Issuu

The Employee Newsletter of Mendel University in Brno

Christmas punch with the rector in support of EMIL Foundation

This year we would like to once again cordially invite you for a Christmas punch with the rector at the Emil Advent stand; you will find it on Moravské náměstí Square by the Jobst statue. On Thursday, 11 December, from 9:00 to 21:00 volunteers from Mendel University will be working at the Emil Foundation’s stand. This year we’ll be fundraising for the project Let’s Put Eliška Back on Her Feet. Last year’s rector’s punch was a pleasant event, and we hope this year will be the same. Come and have some hot punch, soak up the Christmas atmosphere, and contribute to a good cause. We look forward to seeing you there!

Happening at MENDELU

Meeting of the academic community

The regular annual meeting of the academic community of Mendel University in Brno was held on Thursday, 20 November 2025, at 15:00 in Lecture Hall Q01. After the welcome speech, the chairman of the Academic Senate of MENDELU, Petr Čermák, delivered a report on the senate’s activities over the last calendar year. In his speech, he emphasized in particular the senate’s role as one of the university’s key governing bodies and its activities regarding creating and approving strategic documents, updating internal regulations, and supporting dialogue between the academic community and university leadership. The senate chairman then called upon the rector of MENDELU, Jan Mareš, to speak. In his speech, the rector not only focused on current topics and happenings at the university but also devoted part of his presentation to looking back at his entire term in office, a period marked by exceptionally hard work, fundamental changes, and important steps that will influence the further direction of MENDELU. The 2022–2025 period brought challenges that required immediate, responsible solutions as well as long-term projects and strategies that will determine our future.

Stabilization in key areas and solutions to acute problems

The first half of his term saw him take on his most demanding task: dealing with the situation at the Faculty of Business and Economics regarding the accreditation of doctoral programmes (2022–2023). He intervened to protect our students, safeguard MENDELU’s good name, maintain accreditation, and ensure students can continue with their studies. Serious problems arose at other faculties as well. An audit performed by the National Accreditation Bureau for Higher Education affected the entire university. In 2023 and 2024, fundamental steps were taken to stabilize the workforce, especially at the Economic Department, the Human Resources Management Office, and the Public Procurement Department. This consolidation enabled the university to restore the functionality and reliability of processes essential to keeping the university running. In this period, an amendment to the Higher Education Act was drafted and then implemented, and internal regulations at the university were updated in response.

Digitalization, investments, and management

From 2022 to 2025 long-delayed construction projects were launched, developed, or completed; financial monitoring strengthened; and part of the investment programme updated through

digitalization. The university also ensured compliance with the amendment to the Higher Education Act, prepared salary structure adjustments, and drafted a new wage regulation.

Strategic projects and science and research activities

The university was awarded funding from the National Recovery Plan programme, the Johannes Amos Comenius Operational Programme, and the Sigma programme of the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic to implement university-wide strategic projects. In 2024 and 2025, preparations were underway for defending the HR Award. It was also in this period that we underwent a demanding evaluation performed by an International Evaluation Panel, which recommended increasing MENDELU’s grade from C to B, a significant achievement for our university.

International cooperation and MENDELU’s prestige

Since 2025, the university has been part of the prestigious Europewide HEROES alliance. It is one of 13 Czech universities that are members of European higher-education structures. We have also strengthened institutionalized cooperation with the Czech government (Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of the Environment) and in the environmental sphere (EKO Film festival). MENDELU has become an active participant in European cooperation. We joined the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Czech Aerospace Research Institute (CAERPIN). We have also been working on extensive space-related activities, which will be presented at MENDELU SPACE DAY in 2026. Several international conferences were held at the university, and we welcomed Nobel Prize winner Emanuelle Charpentier, to whom we granted the honorary degree doctor honoris causa.

