News from UP

To foster understanding of Taiwanese society, culture, and politics among students and the academic community – that is the main goal of the Global Taiwan Chair project, whose launch was formalized at the end of July by the signing of cooperation agreement between Taiwan’s Representative to the Czech Republic, Liang-Ruey Ke, and the Rector of Palacký University, Michael Kohajda.

On 29 July, Rector Michael Kohajda and Representative Liang-Ruey Ke signed a cooperation agreement. The primary objective of this agreement was to initiate the implementation of the Global Taiwan Chair project. Palacký University in Olomouc will soon welcome Taiwanese scholars, while the project will also support research trips by scholars based in Czechia to Taiwan.

“ The initiative also includes courses and workshops focused on Taiwan. Their aim is to deepen understanding of Taiwanese society, culture, and politics among students and the academic community,” said the project’s principal investigator, Kristina Kironska from the Department of Asian Studies at the Faculty of Arts, Palacký University. She also recalled the existing Taiwan Corner at the university, which currently provides access to books and digital resources from Taiwan’s National Central Library and organizes activities that introduce Taiwanese culture and society.

“The Global Taiwan Chair project aims to further develop this cooperation, especially by broadening the academic focus on Taiwan. It should also motivate more students to engage with Taiwan-related topics,” added the social scientist, who specializes in Taiwan’s political system, human rights, and international relations, with particular attention to Taiwan’s growing role in the Indo-Pacific region. Under her leadership, the Global Taiwan Chair, which began in August and will run until June 2026, seeks to foster critical academic engagement with contemporary Taiwan, deepen institutional cooperation, and create sustainable frameworks for research and exchange initiatives.

Ing. Mgr. Kristina Kironska, Ph.D., Department of Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts, Palacký University. She is a board member of the European Association of Taiwan Studies (EATS) and served as the local organizer of the 2025 EATS annual conference, held this year at Palacký University Olomouc. Beyond her academic position, she also leads the EU–Taiwan Tracker project at the Central European Institute of Asian Studies (CEIAS), an affiliated think tank focused on Asia. Her most recent publication, Contemporary Taiwan: More than a Flashpoint (Routledge, 2025), reflects her commitment to advancing understanding of Taiwan’s international standing.

Hundreds of semi-precious stones of immeasurable value are hidden in the Archbishop's Castle in Kroměříž. The unique discovery was made by Jana Zapletalová – a researcher from Palacký University Olomouc (UP) while examining the stucco decorations in the castle. Amethysts adorn the so-called grottoes, or artificial caves.

The Archbishop's Castle in Kroměříž was built and decorated at the end of the 17th century on the orders of Karl of Liechtenstein-Castelcorn, Bishop of Olomouc. Thanks to its significance and artistic qualities, the castle is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. However, no one knew that it concealed a treasure in the form of hundreds of amethysts and other minerals, which decorated both grottoes – artificial caves built at the end of the 17th century in the basement of the castle.

During her scientific work on the rich stucco decoration of the castle's ground-floor halls (sala terrena, pl. salae terrenae), art historian Jana Zapletalová noticed that the cave glistened unusually in some places. “It was early January, and my colleagues had been collecting stucco samples for laboratory analysis for several hours. Only two people could work on the scaffolding, so I started to examine the adjacent darkened grottoes in detail with a flashlight. When I climbed behind the statue of Apollo, which dominates one of the two caves, I noticed sparkling reflections. At that moment, I realized that amethysts were almost everywhere under the layers of deposits,” said Associate Professor Jana Zapletalová, head of the Department of Art History at the Faculty of Arts, UP, describing the moment of discovery.

Artificial caves designed to imitate nature were very popular among the European aristocracy during the Baroque period. Thanks to water features and low temperatures, they served as a place for summer refreshment and entertainment, and their imaginative artistic decoration usually concealed some allegorical message. According to Jana Zapletalová, the decoration with precious stones in both Kroměříž grottoes is unique in the world. Amethysts, along with other minerals and shells, are not only part of the walls and vaults, but are also set into the floor of the Mining Grotto. The unique decoration was commissioned on the orders of Karel of Liechtenstein-Castelcorn, Bishop of Olomouc, who was the builder of the Kroměříž castle and gardens. However, he himself never enjoyed the grottoes in their full splendour, as he died shortly after their completion in 1695.

Amethysts were the most decorative part of Apollo's grotto, immediately surrounding the statue of the sun god, who allegorically personified Bishop Karl himself. “In various prints, the Bishop was associated with a shining stone or sun, bringing spiritual and economic renewal to Moravia with the rays of his faith and knowledge. The reference to light symbolism came from the Bishop's family name, Liechtenstein, meaning ‘light’ or ‘shining stone’, which was also featured in the family coat of arms. That is why there is a dazzling glow of amethysts around the statue of the sun god, who threw an arrow, i.e., a ray of light and faith, into the dark part of the grotto with a dragon, full of fauns, wild animals, and oak trees,” added Zapletalová.

