Dear colleagues, dear students,

I hope that after the summer holidays you are well rested and have gathered the necessary strength, vigor and ideas for the upcoming academic year. I would like to invite you all to the premises of the Faculty of Science in Olomouc-Holice on September 15, where the second Academic harvest festival will take place. Its detailed program can be found below.

Unfortunately, even this year's start of the academic year is not peaceful. The rector has sent to the academic senate a decision draft, by which he intends to withdraw user rights to dozens of laboratories and property worth more than 650 million CZK from the UP Faculty of Science (almost 30% of the faculty's property), without any compensation. The proposal represents an extremely rude and reckless intervention in the functioning of the faculty, which will no longer be able to provide all activities in the previous scope and quality. The trade union announced a strike alert already in June and the employees are already preparing protest actions, more on the website https://nenicteprirodovedu.cz/. Further information can also be found in the discussion on UP Reflexe. I hereby ask all employees and students, who are not indifferent to the fate of the Faculty of Science, to actively participate in the protest actions, especially to come to express their disapproval in person at the meeting of the Academic Senate UP on September 21, 2022. The situation will also be dealt with by the Academic Senate of the Faculty of Science UP on September 15, 2022.

Martin Kubala
Dean

Dean's Award for authors of prestigious scientific publications

The Dean of the Faculty of Science will award the authors and author groups of teaching and popular science texts, monographs and original scientific publications. Submitting the publication will be possible from September 15, 2022. The publication (file of publications) is submitted by the author via a web form on the Portal. You can find the application form here (in Czech). If the publication is already listed in OBD, it is possible to use automatic retrieval of data from OBD when filling it out. The printed and signed application must be delivered by internal mail to the Department for Science and Research of the Faculty of Science UP to Bc. Barbora Krudencová no later than October 26, 2022.

Submitted publications must meet the following conditions:

• The scientific journal where the paper is published is in the 90th percentile and above in the given subject class according to the Web of Science.
• The proposed scientist is an employee of the Faculty of Science with workload of minimum 50 %, and he/she presents the affiliation of the Faculty of Science as the main workplace.
• The main or corresponding author of a given publication must be an employee of the Faculty of Science UP.
• The publication was published in print in 2022. Papers published in 2021 can also be submitted if they were not entered in the competition in the previous year.

CES – Central Contract Register

We would like to inform all solvers of ongoing and new projects that from June 1, 2022, the CES system is updated in connection with the new standards. The CES environment was expanded with new functions and changed the existing procedures for filling in accompanying documents, so-called “košilky” of contracts or amendments. All “košilky” are now filled in directly in the Portal (i.e. in the ‘Contracts’ tile).

The Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (TA CR)

Announced:

• TA CR – Water4All Call 2022: International call on water resources management (faculty deadline: October 24, 2022)
• TA CR – INVITATION: Czech-Polish workshop on European Partnerships – CET, DUT and Water4All, ONLINE October 4, 2022
• TA CR – CHIST-ERA Call Open Research Data (faculty deadline: December 7, 2022)

Planned:

• TREND Programme: Announcement of the provisional parameters of the 8th public tender, subprogramme 1 - “5G” (October 2022)
• SIGMA Programme: Information on the upcoming public tender (October 2022). A comprehensive tool to support RDI across disciplines oriented to the needs of society and the economy.

Ministry of Industry and Trade (MIT)

Announced:

• Application – call I. (faculty deadline: November 23, 2022)
• Innovation – call I. (faculty deadline: November 23, 2022)
• Innovation vouchers – industrial property rights protection – call I. (faculty deadline: December 17, 2022)
• Proof of Concept – call I. (faculty deadline: November 23, 2022)

MIT calls are managed by The Business and Innovation Agency. Queries may be addressed to Mgr. Silvie Šavrňáková (silvie.savrnakova@upol.cz). For more information follow the provider’s or faculty websites.

Visegrad-Taiwan Scholarships

V-T scholarships offer funding for PhD/postdoctoral students to study/research in Taiwan. Areas of support:

• a) Nanotechnology
• b) Electrotechnical industry
• c) Biotechnology
• d) Information technology
• e) Public health
• f) Social sciences and humanities
• g) Other

Duration of support: 1-10 months. The amount of support is 1,000 EUR/month for each scholarship holder + 1,000 EUR in the form of a one-off travel grant (tuition fees and other research-related costs are covered by the Taiwanese side). The application must be submitted online via My Visegrad between August 1 and September 30, 2022, 12:00 CET. More information: Visegrad-Taiwan Scholarships - Visegrad fund (visegradfund.org).