Strategic documents and internal development

A new Strategic Plan and Sustainable Strategy were drafted and approved. The university now leads the Working Group for Sustainability of the Czech Rectors Conference. Our new Wage Regulation has standardized wages across the university. A new structure for knowledge and technology transfer has been created. One of its goals is to support commercializing the outputs and business ideas of our employees and students. At the end of his speech, the rector summarized challenges for the future, emphasizing the necessity of cooperating and acting in unity. The following essential steps must be taken to further develop the university:

• limit the favouring of particular or individual interests at the expense of the whole,

• ensure that MENDELU is no longer seen as a “loose association of faculties” and strengthen the university’s identity as a single institute.

• eliminate “politicking” and seek out solutions, not conflicts,

• restore the culture of mutual respect and listening, Like in previous years, the meeting took place in a spirit of openness that encouraged communication, mutual information-sharing, and strengthening the academic environment we all share. Nonetheless, the fact that only 30 people attended, including university leaders, members of the Academic Senate, and only two students in the lecture hall – and another 24 joining online – suggests there is not much interest in what is happening at the university.

The Academic Senate: A key governing body of the university

The Academic Senate is one of the most important governing bodies of the university. It represents the interests of the academic community and contributes to making fundamental decisions affecting the direction of the entire university. The MENDELU Academic Senate consists of 21 academic employee representatives and 11 student representatives who are directly elected by their faculties. The composition of the senate naturally reflects the needs and views of both groups: employees and students. Members of the Academic Senate serve for three years, and elections are regularly held to ensure stability and continuity.

What role does the senate play?

The Academic Senate has powers that are indispensable for running the university. They include the following:

• electing the rector and, if necessary, recalling the rector,

• approving internal university regulations, that is, the rules guiding how the university functions,

• approving the budget and monitoring spending,

• commenting on and updating the university’s strategic plan,

• approving annual activity and financial reports, which the university is legally obliged to submit to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports every year,

• selling and acquiring assets, and

• monitoring the activities of university management and conducting essential oversight of the transparency of the university’s operations.

Thanks to these powers, the senate is both a partner of and counterweight to university management and contributes to maintaining the democratic principles of university management.

Elections as an opportunity

Elections to the Academic Senate are currently underway at MENDELU and represent an important event in terms of not just institutional government but also the university’s future. The elections are an opportunity to actively influence the environment in which we work and study.

Happening at MENDELU

Winners of the MENDELU Boost: Start Your Business

Idea competition successfully defend business ideas

The third round of the university-wide MENDELU Boost: Start Your Business Idea competition took place on Thursday, 6 November 2025. The finalists, who advanced from the second round in June, presented to the expert jury the progress of their business plans and how they used the funding they had been awarded. The jury, made up of representatives of MENDELU, the South Moravian Innovation Centre, and the business world, decided to support all the finalists, splitting the 220,000 Kč prize among them. First place went to the team of Vojtěch Hlavaček (Faculty of Regional Development and International Studies), Anna Palusková (Faculty of Regional Development and International Studies), and Jakub Formánek (Faculty of AgriSciences) for their Boost Up energy drink project, which received 100,000 Kč in funding. Alexandr Vránek (Faculty of AgriSciences) took home 50,000 Kč for his 3D-printable automobile accessories. A prize in the amount of 40,000 Kč went to Vítězslav Novák (Faculty of Business and Economics), who sells recuperation filters. Štěpán Musil (Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology) also received 30,000 Kč for his wooden drone project. We would like to congratulate all the finalists, and we wish them great success in further developing their business plans.

Do you want to contribute to the creation of a library on the island of Guimaras?

The town of Nueva Valencia in the Philippines will be opening a new library – the first one on the island of Guimaras – under the patronage of the mayor Paul Vincent G. De la Cruz thanks to one of MENDELU’s partners, Helping Hands for Guimaras. Support for the project has been promised by the Czech ambassador to the Philippines, Karel Hejč; the Sts Cyril and Methodius Faculty of Theology of Palacký University in Oloumoc; and the University of Ostrava. The town mayor will provide the building and see to its renovation; the Czechs will furnish it, create a library system, and fill it with books. The goal is to improve local communities’ access to education and culture –especially European and Czech culture. You can bring unwanted books in English to MENDELU libraries until the end of 2025.

