(This content has been translated automatically.)

„Dear employees,

it is a great pleasure to welcome you to the new academic year. I would like to wish you at the beginning of the new academic year every success in your studies and work, a lot of energy for all your daily duties and a lot of enthusiasm and desire to keep exploring, discovering and learning new things. I wish you to experience the joy of interesting meetings with inspiring people with whom you will find it pleasant and meaningful to spend your time," says UP Rector Martin Procházka. Read the full welcome to the new academic year (in Czech), which we are pleased to join.

WHAT'S GOING ON AT UP?

At the last management meeting on Wednesday, September 13, there was talk about the celebration of the 450th anniversary of UP in the USA or the negotiated favourable prices for electricity and gas. The date of the pre-Christmas punch with the Rector was also known. Read the full summary (in Czech) (after logging in in the UP Portal), we will prepare more for you in 14 days. More detailed information will subsequently be available in the minutes of the management meeting in UPShare, as well as in the minutes of other bodies, in UP standards and documents and on other information platforms.

Would you like to volunteer, but somehow still haven't gotten around to it? You can give it a try without any additional worries with the organization on 20 October – on this day UP has prepared the first Employee Volunteer Day (in Czech) for all its employees. It will focus on tree planting and maintenance of greenery in Olomouc and the region. More information and registration for volunteer activities can be found on the website (capacity is limited). If you sign up and actively participate, you will be granted rector's leave for the day.

Smart books, practical books, engaging books. You will find them all in more than a large number on the new e-shop of Palacký University Press. The VUP shop brings thematically diverse specialist literature, popular science books, textbooks and scripts, both from the production of VUP and from the ever-expanding range of other publishers. You can choose from print books, eBooks and titles that VUP will print for you from a single order. You can also take advantage of the free e-book collection. For greater clarity, you can filter books by subject area and other parameters.

In addition, UP employees and students automatically have 10% lower prices on all books when registering and logging in via university e-mail. If you would like to keep up to date with the latest production from the Olomouc university scene once a month, you can subscribe to the VUP newsletter.

Would you like to go abroad or use teaching materials or tools developed by experts from the universities in the Aurora Alliance? The central Alliance website is now updated and clearer. Basic information and contacts for mobility of academics, other staff and students can be found on this page. New teaching techniques, comprehensive materials and professional development courses are available on the Teacher Support page. You can also follow the Aurora at UP Czech website (in Czech), where you can also find news in Czech.

COURSES

Would you like to start a business? Do you have an idea or desire to create something new? Sign up for an 8-week programme to gain know-how, motivation and contacts. The ICOK Accelerator is free of charge and workshops take place from 3 October every Tuesday from 4 to 6 pm. The application form (until 26 September) and the programme can be found at inovaceok.cz/akcelerator (in Czech).

INVITATIONS

Do you have interesting ideas and a desire to work on new projects? At the hackathon, you will work individually or in a team to put together a project within 48 hours that will aim to, for example, optimize bike routes in Olomouc or improve the energy efficiency of UP. You will use open data and the help of experienced mentors. You will then present your solution to an expert jury. The hackathon will take place on 20-22 October, details and registration can be found at hackathon.upol.cz (in Czech).

Want to uncover the secrets of science before the Night of the Scientists? Then don't miss the Pub Quiz special on the Monday before Scientists' Night, 2 October! Compare your knowledge, test the wits of other players and see who fits the Mystery theme best. The usual 56 questions in 5 rounds will be waiting for you, and the top three will win great prizes from the Night of Scientists and Czech universities. The entry fee for the quiz is 100 CZK / person. You can register for the quiz in Olomouc on the FB event.

NEW STANDARDS

• Rules of Procedure of the UP Scientific Council – Amendment No. 3

  This amendment to the UP internal regulations, which was registered by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Czech Republic on 19 September 2023, is addressed to members of the UP Scientific Council and employees working in the organizational units that are responsible for science, research, accreditation and approval of study programmes. The subject of the amendment is to eliminate inaccuracies and optimize procedural rules in the Rules of Procedure of the UP Scientific Council.

   

• Rector's leave on 20 October 2023

  This internal standard of UP, effective from 21 September 2023, is intended for employees working at the Rector's Office, the Computer Technology Centre, the Library, the Publishing House, the King Sejong Institute, the Academic Sports Centre, the Science and Technology Park, the Project Service, the UP Dormitory and Canteen Administration, the UP Centre for Support of Students with Specific Needs, and the Rector hereby grants Rector's leave to actively participate in volunteer activities within the framework of the Employee Volunteer Day.

   

   

• Regulations on the Disposal of UP Property – Amendment No. 2

  This amendment to the UP internal lease, effective as of 21 September 2023, is addressed to all UP employees, especially to senior employees of UP units. This amendment introduces changes in the use and management of certain immovable property owned by UP.

   

   

• Conducting inventory of assets, material and documentary inventories at UP in 2023

  This internal UP standard, effective from 26 September 2023, is intended primarily for members of inventory committees (ÚIK, HIK, DIK) and persons responsible for the registration of UP property and involved in its inventory. It sets out the timetable and conditions of the inventory process at UP in 2023.

All UP standards, including the ineffective ones, divided by UP units, with the possibility of filtering and searching in them can be found by students and employees of UP after logging in to files.upol.cz.

COMPETITION

Publishing the results of your scientific work and showing them to the world is extremely important in today's competitive environment – and those who do not do so are almost as if they have not done any research. The Werner von Siemens Prize (in Czech) can help students, educators and scientists in engineering, science and medicine to do just that. Help expand the ranks of UP laureates by nominating yourself or someone else by November 30. If the nominee wins, the person who recommended him or her will receive 10,000 CZK. The financial reward is, of course, linked to the awards themselves: 1,000,000 crowns will be distributed among this year's winners. You can apply or nominate someone on the award website (in Czech).