Defense of the 3rd year of UP Junior Grants: The Grant Council rated the results as excellent

On Tuesday, February 24, 2026, a public defense of the final reports of the 3rd year of the UP Junior Grant competition took place during a meeting of the UP Grant Council. The principal investigators of the 3rd JG gave short presentations summarizing the results achieved. The UP Grant Council rated the results as excellent and unanimously agreed to approve them.

The projects achieved excellent publication outputs, met the criteria of expertise, and their researchers applied for support in major international science and research programs such as Horizon Europe and MSCA.

The following researchers successfully defended their projects:

Martina Zatloukalová, Ph.D.

The role of nitroalkenes in neuroprotection, neurotoxicity, and neuroinflammation in vitro (JG_2023_006, LF)

Medical Sciences and Biomedicine

David Fiedor, doc.

Soft forms of gambling: popularity, availability, and risk level in relation to the development of gambling careers (JG_2023_003, PřF)

Humanities and Social Sciences

Ondřej Černotík, Ph.D.

Bosonic cavity memories for superconducting quantum computers (JG_2023_001, Faculty of Science)

Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Computer Science

Zdeněk Škrott, Ph.D.

Insight into cellular proteotoxic stress response using a new microthermal protein damage methodology (JG_2023_033, CATRIN)

Medical sciences and biomedicine

Michal Vorlíček, Ph.D.

Influence of environmental determinants on active transport of Czech children and adolescents in the context of 24-hour behavioral patterns (JG_2023_007, FTK)

Humanities and Social Sciences

Vlastimil Vrba, Ph.D.

Coherent control of gamma photons and nuclear quantum states using ultrasound modulation and polarization effects in nuclear resonance (JG_2023_030, Faculty of Science)

Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Informatics

Pavla Kořalková, Ph.D.

Connections of targeted therapy interfering with oncogenic FLT3 signaling, abnormal epigenome, and rewired metabolism in acute myeloid leukemia (JG_2023_016, Faculty of Medicine)

Medical sciences and biomedicine

Marko Svičevič, Dr.

The Ukraine crisis – Challenging military aggression without direct military force: Mapping the road for European Union security and collective responses under international law (JG_2023_043, PF)

Humanities and Social Sciences  

Petr Dvořák, Ph.D.

Deciphering novel mechanism of plant antioxidant defense regulation during salt stress by protein-protein interactions (JG_2023_018, Faculty of Science)

Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Informatics

The third year of the UP Junior Grant competition was announced in 2022. Thirty-four project proposals from applicants from six UP faculties and the CATRIN institute were submitted to the third year of the competition in the following areas:

• Natural sciences, mathematics, computer science – 20 projects
• Medical sciences and biomedicine – 5 projects
• Humanities and social sciences – 9 projects

Based on the deliberations of the faculty evaluation committees and rapporteurs, 15 projects were recommended for funding, and the UP Scientific Council approved funding for 9 projects.

Congratulations to the successful applicants on their successful defense! On behalf of the Project Service of Palacký University, we are pleased to be able to support young academics and researchers in developing their scientific potential, and we look forward to further mutual cooperation and challenges.

The aim of the Junior Grant competition is to support excellent research by young academics and researchers up to 37 in establishing new scientific groups and laboratories and developing an independent scientific program with the aim of supporting the preparation of a significant international project (e.g., within the HORIZON EUROPE program). The competition is open to applicants with experience from internships abroad. The project duration is 36 months. Project proposals may be submitted in three scientific areas: a) natural sciences, mathematics, and computer science, b) medical sciences and biomedicine, c) humanities and social sciences.