MENDELU new shop

At the start of the summer semester, we’ll be opening the new MENDELU shop!

New MENDELU shop

At the start of the summer semester, we will open the new MENDELU shop – a university merch showroom. The shop will be located on the ground floor of Building X and can be entranced from the study room. The opening ceremony will be held on 23 February 2026 from 13:00 to 15:00. Until the new shop is opened, you can still take advantage of the temporary MENDELU shop in the basement of Building Q, where you can purchase items every Tuesday from 10:00 to 12:00.

Happening at MENDELU

HOW DOES MENDELU MOVE?

More than 1,100 Mendel University students and employees took part in the research project How Do Universities Move? The objective of the survey, which was conducted at 11 universities throughout the Czech Republic, was to discover how people travel, their attitudes towards transport, and motivators for changes in sustainable mobility. The survey was conducted as an online questionnaire from 15 May until 30 September 2025 under the coordination of Palacký University; ITREGEP was a consulting partner. The findings indicate that MENDELU “moves” primarily over larger distances – more than half of the respondents spend more than 30 minutes travelling to the university, and most commute from more than 10 km away. These facts are reflected in transport mode choices; whereas students often take public transport, employees prefer to drive their own cars to work. More active modes of transport, such as walking or cycling, are still less common at the university. Respondents most frequently mentioned a lack of bike paths, not enough bike infrastructure, and complicated parking. The good news is that a large part

of the university community would be willing to change their mode of transport; they would be motivated by faster, more reliable public transport, better cycling infrastructure, or lower transport costs. The survey will provide MENDELU with important ideas for mobility planning in the future. The need to develop cycling infrastructure and systematically work on parking policy were found to be key areas for supporting sustainable transport at universities. You can read more details about the findings here.

NATIONAL RESTORATION PLAN PROJECT SUPPORT FOR GREEN SKILLS AND SUSTAINABILITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION IS ENTERING ITS FINAL STAGE

The project team is now finalizing the outputs across five key activities that strengthen education quality, cooperation with industry, and the strategic direction of MENDELU. Two new degree programmes were created as part of the project: Ecotoxicology and Waste

Management (Faculty of AgriSciences) and Integrated Nature Conservation (Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology). Seven new courses focused on ESG reporting, sustainable financing, landscaping in urban environments, and regenerative regional development were created. Project outputs also include two practically focused lifelong learning courses: Creation of Company Values with ESG (Faculty of Regional Development and International Studies) and Climate Change Adaptation Strategies in Trees (Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology + School Forest Enterprise Masaryk Forest in Křtiny). The project also focused on creating the first MENDELU Sustainability Strategy for 2025–2030, which sets forth the university’s sustainability vision, goals, and measures, following on from the UNILEAD I and II projects, and the mapping of sustainability and faculty, university, and student association involvement. International and industry collaboration were also developed thanks to international visits, expert lectures, and partners such as STEM/MARK, Amundi, REMA, KPMG, and the University of South Bohemia. This project has thus demonstrably accomplished its goals and is moving MENDELU closer to becoming a modern, sustainable university prepared to respond to the challenges of the 21st century.

Happening at MENDELU

First bilateral COIL collaboration as part of HEROES alliance

We were delighted to launch our first bilateral COIL collaboration with Thomas More University as part of the HEROES alliance. After weeks of intensive online work, students finally met in person at MENDELU for the first time. Over five days, they immersed themselves in discovery, collaboration, and networking, while working intensively on economic topics such as market research, promotion, strategy, presentations, and team problem-solving. Students in the programme gained practical experience and learned directly from field experts. This initiative wouldn’t have been possible without Professor Lubor Lacina, the Jean Monnet Chair in

European Economic Studies and director of the Mendel European Centre and Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence at the MENDELU Faculty of Business and Economics, as well as the great collaboration with our partners from Thomas More University and the highly motivated students from both countries, whose enthusiasm and drive powered the whole programme.