The amethysts discovered in the Kroměříž Castle are of domestic origin. According to geologist Radek Hanus, who specializes in the research of precious stones in the Czech Republic and who performed a mineralogical analysis, they come from Květnice hill near Tišnov. Historical sources also reveal that they were transported to the site in beer barrels.

Most of the amethysts were lost from the castle in the past, especially the amethyst wall behind the statue of Apollo. “Whether this was the reason why the rest of the stones were covered with a layer of mortar, and thus hidden from the public and experts alike, is still unclear, as is the time when the concealment took place. In the 1950s, the walls were also covered with layers of paint by students from the Secondary School of Applied Arts in Uherské Hradiště,” added Associate Professor Zapletalová.

“The main goal of the Archbishopric of Olomouc is now to ensure the restoration of the monument so that these exceptional spaces, currently in a state of disrepair, can be preserved for the future. Since the discovery, we have worked with a number of specialists to carry out mineralogical analysis, archival and art-historical research, radiographic examination of the stucco decorations, assessment of the grottoes' structural stability, preliminary restoration surveys, climate monitoring, dehumidification of the premises, and high-resolution 3D scanning, which was provided by G4D,” said Alena Tobolková, head of the Archbishopric's Heritage Conservation Department, who manages and coordinates all the work and research.

“Further research and restoration work will now take place, which will last for a number of years. It will be necessary to involve foreign experts and obtain funding for such a demanding process,” added Alena Tobolková. However, even during the study and restoration work, the grottoes will remain partially accessible to visitors thanks to protective floor coverings and grotto viewpoints, which will allow the public to enjoy at least partial tours under safety measures.

An international team of researchers from the Czech Republic, Germany and China has used nanotechnology and atomic engineering to develop a groundbreaking material that can transform a wide range of organic compounds into desired products under ambient conditions, powered solely by solar energy and using water as a proton source. The material’s development marks a significant step towards finding alternatives for the environmentally and economically demanding hydrogenation reactions widely used in organic chemistry and pharmaceutical and agrochemical production. The study, which includes contributions from scientists at the Czech Advanced Technology and Research Institute (CATRIN) at Palacký University, was published in the prestigious journal Advanced Materials.

Hydrogenation reactions are integral to hundreds of chemical manufacturing processes across agrochemistry, pharmaceuticals, industrial chemistry and many other sectors, with a combined market worth tens of billions of dollars. However, many photocatalysts currently in use are unable to achieve the yields required for industrial-scale applications and suffer from limited selectivity, meaning they struggle to steer chemical reactions towards the desired products. Moreover, they often require the assistance of additional agents, such as water activation using magnesium, and their applicability is restricted to a narrow range of organic reactions. Finding new solutions that, unlike existing ones, can operate under low temperatures and pressures and without the use of gaseous hydrogen, represents a major scientific and industrial challenge. One promising approach involves using water as a proton source in combination with suitable photocatalysts that enable efficient transformation powered by solar energy.

“In developing a new type of photocatalyst, we combined expertise in nanotechnology and atomic engineering,” said corresponding author Radek Zbořil. “Together with our international collaborators, we designed and synthesized a material consisting of palladium nanoparticles anchored within a two-dimensional carbon nitride matrix. Isolated palladium atoms in various oxidation states were incorporated in the vicinity of these nanoparticles. Thanks to the synergistic effect of the components, the new material managed to convert a broad range of organic compounds into desired products with exceptional yields and selectivities, paving the way for industrial applications.”

During the research, the team observed that the reaction yields increased dramatically when isolated palladium atoms in varying oxidation states were located near the nanoparticles. “We therefore intentionally designed a composite system in which isolated palladium atoms attracted photogenerated holes to oxidize water, while nanoparticles facilitated the transfer of hydrogen to unsaturated bonds in organic molecules. This is a unique concept that could revolutionize catalytic processes in organic chemistry,” explained Giorgio Zoppellaro, who played a key role in elucidating the material’s mechanism of action.

The research teams from CATRIN and VSB-TUO, in collaboration with colleagues from Germany’s Leibniz Institute for Catalysis, have been investigating hydrogenation reactions for years. They have already published several pioneering studies focused on new technologies for synthesizing amine compounds (e.g. Chandrashekhar et al. Nat. Catal. 2022; Cheruvathoor Poulose et al. Nat. Nanotechnol. 2023).

