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On Thursday 26th of June an official International evaluation panel (IEP) delegation visited Faculty of Education in Olomouc. Vojtech Regec, the Dean of the faculty, presented to the members of the IEP up-to-date information on research and development of the faculty, on projects the faculty implements and explained not only the budget of the faculty, but also the organizational structure. The IEP then met with the academic representatives of the faculty and discussed with them how faculty supports their research activities or what projects they are involved in.

On Tuesday, June 10, the seventh seminar of the Afternoon with Science series took place under the leadership of Petr Suchomel, head of the Department of Knowledge and Technology Transfer of the Palacký University Science and Technology Park in Olomouc (VTP UP). The seminar was organized by the Department for Science, Research and Doctoral Studies of the Faculty of Science of the Palacký University in Olomouc under the auspices of Vice-Dean Michaela Hřivnová.

Petr Suchomel introduced this central unit of UP, with the VTP UP focusing on supporting the transfer of research results into practice and their application in commercial and social environments. Its goal is to help scientists, researchers and students turn innovative ideas into specific products, services or business plans, taking into account the applicable legislation and rules for the protection of intellectual property. It offers a wide range of ways to commercialize research results - from offering own services and collaborative research, through technology licensing, to establishing spin-off companies. The emphasis is on a creative and flexible approach that also respects the legal framework and ethical principles.

An integral part of commercialization is also the protection of intellectual property. VTP UP provides consultancy in the field of trademarks, design and industrial property rights, and special attention is also paid to the protection of know-how, especially in the field of humanities and social sciences, where methodologies, analytical procedures or expert opinions can be valuable outputs. A properly protected result increases its value and ensures its sustainable use. An equally important aspect of commercialization is the issue of financing.

VTP UP provides researchers with support in finding suitable financial sources, whether public grants, private investments or combined forms of support. It helps with the preparation of project applications, drafting budgets and negotiating with partners. Its aim is to ensure that good ideas have not only professional and social benefits, but also sufficient support for their further development. The VTP UP policy is based on the belief that every research result has the potential to be applied – you just need to find the right way to put it into practice. “Everything you do has the potential and can be applied, you just need to figure out where, when and how,” added Petr Suchomel.

With this meeting in the academic year 2024/2025, the Department for Science, Research and Doctoral Studies of the Faculty of Science of the University of Olomouc concluded a series of professional seminars called Afternoons with Science, aimed at supporting scientific and research activities, which were intended primarily for academic staff, doctoral students and administrative staff of project support. The aim of these meetings was to provide participants with practical information, methodological support and inspiration for the effective management of research activities and their results. The seminars covered important topics of scientific activity and research, and contributed to strengthening the competencies of academic staff in the field of scientific communication, administration and strategic planning of research activities, and thanks to their practical focus and interdisciplinary overlap, they became a valuable source of information and inspiration for further professional growth. From November 2024 to June 2025, the participants went through the issues of the methodology for evaluating science and publishing activities, learned how to prepare publications that can be counted in bibliometric analyses according to Methodology 17+, and gained practical knowledge about recording results in OBD. The ERC grant system was also introduced, a new internal standard on research data management and international mobility opportunities in the MSCA program under Horizon Europe were discussed. The cycle, as described above, ended with a seminar dedicated to the commercialization of science and research results, which emphasized the possibilities of transforming scientific knowledge into practical use across disciplines.

The Afternoon with Science seminars were attended by about seventy participants, who evaluated them very positively and also showed a strong interest in the given issue through numerous questions, but also in the form of a lively discussion, which detects the topicality of the topics and confirms the need to further develop the professional discourse. We look forward to the next meeting within the Afternoon with Science seminars again in the new academic year and we believe that together we will continue the stimulating cooperation to date and continue to share inspiring ideas, questions and topics.

18.6.2025|New and very innovative project of the Faculty of Education called Innovating art education and supporting the aesthetic perception of visually impaired students through haptization of artworks using 3D printed models has been recently financially supported from the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic as the best project of the call Supporting the innovation potential of social sciences, humanities and arts (it succeeded out of 267 project proposals from all the Czech universities). It is carried out by the Institute of Special Education Studies and it follows on from the research results of the Institute.

A new project by the University of Silesia in Katowice, funded by the prestigious Horizon Europe program, aims to support children's rights and raise public awareness of the risks and challenges children face in the digital environment. The Faculty of Education of Palacký University in Olomouc is also involved in the research of the project. More here. 

The most prestigious grant schemes to support scientific mobility and excellence from the Horizon Europe program were presented at the Faculty of Education of the University of Prague on Tuesday, May 13, by project managers from the UP Project Service, Eva Richterová and Pavla Tresterová. At the seminar from the Afternoon with Science series, they primarily introduced interested parties to the Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSCA) tools.