Free or half-price museum admission

On Saturday, 26 September, and Sunday, 27 September, Palacký University students and employees can visit Olomouc museums either free of charge or at half price. Upon presenting an ISIC/ITIC card or employee ID, the Museum of Art Olomouc will offer them free admission to its exhibitions as a gift marking the beginning of the new academic year, while the Regional Museum in Olomouc offers a 50% discount on individual admission.

A new look for the UP Portal: an internal calendar, information for staff and students, and videos

The UP Portal welcomes the university community to the winter semester with a new look. Important notices about system outages or phishing, documents open for comment by the academic community, and password change reminders remain at the top of the page, but users now need to expand each item to view the details. These are followed by university event banners and calls to action, video messages, internal updates, and a calendar of courses, seminars and other events for UP students and staff. Application tiles no longer dominate the page but remain within easy reach, and users can customise their selection of frequently used apps.

COURSES

A healthy mind in a healthy body

Prepare for the autumn weather with the programme offered by the UP Academic Sports Centre (in Czech). Invest in yourself from CZK 70 and try, for example, yoga, volleyball, badminton, pickleball, indoor cycling, self-defence, pole dance or functional training. Swimming, climbing, tennis, archery and horse-riding courses are also available. Browse the programme and reserve your place. (in Czech)

Courses offered by the Support Centre for Students with Special Needs

Would you like to learn how to respond sensitively and practically to the needs of students with special needs? Join our course, which focuses on specific situations that may arise in teaching, communication, and everyday university life.

You will also learn about the support options available and opportunities for cooperation with the Support Centre for Students with Special Needs (CPSSP). There will also be plenty of room for your questions and for sharing practical experiences. More information and registration.

CHALLENGES

We are looking for bone-marrow donors: Help Ondra and other patients

Help increase the chances of finding a suitable donor for twelve-year-old Ondra and other patients. A suitable match still cannot be found for one in every four of them. You can register in the bone-marrow donor registry on Monday, 5 October, from 12:00 to 17:00 at Coffee Library in the Armoury/Zbrojnice. (in Czech) The event is organised as part of Fair UP Donor Day by the UP Volunteer Centre, Coffee Library and the Šance Association.

Find international teaching partners through the Aurora network

Connecting not only universities but also people—teachers, researchers and other employees—is one of the reasons why Palacký University is a member of the Aurora European university network. The Aurora Academic Matchmaking Event is intended for academics who would like to learn about the opportunities offered by this cooperation and become involved themselves. It will take place on 3 and 4 November 2026 at the Fort Science in Olomouc. Register and meet colleagues from partner universities with whom you can prepare joint teaching, arrange exchange stays, or share experience and teaching materials. More details can be found on the Aurora website.

Turn data into solutions for the region

Do you have an idea for using artificial intelligence and open data to improve transport, sustainability or the environment? Sign up for the hackathon When Data Speaks, which will take place from 20 to 22 November at Envelopa Hub. The event is primarily open to secondary-school and university students, but also to other data enthusiasts. In one weekend, create an analysis, map, application, web service or another prototype and present it to an expert jury. Registration and further information are available on the website. (in Czech)

UP Business Camp will focus on brand building and brand protection

The next edition of the conference for enterprising students and aspiring entrepreneurs will take place on Thursday, 12 November, at the Fortress of Knowledge. You can look forward to practical workshops, lectures and entrepreneurial stories from the people behind brands such as Angry Beards, Forendors, Niceboy, Nebe and others. You will learn how to build a brand that wins customers, how to protect it properly and which mistakes to avoid in business. Networking and all-day refreshments will also be included. Remember that the discounted early-bird ticket price is available until 11 October, and UP students, employees and alumni can also use an additional discount. Find out more at upbc.cz. (in Czech)

INVITATIONS

Fair UP will offer five days of care and inspiration

From 5 to 9 October, Fair UP will return with a five-day programme for students and employees. Monday’s Donor Day will feature collections and recruitment for the bone-marrow donor registry, Tuesday will focus on inclusion, and Wednesday on wellbeing. Thursday’s International Haná will bring the international community together in the courtyard of the Armoury, while Friday’s Health Day will offer examinations, consultations, ergonomics, massages and an introduction to the MultiSport card. Registration is required for some activities. Explore the Fair UP programme.

Welcome Office invites you to winter semester events

The winter semester will bring plenty of opportunities to meet new people, connect with others and enjoy time together outside of studies and work. The Welcome Office is preparing a varied programme of events not only for Palacký University’s international community, but for students, employees, researchers and other members of the university community.

The first major event will be International Haná, taking place on 8 October in the courtyard of the UP Library (Armoury). You can look forward to a celebration of different cultures, food, music and a friendly atmosphere. A special festival menu will also be served in UP canteens on the occasion. Find out more about upcoming events and the latest programme on the new Welcome Office website.

Discussion | The dark side of the internet: Stories of child victims of cyberspace

Sextortion, body shaming, cyberbullying… These are topics that now feature prominently in the news and in discussions about age restrictions on social media. What is really happening in the online world of children and adolescents? Where are the boundaries of privacy, and why do teenagers not confide in their parents? And how can we effectively help victims of cyberspace? Come to a discussion with the authors of the new book The Dark Side of the Internet on 30 September and find out what younger users encounter and are exposed to on today’s internet. Admission to the discussion is free. More information is available in the UP Calendar (in Czech) and in the Facebook event (in Czech).

Researchers’ Night will open laboratories and university departments

This year, the traditional Researchers’ Night will be presented for the first time under the name Science Night. On Friday, 25 September, from 17:00 until midnight, nearly twenty locations in Olomouc will offer more than 150 interactive activities devoted to the theme of communication. Visitors can look forward to experiments, lectures, workshops, guided tours and a programme for children. A special bus service will run between the individual locations. Choose from the Olomouc programme.

NEW STANDARDS

• Statute of the Palacký University Rector’s Honourable Mention for doctoral students for a scholarly article—Amendment No. 3

  This amendment to an internal UP regulation, effective from 20 September 2026, (in Czech) is intended primarily for doctoral students, vice-deans responsible for doctoral studies, academic staff and other UP employees. It aligns the deadline for submitting nominations with the deadlines for other categories of awards presented as part of the UP Rector’s Awards, clarifies the procedure for granting the Rector’s Honourable Mention and amends the annex to the regulation.

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

Win a distinctive almanac on the modern history of Palacký University

This year, our university is celebrating 80 years since its restoration after the Second World War. As a gift, it has given itself a beautiful and distinctive almanac documenting its modern history (in Czech). Through hundreds of photographs, take a look into the lives of students across the decades. Recall the rectors, female rectors and stories that shaped the character of our alma mater in times of freedom and oppression. You can personalise the stylish almanac with a memorial page at the end.

The book is available at the UP Press Bookshop at Zbrojnice or in the VUP shop (in Czech). You can also try your luck in a competition to win one of five copies! Simply answer the question correctly by 30 September: How many male and female rectors has Palacký University had since its restoration in 1946? You will then have a chance of being selected in the draw. Send your answers by email to vydavatelstvi@upol.cz (!).