Government Award for Gifted Student 2022

The Research, Development and Innovation Council, in accordance with the relevant regulations, announces a call for proposals for candidates for the Government Award for Gifted Student 2022. The award for outstanding results in research, development and innovation is being extended to include the possibility of awarding the Government Prize for a gifted student from a secondary school or university who has shown talent and interest in research or scientific work – in order to promote research activities more widely and in an effort to attract young promising candidates for a future career as a scientist. The laureate will receive a financial award of 50,000 CZK together with the prize. This award is provided from the budget chapter of the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic and can be awarded only once per calendar year. The proposed candidate must meet all the conditions (in Czech). Proposals must be received no later than October 14, 2022.

Fulbright scholarships 2023/2024

The prestigious Fulbright scholarship programmes funded by the Czech and US governments provide Czech citizens with the opportunity to study, conduct research or teach in the USA. They give Czech educational and research institutions the opportunity to recruit a US educator or scientist. Application deadlines are:

September 30, 2022 – Fulbright Specialist Program, within which you can invite an expert from the US for a short-term stay of 2-6 weeks.

October 15, 2022 – Fulbright Visiting Scholar award in Heritage Science for experts in fields related to the protection of cultural heritage. The program is administered directly by IIE.

November 1, 2022 – Fulbright core program for scientists and lecturers and Fulbright-Masaryk program in the junior and senior categories for research projects.

December 1, 2022 – Fulbright-Schuman stipendium in several programs for university administrators, students and researchers thematically focused on US-EU, NATO-EU issues. The program is administered by the Fulbright Commission in Belgium.

February 1, 2023 – Science communication for scholars who make scientific knowledge accessible to the broader public and Proshek-Fulbright sscholarship for physicians and medical professions at the University of Minnesota.

February 1, 2023 – Fulbright programme for postgraduate study for student research and study stays.

We would like to invite all those interested in individual scholarships to a series of webinars, which we are starting already on September 15, more information and the registration form is available here (in Czech). Of particular note is the webinar for International Departments and Research on hosting US Fellows on October 14, 2022.

Scholarship offer – Germany

Cologne Graduate School of Ageing Research (CGA) in Germany offers 12 fully funded PhD positions to highly motivated and talented researchers.

• Deadline for applications: November 7, 2022
• Online application: https://www.ageing-grad-school.de/phd/applications
• Reserach projects offer for students of biological or related fields
• Commencement of PhD projects: July – October 2023

Detailed information can be found here.

The meeting of the Academic Senate FS UP will take place on September 15, 2022 at 9:00 in the big meeting room of the Dean's Office. The agenda will include several key points for the long-term perspective of our faculty. These are mainly points closely connected with the establishment of the CATRIN university institute, but also points discussing the steps taken by the UP management to limit faculty self-government (Amendment No. 8 of the UP Constitution). You are invited to attend at the meeting of the Academic Senate of the Faculty of Science UP either in person within the limits of the meeting room capacity, or by watching the live broadcast at this address.

Plans of study for academic year 2022/2023

The lists of courses (plans of study) for the academic year 2022/2023 can be found on the faculty websites.

Online confirmation of study

You can print your confirmation of study online directly from your Portal.

Registration of courses in STAG

It is necessary to register for courses in STAG for the academic year 2022/2023 by September 26, 2022.

Individual study plan of the doctoral students
Students in the first year of the doctoral study programmes have to submit their individual study plan by September 30, 2022 to their Student Affairs Officer. The plan has to be signed by the student, his/her supervisor and the chairman of the Subject-area Board. At the same time, students must enter the dissertation topic in STAG.

MEET UP

Welcoming new students in Olomouc and introducing them to the current ones – that's not the only reason MEET UP is taking place on Tuesday, September 20, 2022 in the breathtaking surroundings of the park and courtyard of the Konvikt – Art Centre of Palacký University. Come check out the afternoon and evening programme consisting of concerts, film screenings, workshops and presentations. Annet X, Zooblasters, The Middle of the Sandwich, Manu Destra and others will perform. There's no entrance fee, but don't go completely penniless – because there will be a varied gastro zone.

Issuance of a new parking card

New application for issuing a parking card – a new parking card form comes into force. The form can be found on the faculty's website (in Czech).

Parking system of the building 17. listopadu 12 – Envelopa

• All employees with access to underground garages should always state the licence plate number of all vehicles they use for parking. If the employee uses an access card but does not have the car's license plate number registered in the system, the vehicle counting on the board at the garage entrance will not be functional.

Please follow these rules:

• For entry/exit it is necessary to approach the garage gate slowly (ideally 10 km/h and through the middle).
• It is necessary to follow the Rules of Operation of the underground parking garage of the Faculty of Science PrF-B-18/10.

