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 for 2025 (in accordance with internal regulation PrF-B-19/07-UZ02). Submitting the publication will be possible from 16 September 2025. The publication (publication set) 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 data loading from OBD when filling it out. The printed and signed application must be delivered by internal mail to the Department of Science and Research of the UP Faculty of Science to Bc. Barbora Krudencová no later than 22 October 2025.

Submitted publications must meet the following conditions:

• The scientific publication is in a professional journal with an IF value in the top 10%, including journals that belong to the same subject class (subject class on Web of Science) as the journal in which the publication appeared. The condition must be met for at least one subject class.
• The main or corresponding author is an employee of the UP Faculty of Science with at least 0,5 workload or a student of the FS UP.
• The prize will be awarded to members of the author group who have listed the UP Faculty of Science as their main workplace in the affiliation, i.e. have listed it in the first place.
• The publication was published in 2025. Works published in 2024 can also be submitted, if they were not submitted to the competition in the previous year.

TA CR - Partnership for Biodiversity Call 2025: International call is open

The call, announced by the Biodiversa+ strategic network, focuses on research for nature restoration to create connected and functional ecosystems and habitats. Long-term sustainability and future-proofing are key, at all levels – from local to global. The call covers biodiversity restoration in all ecosystems worldwide and supports holistic, systemic and integrated approaches. Projects can focus on a wide range of aspects, such as different scales and indicators or ecological, socio-economic and socio-cultural dimensions. Pre-proposals can be submitted by 7 November 2025, 12:00 CET. Faculty deadline: 31 October 2025. More on the provider's website.

TA CR - TREND programme: Announcement of preliminary parameters for the 13th public competition, subprogram 1 "Technological Leaders."

The planned announcement date is 8 October 2025. More on the provider's website.

TA CR - QuantERA III Call 2025: Call for proposals in the field of quantum technology research is open

The international QuantERA III Call 2025 focused on quantum technology research is now open. The deadline for submitting project proposals is 5 December 2025, at 17:00 CET.

Call topics:

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

Competition deadline: 5 December 2025. Faculty deadline: 28 November 2025. More on the provider's website.

TA CR - Driving Urban Transitions (DUT) Call 2025: International call open

The international call for proposals for the European partnership Driving Urban Transitions (DUT) Call 2025 is open from 1 September 2025. The call focuses on supporting international research projects that aim to help cities transition to a more sustainable economy and functioning. Pre-proposals can be submitted by 17 November 2025, at 13:00 CET. Faculty deadline: 10 November 2025.

Czech applicants may submit projects in the following thematic areas and topics:

Positive Energy Districts Pathway (PED):

• Ensuring positive socio-economic impact: PEDs in local economies and energy markets
• PEDs in urban heating and cooling strategies

15-Minutes City Pathway (15mC):

• Next steps for multimodal urban mobility, building on the travel experience
• Mobility policymaking in context of radical contestation

More on the provider's website.

Before submitting the project proposal on behalf of the UP, the consent of the Dean and the Secretary of the Faculty is required for submission through the green request form (“zelená košilka”) and brief information on the project. Queries may be addressed to Mgr. Silvie Šavrňáková (silvie.savrnakova@upol.cz).

Open Science Fund

Palacký University has launched the Open Science Fund, from which authors can pay fees for publishing articles (APC) in high-quality open access journals. The fund complements the existing Read & Publish agreements, thanks to which it is possible to publish with a discount or without fees in journals of ten major publishers. Applications for APC reimbursement from the fund can be submitted by corresponding authors affiliated with UP who do not have other financial resources to cover the APC (e.g. from projects). Outputs published in the highest-quality journals indexed in the Web of Science (WoS) are supported. Detailed information about the fund, including the conditions of use and the application form for support, can be found here. An online presentation of the fund will be held via MS Teams on 18 September from 14:00.

Rector’s Honorary Mention to authors of professional books

Authors of professional books from among university employees can once again apply for the UP Rector's Honorary Mention this year. As in previous years, the Science and Research Departments of individual faculties accept proposals for the award. The deadline is on 30 September 2025.

Mandatory reporting of mobilities

Every mobility, regardless of the source of funding and regardless of whether the student will receive credits for that, must be reported at least one month before its start to Mgr. Marie Raková at marie.rakova@upol.cz from the International section of the Student Affairs Office. Outgoing mobilities are primarily reported by students, incoming mobilities by the department. Details can be found on the faculty website.

Records of foreign guests

It is the responsibility of the department to register foreign guests. If you have international guests visiting your department, enter their information in the Portal as follows:

• click on "All Applications" in your Portal
• click on the "Guest Admission" tile
• press the "+New" button and fill out the newly opened form.

This procedure does not apply to student internships - these are reported as incoming mobility.

