TA ČR: Preliminary Schedule of Public Tenders and Calls for Proposals for 2026–2027

The Technology Agency of the Czech Republic has published an updated preliminary schedule of public tenders and calls for proposals for 2026-2027. For more information on individual public tenders and calls for proposals, visit the TA CR website.

TA ČR: The 19th public call for proposals under the SIGMA – DC2 Program, “Early-Career Researchers and Equal Opportunity in Applied Research Projects,” is being prepared

We would like to inform you that the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (TA ČR) plans to announce the 19th public call for proposals under the SIGMA Program for the Support of Applied Research and Innovation - Sub-Objective 2: Early-Career Researchers and Equal Opportunities in Applied Research Projects.

The competition will promote collaboration between early-career researchers and the applied research sector in carrying out applied research projects.

• Expected date of competition announcement: 2 December 2026
• Period for submitting project proposals: 3 December 2026 – 20 January 2027

Project proposals will be submitted via the TA ČR information system – SISTA.

Thematic Focus of the Competition

Project proposals must fall within one of the following thematic areas:

1. Technology and Operations in the Low-Altitude Economy (LAE) Sector
2. AI and Big Data in Advanced Biotechnology
3. Digital Technologies and Mental Health
4. Additive and Selected Manufacturing Technologies
5. Advanced, Functional, and Sustainable Materials

Detailed competition terms and conditions will be published in the call for proposals on the day of its announcement. Following the announcement of the competition, TA ČR also plans to hold an informational webinar; the date will be posted on the agency’s website.

More information can be found here:

• Preliminary parameters of the 19. public call
• Detailed Thematic Focus of the Contest
• TA ČR Website – SIGMA programme

If you are interested in consulting on a project proposal or need assistance with preparing and submitting a project application, please contact Romana Špíšková (romana.spiskova@upol.cz, tel. 4011).

ERA4Health - IICS4all 2027 call for clinical trials - end of October 2026

Fostering a European Research Area for Health (ERA4Health): a partnership that aims to establish flexible and effective coordination among research funding organizations in the European Research Area (ERA) in priority areas addressing European public health needs, will launch a joint transnational call for proposals at the end of October 2026 focused on clinical studies, titled “Multi-national Investigator-Initiated Clinical Studies in Cardiovascular, Autoimmune, Metabolic, and Non-Communicable Respiratory Diseases, including Underrepresented Populations (IICS4all 2027).”

More information about the upcoming research can be found on the website of the Czech Health Research Council (AZV CR).

EP PerMed Partnership - early November 2026

European Partnership for Personalised Medicine (PerMed): a partnership that aims to implement personalized medicine approaches for the benefit of patients and society as a whole— will launch a joint transnational call for proposals titled “Cell and Gene Therapy for Personalized Medicine (CGT4PM2027)” in early November 2026.

Detailed information about the call can be found here.

THCS Partnership – half of November 2026

European Partnership on Transforming Health and Care Systems (THCS): a partnership aimed at supporting the transition to more sustainable, resilient, and high-quality health care systems focused on people’s needs— will launch a joint transnational call for proposals in mid-November 2026 titled “Transforming the Health and Care Workforce for Sustainable and Resilient Systems.”

Detailed information about the call can be found here.

OHAMR Partnership – half of November 2026

European Partnership on One Health Antimicrobial Resistance (OH AMR): a partnership aimed at coordinating and harmonizing activities and funding related to antimicrobial resistance across countries— will launch a joint transnational call for proposals titled “Understand, Model, and Stop AMR Transmission” in mid-November 2026.

Detailed information about the call.

GA ČR: Call for Proposals for Polish-Czech Projects

The Czech Science Foundation (GA ČR), in cooperation with the Polish agency Narodowe Centrum Nauki (NCN), is announcing a call for project proposals based on the Lead Agency evaluation principle, with an expected start date in 2028. In this call, GA ČR acts as a partner organization – projects are evaluated by NCN, and GA ČR adopts the evaluation results.

The Czech part of the project proposal must be submitted no later than 22 December 2026. Deadlines for submitting project applications to the Faculty of Science are:

11 December 2026 – original “Request for Approval to Submit a Project Proposal” (green request form) + brief project information or project proposal draft – to be delivered via internal mail to the Department of Project Support and Knowledge Transfer November (DPSKT), (Mgr. Korcanová)

18 December 2026 – send the final version of the project proposal in PDF format to the lubica.korcanova@upol.cz

The text of the call for proposals can be found on the GA CR website.

If you have any questions or need assistance with submitting a project proposal for this call, please contact Mgr. Ľubica Korcanová.

Help shape the international profile of the UP Faculty of Science

How do you perceive internationalization at our faculty? Study and work placements abroad, courses taught in English, collaboration with international partners, or visitors from other countries – all of this affects both students and academic staff, yet not everyone is equally aware of the opportunities, and not everyone shares the same motivation to get involved. That is why we have prepared a questionnaire that explores how familiar internationalization is at the Faculty of Science, what motivates you to take part, and what holds you back.

It takes only a few minutes to complete, and your answers are anonymous. Your input will help us tailor support to the real needs of both students and staff. Among respondents who enter their e-mail address in a separate form at the end, which is not linked to their answers, we will draw 5 winners of a voucher for the university shop UPoint. You can find the questionnaire here and fill it in until the end of October. Thank you for taking part!

Mandatory reporting of mobilities

Every student mobility, regardless of the source of funding and regardless of whether the student will receive credits for it, 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. It the primary source does not cover all the necessary costs, it is possible to apply for additional funding for student mobilities lasting at least one month, or for staff mobilities (except conferences). Outgoing mobilities are primarily reported by students, incoming mobilities by the department. Details can be found on the faculty website.

