MENDEL news 9/2024 (eng) by MENDELU

The Employee Newsletter of Mendel University in Brno

MENDELU to have new strategic plan and sustainability strategy in 2025

Both strategic documents were drawn up this year and are the result of cooperation between many university units. They will be in effect until 2030. The new strategic plan has been expanded to cover the strategic area of effective university management, which includes, among other things, measures for developing the campuses in Brno and Lednice. The sustainability strategy is the first document of this type to be produced at MENDELU, and it stands on five pillars: Management strategy, Educational activity, Creative activity, Operations and facility management, and Social responsibility and the university’s third role. Once the design work is completed on these strategic documents, they will be published on the university notice board and on the Sustainable MENDELU website.

MENDELU highlights

International Relations Office at CZEDUCON 2024

Employees of the MENDELU International Relations Office attended the prestigious Czeducon 2024 conference, which is focused on internationalizing tertiary education. They took active part as presenters and participants in panel discussions, where they shared their rich experience, examples of good practice, and knowledge about supporting international cooperation and mobility. During the discussions, they presented the university’s accomplishments and activities, and at the same time gained new contacts and inspiration for further growth. Our participation in the conference contributed to strengthening Mendel University’s position on the international stage and to spreading its reputation.

“Go for a Mulled Wine and Go Abroad”

The MENDELU International Relations Office is getting ready to issue a call for applications for student mobility programmes. For this reason, we held an informal informational meeting on Wednesday, 27 November, that we called “Go for a Mulled Wine and Go Abroad.” The event was for students, who could find out details about going abroad, share their experiences, and spend a pleasant time in a friendly atmosphere with representatives from each faculty. Members of the Erasmus Student Network also took part and offered their views of mobility from a student perspective. The meeting encouraged connecting students and faculties in preparation for upcoming exchanges.

Scholarships for foreign mobility

Students and employees of Mendel University in Brno can go abroad not only thanks to the Erasmus programme but also thanks to opportunities to go on work placements abroad. These placements can be done not only at universities but also at prestigious international organizations, such as the United Nations or the European Commission. The International Relations Office regularly publishes offers from foreign partners on its website: OMVI-WEB through MS Teams Zahraniční spolupráce (ZAHRANIČNÍ SPOLUPRÁCE).

MENDELU highlights

SUSTAINABLE MENDELU

MENDELU CENTRE FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY WINS GOLDEN DRAGONFLY AWARD FOR SOCIAL BUSINESS

The MENDELU Centre for Social Responsibility and Sustainability won a Golden Dragonfly, a Czech social business award, in the Institution category. The winners of this year’s prizes were announced by Deklarace odpovědného podnikání (Responsible Business Declaration), an association of more than 120 Czech social businesses. Its goal is to popularize employing people with disabilities, highlight examples of good practice, and recognize inspiring social business stories in the Czech Republic. The prizes are awarded in five categories and were given to the winners at a ceremony held in Prague’s Czernin Palace. Sylvie Formánková and Renata Kučerová accepted the prize for the MENDELU Centre for Social Responsibility and Sustainability.

My Boundaries workshop at MENDELU

On 19 November the My Boundaries workshop took place at the university; it was organized by the Library. The event was part of the UN’s international campaign 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. The workshop focused on setting personal boundaries and effective self-defence, both in daily life and in emergency situations. A trainer and co-founder of the Modern Selfdefence programme explained key principles and offered concrete methods for conflict prevention in moments requiring decisive action. You can learn more in the book Moderní sebeobrana (Modern Self-defence), which is now available to borrow in the Library.

Thesis template

We would like to inform teachers that they can refer students to a Word template on the Library website, which will help them write their theses. The template was updated in keeping with Rector’s Directive 3/2024 Publishing final theses

Use the Data Stewardship Wizard tool

The Data Stewardship Wizard (DSW) is an online tool that helps researchers created data management plans (DMPs). The tool poses a series of questions to intuitively guide users in creating a DMP and allows them to generate a final document that can simply be appended to a project. Try out DSW. Your log-in credentials are the same as for UIS. MENDELU has created its own template, which is based on the Horizon Europe template. Video instructions and a detailed practical DSW user guide are available.