We were also honoured to have Koenraad Van den Born, the general representative of Flanders in Central and Eastern Europe, share his valuable insights into diplomacy and international relations. Our thanks also went to the KBC Global Services Centre in Brno for opening their doors and giving students a look into real-world international business.

The course was officially opened by Professor Jiří Skládanka, vice-rector of MENDELU, and Ivona Marková, HEROES coordinator at MENDELU, setting the stage for an inspiring and valuable international experience.

Psychosocial safety at the workplace –

Webinar for employees and managers

In December we will offer a short, practical webinar on psychosocial safety at the workplace. Just pick one of the available sessions: there are separate sessions planned for employees and managers, and an English session for international staff. Sign up here for the webinar Preventing Inappropriate Behaviour at MENDELU. The webinar is taking place as part of the Safe MENDELU platform, which promotes preventing and dealing with inappropriate behaviour in higher education.

Participants will gain an overview of

• types of inappropriate behaviours (mobbing, bossing, staffing, intentional and unintentional bullying, pathological bullying, sexual harassment, discrimination),

• manifestations of these behaviours and their impacts on individuals, teams, and institutions and ways to deal with them, and

• practical approaches to creating safe workplaces and preventing pathological behaviour.

The webinar will be led by Michaela Švejdová from the Mobbing Free Institute, who has years of experience in the prevention of inappropriate workplace behaviour and the encouragement of healthy working culture. We’d be glad if you take part. Together, we can build and nourish a culture of safety and respect at MENDELU.

Orientation programme for new employees

An orientation programme is now available for new employees. Its goals are to present to new staff how MENDELU works, key offices and people, and important processes and tools; and to help them quickly and comfortably settle into their new workplace.

Participants will gain basic knowledge about

• how the university is organized and run,

• HR management and HR support services,

• the University Information System and the fundamentals of cybersecurity,

• M365 tools and the Verso system, and

• responsibilities related to GDPR and records services. Orientation will be offered regularly at the beginning of every month. An invitation will be sent to every new staff member joining the university’s faculties, the Institute of Lifelong Leaning, and rector’s office and university-wide departments. International employees will be given individualized orientation sessions by the Welcome Office. We would like to ask the heads of all departments and offices to encourage their new employees to take part in the orientation.

MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

3 November – Novinky.cz – New rector of MENDELU will be geoinformatician Klimánek: HERE

11 November – Radiožurnál.cz – Precipitation experiment shows how to manage water in the forest: HERE

11 November – Ekolist.cz – Plant growth affected by volatile compounds: HERE

15 November – Brňan.cz – Research team from Faculty of AgriSciences studies protecting almond trees in Hustopeče: HERE

24 November – Metro.cz – Today you can buy Christmas firs in flowerpots: HERE

Happening at MENDELU

Angelic Christmas at Fishpond Chateau in Lednice

The sweet sounds of angels’ wings resonate through the winter landscape, inviting us to gather at the magical Fishpond Chateau. Come and experience a weekend full of peace, joy, and Christmas magic. You can look forward to being able to buy handmade angels that will brighten up your home as well as to angelic surprises that will delight every soul. You can sign up to take a bus from Brno; register until 10 December. The bus will be leaving from Building A at 12:00 and will return to Brno at around 16:30. Registered participants will be sent a confirmation email on 11 December with details.

Meeting of Finance Office, school enterprises, and Student Hostels and Canteens Administration

On 19 November 2025, a meeting was held between the Finance Office and accountants from school enterprises and the Student Hostels and Canteens Administration focused on the preparation of closing financial statements, annual financial reports for 2025, and information systems settings. Participants shared their experiences, discussed standardizing procedures, and confirmed the need for further collaboration and regular methods meetings. The meeting took place in an open, productive atmosphere and contributed to improving coordination on finance-related issues across the university.

