Dear colleagues,

our Faculty has expanded its offer focused on secondary school teachers by almost two dozen new accredited courses within Further Education of Pedagogical Staff (DVPP). The aim of the program is to acquaint them with the latest knowledge in natural sciences. Accredited courses are part of the lifelong learning program, in which there are currently 20 eight-hour, one five-hour and two four-hour courses available. The new courses are focused on, for example, the geological structure of Olomouc and its surroundings, domestic power industry, knowledge of minerals, practical use of statistics, modern trends in the teaching of chemistry and electron microscopy.

In addition, another 14 courses are currently in the accreditation process, including nine computer courses, and another two mathematics courses will be sent for accreditation in the near future. Our partner schools were the first to be approached with the offer of courses, but other secondary schools that teach subjects focused on natural sciences can also join the program.

In this way, I would like to thank all those who, despite all the complications that have accompanied us since the spring, have been involved in the preparation of new courses. I perceive the offer of courses as, in a way, a service of the faculty to important partners, which for us secondary schools undoubtedly are. The aim is not only for teachers to be able to convey to their students the latest trends in fields of natural sciences, but hopefully also that students will be more interested in studying at our faculty, which we all strive for. Through the courses, we can also develop a longer-term relationship with high school teachers on a personal level. Although a decrease in the financial resources that schools will have for these purposes can be expected in the coming years, the strategic location of our faculty together with its reputation of great research institute, I believe, will enable us to further develop this activity to satisfaction of all involved parties.

Finally, I invite all of you who would be interested in participating in the preparation of DVPP courses to visit the website, where you may find the necessary information.

Karel Hron

Vice-Dean for External Relations

Honorable mention of the Rector to the authors of professional books 2020
The Rector will once again appreciate the authors of selected books in the fields of natural, medical and humanities, as well as in arts. Any employee of the university, including the author, can submit a proposal for honorable mention. The book must formally meet the criteria of "B" result according to the valid Methodology of evaluation of research organizations and evaluation of targeted support programs for research, development and innovation (methodology 17+). To be included in the competition, hand in the book in printed form and the cover sheet in electronic form Mgr. Silvia Šavrňáková, e-mail: silvie.savrnakova@upol.cz at the Department of Science and Research until Wednesday, September 30, 2020. Popular scientific publication and textbooks will not be included in the competition.

Project contracts and amendments - records in CES
We would like to inform all employees of the Faculty of Science, who are Applicants of contracts for implemented projects within the UP, that all contracts and amendments with domestic or foreign organizations must be provided for administration at the UP R&D department. Keeping records of contracts at UP is binding and is regulated by Rector's Directive B3-17 / 5-SR. According to the directive, each submitter of the contract is obliged to submit information about the contract to the so-called key user, who enters the contract or amendment into the CES platform. Why is it important? Act No. 340/2015 Coll. regulates special conditions for the effectiveness of contracts and their publication. Through the Register of Contracts (RS) of the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic, for example, a contract on the provision of a subsidy is obligatorily published. According to the Act on the Register of Contracts, the deadline for sending the contract to the RS is a maximum of 30 days from the conclusion of the contract, i.e. from the latest date specified in the signature in the contract. Furthermore, if the contract or amendment is not published in the RS within three months from the date of the last signature, the contract or amendment loses its validity.

The key user responsible for registering project contracts and amendments at the Faculty of Science is Mgr. Silvie Šavrňáková. In case of questions and doubts whether to publish the contract or the amendment, do not hesitate to contact silvie.savrnakova@upol.cz by e-mail or by phone 585 634 011. More at https://www.prf.upol.cz/en/employees/research/ in the Administration section projects of the Department of Science and Research (R&D) PrF UP.

Announcement of the 4th public competition of TACR - Environment for Life program.
The Technology Agency of the Czech Republic, in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment, has announced the fourth public tender to support applied research, experimental development and innovation in the field of the environment - Environment for Life, sub-program 3 - Long-term environmental and climatic perspectives.

This public tender is intended for research organizations, enterprises and organizational units of the state and their contributory organizations that are interested in participating in long-term cooperation in research on the basis of the assigned research topic No. 7 - Socioeconomic research of the environment. This competition is announced only for research topic No. 7 - Socio-economic research in environmental studies. Detailed information can be found here.

Send the confirmation of the submission of the project proposal generated by the ISTA system no later than October 23, 2020 to ivana.saitzova@upol.cz. Prior to the submission of the project proposal, the consent of the Dean and the Faculty Secretary with the submission of the project is required.

In case of any questions, please contact Ing. Ivana Saitzová, who will send the consent form, provide further information and secure the signatures on the application form. Sending a solemn declaration to the grant provider by UPOL will be ensured.

GA CR notification: Requests to change the budget of ongoing projects can be submitted until October 31
We remind beneficiaries and project developers that according to the tender documentation, it is possible to request changes to the budget no later than 60 calendar days before the end of the calendar year, i.e. by October 31. It is possible to request a change in the structure or amount of eligible costs or a change in the amount of targeted support. This term also applies to applications in connection with measures taken by the GA CR with regard to COVID-19.

An overview of the measures taken in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the possibility of drawing unused funds in subsequent years, the possibility of budget transfers or the expansion of eligible expenditure, can be found here.