Consult with the data steward

You can consult your data management plan (DMP) for upcoming interim reports for Czech Science Foundation or Technology Agency of the Czech Republic projects with the university data steward. You can read about DMPs on the Open Science Centre website and contact us at open-science@mendelu.cz

Reconstructions

Closures and reconstructions continue, you can follow the latest information here

MENDELU highlights

MENDELU Boost – Third round

In November the third round of the university-wide MENDELU Boost: Start Your Business Idea competition took place. The four teams that won the second round in June presented their business ideas to an expert jury, showing how they used the funding they received and the progress they had made. The jury, made up of representatives of MENDELU, the South Moravian Innovation Centre, and the business world, decided to support three teams, who are splitting 220,000 Kč among themselves.

• First place: CityMind

The competition was won by Andrej Gono and his team for their CityMind project, an AI assistant for municipalities. The team used the funding to further grow the company. The increasing number of CityMind customers is proof of its success. Whereas in June of this year, the only customer was the village of Mokrá-Horákov, today, CityMind is used by ten municipalities, and talks are being held with others.

• Second place - Pozemkov

Second place went to the Pozemkov project, whose team includes Jan Karásek from MENDELU. Pozemkov enables viewers to look up plots of land online and find their hidden risks and advantages. The team used the funding to pay for cloud services, operating expenses, and the establishment of a limited liability company and a virtual office.

• Second place – Bee Farm

Second place also went to the Bee Farm project. The goal of this project is to build a bee farm that will be used for both recreation and education. This business plan also includes the production of bee products, flavoured honeys, and meads. The plan was developed by Jakub Jakeš and Michaela Bařinová’s team, who presented their first bee products made at their farm.

We would like to congratulate all the winners!

Activities of the Internal Evaluation Board in 2024

The Internal Evaluation Board is a self-governing university body responsible for quality management of educational, creative, and related activities. In addition to regular monthly meetings, in March of this year board members met with faculty and institute heads in Křtiny. In April the board members met with study programme guarantors. The goal of these meetings was to present the board’s activities to academic staff, facilitate open discussion about fundamental topics such as changes in accreditation processes, and to gain feedback. As openness and transparency will continue to be important issues, the board therefore plans on meeting with these university representatives next year. In addition to these activities, in October a two-day board meeting was held, where more conceptual topics were discussed. You can find a detailed report about the International Evaluation Board’s activities on the webpage kvalita.mendelu.cz

University for Practice

The aim of this year's MENDELU candidate campaign is to highlight the practical application of study fields and preparation for the labour market. The campaign presents the stories of six students through videos and photos, who found a job in their field of study.

Wine as a gift

We would like to invite you to purchase wines from the university production, which are the perfect Christmas gift for your loved ones and business partners. Visit DODNA and choose from a selection of quality wines, that will please every lover of this noble beverage.

Christmas tree sale

Employees can choose from 13/12/2024 - 14:00 to 16:00 before the start of the regular sale from approximately 500 items of spruce fir and a variety of cottonwoods for purchase. Other species Christmas trees: fir, pine and Norway spruce can be purchased on regular dates at the sales points

Instructional videos about emergencies

To prepare the university community for emergency situations, first aid training sessions were conducted throughout 2024, and in October two fire-extinguishing demonstrations were held. Instructional videos were filmed during the training sessions held at the Karlov pod Praděd teaching and recreational centre and during the fire-extinguishing demonstrations. They are available on YouTube. You can see pictures from the fire-extinguishing demonstration in the MENDELU Photobank.

MEDIA HIGHLIGHT

8. NOVEMBER – iDNES.cz - Mobile apps can prevent waste: HERE

16. NOVEMBER – Brňan.cz - Christmas tree has arrived at Liberty Square: HERE

20. NOVEMBER – Brněnská drbna - Christmas trees in pots from ŠLP: HERE

23. NOVEMBER – Český rozhlas - Furniture made from hemp: HERE

26. NOVEMBER – Brňan.cz - Plants treated with enriched water: HERE

MENDELU highlights

Fire drill

A fire drill was held on 20 November 2024 in Building Q. Everyone in the building at the time took part in the drill. The goal was to determine how long it takes to evacuate the entire building and test how well the fire alarms and other safety equipment work. It took six minutes to evacuate the building. The entire drill lasted 13 minutes. The building was evacuated without any major problems. The defects we found with the alarm system will be rectified in 2025. We would like to thank everyone for cooperating. A short video and photos are available in MENDELU Photobank.