Palacký University has joined the prestigious IBM Quantum Innovation Centre project. Thanks to its collaboration with the Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU), the Olomouc university has become part of the global IBM Quantum Network, which provides access to state-of-the-art quantum computers and technologies via its cloud platform. Palacký University is one of seven Czech universities that, together with the Czech Academy of Sciences, have gained access to IBM’s quantum infrastructure through this project.

Quantum computers developed by IBM enable complex calculations using the principles of quantum physics. IBM also offers Quantum Safe technology, which addresses new challenges in cybersecurity. IBM is today the only provider of such comprehensive quantum services in the world.

“Our involvement in the project builds on many years of research in the field of quantum optics, quantum information processing, and quantum technologies. However, access to quantum infrastructure is not only intended for physicists – it can also be used by IT specialists, chemists, mathematicians, and materials experts,” said Jaromír Fiurášek, head of the Department of Optics at the UP Faculty of Science.

The access agreements to the Quantum Innovation Centre were signed on 11 June at the headquarters of the Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics and Cybernetics at CTU. The lead partner is CTU, while the University of Defence, the military institution of higher education of the Czech Armed Forces, also plays an important role, as it has provided financial support for the project. The Quantum Innovation Centre is also supposed to strengthen the Czech Republic’s technological and security readiness for the advent of quantum computing systems.

Matěj Dostálek, Vice-Rector for Communication and Social Responsibility, attended the ceremony on behalf of Palacký University. “We have a unique opportunity to participate in the exclusive development of the technologies of the future and discover their potential. At the same time, we can contribute to society by preparing our students as well as the greater public for this future through the popularisation of topics related to quantum technology,” Dostálek added.

What lies ahead for the university in the coming years? What kind of changes are necessary? Answers to these questions and more can be found in the latest issue of UP Žurnál magazine, which features an in-depth interview with the new rector, Michael Kohajda.

Forty pages dedicated to Palacký University Olomouc – that’s UP Žurnál. The opening article focuses on artificial intelligence and introduces readers to the newly patented Cloakspeech software developed by linguists at the UP Faculty of Arts. Among other things, it can create personalised advertising tailored to a specific customer, craft a political campaign slogan precisely directed at a selected voter, or identify the author of anonymous hate speech posts on social networks.

Other pages are devoted to the phenomenon that Academia Film Olomouc has become. How has AFO changed over the past six decades, and how has the world of science changed, the one that this film festival seeks to make its audiences familiar with? “For quite a long time, until the Velvet Revolution, the festival was seen as more of a professional environment for creators, academics, and filmmakers to meet. A place they could have discussions, exchange experience, and push the genre forward. It was open to the public from the very beginning, but there was no huge interest in it from Olomouc residents,” recalls Jiří Slavík, a long-time AFO programmer.

As always, art and culture receive a lot of attention in the “summer edition” of our UP magazine. This is how you can get to know – unless you’ve been at her concerts already – Kateřina Kouláková a/k/a Kaczi, a musician and Faculty of Physical Culture graduate. Are you interested in how physiotherapy and dance go together? Then don’t miss the story of Hana Němcová, a Faculty of Health Sciences student.

“I would like to treat every faculty the same, to fairly devote equal time and space to each of them. It shouldn’t be the squeaky wheel getting the grease. For me, all faculties are equally important and significant,” says Rector Michael Kohajda, and that’s just for starters. In the interview, he presents his realistic view on the economics of universities, mentions the current geopolitical context, highlights the importance of offering students a good environment for both studies and for relaxation, and points out to the necessity to work with alumni.

That’s not all that the latest issue of UP Žurnál has to offer. In the Portrait section, for example, we introduce special educator Veronika Růžičková from the UP Faculty of Education. Italian postdoc Luca Chiurchiu reflects on Olomouc and the university, and young scientist Veronika Šedajová shares her experiences from the University of Cambridge.

The UP Žurnál is also available in electronic form.

The editorial team wishes you pleasant reading!

AMULET enables efficient and accurate measurement of morphological and physiological characteristics of plants. Plant research experts and computer scientists from CATRIN at Palacký University, VŠB-Technical University Ostrava and Imperial College London collaborated in its development and presented the results in the journal Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. By combining a range of imaging methods with advanced machine learning algorithms, the system can predict the future development and condition of plants based on the data obtained, which is crucial information for farmers and crop breeders.

“In this study, we have shown that AMULET can significantly improve the process of phenotyping data, i.e. monitoring and evaluating plant traits in relation to the environment. This is crucial for plant breeding and agricultural research. This approach allows faster and more accurate analysis of plant traits, which can contribute to the development of more resistant and profitable crops,” said Nuria De Diego, one of the authors.