Do you want your child to have the best education starting right from nursery school?

Can’t find a free spot in a nursery school?

• this year our children were accepted by prestigious high-demand elementary schools (PORG, DIDAKTIS, Lesná private elementary school); we endeavour to prepare our little ones to manage the transition to elementary school

• profile: healthy lifestyle, environmental education, and IT skill development

• based on educational assessments and individualized lessons, we seek to target and improve our young students’ weaknesses

• a modern 21st-century nursery school; we receive European funding to implement projects (Interactive Nursery School, DIGI Nursery School, Innovative Hrášek, We’re Innovating Education)

• support from Mendel University in Brno – participation in MENDELU Run, celebration of university anniversaries, performances at the Christmas tree ceremony (where a tree is presented to the city of Brno), visits to various university departments and workplaces (Institute of Vertebrate Biology; Department of Zoology, Fish Production, and Hydrobiology; Central Library; Railway Traffic Control Laboratory; Researchers’ Night), collaboration with MENDELU students

• diverse and advanced educational activities in keeping with the university’s philosophy; we often incorporate live animals into our teaching (birds of prey, Rozárka the owl, hatching chicken eggs, observing the butterfly life cycle, dog therapy, aquariums, tadpoles, Coco the fox). Many educational activities take place outside of the nursery school.

• modern teaching methods – interactive panels, classroom use of tablets, experiential and innovative education, we are always experimenting

• excellent facilities, new playground on rubber surface, water mister, gazebo, lawn, shaded sandbox, insect hotel, garden beds

• educational extracurricular actives: learning groups, ball games, ceramics, English; possibility of speech therapy with professional at the school

• many events held in and outside the nursery school

• two-class family-style nursery school, small class sizes (21, 22 children)

• easy parking at the school, parents can open the gate and door with a card, no need to ring bell

• kind, respectful, fully qualified teachers

• the nursery school is located in a fenced area at the J. A. Komenský Hall of Residence (at the end station of tram no. 5), also easily accessible with trolleybus no. 26

• the nursery school is safe and secure – it is directly connected to central dispatching

• communication with parents through work mobile phones and in Twigsee app

• adaptation programme

• Open from 7:00 to 16:30

• open in summer from 8:00 to 16:00, air-conditioned

• balanced meals based on Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports recommendations; we cater for special diets

• we accept children three years and older; we can also take younger children who have been assessed to be mature enough

• monthly tuition: 6,000 Kč; meals: 75 Kč/day

For more information, contact the school’s director: Martina Schoříková, tel. 737 513 376

Christmas tree sales 2025

The School Forest Enterprise in Křtiny is once again getting ready to sell Christmas trees, boughs, and mistletoe. You can choose from Norway spruce, pine, fir, and blue spruce. You can purchase trees at several places nearby Brno in December. You can find an overview of all sales locations, dates, and prices here.

Sustainable decorations on campus

Once again, we are focusing on sustainability in decorating the campus for Christmas. The north-eastern entrance was decorated for the first time this year. Did we do a good job? Judge for yourself.

Happening at MENDELU

First year of PUMA project demonstrates positive impact on further growth of MENDELU

The Puma project, supported by the Johannes Amos Comenius Operational Programme, has successfully completed its first year, during which all key activities were carried out according to the plan. Last year, more than 100 university employees took part in various types of educational activities – professional training, courses focused on teaching or computer skills, or English classes. Activities focused on supporting students included the development of peer guides through virtual training, which will help teachers better understand the special needs of some students and make the work of peer guides easier. New teaching aids were also purchased and will contribute to improving the academic environment and modernizing the learning process. As part of the project, final preparations are underway for launching the Secondary School University cycle, which will provide a unique opportunity for Mendel University in Brno to present itself to secondary school students, to increase awareness about the degree programmes we offer, and to strengthen the university’s positive image. The first year of PUMA has also confirmed that the project will produce concrete, visible results and contribute to the further growth of MENDELU.