Mobility scholarship

A student who goes on any mobility abroad for 30 days or more (study stay, research internship, work placement, summer school, etc.), can apply for a scholarship of CZK 5,000 for each mobility. The request must be submitted before departure. Details here.

Co-financing of trips and internships abroad

If the primary source does not cover all the necessary costs, it is possible to apply for additional funding for student internships (duration at least 1 month) or employee trips abroad. The completed and signed application form (for students, for employees) send either by internal mail to Waleria Kmentová (Student Affairs Office) or send a signed scan to waleria.kmentova@upol.cz. This applies to trips that will be made in 2025; the possibility of additional funding in subsequent years has not yet been clarified. (Czech versions of the forms can be found in the Czech version of the Newsletter.)

Fulbright scholarships for students, researchers, and lecturers to visit the USA for the 2026/2027 Academic Year

Applications for the 2026/2027 academic year are now open for all of the programs listed below:

The Fulbright Postgraduate Scholarship is intended for study or research at the Master's or Ph.D. level in the United States for all fields except clinical medicine and MBA and LLM programs. You can apply for either the full program or a research stay of 4-9 months. There are two application deadlines (1 September for degree only and 1 February for research projects), and you must arrange for an appropriate invitation letter from the USA. The condition is a completed bachelor's degree by the deadline and good knowledge of English. Details here.

Fulbright scholarship for researchers and lecturers from the Czech Republic in all fields except clinical medicine

The requirements are a Ph.D. degree, previous successful research and/or teaching activity, good knowledge of English, a quality research project and an invitation from the USA. The regular application deadline is 1 November. The scholarship is awarded for a period of three to ten months, depending on the needs of the applicant and the project. Details here.

The Fulbright Scholarship for professionals from the Czech Republic is intended for stays of professional experts (for 3 to 10 months) intended for research, study and gaining further professional experience primarily in the following fields (not exclusively): the arts (including restoration and curatorial work), museum and gallery management, art collection management, architecture, urban planning, public administration and politics, creative writing, journalism. The stays are intended for experts in disciplines where the final degree of education is usually not a Ph.D. and where it is replaced by documented results of practical professional activity (artistic works, exhibitions, management of studios at art-type universities, publication activities in periodicals, work in public administration with long-term excellent results, etc.). The basic qualification requirements are a completed education of at least MA (Mgr.) and 7 years of professional experience with excellent results in the field in which the applicant is applying for the scholarship, at the time of the program deadline. The regular application deadline is 1 November 2025 for the following academic year. The requirements and selection process are identical to the program for lecturers and scientists. The scholarship is provided for a period of three to ten months, depending on the applicant's needs. More information here.

Fulbright-Masaryk scholarship for those representatives of the academic community in the Czech Republic who, in addition to their narrow professional focus, are also active in academic and public life (in the academic senate, in a non-profit organization, in local government, etc.). The scholarship for all fields (except clinical medicine) is awarded in three categories. They can be found on this website.

The Fulbright-Schuman scholarship is a European-American program for EU citizens (Ph.D. students, Ph.D. holders and education experts, including university administrators) to conduct research on EU issues and US-EU transatlantic relations. The program is administered by the Fulbright Commission in Belgium. Details, including application deadlines, can be found here.

EMBL PhD Symposium

The 27th EMBL PhD Symposium is scheduled to take place from 25 to 27 November 2025, bringing together early career researchers and leading scientists for keynote lectures, panel discussions, and networking at EMBL Heidelberg (also available virtually). The event promotes scientific dialogue and exchange across the life sciences. Full details and registration information are available at this link.

The regular meeting of the Academic Senate FS UP will take place on 17 September 2025 at 13:00 in the conference room of the Dean's Office. Detailed information and materials as well as the link to the stream will be available at the given time of the meeting on the senate website (in Czech).

Student Affairs Office

The Student Affairs Office is open for students only during the office hours.

See the website. Please, do not enter the office outside of office hours.

Online confirmation of study

You can generate your confirmation of study online directly from your Portal (not STAG).
Go to Portal - Electronic forms - Confirmation of study (online with signature) - Print.

Schedule of the Academic Year

The academic year schedule can be found in the section Students - Important Dates.

Registration for courses

The (pre-)registration for courses in the winter semester of the academic year 2025/2026 has to be done by 29 September 2025. Detailed schedule is available, as usual, on the website.

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 the end of September 2025 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. Go to „STAG – My study – Thesis topics“, find your topic through the search engine and fill out the necessary data. If it’s not there, add the new topic and fill out all the data. Then check everything with your supervisor if the data are correct. If the supervisor approves, in the section “Approval status“ select „Thesis registration finalized by student“ and save it. Then, on the top of the page click on „Print the document for dissertation registration“, print it, have it signed by the necessary people, and deliver it to your student affairs officer.

