Dear employees, dear students,

regarding the recent development of the pandemic and new government measures, we have summarized the most important information concerning organization of work and study life at UP. Here you may find information on home office, commuting to work or school, testing of employees or vaccination of academic staff. Here you may find information on 2021 Summer Semester.

Following the new government measures, our faculty provides compulsory testing of its employees who do perform their work at the workplace. The minimum testing frequency is once a week. Antigenic tests will be used for testing. It is paid by the health insurance company.

Testing will take place in the main building of the Faculty of Science, 17. listopadu 12, on the 6^th floor on

• Wednesday 10 March, 9:15-11:35,
• Thursday 11 March, 9:00-11:45.

The room number is 6.022 and can be found behind the B6 buffet. The space is large enough to comply with all measures. To make your reservation use exclusively the link below: https://rezervace.upol.cz/Akce/povinne-testovani-zamestnancu-prf-up-antigennimi-testy/144?u=true. If there is not enough capacity for all employees, we will add more.

We do not test employees who:

• use full Home Office (after agreement with the head of the workplace/ the department).
• were diagnosed with COVID-19 diseases, the time of isolation has expired, show no signs of Covid-19 disease, and it has been no longer than 90 days from the first positive RT-PCR test or antigenic test. These facts are demonstrated by a medical report.
• prove the negative result of the RT-PCR test or a professionally performed POC antigenic test that is not older than 48 hours.

The results will be available within 15 minutes. We will inform about the results only people who are tested positive. We will not cover the employee with a negative result. We will provide you with a test certificate on spot, and only on request. Testing also takes place at the workplaces of the Faculty of Science in Olomouc - Holice. The next date is scheduled for Monday, March 15 from 8:00 to 12:00.

QuantERA II Call 2021
In March 2021, according to the preliminary schedule, a joint international call QuantERA Call 2021 will be announced, which is focused on research of quantum technologies. This is an ERA-NET cofund call, governed by international rules common to applicants from all participating countries. In addition to international conditions, the Czech applicant must meet the national conditions based on TA CR program, from which successful Czech applicants will be financed.

Challenge topics:

• Quantum Phenomena and Resources (basic research)
• Applied Quantum Science (applied research)

In QuantERA II Call 2021, TA CR will support only those Czech applicants who participate in projects focused on applied research. Czech applicants involved in basic research projects will be supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. Expected deadline for submitting project proposals March 12 - May 13. TA CR, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports is preparing an information webinar for those interested, which will take place on Monday, March 15, from 10 am to 12 pm. You can register here.

The list of participating countries and all information and documents will be continuously published on the website https://www.tacr.cz/en/, the website of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports and on the official website. If you have any questions, please contact Eliška Šibrová (eliska.sibrova@tacr.cz, +420 778 464 012).

GA CR - announcement of public tenders
GA CR has announced calls for project proposals in categories Standard Projects, Junior Star, International Bilateral Projects and LA Grants - GA CR Evaluation Agency, GA CR Partner Agency, and newly POSTDOC INDIVIDUAL FELLOWSHIP INCOMING and POSTDOC INDIVIDUAL FELLOWSHIP OUTGOING. More information here.

The deadline for submitting project annotation, breakdown of the research team, budget and possible co-financing together with the signed green cover letter for the proposer and co-proposer is March 29, 2021 by 12:00 pm to Miriam Delongová. The deadline for submitting a finalized project proposal is March 31 by 3:00 pm to e-mail: miriam.delongova@upol.cz.

GA CR - announcement of call for LA grants
GA CR has announced a call for project proposals on the principle of Lead Agency with the expected implementation in 2022. GA CR acts in the role of Lead Agency within the Weave initiative. Cooperation is possible with the following countries: Austria, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Switzerland and Luxembourg. A solemn declaration will be prepared for it. The submission of a project proposal is subject to the consent of the faculty management. Applicants please contact Miriam Delongová (miriam.delongova@upol.cz) no later than April 1, 2021. More information can be found on the provider's website.

GA CR - LA grants - GA CR as a partner organization
A call for project proposals on the principle of Lead Agency with the expected implementation in 2022 has been announced. The call concerns projects in which the GA CR acts as a partner organization within the Weave initiative. Cooperation is possible with Austria, Germany and Switzerland.

In case the GA CR is a partner organization, the deadline is determined by foreign agencies. As a rule, the Czech part of the proposal must be delivered within 7 days from the official deadline of the partner agency. In the event that the agencies have a year-round call, the Czech part of the proposal must be delivered within 7 days of submission to the partner agency.

A solemn declaration will be prepared. The submission of a project proposal is subject to the approval of the faculty management. Those interested should contact Miriam Delongová at the R&D department (miriam.delongova@upol.cz) well in advance (ideally 7 days before the project submission deadline). More information can be found on the provider's website.

Competition for the Minister of Agriculture´s Award
The Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic, in cooperation with the Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, has announced a competition for the Minister of Agriculture's Awards for the best realized result of research and experimental development in two categories:

• Award of the Minister of Agriculture for the best realized result of research and experimental development
• Minister of Agriculture Award for Young Scientists

More information can be found on the provider's website. Contact person: Silvie Šavrňáková (silvie.savrnakova@upol.cz).

Tenders and calls in relation to Taiwan
In mid-March, the M.ERA-NET cofund call for materials research will be announced. In terms of the support received, the Czech Republic has been the most successful in this cofund.

On May 12, the tender in Applied Research, Experimental Development and Innovation will be announced: DELTA 2 Program: Announcement of the date of the launch of the 3rd call and the preliminary parameters - Technology Agency of the Czech Republic.

