MENDEL news 4/2024 (eng)

4-24 The Employee Newsletter of Mendel University in Brno

Dragon boats Dragon boat races are here once again as part of the celebration of MENDELU’s 105th birthday. On Friday, 10 May, beginning at 10 o’clock, ten teams consisting of MENDELU employees will face off against each other. If you are not part of a team, come and cheer the boats on and enjoy the event. You can try out a mobile climbing wall or play human table football. You can find more information in the calendar.

MENDELU highlights

The reconstruction of the canteen in Pavilion X The reconstruction of the canteen in Pavilion X will take place from June to mid-August. During this period, a serving area in Pavilion O and a pizzeria with a full menu will be available to all diners (both staff and students). Upon the reopening of Pavilion X, you can look forward to a modern self-service canteen with a salad bar, beverage corner, and a selection of hamburgers and tortillas prepared in front of guests. Vegan options will also be added, and some dishes will be offered at fixed prices or by weight. „Ready-made meals“ will remain available at the serving area in Pavilion O. Both facilities will be open to all diners. We look forward to your visit!

MENDELU & Emil Open: Joining forces for a good cause!

Mendel University in Brno actively encourages its students and employees to volunteer for the European Disabled Youth Summer Games Emil Open. This international sporting event is for young people with all types of disabilities aged 10 to 26. This year, MENDELU is the partner for the discipline of boccia. Radek Procházka, a graduate of the Faculty of Business and Economics, will be representing the university at the Emil Open. Boccia matches will be held in the hall and gymnasiums of the Faculty of Sports Studies of Masaryk University. We would like to contribute to raising awareness about the importance of inclusivity in society and to eliminating prejudices against people with disabilities and stigmatization. We are looking for employees and students who can volunteer for helping prepare and run the Emil Open games from 19 to 22 June. Descriptions of specific volunteer opportunities and dates will be sent out in a mass email.

Stockholm Junior Water Prize Registration open for MENDELU Run 2024 Sign up for the seventh iteration of the MENDELU Run, which will take place on Saturday, 28 September 2024, in MENDELU’s Botanical Gardens and Arboretum. In addition to children’s races and the main 4 km race for students and employees, there will also be a 4x1 km relay race. Family members (spouses, partners, children over 15) can also compete. Register for the race here.

2

On 23 May, the finale of the national round of the prestigious Stockholm Junior Water Prize secondary-school competition will be held at 1:00 p.m. in Room M 2.11 of Building M at the Mendel University campus in Brno. This contest brings together students interested in water and the sustainability of this resource. The authors of the five best papers will be invited to the university, where they will present their work to an expert jury. The winner will advance to the international round and will represent the Czech Republic in Stockholm. Every year, students from more than 30 countries throughout the world present their ideas and innovations there. Mendel University is the national coordinator of the competition.

MENDELU highlights Social Enterprise and Nonprofit Organization Day

SUSTAINABLE MENDELU

This traditional event held by the MENDELU Social Responsibility and Sustainability Centre will take place this year on 15 May from 10:00 to 3:00 in front of Building Q. The event provides an opportunity for making visible the work of local social and responsible enterprises, non-profit organizations, and students interested in social responsibility and sustainability. The event will include a competitive exhibition of student projects, fun activities that help others, and a clothing swap. For more information, see the calendar.

My MENDELU mobile app The My MENDELU app features functions for employees. For example, with the News Module, I want to be in the know, or in case of an emergency situation. The app can be downloaded from Google Play or the App Store. You can find full information about the My MENDELU app on its website.

???

On 5 April, students taking the Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability course at the Faculty of Business and Economics once again had the opportunity to see what volunteering is like. They took part in World Clean-up Day Czech Republic. The event took part in collaboration with the Brno-North municipal district, which found a suitable place to be cleaned. For nearly two hours, students and teachers cleaned up the area around the garages on Třískalova Street. Besides a large amount of ordinary waste, several interesting things were found, including a photograph of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, a large LCD monitor, a shopping basket, and several suitcases, as well as many used hypodermic needles. Thanks to everyone who took part.