Activities of the Internal Evaluation Board in 2025

The Internal Evaluation Board (IEB) is one of the university’s governing bodies and is primarily responsible for creating, developing, and monitoring the system for assuring and evaluating the quality of research, creative, and other related activities. In 2025 the IEB met 11 times and addressed the following main topics:

• evaluating the quality of accredited degree programmes,

• approving requests for accrediting degree programmes and study fields,

• reviewing audit reports and measures,

• reviewing and approving changes in degree programmes,

• making changes in implementation standards of degree programmes, and

• evaluating internal quality and the Supplement to the Internal Quality Evaluation Report.

A full report on the IEB’s activities in 2025 is available on the website kvalita.mendelu.cz in the Rada pro vnitřní hodnocení section.

News from the Operations Department

New bulletin boards were installed on the first floor of Building A. One side is covered in felt, for use with pins. The material on the other side is dibond, for use with tape and adhesive putty. You can now make full use of this space.

New professors to be appointed

On Tuesday, 16 December 2025, a ceremony will be held at the Karolinum where new professors in certain fields will be appointed. President Petr Pavel will appoint the professors and hand out their appointment decrees. The appointees include employees of Mendel University in Brno. Jitka Janová from the Faculty of Business and Economics will be appointed professor of systems engineering and informatics. David Hampel, also from the Faculty of Business and Economics, will also be appointed professor of systems engineering and informatics. We congratulate them!

MENDELU PhD Week

Another edition of MENDELU PhD Week was held in November. During this course, doctoral students had the opportunity to learn about current topics related to projects, publications, science communication, and labour-related regulations. External lecturers were involved in the course for the first time. Students could attend lectures about research ethics and bioethics from Mgr. Josef Kuře and gain valuable information about teaching skills from Anna Putnová. Due to increasing student interest in the course, we are planning to hold it again in the spring. We will publish more information about the dates and schedule on the Project Centre website.

PhD graduation ceremony and associate professor appointment ceremony

PhD graduation and associate professor appointment ceremony was held in the auditorium of Mendel University in Brno on 3 December 2025. In total, 16 PhD degrees were awarded to students from two faculties. The rector also appointed five associate professors, four of whom were from MENDELU.

From the world of science and research

New call for MENDEL Ph.D. Talent applications

On 21 November, the fifth annual MENDEL Ph.D. Talent competition was announced. This two-round competition for supplementary scholarships is intended for students in their first years of doctoral studies at Mendel University in Brno.

To register for the competition, Ph.D. students must create a research plan proposal and then apply through a registration form. Students who convince the impartial expert committee about the excellence of their findings and the quality of their proposed research project will be awarded a talent scholarship. Registration ends on 29 January 2026 at 12:00 p.m.

More information about the competition rules, conditions, and registration are available on the Project Centre website

InnovPrecMed Project: First phase of implementation focuses on collaboration and innovation

During the first phase of the project, we built a functional platform for cooperation between universities, research organizations, and companies and created an environment supporting the sharing of know-how across European institutions. In collaboration with the Faculty of AgriSciences and the Faculty of Business and Economics, we prepared the first free online courses and launched a mentoring programme for students and employees. So far, online courses have been taken by more than 400 students and academic and non-academic staff from different European countries; the project has thus enabled them to develop their skills in the fields of innovation and Deep Tech. At the same time, we expanded strategic partnerships and created new opportunities in technology transfer and entrepreneurship development. InnovPrecMed activities have the potential to significantly boost innovation, international cooperation, and the professional

development of MENDELU students and employees and contribute to the transformation of the university’s innovation ecosystem. In 2026 the project team will focus on expanding the offer of online courses, strengthening the mentoring programme, and organizing internships is cooperation with industry partners. For more information about the project and opportunities for getting involved, visit the project website. If you have any questions, contact Julia Daňková (julia.dankova@mendelu.cz).