Dear employees,

dear students,

The Easter holidays are behind us, and the spring will soon be upon us with many events. Many of them are organized by Palacký University – the same is the case with the AFO Festival, which starts on Tuesday. It will premiere the documentary film Black Czechs (in Czech), which is another feature film from the UP after a long time. The author of the theme is Kateřina Mildnerová from the Department of Sociology, Andragogy and Cultural Anthropology of the Faculty of Arts and the director is Martin Müller, Head of Audiovisual Production at the UP. It will premiere on 28 April 2022 at 8:00 pm in the cinema hall of the Museum of Patrimony in Olomouc.

In terms of current events, we would like to highlight the public fundraiser that UP has announced to help its more than 160 students and employees from Ukraine who, as a result of the war, have found themselves in a difficult living situation and support their families, while at the same time struggling to keep up with school, work and, for many, volunteering. All information is available on the website upol.cz/en/ukraine/fund.

Start a business with the Podnikavá hlava (Enterprising Head) competition

You have a business idea rolling around in your head and you can't seem to get up the nerve to turn it into reality. What to do? Don't delay until someone blows it away and enter the Entrepreneurial Head competition, the thirteenth year of which was announced by the UP Science and Technology Park. It is intended not only for business beginners, but also for experienced entrepreneurs who want to attract investors with their next idea. You can find out what is waiting for you in the article of the UP Magazine (in Czech) or on podnikavahlava.cz (in Czech), follow the latest tips on Facebook (in Czech) or Instagram (in Czech). You can apply until 10 May.

Lecture on the status of women in science and research

What is the reality of women's daily lives in a world where the vast majority of technology is designed around the needs and attitudes of men? Inequalities do not only affect employment, politics or health care, but also the environment of science and research. Gabriela Langhammerová and Markéta Brabcová, representatives of the National Contact Centre – Gender and Science of the Institute of Sociology of the CAS, will present this in their lecture Gender Dimension in Science and Research (in Czech). Organised by the RUP's Unit for Doctoral Programmes and Projects, it will take place online on 4 May at 2 pm. Register in advance and then you will receive a link to Zoom.

AFO starts on Tuesday

We're always looking at our screens, and we got to see the films from the last two editions of the Academia Film Olomouc popular science film festival. This year, however, it's finally coming back to the halls, filling the whole of Olomouc from 26 April to 1 May not only with people, but also with hope. This is the theme of this year's edition and the common denominator of more than two hundred items in the programme. Families from Ukraine will be able to visit some of them, as the films are subtitled by three interns (in Czech) from the University of Kiev. There is nothing for you to do but to make the most of the time next week, see the programme and, most importantly, get accredited for free.

Come and celebrate the 10th birthday of the Palacký University Olomouc Student May Festival (Majáles)

One of the last student May Festival in the Czech Republic is returning to Olomouc after three years to celebrate its tenth birthday. At the end of May, the finalists of the national Eurovision round, singer Annabelle and the band The Valentines, and the Czech Nightingale 21 in the Discovery of the Year category, Michal Horák, will arrive to wish it the best. The bands Circus Brothers and the Czech-American project N.O.H.A. will provide a wild musical finale. Follow the Facebook page (in Czech) and the event (in Czech), as well as the website olomouckymajales.cz (in Czech).

Survey with foreigners in the Olomouc region

Are you a foreigner living in the Czech Republic for more than 1 year? Do you already have an undergraduate (Bc.) degree? We are a group of scientists from the Department of Development and Environmental Studies, Palacký University Olomouc and we would greatly appreciate your help in finding out about skilled foreigners in Olomouc and beyond. The results will help us understand the motivations and decision-making of foreigners who are staying in the Czech Republic and what could be improved in the Czech integration policies. Take the following survey, which takes less than 10 minutes, for a chance to win one of five MALL.cz vouchers: surveymonkey.com/r/foreigners.

Accompanying programme of the Bike to Work Challenge

Thanks to the Sustainable University, Palacký University is a partner of the Do Work by Bike campaign. The main challenge takes place in May and it is already clear that UP employees and students will feature prominently among the Olomouc participants. Registrations are still open, and the organisers are also inviting to several side events: on Friday 29 April, the Hejčín meadow around the “Golem” building (the former Faculty of Science building in Hejčín) will be cleaned, followed on Saturday by a neighbourhood breakfast on the freshly cleaned meadow, during which it will be possible to see the mysterious building, for example. Follow the Facebook page and group of the Olomouc cell of the DPNK and the website of the Sustainable University!

Annual Athletics Competition & PřesBar Expedition

The Faculty of Physical Culture is celebrating its 30th anniversary and the annual Palacký University Athletics Championship (in Czech) is part of it. On Wednesday 27 April, however, in addition to the classic events, a special 200-metre race will also be run. It is special because the fastest runner will not win, but the one whose time is closest to 30 seconds. All athletes across the university are invited to participate in the championship, see the UP Journal (in Czech) article for details.

Another regular event for FTK students is the PřesBar Expedition (in Czech). To enable them to go with people with disabilities to Orava and Velká Fatra, they are organising an Expedition Market (in Czech) on Tuesday 26 April at 3pm at Olodvorek, or you can donate to their Hithit crowdfounding (in Czech).

Compete for tickets and explore a new world at Divadelní Flora

Before the flowers fade from the spring Flora, to which we invited you in our last newsletter, Olomouc will bloom with another show, this time a theatrical one. The semi-circular 25th annual Theatre Flora is finally returning to its spring date and from 9 to 21 May it will fill not only theatre halls, but also gardens, clubs and the Konvikt. As its partners, we have a competition for you – you can win two tickets to the performances Noise. The Sound of the Crowd, Precarious Moves, Tanzanweisungen or The Essence + Treatment of Remembering (from 20:00). Email your answer to the question to soutez@upol.cz by April 25: In the garden of which Olomouc church or monastery will you see a dance production of Treatment of Remembering? Please also add your preferred performance.