(This content has been translated automatically.)

Dear employees,

the first snowflakes on Praděd showed us why this semester is called “winter”. Fortunately, apart from the university, we can take shelter from the cold not only at home or in the university sauna, but also in various pubs and cafes and at many interesting events. We therefore bring you a selection of them in this newsletter, whether cultural, educational or sports. You will find more in the UP calendar (in Czech). Enjoy them as much as you can without worrying, but we have no choice but to remind you once again that the pandemic is not over and that it is still a good idea to follow the basic rules for your own safety and the safety of others.

Education never ends

Have you ever attended one of the wide range of lifelong learning courses? These are not the only services provided and covered by the Department of Continuing Education and Innovation in Teaching (in Czech). In order to help you navigate through their offer, a new website (in Czech) has been created, where you will find up-to-date information about all courses and programmes.

You can currently apply for interesting training programmes such as reflective leadership or academic career planning. With Elena Valbusa, a guest lecturer from Utrecht, you can practise your English while expanding your knowledge of teamwork. The entire session is dedicated to programmes aimed at teaching students with specific learning needs. Don't hesitate to sign up for one of the courses now before they fill up.

Implement your ideas commercially

Are you looking for a way to test whether your idea is viable and whether there would actually be a real market for it? Not sure how to develop it into a form that can be presented to commercial partners? Submit your project to the Proof of Concept (in Czech) challenge, which is regularly announced by the UP Science and Technology Park. For more information, please visit the website (in Czech), but also the online seminar, which will take place on Wednesday 20 October at 1 pm on the MS Teams platform. You need to register (in Czech) for the seminar in advance. It will be followed by a training session on Commercialisation of scientific results at UP, which will take place at 2 pm. For more information and to register, click here (in Czech).

Roll up your sleeve: The battle of faculties in free blood donation

Take part in the second edition of the Palacký University Faculty Duel in free blood donation or Roll up your sleeve! Come and donate blood or blood plasma at any blood donation point in the country from 20 October to 21 February and support a good cause and inter-faculty competitive spirit. In particular, the competition is based on the total amount of blood donated by students and employees of each faculty and the percentage of donors among students. The battle of the faculties will last for the whole winter semester, culminating during the traditional Donate Blood with the Rector event, which is an integral part of the UP Academic Days in February. More at daruj.upol.cz (in Czech) soon.

Fair University: group interviews follow up on the results of the questionnaire survey

Thank you to everyone who participated in the questionnaire that helps to make UP a truly "fair" university (in Czech). It is one that creates equal working opportunities and conditions for all its employees, tries to reconcile their private and professional life as much as possible and respects their needs. Find out how your colleagues feel about this issue in the results just published.

But the analysis does not end there – the questionnaire will be followed by group interviews with selected groups of employees and individual interviews with representatives of the university management. If you belong to one of the groups listed here and would like to share your experience of working at UP, please apply by email to marketa.supplerova@upol.cz.

Aurora Open Day

You've probably already heard that UP joined the Aurora Alliance last year. But what does this mean for the university and specifically for you? In addition to a greater focus on social responsibility and sustainability, digital society or cultural diversity, membership also brings a wider range of student and work placements or new opportunities to collaborate with international partners in education and research. We can't fit more in the newsletter, but that's okay – you can find out more at the Aurora Open Day that will take place on Monday 18 October at the Faculty of Education and will be a great event for everyone, especially for early career researchers looking for new opportunities or coordinators of internships and exchanges. The detailed programme can be found on the Aurora at UP website.

Lecture series on sustainability and culture

During the academic year 2021–2022, a series of lectures by leading experts from universities that are involved in the Aurora Alliance is taking place. They will focus on two of Aurora's profile areas: sustainability and climate change, and culture: diversity and identity. The lectures will be followed by a discussion and networking primarily for PhD students.

The next lecture will be given by Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Dirk Rupnow on Ignorance, ritual, abuse, and competition: The politics of Holocaust memory in the 21st century. A registration form and information about other lectures can be found here.

Akademik sport centre autumn offer

Autumn holidays are just around the corner and you still don't have a programme for your children? Sign them up for a three-day suburban camp that will turn them into treasure hunters. It is organized by the Akademik Sport Centre UP (in Czech) for children aged 6–12 years. It has also prepared a wide range of offers for adults: fitness, sauna (in Czech) or various sports programmes (in Czech), which you can still sign up for, and on 6 November, the 35th edition of the Rabštejnský kocour running race (in Czech). You will run through the beautiful autumn landscape from Libina to Rabštejn over roads, meadows, fields, woods, forest paths and marshes, and then you can also take part in the last abseil on the rocks of Velký Rabštejn.

How to do good popularization

As well as publishing results, popularisation is an integral part of scientific research. While it may seem that some findings cannot be presented in an entertaining way, this is not always the case. On Friday 15 October, Michael Londesborough, who has been conducting research at the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences since 2002, will introduce you to why and how to talk about science at the Fort Science. During the interactive science show, you will see practical examples of science popularisation. Register here (in Czech) and you can also join the Facebook event (in Czech).

Discounted Oxford Test of English offer

If you need to prove your knowledge of English, the Centre for Language Education of the Faculty of Arts UP, the first accredited centre in the Czech Republic, offers you the opportunity to take the Oxford Test of English (in Czech). This test is 100% online, tests all skills and is flexible: it allows you to choose only some skills or any combination of skills. The results will be available to you within 14 days. We offer a discounted price for UP students and employees. The next deadline is November 26, 2021, so don't hesitate to fill out the application form (in Czech) as soon as possible so you can start preparing.

On the waves of fashion and sustainability

Don't buy loads of cheap clothes that won't last and instead get original pieces from local makers or learn to sew your own. Jump on the sustainable upcycle & slow fashion wave this Friday at Konvikt at the RozmanitostXTrochuHodněXJeden svět Olomouc (in Czech) event. You can look forward to a sewing workshop, a lecture with Amnesty International, a fashion show of young designers who create in harmony and respect for our planet, a sales floor, the film Autoportrét (in Czech) or a floral afterparty.