Dear colleagues, dear students,

the only nominated candidate running for the position of the Dean of the Palacký University Faculty of Science for the election period 2022 – 2026 is doc. RNDr. Martin Kubala, Ph.D. He will present his priorities and visions for the further functioning of the Faculty of Science at the assembly of the academic community tomorrow on December 7, 2021.

Due to the coronavirus epidemic, the meeting with doc. Martin Kubala will take place in a hybrid mode. It will be attended by the candidate for the position of Dean and members of the Academic Senate. Other members of the academic community and employees can watch the audiovisual broadcast at this address or search for it on the website www.avp.upol.cz.

Those interested in asking a question to the candidate can actively enter the debate through the Zoom platform. The application for registration can be sent to the email address k.lemr@upol.cz and will receive connection parameters. At the same time, there is a possibility of asking a question via the email address volba-dekan-2021@seznam.cz.

Dean’s Award

In recent days, the Dean's Award to the authors of prestigious scientific publications for the year 2021 have been presented. The results can be found on the website (in Czech) of the Faculty of Science.

MEYS – bilateral projects in the Czech Republic – Bavaria

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MEYS) has announced a public tender in research, development and innovation LUABA22 – bilateral projects Czech Republic – Bavaria. The intention of LUABA22 is to select Czech-Bavarian joint research projects in the category of basic research, industrial research and experimental development with a solution period of max. 30 months in the following priority areas of common interest:

• Information and communication sciences
• Engineering and technology with emphasis on Industry 4.0 and the use of 5th generation (5G) technologies in specialization: Electronics, electrotechnics, information engineering
• Engineering and technology in specialization: Material research, Nanotechnology
• Medical and healthcare sciences
• Social sciences
• Humanities and arts

The bilateral plan of the project presupposes the simultaneous submission of the Czech and Bavarian parts of the joint project in the Czech Republic and Bavaria, respectively, in compliance with the specific conditions of the provider concerned.

The project proposal must be processed in the information system of the programme INTER-EXCELLENCE - ISIX (in Czech). Those interested in submitting this grant should contact the Department of Project Support employee Marika Svrčková (marika.svrckova@upol.cz). No later than January 24, 2022, it is necessary to submit a “zelená košilka” form (in Czech) together with the project proposal containing at least the name of the project, an abstract, a composition of the research team and a budget. No later than January 25, 2022, after the project is closed, two documents must be sent to marika.svrckova@upol.cz before submission:

1. PROJECT PROPOSAL part 1. – SIGNATURE PAGE
2. PROJECT PROPOSAL part 2. – PROJECT PROPOSAL in PDF

All information on the call can be found on the provider's website (in Czech), contact person: Marika Svrčková (marika.svrckova@upol.cz).

GA ČR – Submission of DZ and ZZ

The Czech Science Foundation (GA ČR) published on the website (in Czech) the deadlines for the submission of partial and final reports.

• Submission of partial reports for the year 2021: by January 17, 2022
• Submission of final reports: by January 31, 2022
• Submission of partial reports for the year 2021 for the EXPRO and JUNIOR STAR projects: by January 31, 2022
• Submission of interim professional reports for EXPRO projects: by January 31, 2022

The researchers will be informed about the availability of forms in the application for submission and management of grant projects (GRIS) by e-mail and on the GA ČR website. The file containing the partial or final report must retain the name that was generated when converting to PDF format, otherwise it cannot be sent via the data box. Messages will be sent via the UPOL data box. In order to be able to send everything properly and on time, please, deliver the documents to the e-mail of the Department of Project Support employee Marika Svrčková (marika.svrckova@upol.cz) no later than:

January 11, 2022 (Tuesday) in case of submission of partial reports
January 25, 2022 (Tuesday) in case of submission of final reports

Contact person: Marika Svrčková (marika.svrckova@upol.cz)

Rudolf Lukeš Prize

Raising the profile of the best scientific personalities and their achievements and thus increasing the motivation of the scientific community to achieve excellence. Such is the main mission of the Rudolf Lukeš Prize, which is awarded to elite scientists in the field of organic, bioorganic and medicinal chemistry by the Czech Chemical Society's Expert Group of Organic, Bioorganic and Pharmaceutical Chemistry in cooperation with the Experientia Foundation for an excellent collection of original works in the field published over the past five years in prestigious international journals. The Rudolf Lukeš Prize can be entered by a scientist without age restrictions who works at one of the Czech workplaces and will submit a set of works in the field of organic, bioorganic and medicinal chemistry created in the Czech workplace in the past five years.