Offer of paid internships for students:
The application for the MOST Global Talent Internship Program is currently open. The MOST Global Talent Internship Program is an 8-week long paid internship program organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology Center for Global Affairs and Science Engagement, Taiwan (MOST GASE). The program is designed for international students to gain practical experiences at top laboratories and corporations in Taiwan during the Summer (28 June- 25 August). The topic for this year's MOST GTI Program is focused on "Green Tech (Sustainability) and Bio Tech (Smart Healthcare). Hosting organizations include National Applied Research Laboratories (NARLabs), Carrefour, EnBW, Signofy, STMicroelectronics, TÜV Rheinland, wpd, and 24 leading Taiwanese universities, to name a few. In addition to the internship portion, the program also features expert lectures, corporate visits, Mandarin courses, and other cultural activities. For more information about the program, you can refer to the attached program brochure and the the website: https://gasesummer.most.ntu.edu.tw/. Should you have any further question or suggestions about the program, please feel free to reach out to Ms. Marie Lefnerová (Marie_Leflerova@mzv.cz) or Ms. Lisa Hou, program coordinator (at gaselisahou@ntu.edu.tw or +886 2 3366 2121 Ext. 118) at any time. Deadline March 26th.

Start-up grants
Are you a young scientist (within 5 years of completing your Ph.D.) in the field of organic, bioorganic or medicinal chemistry? Have you returned (or do you plan to return soon) from at least a year's postdoctoral research internship abroad and are you considering setting up your own scientific group here in the Czech Republic? The Experientia Foundation has a unique chance for you to apply for a start-up grant to start this group. Start-up grants for three years are provided to young scientists who have resided abroad for at least one year. We accept applications by March 15 each year.

Last year, the start-up grant of the Experientia Foundation for 2020 went to the Institute of Chemical Technology in Prague. It was acquired by Dr. Petr Kovaříček, who founded his own research group focused on dynamic surface chemistry here in January 2021. Detailed information and video can be viewed here.

Study stays – Taiwan
On behalf of the Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, we would like to inform you about the offer of short-term and multi-year study stays at universities in Taiwan. The offer consists of:

• Taiwanese scholarship program that provides selected students with multi-year scholarships to study undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs. Scholarship holders receive an amount of up to TWD 20,000 per month and can be exempted from tuition fees at the same time.
•  "Huayu Enrichment Scholarship Program", which will provide scholarships to participate in a Mandarin Chinese language course from 3 to 12 months. Selected applicants will receive a scholarship of 25,000 TWD per month.

Applications must be submitted directly to the address of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Prague by March 31, 2021. More information on the requirements for applicants, the application form and application instructions can be found on the DZS/AIA website and on the website of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office.

The upcoming meeting of the Academic Senate of the Faculty of Science will take place on April 7. Detailed information as well as documents for the meeting will be announced at https://www.prf.upol.cz/o-fakulte/fakultni-organy/akademicky-senat/.

Opening hours of the study department
The study department has fully re-opened according to its standard office hours. Please use online communication with the study department if possible, since there is only a few staff members present.

New study assistant
Ms. Agnes Hausknotzová will be taking over the agenda of Ms. Jana Camfrlová at the study department. She will be in charge of Bachelor's as well as follow-up Master studies in the field of Physics and partly Chemistry (to the same extent as Ms. Camfrlová). E-mail: agnes.hausknotzova@upol.cz, phone 585 634 050.

Schedule adjustments
Minor adjustments to the schedule in the summer semester can be made at the study department by March 15.

Student trips abroad
We would like to remind the departments that all student trips abroad must be reported to Mrs. Gronychová. Otherwise, the trip will not be recorded in STAG system and will not be displayed on the Diploma Supplement.

Show how you can popularize science in the FameLab competition
Until March 7, you can enter the international competition FameLab 2021, which is looking for new "promoters" of science. If you are at least 21 years old and you are studying or working in a scientific field (biology, chemistry, mathematics or physics), technical field or medicine, you are the right candidate. The competition is organized by the British Council for the eleventh time. The expert jury primarily evaluates the content, comprehensibility and ability to engage. Competition presentations (must not exceed 3 minutes) are accepted in Czech, Slovak or English. Details and applications here.

Crytur 2021
Careermarket has announced the 8th year of the Crytur 2021 competition. Students of master's studies at Czech and Slovak universities with a focus on materials science (study off physical and chemical properties of materials, technology of processing and preparation of materials, application of materials in physics) can participate. The diploma thesis must be submitted for defense in the relevant academic year with the expected date of defense in the period from October 1, 2020 to September 30, 2021. The submitted thesis must be written in Czech, Slovak or English.

Brain week
This year, Fort Science will once again join the Brain Week of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, which takes place from March 15-21. The event will happen online again this year and will bring many lectures and activities for scientists as well as general public. The popularization center, in cooperation with a university teacher and memory trainer Ivana Fellnerová, recorded four lectures, which will have their premiere on a youtube channel on Saturday, March 20 at 8:00. Brain Week is a festival of the latest discoveries and trends in brain research and neuroscience as part of Brain Awareness Week (BAW) - a global campaign to raise public awareness of the successes and benefits of brain research. More information can be found on the website of Fort Science or at https://www.avcr.cz/en/public/public-events/brain-awareness-week.

Run with Nature
Running outdoors is the best form of sports activity during a coronavirus pandemic. You can choose, for example, from eight interesting cross-country trails in the Faculty´s surroundings. They are thematically named according to fields or Olomouc attractions. The routes range from 2.5 to 12 km.

Reconstruction of the old Faculty building
Reconstruction of the historic building on Svobody Avenue 26 (former seat of the Faculty of Science) is almost finished. The Faculty of Arts is moving to modernized Neo-Renaissance spaces, where it can use state-of-the-art laboratories for psychological, sociological or linguistic research. Current photos can be found here.