Mobility scholarship

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

Evidence zahraničních hostů

Povinností katedry je evidence zahraničních hostů. Navštíví-li vaši katedru zahraniční hosté, zadejte informaci o nich do Portálu následovně:

• Rozbalte si v Portálu "Všechny aplikace"
• Klikněte na dlaždici "Přijetí hostů"
• Stiskněte tlačítko "+Nové" a vyplňte formulář, který se vám otevře.

Tento postup se netýká studentských stáží – ty se nahlašují jako příjezdové mobility.

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 mobilities lasting at least one month, or for staff mobilities (except conferences). Send the completed and signed application form (for students, for employees) by internal mail to Waleria Kmentová (Student Affairs Office) or its scan to waleria.kmentova@upol.cz. Czech versions of the forms can be found in the Czech version of the Newsletter.
If the request is approved, the scholarship will be paid at the soonest possible date after the start of the mobility.
After each co-financed mobility, it is necessary to provide a brief description of its course and 5 photographs.

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.

Fulbright Scholarships for 2027/2028

An overview of all programmes is available on the website. The link to the registration form for autumn webinars can be found here.

Aurora Academic Matchmaking Event

On 3 - 4 November 2026, Palacký University will host the Aurora Academic Matchmaking Event, intended primarily for academics who have not yet participated in the activities of the European university alliance Aurora or who have only limited experience with it. The goal of the event is to promote mutual understanding, the sharing of experiences, and the establishment of new contacts and collaborations. The main part of the program will be devoted to networking through thematic roundtables and an interactive “world café” format.

CEEPUS – Call for Network Applications for the 2027/2028 Academic Year

A new round for submitting applications to join CEEPUS networks for the 2027/2028 academic year has begun.

Instructions for preparing and submitting network applications can be found in the document guideline_NW_applicationround.pdf, published by the CEEPUS Central Office.

Important deadlines:

• Application submission by 30 November 2026
• Submission of required attachments by 15 December 2026

Key changes in this year’s round include:

• automatic verification of compliance with formal criteria in the “Joint Activities” section
• an expanded “Other Activities” section, intended, e.g. for field trips and other accompanying activities.

The network’s lead coordinator is responsible for submitting the network’s application in the CEEPUS system. However, all partners should actively participate in preparing a new application or updating an existing network, particularly when planning mobilities, joint activities, and updating information about participating institutions.

We therefore recommend starting to prepare applications well in advance and coordinating their content with all partner institutions in a timely manner.

If you have any questions, you can take advantage of the consultation days organized directly by the Austrian CEEPUS Central Office or contact the DZS office (Department of Bilateral and Multilateral Programs, National CEEPUS Office).

At its meeting on 4 November 2026, the Academic Senate of the UP Faculty of Science will, among other things, discuss the results of a questionnaire survey focused on inappropriate behavior at the faculty. Senators will review the survey findings, which may serve as a basis for further discussion regarding the work and study environment and ways to improve it.

The agenda will also include the allocation of funds and the faculty’s budget for 2026, updates from the UP Academic Senate and the Council of Higher Education Institutions, and a student segment. You can watch the Academic Senate meeting at this link.

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 issue the study confirmation yourself at any time through your Portal. Follow the "Confirmation of study" guide at this website https://www.prf.upol.cz/en/students/current-students/#c40359.

PhD students - Individual study plan and thesis registration

Students in the first year of the doctoral study programmes have to submit their individual study plan and register their thesis topic within a month from the beginning of their studies.

Follow the guide at this website https://www.prf.upol.cz/en/students/current-students/#c20003 and submit both documents to your Student Affairs Officer.

The UP Endowment Fund Opens New Opportunities to Support University Projects

The Palacký University Endowment Fund has unvelied its new format, which makes it easy to support talented students, innovative ideas, research projects, and activities that engage the public. The Fund, which has been helping primarily young researchers since 2015, now operates as a crowdfunding platform open to both small and large donors. Contributions can already be made to six pilot projects, including the “Talented Palacký” program, the Mattecoach educational project, and the Academia Film Olomouc festival.

UP Teaching Awards

Students at Palacký University can nominate their teachers until the end of October for the third annual UP Teaching Awards competition, which recognizes high-quality and inspiring teaching. Nominations are submitted through the university’s teaching evaluation system. The competition has two categories – Teaching Junior Award for teachers with up to five years of experience and the Teaching Senior Award for more experienced teachers.

The winners will be selected by the UP Pedagogical Committee, and the awards will be presented in February during UP Academic Week.

Hackathon 2026

Are you interested in artificial intelligence, data, programming, maps or finding smart solutions? Sign up for the Hackathon 2026, which will take place on 20–22 November 2026 at the Envelopa Hub in Olomouc.

Over the course of a single weekend, you can work – either on your own or in a team – on real-world challenges in the fields of transport, mobility, sustainability and the environment, and turn your ideas into an app, a map, a visualisation, an analysis or another working prototype.

This year’s event will also place a strong emphasis on the use of artificial intelligence and data from mobile network operators. You don’t need to turn up with a finished project. What matters is a desire to create, try new things and collaborate with others. The hackathon is primarily aimed at secondary school and university students, and registration is open here.

New University Waste Sorting Policy: Metals and Beverage Cartons Now Go in the Plastic Bins

Palacký University is implementing a change in its waste sorting system. Metals and beverage cartons can now be disposed of together with plastics in the yellow containers and bins. It is therefore no longer necessary to sort them separately. In connection with this change, the labeling of waste bins at individual UP faculties and departments will also be gradually updated.

Christmas sale of poinsettias

The UP Volunteer Center invites you to the fifth annual poinsettia sale to benefit the nonprofit organization Šance Olomouc. The sale will take place at the Faculty of Science on 3 December from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM.