GA ČR: Call for Croatian-Czech Projects

The Czech Science Foundation (GA ČR), in cooperation with the Croatian agency Hrvatska zaklada za znanost (HRZZ), is announcing a call for project proposals based on the Lead Agency evaluation principle, with an expected start date in 2027. In this call, GA ČR acts as a partner organization – projects are evaluated by HRZZ, and GA ČR adopts the evaluation results.

The Czech part of the project proposal must be submitted by 4 May 2026, at the latest. Please note that in the GRIS project submission application, the project must be created under the call “Lead Agency – Partner Organization – 2027.”

If you are interested in submitting a project application for this call, please contact the Department of Project Support FS, Mgr. Ľubica Korcanová (lubica.korcanova@upol.cz, tel. 4051).

The text of the call can be found on the Grant Agency’s website: Call for Croatian-Czech Projects – Grant Agency of the Czech Republic.

Towards an ERC Advanced Grant  – Online Workshop

An online workshop focused on preparing proposals for the ERC Advanced Grants will take place on 29 April 2026, from 10:00 to 13:00 (online). The event is organized by the network of national ERC contact points (mERCury) and is intended for researchers considering submitting a project to the ERC Advanced Grant. The workshop will guide participants through the entire process—from formulating a truly groundbreaking research idea to understanding the European Research Council’s (ERC) evaluation process. Registration is open until 25 April 2026. Further information and the registration link can be found here. This is a valuable opportunity for anyone who wants to better understand the ERC’s expectations and improve the quality of their project proposals.

L'Oréal-UNESCO – For Women in Science

The prestigious L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science talent program is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. On 1 February the competition officially opened for applications, offering talented female scientists an opportunity to advance their careers and promote their scientific achievements.

• Award: An expert jury will select three laureates, each of whom will receive 200,000 CZK to be used at their discretion to support their scientific careers in the Czech Republic.
• Supported fields of science: The program is open to female scientists in the fields of life and environmental sciences, physical sciences, formal sciences (mathematics, computer science), and engineering.
• Application deadline: Applications may be submitted exclusively online by 30 April 2026

Eligibility criteria:

• Completed doctoral studies.
• Age 40 or younger (as of the deadline).
• Czech citizenship or foreign citizenship with verifiable involvement in Czech science for a period of at least one year.

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 abroad (lasting at least one month) or employee trips abroad. 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.
After each co-financed mobility, it is necessary to provide a brief description of its course and 5 photographs.

JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship for Overseas Researchers

The Czech Academy of Sciences announces a call for applications for JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship for Overseas Researchers programme in cooperation with the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS). An application can be submitted for a 12-24 month stay in Japan, starting no later than 30 November 2026.

The deadline for applications is 30 April 2026. The documentation is available on the CAS website in the section Academic Public - International Affairs – News and includes the instructions for applicants, the application form, and the instructions on how to complete the application. All documents must be in English or Japanese. The results of the selection procedure will be available in late June/July 2026.

Growing Togetger in Europe

The Ústí Region Volunteer Center offers students the opportunity to gain valuable international experience through a one-year volunteer internship in Saxony. In cooperation with our partners, we are implementing the Growing Together in Europe project, which is an official cross-border program under the Interreg Czech Republic–Saxony initiative, funded by the European Union. The program enables participants from the Czech Republic to complete a volunteer internship abroad, develop their language skills, and receive a certified certificate confirming their participation.

European Southern Observatory (ESO)

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MŠMT) is once again announcing a public call for applications from students, young researchers, and engineers interested in an internship at the European Southern Observatory (ESO), to be held in Germany or Chile. For more information, see the website and the text of the call.

Academic Senate of the UP Faculty of Science

Elections to the Academic Senate of the UP Faculty of Science for the 2026–2029 term are approaching. The academic community will be able to choose from 37 candidates, including both faculty members and students. The elections will take place on 29 April 2026, from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM on the ground floor of the Faculty of Science building, 17. listopadu 12, and on 30 April 2026, from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM in the Faculty of Science Library, Šlechtitelů 27.

Regular meeting

The regular meeting of the Academic Senate FS UP will take place on 20 May 2026 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 Scientific Competition – Dean's Award

Are you a student at the UP Faculty of Science working on an interesting research project? Enter the student scientific competition, which will take place on 7 May 2026, and get the chance to present your findings to the academic community.

The competition is open to students in bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programmes. You may submit not only your final theses but also other scientific or research projects of which you are the author. Contestants must register in the appropriate category based on their level of study. The thesis supervisor may be an academic staff member of Palacký University or an expert from another institution.

You may submit and subsequently present your work in Czech, Slovak, or English language. For classified projects, participation must be consulted in advance with the competition’s scientific committee. Registration deadline: 30 April 2026. Details are available on the website.

Graduation ceremony - Petroleum Engineering

The graduation ceremony of the Bachelor study programme Petroleum Engineering will most likely take place on 2 July 2026. After successfully passing the final exams, students may register for the graduation ceremony with their student affairs officer (waleria.kmentova@upol.cz).

STAG is newly linked with the Register of Inhabitants

Since April, the STAG information system at Palacký University has been fully integrated with the Czech Register of Inhabitants. Data and information regarding UP students, such as name, address, data box address, and date of birth, are now automatically updated in the STAG system based on the Register of Inhabitants. In the event of discrepancies, the student’s information in STAG will be updated to match the data in the Register.

Electronic issuance of decisions

Decisions issued by the Student Affairs Office are now distributed electronically only (including scholarships, etc.). You can find them in your Portal, in the 'Viewing files' section. You can also set up notifications alerting you to new documents.

Final state examination registration

Students of Bachelor and Master study programmes who wish to take their final exams or defend their theses during the summer semester of this academic year and have not registered for the final exam courses in STAG should contact their student affairs officer immediately. If they do not have the final exam courses registered in STAG, they will not be offered exam dates.

Call for proposals to support student projects

The Palacký University Endowment Fund announces the 11th call for proposals to support student projects, which is open from 9 February to 8 May 2026. This year, students in master's and doctoral programs can apply for a financial contribution of up to CZK 200,000 to carry out their own scientific research or artistic project. Details can be found on the website.

City Nature Challenge

Do you know how many species of plants and animals live in your area? And how many of them can you spot during a regular walk?

Join the global City Nature Challenge (CNC), which Olomouc is participating in for the first time this year. From 24 to 27 April 2026, participants will photograph wild organisms and share their observations via the iNaturalist platform, where they can upload them until 10 May. Experts and the public will help identify species that are more difficult to recognize.

The Olomouc challenge is being organized by the Olomouc Museum of Natural History in cooperation with the Faculty of Science of Palacký University. Its goal is to collect as many observations of plants, animals, and fungi as possible over four days and to draw attention to the fact that even cities hide surprising natural riches.

UP Majáles

Majáles (Student May Festival) of Palacký Univetrsity Olomouc will for the first time move to the grounds of the open‑air cinema, where it will offer a two‑day programme full of music, culture and student life. Visitors can look forward to concerts by bands such as Vypsaná fiXa, Slavíček or ATMO Music, complemented by theatre, slam poetry, workshops and presentations by student and non‑profit organisations. There will also be the traditional coronation of the Majáles king or queen. Come and enjoy a unique atmosphere on 6 and 7 May 2026, meet inspiring people and experience the university a little differently. Follow olomouckymajales.cz, IG or FB.

UP Sports Day

Get moving, recharge your batteries, and enjoy a day full of activity – Palacký University’s Sports Day returns on Wednesday, 13 May 2026! It will offer plenty of indoor and outdoor sports and physical activities for groups and individuals alike. New additions to this year are a university dragon boat race and a bike ride through Olomouc. A day off is typically granted by the rector for Sports Day, and all physical activities during Sports Day are free for both UP employees and students.

Chess Tournament at the Faculty of Science

As part of the Sports Day, we invite you to the Palacký University Chess Tournament, which will take place on 13 May from 8:30 AM at the Faculty of Science main building. The tournament will be played in the Swiss system with a 10+0 time control over 7 rounds. Registration is available via the QR code or the link provided. We look forward to seeing you there!

Take advantage of a unique opportunity to invite an inspiring personality to UP

The entire university community now has a unique opportunity to invite an interesting guest to UP, i.e., to nominate a speaker for the lecture honoring Prof. PhDr. Josef Ludvík Fischer in the fall of 2026. Any student or employee at UP may submit a proposal for a candidate; the proposal must include a brief justification. Proposals should be sent to prorektor.veda@upol.cz by 15 May 2026, at the latest.

Bike to Work May Challenge

Take on the May Challenge and try a month powered by yourself. All through May (from 1 to 31 May), get around to work, shopping, visiting friends, or taking your children to school by bike, scooter, skateboard, inline skates, on foot or by running. Now is the perfect time to join the university in this initiative and support both your own fitness and the development of infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians. Thanks to the Sustainable University initiative, a limited number of free registrations are available again this year for UP students and staff.

Registration is open until the end of April via this website, where participants sign up under the Palacký University name. All you need to do is form a team of 2–5 members (though individuals are also welcome), register by the end of April, and then, throughout May, commute to and from work as regularly as possible by bike, scooter, skateboard, wheelchair, or on foot or by running. These modes can also be combined with public transportation.

The next faculty Newsletter will be published on Tuesday, 4 May 2026.