Charles University was founded in 1348, making it one of the oldest universities in the world. Yet it is also renowned as a modern, dynamic, cosmopolitan and prestigious institution of higher education. It is the largest and most renowned Czech university, and is also the best-rated Czech university according to international rankings, in the top 2% universities worldwide. There are currently 17 faculties at the University (14 in Prague, 2 in Hradec Králové and 1 in Pilsen), plus 19 other centres of teaching, research, development, information services and other activities, and the Rectorate - which is the executive management body for the whole University. The University has more than 7,900 employees; of this number, almost 4,500 are academic and research staff and nearly 50 000 students - roughly a sixth of all students in the Czech Republic – enrolled in more than 300 accredited degree programmes that offer over 630 different courses, 7 000 of them international.

Charles University focuses strongly on research activities, mostly in international cooperation, putting strong emphasis on interdisciplinary cooperation. Charles University staff have participated in a range of major international research centres, research infrastructures and networked organizaitons – including, for example, the CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) programme and several ERICs. In addition, Charles University collaborates with a broad spectrum of renowned universities, research centres as well as the industry in joint international research projects, both in the EU and in the U.S., Asia and Africa, including the AI-focused Centre of Excellence "Humane AI Net".