Parking area at the Public Prosecutor's Office

• The parking is in operation from August 1, 2022.
• Use an employee card for entry/exit.
• Access are set only for employees of SLO, VLD and Envelopa buildings (employees with access to underground garages).

Access settings

• At the Faculty of Science, there has been recently introduced option of setting access to individual profiles (card readers) within the Faculty of Science. The requirement for setting the access of a given workplace must always be by an authorized person – the head of the department/workplace or the secretary of the department/workplace.
• Regarding the buildings 17. listopadu 12 – Envelopa, 17. listopadu 50A – SLO and 17. listopadu 50 – VLD, please contact Filip Zlámal at filip.zlamal@upol.cz.
• Regarding the Holice campus, please contact Bc. Milan Labounek at milan.labounek@upol.cz.

New Heads of the Departments

We would like to inform you that as of September 1, 2022, the following changes are taking place in the positions of heads of departments:

Department of Algebra and Geometry – prof. Mgr. Radomír Halaš, Ph.D.
Department of Computer Science – RNDr. Eduard Bartl, Ph.D.
Department of Experimental Physics – doc. Mgr. Vít Procházka, Ph.D.
Department of Biophysics – prof. RNDr. Petr Ilík, Ph.D. (until August 31, 2022 he was only entrusted with department management)
Department of Organic Chemistry – doc. RNDr. Miroslav Soural, Ph.D. (until August 31, 2022 he was only entrusted with department management)
Department of Biotechnology – prof. RNDr. Jozef Šamaj, DrSc. (until August 31, 2022 he was only entrusted with department management)
Department of Geography – doc. Mgr. Pavel Klapka, Ph.D.
Department of Development & Environmental Studies – doc. Mgr. Zdeněk Opršal, Ph.D.

Other heads of departments remain unchanged.

Academic harvest festival

Come celebrate the second Academic harvest festival, which is organized by the Department of Chemical Biology on Thursday, September 15 from 14:00! On the premises of the Faculty of Science in Olomouc-Holice, you will see a ceremonial handing over of a harvest wreath, a demonstration of agricultural machinery and a special drone for monitoring grain fields, or a tasting of grain snacks, cakes and pancakes. To honor the 200th anniversary of the birth of J. G. Mendel, who laid the foundations of the field of genetics, a tree will be planted by Dean Martin Kubala and Mendel's pea soup will be cooked. Details in the program.

On the following Wednesday, September 21, from 13:00 in Olomouc-Holice, J. G. Mendel will also be remembered by a lecture by Prof. Jiří Friml, who deals with plant physiology and is one of the most cited Czech scientists.

September challenge Bike to Work

Not only participants of the May challenge Bike to Work can take part in the lighter fourteen-day September challenge. This year, it takes place from September 12 to 25 and is intended to remind people after the summer of the importance and also the practicality of emission-free transport. Unlike the May challenge, the September challenge is intended for individuals and the entry fee starts at 100 CZK. All information about the challenge can be found here. Check also the article on 7 reasons why join the challenge (in Czech).

Health Day

Cleanliness is half of health – and the other half is, for the most part, prevention and the good lifestyle. That is why the Rector's Office is once again organising a Health Day for all university employees at the beginning of the academic year. During the Health Day, it is possible to have a preventive eye or skin examination, undergo a free physiotherapy consultation or body composition analysis. It also includes training in fine motor and cognitive skills development, occupational therapy or yoga lessons. You will find everything free of charge and in one place - in the courtyard of the Armoury (Zbrojnice) and in the premises of the UP Publishing House on Thursday, September 15, 2022, from 10:00 to 14:00. Register for the activities as soon as possible here.

Herb day in the botanical garden

During the program, children and adults will learn interesting facts about the healing properties of herbs, make herbal tea or try printing on canvas bags. Herb Day takes place in the Botanical Garden of the Faculty of Science UP on Thursday, September 15, from 16:00. More information here.

World Car Free Day

For 20 years, the European Mobility Week has been taking place throughout Europe in mid-September. Its aim is to make us ponder about the sustainability of transport and its effects on our surroundings. The week regularly culminates with the World Car Free Day, which our university will also support this year. On Thursday, September 22, try to leave your car at home, go to the university on your own or by public transport, and relieve public space and (not only Olomouc's) atmosphere.

Newsletter

By the end of the year, the Newsletter will be published on the following dates:

September 26 | October 10 | October 24 | November 7 | November 21 | December 5 | December 19

The next faculty Newsletter will be published on Monday, September 26, 2022.