Prospective students from abroad

The information for prospective students have been modified on the English website of the faculty. If you have a potential student interested in a Doctoral study in English at the faculty, who already has a topic confirmed by the department, you can refer him/her to this website for information on the whole application procedure.

Scholarships – Beijing Institute of Technology

The prestigious university partner Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) in Beijing offers 3 scholarship places for applicants for two-year Master's or four-year Doctoral study programmes with the beginning of studies in September 2022. As part of the scholarship, the student has free tuition, accommodation and a scholarship. The deadline for applications is February 10, 2022. In case of interest contact M. Zahradníková (michaela.zahradnikova@upol.cz).

JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship for Overseas Researchers FY2022

As every year, the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS; in Czech) announces a selection procedure for internships for foreign postdocs (JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship for Research in Japan FY2022). The Division of International Cooperation of the Czech Academy of Sciences receives applications from the Czech Republic. The deadline for applications is March 31, 2022. Successful applicants must start their traineeship no later than November 30, 2022. Applicants who have received a doctoral degree no more than 6 years before April 1, 2022 (i.e. no earlier than April 2, 2016) may participate in the selection procedure. The length of stay is 12 to 24 months.

Information webinar on the Barrande scholarship program

Following the announcement of the current call for applicants for the Barrande Fellowships, the French Institute in Prague, in cooperation with DZS and the MEYS, organizes a webinar for students of all Doctoral study programs who are interested in research opportunities at French universities and research institutes. The webinar for doctoral students of Czech universities will take place on December 9, 2021 at 11:00, only registered candidates will receive a link to join the webinar.

Bilateral cooperation: scholarships France

Funding for doctoral students from Czech and French universities is possible thanks to the Barrande scholarship program. The scholarship will enable selected doctoral students to complete a research stay in France under the guidance of a French supervisor, either short-term (internship lasting 1 to 3 months) or long-term (double-supervised doctoral studies, so-called cotutelle). AIA accepts applications electronically by February 4, 2022. Details of the offer can be found on the program website.

Bilateral cooperation: scholarships Egypt

Doctoral students and university teachers/researchers can apply for study or research stays at universities in Egypt. The Egyptian side offers doctoral students stays of up to 10 months, and teachers and researchers can spend up to one semester in Egypt. Applications are accepted by the AIA by December 10, 2021. Details of the offer can be found here (in Czech).

Bilateral cooperation: scholarships North Macedonia

Bachelor, Master and Doctoral students can apply for study stays in North Macedonia of at least two months. University teachers/researchers are offered at least 2 places for lecture stays of up to 10 days. Applications are accepted by the AIA by December 10, 2021. Details of the offer can be found here (in Czech).

Bilateral cooperation: scholarships China

China offers scholarship places for semester study stays for Bachelor, Master and Doctoral students, preferably form non-sinological fields. The list of eligible Chinese universities is published on the China Scholarship Council website (programmes marked with orange star are included in the scholarship offer). Applications are accepted by the AIA by December 17, 2021. Details of the offer can be found here. (in Czech).

Bilateral cooperation: summer courses Albania, Bulgaria, Mongolia

Every year, the partner countries offer Czech universities places at summer schools, the organizers of which pay the participants accommodation, meals, as well as expenses for excursions and exploring the city. The summer language course in Bulgaria is regularly held at the universities of Sofia and Veliky Tarnów during July, and a total of 8 places are available for the Czech Republic. The Summer School in Albania is regularly organized by the University of Tirana in September, with 2 places. The summer school in Mongolia is intended primarily for students of Mongolian studies with knowledge of the language at least at the A2 level, there are 3 places on offer. The application deadline is December 31, 2021. Details of offers and instructions for registration can be found here (in Czech).

Bilateral cooperation: scholarships Albania, Bulgaria, Georgia, Latvia, Mongolia, Romania

Other possibilities of trips are semester stays for Bachelor, Master and Doctoral students lasting up to 9 months and study/research and lecture stays for university teachers usually lasting up to 1 month at universities in Albania, Bulgaria, Georgia, Latvia, Mongolia and Romania. The application deadline is December 31, 2021. Details of offers and instructions for registration can be found here (in Czech).

Bilateral cooperation: scholarships Greece

Academic staff can apply for 6 places for study and research stays in Greece for a maximum of 1 week. The amount of the scholarship for the participant is 110 EUR per day. The stay must take place during the calendar year 2022. Applications are accepted by the AIA by January 12, 2022. Details of the offer can be found here (in Czech).

