Forbes 30 Under 30 Talent at Comenius University Bratislava
Each year, Forbes magazine publishes its 30 Under 30 ranking, selecting exceptional young individuals from various fields. This year, Silvester Krčméry from Comenius University Bratislava was included in the Education and Research category. Nominations were decided by experts, jury members, and the public.
Silvester Krčméry has been associated with Comenius University since 2013, when he enrolled at the Faculty of Management, where he gradually completed his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral studies. At each level, he took the opportunity to study abroad, experiencing higher education in Lyon, France, and in the Spanish cities of Málaga and Valencia.
Quality Label in Human Resource Management
After completing his PhD, he began coordinating the HRS4RUK development project at the CU Rectorate. The main objective was to map the working environment for researchers at the university, identify strengths and weaknesses, and propose improvements. Together with his team, he prepared several documents, including an Action Plan, which was approved by the European Commission. In 2023, the Commission awarded CU the HR Excellence in Research Award, confirming that working conditions at the university meet all European quality standards. The work on improving the research environment continues; the quality label is not granted permanently— the European Commission can also revoke it. The Action Plan is therefore updated regularly.
Silvester Krčméry is now the Coordinator of CU's Office for Human Resources Strategy in Research and implements the activities laid out in the Action Plan. “We have developed and adopted several guidelines, for instance on plagiarism and copyright, and we have established a university-wide Doctoral School. We have organised numerous events, including an academic mentoring programme for early-stage researchers, as well as for staff returning after parental leave, and an onboarding information package for new staff, also available in English for international colleagues,” he lists the activities prepared for the academic community.
His office plans further seminars, webinars, and training sessions. Several activities from the Action Plan have also been incorporated into the university’s long-term strategy, including regular survey-based monitoring of various aspects of university life, such as satisfaction with funding and organisation, implementation of the gender equality directive, the code of ethics, and more.
Teaching at the Faculty of Management
Silvester Krčméry is also an assistant lecturer at the CU Faculty of Management, where he teaches subjects such as controlling, project management, and economics for managers. Last semester, he taught a new elective course on volunteering, allowing students to connect management theory with practice by organising various volunteer activities. During the course of one semester, he brought to life a number of interesting collaborations with non-profit organisations. He is also involved in a VEGA project researching the challenges and current trends of the Fourth Industrial Revolution from the perspective of business processes, process management, strategic management, and innovation ecosystems.
Forbes and the CEE Fiscal Index
His inclusion in the Forbes ranking was also driven by his scientific work. The jury noted his long-standing involvement in a healthcare-related project. As a member of the team led by the Vice-Rector of the Slovak Medical University (SMU), he examined the fiscal impact of diseases in Central and Eastern European countries. “Professor Róbert Babeľa from SMU had data from Slovakia on multiple myeloma, a type of cancer. Using this data, we created a 'CEE Fiscal Index'. It’s essentially a feasibility analysis for modelling the impact of this disease in Central and Eastern Europe. Our aim was to assess how ready these countries are to adopt complex fiscal modelling approaches in healthcare decision-making. We consulted with doctors, insurance company representatives, analysts, gathered data, and aimed to present it clearly and understandably. Such modelling is key to understanding the economic effects of health policies and investments. Our results can also be replicated for other diseases and in other countries in the region, especially in transitioning economies where healthcare systems are still evolving. Our vision is that by improving the countries’ capacity to model fiscal consequences in healthcare, policy-makers can make more informed decisions and allocate resources more effectively,” explains Silvester Krčméry.
A Well-Organised Manager
In addition to research, teaching, and administrative and project work, Silvester Krčméry also serves as an external expert for the National Institute of Education and Youth (NIVaM) and the European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT), an EU agency that supports innovation across member states. He evaluates innovative projects and is the only Slovak expert reviewing million-euro research proposals in areas such as healthcare and higher education.
Where does he find time for all these activities? “The key is good time management,” he says modestly. “I conducted workshops for PhD students on this topic as part of one project, so I try to apply the same principles I taught others. I also look for synergies among different activities; many of the things I do are interconnected.”
Barbora Tancerová