Foreign students

The agenda of the foreign students at the Faculty of Science is currently divided as follows:
Mrs. Waleria Kmentová (waleria.kmentova@upol.cz): English doctoral study programmes, English Bachelor study programme Petroleum Engineering (PE).
Mrs. Marie Raková (marie.rakova@upol.cz): English Bachelor study programmes (except PE), English Master study programmes, Erasmus and other exchange programmes.

Language courses

As every year, the Department of Foreign Languages of the Faculty of Science, UP, offers language courses to its employees and doctoral students. Traditionally, these are English courses, but now a German course is also available. Those interested should register with the lecturers of the specific courses, see the table. Anyone interested in individual lessons can e-mail me at eva.karaskova@upol.cz. We start on 22 September and look forward to seeing you!

Vote for the best teacher!

The Dean's Award is given to employees of the Faculty of Science for outstanding teaching activities, and it is standardly given to five employees – one from each of the five fields of study at the FS UP (Mathematics and Computer Science, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Ecology and Earth Sciences).

Students of third and higher years of Bachelor study and students of the Master study can vote for their favourite teacher. Each student can nominate up to three teachers, who will be assigned votes with a weight of 1,0, 0,7 and 0,5, respectively.

Students can vote elctronically until 30 September. Logging in is the same as in the Portal, but further voting is anonymous.

The prize will be awarded to the teacher who receives the highest number of votes. In the event of a tie, two prizes may be awarded in each of the above mentioned fields.

Heads of the Departments

On 1 September 2025 began the new term of office of the heads of the following departments:

Department of Botany - doc. Mgr. Petr DVOŘÁK, Ph.D.
Department of Biophysics - RNDr. Roman KOUŘIL, Ph.D.
Fort Science - Mgr. David SMRČKA, Ph.D.

Canteen and FreshUP

The university canteens and FreshUP bistros will return to their usual opening hours from 22 September.

Discovered in the World - Described in Olomouc

You are cordially invited to the opening of a new exhibition in the Botanical Garden of the Faculty of Science. A new exhibition entitled Discovered in the World - Described in Olomouc will be ceremonially opened in the Josef Otruba Hall on 23 September from 17:30. It has been prepared in cooperation with the Department of Botany.

Visitors will learn what lies behind the scientific "baptism" of a new botanical species: who is behind it, how the whole process takes place, what materials and knowledge are needed for it, and how long the journey from discovery to scientific name takes.

The exhibition will be complemented by digital scientific drawings by Nela Malá, and original type specimens of species described by Olomouc botanists will also be on display.

The exhibition will run until 31 October 2025. It will be open on weekdays from 8:00 to 16:00 and also during special events of the botanical garden.

Researchers's Night

One evening, dozens of venues across the Czech Republic and a varied programme for children and adults, introducing science in a fun and playful way. The Researcher's Night, which will take place on 26 September 2025. This year's theme, Wealth, shows that treasures are not only found in nature and the universe, but also in human knowledge and education. Visitors can expect interactive experiments, fun games and quizzes, exciting screenings and lectures packed with surprising discoveries.

Sustainably with UP

Embark on a sustainable journey with Palacký University (UP). Together, we will join the European Sustainable Development Week and start the new academic year with activities that connect environmental and social care with personal well-being. From 22 September to 3 October 2025, we will celebrate a Car-Free Day and hold a university bazaar - you can start bringing things to exchange now. The programme will also include first aid workshops, a conference on sustainable food, a clothing swap, a bike trip to Kosíř, lectures on carbon storage and climate anxiety, or a final yoga session with the Faculty of Law. You can find everything on the Sustainable University website.

XX. Myeloma and VIII. Cell Therapy Workshop 2025

You are cordially invited to the Myeloma and Cell Therapy Workshop 2025 (MCTW2025) — an international, two-day scientific event dedicated to cutting-edge research in multiple myeloma, immunotherapy, and cell-based therapies for blood cancers. Hosted by the Blood Cancer Research Group (BCRG) and the Czech Myeloma Group (CMG), this year’s workshop will take place in Ostrava, Czech Republic, on 30–31 October 2025, with a freely accessible online stream for remote participants.

MEET UP

The beginning of the academic year traditionally belongs to MEET UP. This year's event will take place on Tuesday 23 September in the charming surroundings of the Josef Jařab Embankment (Olomouc's waterfront). The afternoon and evening programme will offer performances by buskers, rockers and dulcimers, alongside stands of student associations and university organisations, there will be a gastronomic zone, student swap and silent disco. The programme will also include the presentation of the winners of the 2025 Volunteer Awards. For more information, visit www.meetup.upol.cz.

The next faculty Newsletter will be published on Monday, 29 September 2025.