Filip Hrůza speaks with Troy Mix, Associate Director of the University of Delaware's Institute for Public Administration (IPA), about the thirteen-year partnership between their institutions, the adaptation of the "Delaware Model" of public service education (https://www.udel.edu/academics/colleges/biden-school/) to the Czech context, and the creation of "MuniLab" to engage students with practice. They also discuss the unique characteristics of Brno and the South Moravian region and the vital role universities play as a bridge between academic research and public administration practice. Filip Hrůza is the Director of the Institute for Public Administration and a member of the Department of Public Economics at the Faculty of Economics and Administration at Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic (https://www.econ.muni.cz/en). He focuses on connecting academic theory with public sector practice through initiatives like organizing conferences on inter-municipal cooperation and MuniLab, which engages students with public administration practitioners. He has worked for over a decade to adapt the University of Delaware's Legislative Fellows program and other public service models to strengthen local governance and public administration education in the Czech Republic. This episode was recorded on November 24, 2025, for First State Insights, a podcast presented by the Institute for Public Administration (IPA). For more First State Insights episodes, visit https://soundcloud.com/first-state-insights or search for "First State Insights" wherever you listen to podcasts. IPA is a research and public service center within the University of Delaware's Biden School of Public Policy & Administration. For more on IPA, visit https://www.bidenschool.udel.edu/ipa. Opening and closing music: "I Dunno" by Grapes, used under Creative Commons 3.0 License.