Ondřej Konečný to head Faculty of Regional Development and International Studies from December

During a meeting of the Academic Senate, Ondřej Konečný was unanimously elected dean for a four-year term, which will begin in December and last until 2028. In presenting his vision for the upcoming period, he emphasized improving academic quality, developing international cooperation, and strengthening relationships between students and faculty staff. One of his key priorities is supporting research and involving students in international projects and exchange programmes with the goal of enhancing the faculty’s prestige in Czechia and abroad.

Pavlína Adam is new vice-rector for research, development, and innovation

On 15 November, Pavlína Adam was appointed the vice-rector for research, development, and innovation. She envisions supporting excellence in research with the goal of enhancing the university’s prestige at the national and international levels. Her key priorities include the implementation of internal research evaluation systems based on international standards, the development of technology transfer, and increasing awareness about the university’s social role. She also seeks to support research teams in making world-class findings that will contribute to solving global challenges and to encourage links between academia and the industry.

MENDELU PhD Week

Another edition of MENDELU PhD Week (formerly MENDELU PhD school) 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. A new part of the course was a day-long block in English, during which attendees took part in a workshop focused on publishing by Luis Inostroza and a lecture about critical thinking by Boris Rewald. Like in past years, students considered the workshop about science communication to be very beneficial as they practiced being interviewed by a Czech Television reporter in front of a camera.

“Chocolate Christmas” at the Fisherman’s Lodge

From 13 to 15 December you can view an exhibition of the floral creations of students from the MENDELU Faculty of Horticulture. Employees can travel to the Friday opening by bus. You can reserve a spot here

Number of Graduates by Faculty

MENDELU Alumni Club

The MENDELU Alumni Club already has 1,301 members. Most are graduates of the Faculty of AgriSciences and the Faculty of Business. It is wonderful to see this strong, active community of MENDELU alumni growing. If you’re not a member yet, join and become a part of this amazing network. For more information, see here.

Operating hours of MENDELU dining facilities –Christmas 2024

From the world of science and research

MENDELU Ph.D. talent competition announced!

On 15 November 2024 another edition of the MENDELU Ph.D. talent competition was announced. This two-round competition for supplementary scholarships is intended for students in the first years of accredited doctoral programmes 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. Registration ends on 31 January 2025 at 12:00 p.m. More information about the competition rules, conditions, and registration are available on the Project Centre website

International scientist begins research at MENDELU as part of Jan Amos Comenius Operational Programme

On 1 November 2024, as part of the Jan Comenius Operational Programme MSCA FELLOWSHIPS CZ MENDELU (CZ.02.01.01/00/2 2_010/0008893), the Faculty of AgriSciences welcomed a foreign expert Virendra Patil, Ph.D. who, over the course of two years, will conduct research on using a new ecological ionic liquid, celluloid nanocrystals, and engineering for 3D printing of biodegradable, breathable, capacitive electronic skin, which will be used to monitor human movements. Another important part of the foreign scientist’s stay at the university is educating the public about the significance of the sustainable development of wearable sensors for remote health monitoring systems (RHMSs). This incoming researcher at the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry will enhance the university’s internationalization and facilitate access to the expertise of this outstanding foreign researcher.

Results of ZEMĚ II call for proposals announced

The National Agency of Agricultural Research has announced the results of the second public call for applications to the Ministry of Agriculture’s Applied Research Programme for the 2024–32 period, with the project implementation period beginning in 2025. Out of the 14 proposals Mendel University in Brno submitted, five were selected to receive funding:

MENDEL as main receiver of funding

• Optimizing the use of plant protection products through areally differentiated application using precise agriculture methods (Faculty of AgriSciences, Vojtěch Lukas)

• Managing common vole populations in agricultural crops (Faculty of AgriSciences, Josef Suchomel)

• The influence of forest road networks on runoff from forests in a changing climate (Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Petr Kupec)

MENDELU as a project team member:

• Evaluating pork production systems in terms of aggression in groups of fattened pigs with the goal of avoiding animal injury without routine tail docking (Faculty of AgriSciences, Pavel Nevrkla)

• Evaluating the impacts of agricultural methods applied in climate and environmental schemes and increasing the sequestration potential of soils in the Czech Republic (Faculty of AgriSciences, Miroslav Florián)

Congratulations! For details, see here.