Researchers’ Night On Friday, 27 September 2024, Researchers’ Night will take place at the MENDELU campus. This year’s theme will be “transformation.” It will be a night that transforms your view of science. You can find more information and the programme on the website.

Most significant European agroforestry conference to be held in Czechia for first time!

Mendel University in Brno will be hosting the EURAF 2024 conference from 27 to 31 May. The goal of the European Agroforestry Federation (EURAF) is to promote the use of trees on farms and all types of forest management in the various ecological regions of Europe. EURAF has more than 600 members from 23 European countries. For more, see the conference website.

3

MENDELU highlights International week

Europe Day

from 8 to 12 April, International Week was held at MENDELU. It focused on the topic of “Resilient Universities.” This event attracted about 50 attendees from 17 countries, 14 of whom took advantage of the Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility Programme to fund their travels. Besides several workshops, lectures, and panel discussions about economic resilience, sustainability, and security, another important part of the weeklong event was networking.

During the week, attendees had many opportunities to establish new professional contacts and exchange experience with colleagues from different countries, which contributed to the further strengthening of international cooperation in academia.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Czech Republic’s accension to the EU. On 9 May, head down to Moravské náměstí Square to the Jobst statue for the traditional Europe Day celebrations, where you’ll find a MENDELU stand. The event kicks off at 2:00. Entry is free.

Czech National Agency for International Education and Research awards On 21 March, the Czech National Bank in Prague hosted the Czech National Agency for International Education and Research awards ceremony, where the best international educational projects in 2023 were recognized. Of the three finalists from MENDELU, the STREAM project won in the Sustainability category for its contribution to improving the environment and awareness raising. The CEEPUS network was also awarded. The winners are selected by an expert jury. Jury members from MENDELU included Professor Skládanka, Associate Professor Salašová, Dr. Šebesta, and Dr. Pecina.

Spring work with STIHL! Take advantage of discounts and choose from a wide selection of gardening tools for great prices. You can pick from battery-operated, electric, and gas saws, pressure washers, edgers, weed eaters, and lawnmowers. This sale lasts until 30 June 2024. You can find us here: Středisko údržby a služeb Adamov, Nádražní 374, 679 04 Adamov; www.autoservisadamov.cz.v

Don’t forget to report any changes in personal information to your HR manager The Human Resources Management Office keeps records of certain personal data and employee information, which, for various reasons, must be kept up to date. Therefore, don’t forget to report to your HR manager any changes related to the following information: • first name and surname • title • citizenship • marital status • permanent address • bank account number • health insurance provider • awarding of pension benefits • having been granted the status of disabled person • termination of right to parental allowance Not reporting such changes may have unpleasant consequences.

For example, if you don’t report a change in health insurance provider, MENDELU will continue to send payments to your old health insurance company, and you will end up owing money and late fees to your new insurer.

You can report changes using this form.

MEDIA HIGHLIGHT

Go abroad with CEEPUS Mendel University has successfully expanded its involvement in CEEPUS (Central European Exchange Program for University Studies) for the 2024/2025 academic year to include two new networks: “Food Safety for Healthy Living” (Associate Prof.

Matejovičová, Faculty of AgriSciences) and “BioTox” (Associate Prof. Pavlík, Faculty of AgriSciences). Students and academic staff from Mendel University will therefore be able to apply for mobility scholarships as part of the 11 networks the university is involved in. There are also possibilities to go abroad to universities outside of these networks as a “freemover.” You can apply for mobility programmes beginning 2 May 2024 at www.ceepus.info.

