News

CERGE-EI Celebrated 35 Years of Ideas That Matter

4 June, 2026

CERGE-EI marked its 35th anniversary with a special anniversary week celebrating academic excellence, public debate, and the community that has shaped the institution over three and a half decades. Under the theme “35 Years of Ideas That Matter,” the week brought together distinguished guests, faculty, students, alumni, partners, and friends of CERGE-EI.

The anniversary program highlighted what has long stood at the heart of CERGE-EI: frontier research, rigorous graduate education, international academic exchange, and open discussion on the major economic questions of our time.

Philippe Aghion Honored by Charles University

One of the central moments of the anniversary week was the visit of Nobel laureate Philippe Aghion, one of the world’s leading economists and a pioneering scholar of innovation, economic growth, competition, institutions, and creative destruction.

On Thursday, 28 May 2026, Charles University awarded Professor Philippe Mario Aghion, PhD, the honorary degree of Doctor of Economic Sciences, honoris causa, in recognition of his profound contribution to modern economics. The ceremony took place in the Great Hall of the historic Carolinum building.

Philippe Aghion is Professor of Economics at the Collège de France, INSEAD, and the London School of Economics and Political Science. He is also a member of the Executive and Supervisory Committee at CERGE-EI, a joint workplace of Charles University and the Economics Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences. 

The honorary doctorate also recognized Professor Aghion’s long-standing engagement with the development of economics and doctoral education associated with Charles University through CERGE-EI. Through this role, he has contributed to strengthening academic standards, supporting high-quality research, and enhancing CERGE-EI’s international standing.

As Tomáš Karásek, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Charles University, emphasized:

“Professor Aghion’s intellectual contribution is not only of fundamental importance to economic science, but is also exceptionally relevant for addressing today’s economic challenges, including the rise of AI and structural changes in European policies.”

Creative Destruction and the Future of Capitalism

As part of CERGE-EI’s Distinguished Speakers Series and the 35th anniversary program, Professor Aghion also delivered a public lecture at CERGE-EI titled The Power of Creative Destruction: Rethinking Capitalism.

In his talk, Professor Aghion revisited Joseph Schumpeter’s concept of creative destruction, focusing on the role of innovation in long-term economic growth. Creative destruction describes the process through which new technologies, firms, and business models replace older ones, generating prosperity while also reshaping industries, labor markets, and social structures.

Drawing on the Schumpeterian growth paradigm, Professor Aghion discussed how innovation can support productivity growth, while also creating challenges linked to inequality, market concentration, and the ability of incumbent firms to block future competitors. These issues are central to his work on growth policy and the role of the state in shaping incentives for innovation.

The lecture also addressed artificial intelligence and structural change in European economies. Professor Aghion connected the opportunities and risks of AI to broader questions of competition, education, labor markets, and social protection. He emphasized that AI has enormous growth potential, but that realizing this potential depends on strong institutions, effective public policies, education, and competition. He also identified the lack of competition as one of the greatest risks associated with AI.

Professor Aghion’s lecture reflected the spirit of CERGE-EI’s anniversary week: bringing leading international economists into conversation with the academic community, policymakers, students, alumni, and the wider public.

A Week for the CERGE-EI Community

Beyond the academic program, the anniversary week was also a celebration of the people who have shaped CERGE-EI since its founding. Faculty, researchers, students, alumni, partners, and supporters came together to mark the institution’s development into a respected international academic center and a vibrant intellectual community based in Prague.

Over the past 35 years, CERGE-EI has educated generations of economists, supported internationally recognized research, and contributed to public debate on economic and social issues. The anniversary week offered an opportunity to recognize this legacy while reaffirming CERGE-EI’s mission: to advance ideas that help us better understand the world and contribute to a more informed future.

Anniversary Gala: Celebrating 35 Years of Ideas That Matter

The week culminated in the 35th Anniversary Gala, a festive gathering honoring CERGE-EI’s legacy in research, education, and public engagement. The gala brought together members of the CERGE-EI community for an evening of reflection, appreciation, and celebration.

The event celebrated not only institutional milestones, but also the people behind them: students and graduates who carry CERGE-EI’s ideas into academia, policy, business, and public life; faculty and researchers who continue to push the boundaries of economic knowledge; and partners and supporters whose commitment has helped CERGE-EI grow.

Radomír Pánek, President of the Czech Academy of Sciences, awarded CERGE-EI faculty member Filip Matějka the Karel Engliš Honorary Medal for Merit in the Social and Economic Sciences.

The award recognized Professor Matějka’s outstanding contribution to economic research and his role in advancing social and economic sciences. As a member of the CERGE-EI faculty, Professor at CERGE, Charles University, and Senior Researcher at the Economics Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Filip Matějka represents the academic excellence and international research ambition that have shaped CERGE-EI over the past 35 years.

The gala was a reminder that CERGE-EI’s history is not only a story of research and education, but also a story of community — of people connected by curiosity, rigor, and the belief that ideas matter. Explore the photo gallery here.

Looking Ahead

CERGE-EI’s 35th anniversary was both a moment of reflection and an invitation to look forward. The week’s program connected CERGE-EI’s history with the challenges and opportunities ahead.

As the world faces rapid technological change, the rise of artificial intelligence, shifting labor markets, and new questions about growth, competition, and social inclusion, CERGE-EI remains committed to its role as a place where rigorous research, education, and public debate meet.

Celebrating 35 years of ideas that matter, CERGE-EI now looks ahead to the next chapter — to new questions, new collaborations, and new generations of scholars.