At the management meeting on Wednesday 11 September, the opening of the new UP Archives building on 10 October was discussed, and Daniel Stach will be the moderator of the University Ball. Read the full summary (in Czech) (after logging in the UP Portal), we will prepare another one in 14 days. More detailed information will be subsequently 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.

The floods that swept through the Czech Republic in the previous days almost did not affect the University of Olomouc and from Monday, 23 September, classes at all eight faculties of the UP will run as planned. This article (in Czech) summarises the possibilities of individual excuses from teaching in case of floods or involvement in volunteer aid at individual faculties.

The first year of the university-wide competition for the best teacher(s) is here (in Czech). You can fill in one name on the eval.upol.cz website and send your candidate to the shortlist in two categories. Nominations are open until 31 October.

VOLUNTEERING

The UP Volunteer Center is looking for hundreds of helpers to help in flood-affected areas. The need is mainly for manual helpers to clear debris, empathetic individuals to help with social investigations, interpreters from/into Polish and graduates of the crisis intervention course. Details and a registration form can be found on the centre's website. (in Czech)

A fight in which everyone is a winner – this is the event in which UP students and employees donate blood and contribute to saving lives. The fourth edition of the university-wide competition will be combined with another traditional event, Donate Blood with the Rector. Everything will start on Monday, 30 September in the Transfusion Department of the Olomouc University Hospital. You can contribute to the victory of your faculty until 6 December. Each participant in the duel has a chance to win one of the tempting prizes. We will draw from dozens of vouchers, for example, for free admission to the theatre, laser game or sports and rope centre. For more information visit daruj.upol.cz.

LECTURES AND 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 1 October every Tuesday from 4 to 6 pm. The application form (until 26 September) and the programme can be found on the website of the Innovation Centre of the Olomouc Region (in Czech), which organises the course.

INVITATIONS

UP Welcome Office and the Archdiocesan Charity Olomouc invite you to an event International Haná which will take place on the 5th of October at the Armoury Library. You can expect international culture and music performances, food from various parts of the world, a science show of Fort Science, workshops and exhibitions, a children's zone and much more. And the best part is that it is completely free. Join us for this unique experience and learn about cultures from the people coming from all parts of the world. The event is meant for everybody. More information here.

MEET UP will not take place on the embankment this year, but in the courtyard of the Zbrojnice/Armoury. Everything else applies – free admission, bands, busking, silent disco, student club performances, swap, competitions and volunteer awards. It's all on Tuesday, Sept. 24, from 2 to 9 p.m.

If the one-day programme is not enough for you, we have good news. The Olomouc Museum of Art in cooperation with the UP is organizing an afterparty on the terrace of the Museum of Modern Art in Denisova Street on Wednesday 25 September at 2 pm. Students and employees of the university are admitted free of charge. Look forward to guided tours of the SEFO 2024 TRIENNIAL exhibitions, relaxed music and Twinberg beer and lemonade.

The Catholic University Movement of Olomouc invites you to a student Mass on Wednesday, September 25 at 7 pm, during which we will begin the new semester together. It will be celebrated by the student chaplain P. Václav Novotný SJ in the Church of Our Lady of the Snows (kostel Panny Marie Sněžné).

A week full of activities aimed at promoting sustainable development, improving the environment we live in or upcycling. This is the European Week for Sustainable Development, which Palacký University is once again joining. Get involved too! From 23 to 27 September, the programme includes a bazaar, a car-free day, an extended offer of meat-free meals in the university canteens and workshops for which you can already register.

Do you know all the nooks and crannies of the Armoury and can you use the wide range of services offered by the UP Library? The library has prepared excursions for new and existing students at the beginning of October, which will also introduce electronic information resources or a special scanner for convenient scanning of books. For specific dates, sign up in the reservation system (switch to October). 

COMPETITIONS

Werner von Siemens Prize

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.

Did you make a film? Enter it in the competition

Students of the Department of Theatre and Film Studies are reviving the cult festival of student films VŘED, which has been held at the Faculty of Arts since 2006. Filmmakers such as Andy Fehu, Marek Partyš and Jan Haluza have taken part in the competition part of the festival. Enter your film of any length and genre by 30 September! (in Czech) Judging will take place in the categories Audience Award and The Big Boil (Jury Award). The works will then be screened on November 10 during FFest (in Czech).

Win a gift bag from the Olomouc Museum of Art

The Olomouc Museum of Art is a long-term partner of the university and you can go there not only for the afterparty after this year's MEET UP. As an enticement, the museum has prepared gift bags for you, in which you will find not only small gifts but also two tickets to the exhibitions. You can win a gift bag if you email us the answer to the competition question by Wednesday 25 September and smile at the lucky draw. Today we're asking: Who is the latest winner of the František Palacký Prize? Don't forget that you still have until 15 October to nominate a candidate (in Czech) for this year's prize.