4

30. MARCH – Novinky.cz – Vejce s atypicky barevnou skořápkou: HERE 3. APRIL – Č eský rozhlas – Historie léčivých rostlin: HERE 9. APRIL – Č T24 – Rezidua pesticidů v zemědělské půdě: HERE 11. APRIL – Břeclavský deník - Výstava v Lednici vyvrací genderové stereotypy: HERE 23. APRIL – B rňan.cz – Role osiky v adaptaci na klimatickou změnu: HERE

From the world of science and research Technology Agency of the Czech Republic: The Environment for Life – Winners of the seventh public call for applications announced

Projects submitted to the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic SIGMA DC2 programme for beginning researchers Beginning researchers from MENDELU have submitted 17 project proposals, 11 of which are coordinated by MENDELU. Applicants from the Faculty of AgriSciences submitted 11 projects; from the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, 4 projects; from the Faculty of Business and Economics, 1 project; and from the Faculty of Horticulture, 1 project. The winners will be announced by 31 October 2024. The anticipated start of project implementation is November 2024–January 2025.

The Technology Agency of the Czech Republic has announced the winners of the seventh public call for applications for the Environment for Life programme. Out of 38 submitted projects from MENDELU, 10 were awarded grants: • Techniques for precise agriculture focused on supporting the biodiversity of agroecosystems (Faculty of AgriSciences, Petr Marada) • SAFE-AGEING: Guidelines for conducting audits of ageing sources of possible major accidents (Faculty of AgriSciences, Petr Trávníček) • Field residue from hemp cultivation as a raw material for the sustainable wood-processing industry in the Czech Republic (Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Milan Gaff) • The Confluence of the Morava and Dyje: Present and future (Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Petr Maděra) • The racoon as a threat to natural ecosystems in the Czech Republic: Food requirements, habitat preferences, population potential, and eradication options (Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Ondřej Mikulka) • Tools for supporting the ecosystem services of trees and increasing resilience of existing planted stands (Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Luděk Praus) • Incorporating a concept of ecosystem service assessment into future watershed plans (Faculty of Regional Development and International Studies, Jiří Schneider) • The role and management of neglected types of settlement vegetation for the sustainable development of settlements in times of climate change (Faculty of Regional Development and International Studies, Jiří Schneider) • Dangerous and invasive wood pests and pathogens in the urbanized landscape. Major risks in light of climate change and how to deal with them (Faculty of Horticulture, Pavel Bulíř) • Mitigating the negative impacts of meteorological extremes (temperature, wind, and precipitation) on public health and the environment in large agglomerations (Faculty of Horticulture, Petr Salaš) We would like to congratulate all the successful applicants!

For details, see here.

5

Technology Agency of the Czech Republic first call for applications for Environment for Life 2 We are offering online training for MENDELU staff interested in applying for funding as a part of the first public call for funding from the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic’s Environment for Life 2 programme. For more information about the call and training, see the Project Centre website.

If you don’t want to miss any news about grant opportunities, seminars, etc, sign up for the R&D Newsletter.

From the world of science and research

Fifty-eighth Biology Olympiad at MENDELU Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology

Projects submitted for funding from Czech Science Foundation grants for 2025 In early April of this year, grant applications for a total of 44 projects set to start in 2025, 38 of which are coordinated by MENDELU, were submitted by Mendel University in response to calls issued by the Czech Science Foundation. Thirteen projects were submitted by the Faculty of AgriSciences, 15 by the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, 7 by the Faculty of Business and Economics, 6 by the Faculty of Regional Development and International Studies, and 3 by the Faculty of Horticulture. Most applications were made for standard project grants focused on basic research, followed by applications to the JUNIOR STAR programme, which aims to support excellence in basic research, and by providing large amounts of funding over long periods of time provides opportunities to early-career researchers.

Announcement of winners of JUNIOR STAR grants: 31 October 2024 Announcement of winners of STANDARD grants: 29 November 2024

MENDELU Boost – Start up your business idea Mendel University has announced a university-wide competition for the best business idea.

• Who can apply?

• The person responsible for the business idea must be a MENDELU student (they must be a student for the entire duration of the competition and all its stages); the business can be both at the idea stage or even have a complete product ready.

• The competition will take part in three stages, and you can apply until 15 May 2024 (11:59 p.m.).

• Teams and induvial MENDELU students can apply (interdisciplinary teams made up of students from different faculties are particularly welcomed).

• Teams that meet all formal registration requirements and pass a feasibility analysis will be invited to submit a business model.