Bachelor study at the Lingnan University in Hongkong

Lingnan University in Hongkongu (in Czech) offers the opportunity to study Bachelor's programs in the humanities, economics and social sciences in English (starting in September 2022). For foreign students, it offers the opportunity to apply for scholarships Non-local Student Scholarships (various types of scholarships – full scholarships covering tuition and living costs, scholarships covering partly or completely only tuition fees). The first round of applications closes on December 7, 2021. More information can be found on the university's website.

Note: Due to the currently accepted recommendations, we do not require that applications be sent to the AIA in hard copy. As last year, applicants can use the address e-podatelna@dzs.cz to send applications. The condition for accepting the application is a Proposal for sending / Application for scholarship (in Czech) signed and confirmed by the university.

Meeting of the Academic Senate

The meeting of the Academic Senate FS UP will take place on December 15, 2021 at 13:00 in the big meeting room at the Dean’s Office. Detailed information and materials for the senate are published on the website https://www.prf.upol.cz/o-fakulte/fakultni-organy/akademicky-senat/ (in Czech).

Student Affairs Office operation during Christmas

The Student Affairs Office is last opened on December 22, 2021 (normal opening hours); after Christmas will be reopened on January 3, 2022 (normal opening hours).

International office of the Student Affairs Office - operation during Christmas

From December 17, 2021 to January 2, 2022 the Student Affairs Office for international students will be closed. Please, deal with your affairs well in advance.

Scholarships

Scholarships, which have to be reimbursed in January 2022, must be submitted by December 21, 2021. Those scholarships will be accounted for next year.

Plans of study for academic year 2021/2022

The lists of courses (plans of study) for the academic year 2021/2022 can be found on the faculty websites.

Online confirmation of study

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

Graduation ceremony of Doctoral students

Due to the epidemiological situation, the graduations of doctoral graduates have been postponed to a date that is still unknown.

Via Chimica Prize

Sometimes, a world-changing discovery can be down to just one university student. This is one of the reasons why the Via Chimica Prize came into existence. It is open to talented Czech chemistry students and is awarded by the Experientia Foundation in cooperation with the Learned Society of the Czech Republic. Students from Czech universities in Bachelor or Master study programmes who have an original student work in the field of chemistry can enter the competition. The deadline for applications of the competition's first year is January 31, 2022. The winner of the Via Chimica Prize, who is selected by the joint evaluation committee of the Learned Society of the Czech Republic and the Experientia Foundation, will receive a personal bonus of CZK 50,000 from the Experientia Foundation. More about the Via Chimica Prize can be found at https://www.experientia.cz/via-chimica/.

Study scholarship of the Olomouc Region abroad in 2022

From the subsidy program Study Scholarship of the Olomouc Region for study abroad in 2022, it is possible to apply for financial support to cover expenses during the beneficiary's study stay abroad and in direct connection with its implementation, to cover the recipient's travel expenses, accommodation expenses at the place of the study stay, purchase of study materials, the costs of boarding the recipient during the study stay and the tuition fee. Deadline for applications: January 10, 2022 - January 28, 2022. More information can be found here (in Czech).

Covid-19 monitoring at UP

In order to manage the epidemiological situation at UP as best as possible and be able to anticipate and adjust the possible teaching regime, the faculties monitor the numbers of people with Covid-19, or the numbers of people quarantined.

Therefore, students and staff are asked for responsibility and cooperation. In case that you have a positive test for Covid-19 or the regional hygienists place you in a preventive quarantine, inform the faculty coordinator by e-mail at dagmar.petrzelova@upol.cz. All information is handled as discreetly as possible.

Plase, include in the e-mail:
students: your full name, telephone, name of the study programme, year;
employees: your full name, telephone, workplace.

After sending this information, do not forget to write to your teachers or superiors and discuss with them the plan during your absence.

File service – operation

On December 22, 2020, the file service at Envelopa will be open from 9:00 to 10:00 and in Holice from 10:30 to 11:30. Regular and registered mail will be last picked up from the mailboxes at Envelopa at 11:45 and at Holice at 11:15. Mail delivered after this deadline will not be sent until January 3, 2022.

Faculty operation before the end of the year

The main building (Envelopa) and the buildings in the Holice complex will be closed from December 23, 2021 to January 2, 2022. The buildings will be guarded by an external security service. Report any accidents and defects to the service staff, who will then pass them on to the building management emergency service.

The VLD building (17. listopadu 50) and the SLO building (17. listopadu 50a) will be closed from December 23, 2021 to January 2, 2022. During this period, entry will only be allowed on employee cards.

Personal and Payroll Department
The faculty’s Personal and Payroll Department notifies in advance that the following documents must be submitted no later than 12:00 on Friday, December 10, 2021.

