\u00a0journey, which will definitely not be easy, but I\u00a0believe that we will manage it together.<\/p>\n

It is absolutely necessary to continue to stabilize and strengthen the\u00a0teams, to ensure decent financing and, above all, to provide high-quality and independent solutions not only for scientific and research projects. The\u00a0role of our Institute as a\u00a0departmental research institution is also key and unique. Thanks to our more than a\u00a0century-old tradition and the\u00a0experience of our employees, we can comprehensively grasp the\u00a0contemporary fundamental topics in the\u00a0field of water protection and water-bound species, water and waste management, climate change, hydrology, hydrogeology, but also geoinformatics and data management and publication. Subsequent outputs from the\u00a0nature of departmental research are therefore not only publication ones, but primarily application ones, so that they are of practical and usable benefit, above all to the\u00a0general public, a\u00a0founder, or other providers or contractors. I\u00a0would also like to invite everyone who is interested in getting to know our work to the\u00a0Open Day, which will take place in June 2024.<\/p>\n

Since the\u00a0first of January this year, you have become the\u00a0President of\u00a0the\u00a0International Commission for the\u00a0Protection of the\u00a0Elbe. Were you surprised by this offer?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I\u00a0was very pleasantly surprised by this offer and I\u00a0appreciate it very much. The\u00a0position of President of the\u00a0International Commission for the\u00a0Protection of the\u00a0Elbe is not only prestigious, but also important. At the\u00a0same time, however, it is a\u00a0huge responsibility and an opportunity to participate in improving not only the\u00a0state of watercourses, but also to contribute to a\u00a0better environment for future generations. Our Institute, or rather my colleagues, have been members of expert groups and working groups, their spokespersons, or even their chairmen. In this way, we participate in many activities of the\u00a0Commission and the\u00a0formulation of strategic documents, such as the\u00a0International Management Plan for the\u00a0Elbe River Basin District and the\u00a0International Flood Risk Management Plan for the\u00a0Elbe River Basin District.<\/p>\n

Is there a\u00a0specific topic that you would like to focus on as the\u00a0president of the\u00a0International Commission for the\u00a0Protection of the\u00a0Elbe?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I\u00a0would like to focus on strengthening international cooperation and joint cross-border projects that will have a\u00a0real impact on water quality. As water knows no borders, international cooperation is very important. I\u00a0greatly appreciate the\u00a0work of my colleagues from neighbouring countries and look forward to working with them as well as with Czech partners within the\u00a0framework of the\u00a0ICPER.<\/p>\n

However, I\u00a0think I\u00a0have talked enough, and as they say \u2013 let\u2019s\u00a0work, and not just write about it :-).<\/p>\n

Director, thank you very much for your time.<\/em><\/p>\n

Ing. Josef Nistler<\/span><\/p>\n

Ing. Tom\u00e1\u0161 Fojt\u00edk<\/h2>\n

Ing. Tom\u00e1\u0161 Fojt\u00edk, born on 2nd December 1981 in Prague, graduated from the Faculty of Economics and Management at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague. Here, in 2008, he obtained a bachelor\u2019s degree, and in 2011, an engineer\u2019s degree. He has been working at TGM WRI, p. r. i., since 2004, initially as a researcher in the GIS and cartography department. One of his first projects, in which he participated and subsequently led, was cooperation with the Land Surveying Office and the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute on the creation and updating of ZABAGED\u00ae, specifically the geometry and numbering of watercourses, water bodies, and catchment boundaries. In 2015, he became the head of this research department. On 1st February 2023, he was appointed to the position of Director of TGM WRI, p. r. i. On 1st January 2024, he also became the President of the International Commission for the Protection of the Elbe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

He has been Director of TGM WRI for a\u00a0year. How does he evaluate this first year and what has he already managed to change for the\u00a0better in our Institute? How does he remember his twenty years at the\u00a0Institute as regular employee? And what are his plans and goals for the\u00a0future regarding the\u00a0direction of TGM\u00a0WRI? \u201eI\u00a0would like to continue fulfilling my vision of creating a\u00a0recognized and functioning institute of national and European importance as a\u00a0research base for the\u00a0field of water management with such a\u00a0working culture and environment that it would be a\u00a0target and prestigious workplace for quality and satisfied experts willing to actively cooperate,\u201c says the\u00a0Director of our Institute, and newly also the\u00a0president of the\u00a0International Commission for the\u00a0Protection of\u00a0the\u00a0Elbe, Ing. Tom\u00e1 Fojt\u00edk.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":27803,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,93],"tags":[3429,2544,120,2545,1484],"coauthors":[1742],"class_list":["post-27919","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-from-the-world-of-water-management","category-two-articles","tag-director-of-the-tgm-wri","tag-icpol","tag-interview","tag-president-of-icpol","tag-tgm-wri"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27919","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27919"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27919\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32025,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27919\/revisions\/32025"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27803"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27919"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27919"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27919"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=27919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}