Call for nominations for members of GA CR evaluation panels
The Grant Agency of the Czech Republic announces a call for proposals for candidates of evaluation panels of GA CR. Proposals for members of the evaluation panels may be submitted via GA CR forms by legal entities as well as natural persons operating in the field of science and research from among prominent experts who have achieved convincing results in basic research. The submitted nominations must contain a list of all workplaces of the candidate and a statement from the employer that he agrees with the nomination and is ready to release the candidate for meetings of panels or other advisory bodies of the GA CR Executive Board, which may result from membership in the panel. In order to avoid conflicts of interest in the evaluation of projects, the GA CR is forced to give preference to candidates with a smaller number of affiliates. The length of membership in the evaluation panel is usually set at 2 years and each elected member of the panel may perform this activity for a maximum of two terms. The Grant Agency would welcome a higher representation of women, as well as foreign language workers working at our institutions, in nominations for members of evaluation panels. Detailed information at: https://gacr.cz/en/. Please send the proposals electronically to ivana.saitzova@upol.cz by November 23, 2020.

Call for project proposals based on the Lead Agency evaluation principle
The Grant Agency of the Czech Republic has announced a call for project proposals based on the Lead Agency evaluation principle, with implementation expected to start in 2021. The call concerns projects in cooperation with the Polish NCN agency within CEUS initiative. In this call, the Polish agency NCN acts as the Lead Agency. Detailed information at: https://gacr.cz/en/. Please send the Czech part of the project proposal, including the annexes, to the e-mail address ivana.saitzova@upol.cz  by December 18.

INTER-EXCELLENCE program
The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports has on its website published instructions for extending project duration and possible transfer of unspent funds and information on the preparation of interim and final reports: https://www.msmt.cz/. Applications for extension and transfer of funds must be delivered to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports by October 15, 2020 interim and final reports by January 30, 2021.

The upcoming meeting of the Academic Senate of the Faculty will take place on October 7, at 1 pm in the large boardroom of the Dean´s Office (6.014).

Scholarship stays in Bavaria
The Czech-Bavarian Higher Education Agency has issued a current call for applications for a scholarship for one-year study stay in Bavaria, possibly extended up to 3 years. The scholarship is intended to finance a follow-up master's or doctoral study at a Bavarian university. The scholarship can also be awarded for a one-year study stay in Bavaria as part of a doctoral study at a Czech public university. The deadline for submitting scholarship applications for the academic year 2021/2022 is December 1, 2020. More information can be found at https://www.btha.cz/en/.

Study plans for ac. year 2020/2021
Lists of lectures (study plans) for academic year 2020/2021 are available at the faculty's website:
https://www.prf.upol.cz/en/students/current-students/.

Schedule changes
Changes in the schedule for academic year 2020/2021 can be made directly at the study department until October 27, 2020.

Applications for credit recognition
Applications for recognition of subjects, duly completed and confirmed by the department, must be submitted to the study department no later than October 27, 2020.

Matriculation
Due to the current situation around covid-19, matriculations are canceled without compensation. Students can pick up matriculation vows at any time during the office hours of the study department.

Graduation ceremony of Bachelor and Master study graduates
Given the current epidemiological situation, it is uncertain whether graduations will take place. It will be decided at the beginning of October and announced on the website https://www.prf.upol.cz/en/students/important-dates/.

Doctoral graduation ceremony
The graduation ceremony of doctoral graduates will take place at the Faculty of Education on October 21, 2020. The specific time will be announced.

Applications for CERN student programs
Students of Czech universities from technical fields of doctoral, master and bachelor studies can apply for support within the programs, for example in fields such as applied physics, IT, engineering, electronics, robotics, mathematics, etc. The programs also offer opportunities for students of the so-called "administrative fields", such as finance, law, logistics, interpreting, etc. The current deadline for submitting applications for CERN student programs is set for October 19, 2020. More information can be found here, contact Ing. Ondřej Novák from the Research and Development Department of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports at ondrej.novak@msmt.cz.

Scholarships and benefits for doctoral students
Students in the full-time form of study are supported by a total of CZK 18,000 per month, of which CZK 14,600 is a basic scholarship from the faculty (from November 1, 2020 it will be CZK 11,250) and the rest they shall receive from the department. Further increase of the scholarship is possible on the basis of study and scientific results.

They can be accommodated at university dormitories, provided they meet the relevant criteria, and can dine in the university canteen under the same conditions as full-time bachelor and master degree students. Students in the distance form of study do not enjoy the above mentioned benefits.

Igráček grant competition
As part of IGRÁČEK doctoral student grant competition project, the Rector´s Office of Palacký University (RUP) has prepared a module of educational activities for Ph.D. students, academics and researchers of UP. In the winter semester, it is possible to register for three seminars, which will take place in the large meeting room of the RUP, Křížkovského 8:

•  Ethics of scientific work (October 22, 1:00 pm)
• Preparation and management of scientific research projects (November 20, 1:00 pm)
• Working with databases, open access (December 4, 1:00 pm)

Seminars in the summer semester (date and place TBA):

• Teaching skills
• Presentation skills
• Transfer of results and patent protection

You can register in this registration form by October 20, 2020. More information here.

UN Young Volunteers Program
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic together with the United Nations Volunteers are opening a new year of Young UN Volunteers. Citizens of the Czech Republic with at least a bachelor's degree and an age of up to 29 years can apply for positions advertised in various UN agencies in a total of 8 countries. The aim of the program is to provide young people with the opportunity to gain volunteer experience directly in developing countries, apply the acquired theoretical knowledge from the university and apply it in practice. Registration is open until October 30, 2020. Details here.

Board games club
The DoUPě board game club opens its closets again at the beginning of the new semester! If you like board games, come and play on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30 pm in classroom 1,037. More information on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DoUPeOlomouc/ or by e-mail: kdholomouc@seznam.cz.