• A jury will then select up to 10 of the best business ideas, which will advance to the second “Pitch Your Idea” round.

• We will be giving out up to a total of 250,000 Kč to the winning teams.

For details, see here.

6

On Friday, 5 April 2025, the regional round of the Biology Olympiad in category B was held at the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology. The Biology Olympiad is a contest for talented secondary school students that tests their knowledge of natural sciences and biology. The contestants, top biology students from secondary schools in the South Moravia Region, identified plants and animals, did practical research assignments, and took theoretical tests in biology disciplines. This year’s contest focused on parasitism in the broad meaning of the term.

Czech Minister of the Environment Petr Hladík was on hand to welcome and encourage contestants. On behalf of MENDELU and Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, the Olympiad was opened by Rector Jan Mareš and Dean Libor Jankovský of the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology. In their speeches, they all concurred that working with talented young people is one of the priorities of not only MENDELU but the Czech Republic as a country.

The winner was Nela Bartoníčková from Matyáš Lerch Gymnasium in Brno. The regional round of the Olympiad has a long tradition at the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology.

When announcing the results, the regional committee expressed its appreciation for the team consisting of staff from the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, the Faculty of AgriSciences, and the Project Centre for the flawless work they put into creating the assignments every year. A delegate from the Central Committee for the Biology Olympiad stressed that in no other region are such nice prizes given to competitors. Prizes for the best competitors and winners were provided by the South Moravia Region, the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, and the MENDELU Botanical Gardens and Arboretum.

Pictures of new employees For more MENDELU job offers click here.

Ing. Lucie Březková, Ph.D.

Ing. Biljana Đorđević, Ph.D.

Ing. Miroslav Florián, Ph.D.

Kateřina Haladejová

Technická pracovnice pro výuku Ústav aplikované a krajinné ekologie (AF)

AP – výzkumná pracovnice Ústav ochrany lesů a myslivosti (LDF)

Akademický pracovník – odborný asistent Ústav agrochemie, půdoznalství, mikrobiologie a výživy rostlin (AF)

Personální specialistka Oddělení personálního rozvoje (OŘLZ REK)

Ing. Eva Halouzková

Ing. Peter Hlaváč

Ing. Pavel Horák

Ing. Naděžda Chalupová, Ph.D.

Mzdová účetní Mzdová účtárna (REK)

Poradce Ústav zoologie, rybářství, hydrobiologie a včelařství (AF)

Výzkumník projektu I Ústav lesnické botaniky, dendrologie a geobiocenologie (LDF)

Výzkumnice projektu II Ústav zemědělské, potravinářské a environmentální techniky (AF)

Ing. Kateřina Kuchaříková

Ing. Karel Niederhafner

Vojtěch Plíhal

Eva Prokešová Danková

Výzkumnice projektu I Ústav agrosystémů a bioklimatologie (AF)

Výzkumník projektu I Ústav agrosystémů a bioklimatologie (AF)

Správce koncových stanic Oddělení infrastruktury (OIT CP)

Odborná administrativní pracovnice Stavební oddělení (PRO REK)

7

Pictures of new employees For more MENDELU job offers click here.

Ing. Petr Rokoský

Ing. Lucie Syrovatková

Mgr. Martina Ščučková

Technik pro výzkum Ústav techniky (LDF)

Referentka Public Relations Oddělení Public Relations (DPEF)

Odborná administrativní pracovnice Děkanát (FRRMS)

Ing. Beáta Šusliková

Miroslav Šutera

Ing. Martin Tobiáš

Výzkumnice projektu I Ústav agrosystémů a bioklimatologie (AF)

Správce sítě Odbor informačních technologií (CP)

Technický pracovník pro výuku Ústav techniky a automobilové dopravy (AF)

Bc. Hana Tulisová

Ing. František Vlašic

Organizačně-technická pracovnice Ústav výživy zvířat a pícninářství (AF)

Výzkumník projektu II Ústav zemědělské, potravinářské a environmentální techniky (AF)

8