To the personal department (Mrs. Veronika Caletková, Mgr. Veronika Vašková), please, submit:

• proposals for concluding an employment relationship (employment contract) effective from January 1, 2022
• proposals for changes in job and salary classification effective from January 1, 2022 (exceptions may be proposals for employees for whom participation in a project is planned, for which a decision on the allocation of a subsidy is expected to be received later)
• applications for extensions of employment contracts ending in December this year
• ACJ (DPP) and APW (DPČ) effective from January 1, 2022

To the payroll department (Mrs. Libuše Pěčková, Mrs. Ivona Kristková), please, submit:

• leaves (entered into SAP by the workplace), documents on support in caring for a family member
• requests of employees for transfers of unused leave to the following year with the statement of the head of the workplace (for these requests you will receive separate instructions, the setting of the form in the electronic version available to each employee is under negotiation)
• proposals for the payment of extraordinary bonuses
• statements for payment of ACJ (DPP) and APW (DPČ) for December 2021

It is necessary to pay increased attention when entering the data, no check will be performed. In the event of an employee's illness or treatment of a family member after December 10, report the changes to the payroll accounting office immediately, but no later than December 31, 2021. Attendance should be printed only after the final inspection and closing of attendance at the payroll accounting office, i.e. on Monday, January 3, 2022.

Requests for the calculation of project payroll costs should be sent to both payroll accountants simultaneously via e-mail. Requests will be processed and submitted back for possible consideration of the latest adjustments no later than December 17. Additional salary adjustments within the projects will be possible until December 20, 2021.

The Personal and Payroll Department will be open for employees until December 22, 2021, after the New Year from January 3, 2022. If personal consultation is not necessary, use internal mail to hand over documents to the department – box no. 6 on the 1st floor in the corridor behind the gatehouse. Thank you for respecting this guideline and allowing us to focus on the agenda.

The tax returns will be signed by the employees with the assistance of the payroll accountants from January 10, 2022 on dates selected in the reservation system. Employees will receive detailed instructions in Czech and English at the beginning of December at the latest. The Financial Administration uses forms for tax return exclusively in the Czech language, foreign employees will have an English translation of the form available only for basic orientation. A personal consultation to sign the tax return in English will be provided by the Personal and Payroll Department within its own capacity.

Operation of the Economic Department
Please, deliver the tax documents for the advances and the final invoices for the advance invoices to the Economic Department immediately, but no later than Friday, December 17.

Cash documents, travel orders, payments on account, etc. deliver on an ongoing basis, but no later than December 17. After this date, proper posting in the calendar year 2021 can no longer be guaranteed. It is also necessary to settle all advances for travel orders executed in 2021.

Return the cash deposit to the Cashier by Wednesday, December 15.

Unspent funds at the end of the year for ongoing Science and Research targeted support projects (GA ČR, TA ČR other SR).
For all projects, it is necessary to follow the contracts and tender documents for the contracts. If the contracts allow it, it is possible to use the transfer to the FÚ UP.

Dean's Award for the Best Teacher 2021

This award is given by the Dean of the Faculty of Science to employees for outstanding pedagogical work, standardly to five employees – one of each of the five fields at the Faculty of Science UP. Third- and higher-year students of Bachelor study programmes and students of Master study pro-grammes can vote for their favourite teacher. This year, the Dean's Award for the Best Teacher was awarded to RNDr. Tomáš Fürst, Ph.D. (Mathematics and Informatics), Mgr. Lukáš Richterek, Ph.D. (Physics), Mgr. Jiří Danihlík, Ph.D. (Chemistry), RNDr. Ivana Fellnerová, Ph.D. (Biology) and RNDr. Martin Jurek, Ph.D. (Earth Sciences). For more information, visit this website (in Czech).

Christmas collection

Under the auspices of the Dean Martin Kubala the Faculty of Science organizes a Christmas collection called „Nature for the children from Klokánek“ (Příroda dětem z Klokánku). The proceeds are for children from the Klokánek in Olomouc, a facility of the Endangered Children Fund. As in the previous year, you can contribute to the transparent account 2501674563/2010 from November 22 to December 13, 2021. Klokánek is a project of the Endangered Children Fund, which aims to offer children temporary family care until they can return to their families or until the situation is resolved.

Conference 2021

On Friday, December 10, 2021, the fourth annual traditional conference "Konference pod stromeček" will be held (online). It is organized by the Czexpats in Science initiative, which brings together Czech scientists with foreign experience. This year's central theme is The Openness of Czech Science. A workshop for students on how to choose a good research group will take place in the morning before the conference. The complete programme and registration for the conference can be found here (in Czech). The program and registration for the morning workshop can be found here (in Czech).

The last faculty Newsletter this year will be published on Monday, December 20, 2021.