The AMULET model processes images acquired using an affordable RGB camera. The researchers have trained it on more than 30,000 images of a model plant, the Arabidopsis thaliana, but have shown that it can also be used on agricultural crops such as potatoes.

 “The system includes plant detection, estimation of future development, sorting and data analysis. It improves phenotyping by using an advanced artificial intelligence model that can predict the evolution of image data with high accuracy. This capability benefits a wide range of users – from scientists to farmers – for example, by shortening the duration of experiments, enabling early detection of plant stress or faster identification of unhealthy individuals,” explained the paper’s first author Jan Zdražil from CATRIN and a PhD student at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Power Engineering at VŠB-TUO.

The researchers have also tested AMULET in plants that had “encountered” the pathogen Pseudomonas syringae. AMULET was also able to detect plant traits that are difficult for the human eye to perceive, but contribute significantly to understanding the response of plants to specific growth conditions.

“AMULET has also proven itself in predicting disease onset in plants before the first visible symptoms appear, allowing early intervention and minimising yield loss. This will allow for faster and more responsive intervention to protect crop health more effectively,” added De Diego.

AMULET was developed with the support of the European project PATAFEST from the Horizon Europe RIA programme.  Although experts say the system’s functionality still needs to be further tested in a wide range of conditions and plant species, it is already a breakthrough tool that can fundamentally improve phenotyping – from detection to data analysis. If data can be obtained from the field to validate the model, its use in breeding programmes and agriculture may in the foreseeable future contribute to higher crop vigour and yield and enable proactive plant care with less time and labour.

Professor Jaroslav Peprník, a prominent Czech scholar in English and American Studies, author of many monographs and textbooks on the English-speaking world and the English language, one of the founders of the Department of English and American Studies in Olomouc, has been granted the František Palacký Prize. He received this prestigious Palacký University award in the Corpus Christi Chapel in the UP Arts Centre from UP Rector Michael Kohajda.

This was only the thirteenth time Palacký University has awarded the František Palacký Prize. This time it was given to Prof Jaroslav Peprník, a distinguished Czech philologist and linguist. He has been active in three areas: teaching, writing textbooks, and collecting materials on the history of contacts between Czechs and English-speaking countries. One of the striking aspects of his professional activity is his extensive, far-ranging knowledge of the literatures and cultures of the English-speaking countries. Due to his work in the field of lexicology, he is one of the leading Czech experts in this linguistic discipline. For a long time, English classes in Czech universities and secondary schools were dependent on Prof Peprník’s textbooks.

Peprník received the František Palacký Prize during a ceremonial meeting of the Palacký University scholarly boards and academic senates, on the occasion of the 227th anniversary of the Palacký’s birth, a historian and leading figure in the Czech National Revival. In Peprník’s speech saturated with life experience, he recalled some of his teachers and students and commented on the circumstances that brought him to English studies, emphasising the importance of humility, which is, according to him, essential for mastering English.

“Thank you so much for the František Palacký Prize! I am proud that seventy-one years of my life have been closely linked to Palacký University, and I am also very happy that I have been able to spend the last third of my life without fear, with freedom of speech and the freedom to travel. Let us not take freedom for granted! During the era of ‘normalisation’ after the year 1968, one Austrian friend of mine told me: ‘I thank God that I was not born seventy kilometres further north.’ So let us thank Destiny that we were not born in Bangladesh or eastern Ukraine,” said the award recipient, who has served for one hundred and twenty-four semesters and has been going to his office at Olomouc’s university for seventy-one years.

According to Jan Stejskal, Dean of the Palacký University Faculty of Arts, who delivered a laudation to this year’s laureate in the Corpus Christi Chapel, Prof Peprník is an exceptional person whose life path, scholarly work, and educational activities have been not only an inspiration, but also proof that kindness, perseverance, and love for one’s discipline can overcome even the most difficult obstacles.

“His path to English Studies was guided not only by the school curriculum, but above all by his personal passion. He began studying English as a self-taught student, inspired by adventure stories from English-speaking countries that he discovered in his father’s library. This intrinsic motivation has accompanied him throughout his life and has become the basis of his extraordinary teaching and research career,” said Stejskal. He also recalled Peprník’s secondary school period, during which he had to work in the Bučovice aircraft factory and experienced dramatic moments during a bombing, as well his stay in England in 1948, where he studied and travelled. He mentioned the following political events due to which Peprník was assigned after his graduation to the infamous Technical Auxiliary Battalions, where he spent four years in harsh conditions as a “politically suspect person”. In this context, he praised Prof Peprník’s belief in democratic values and his love for his profession.

The ceremony was attended by academic staff of Palacký University as well as other universities, and the representatives of the City of Olomouc, the Olomouc Region, and Hodslavice, František Palacký’s birthplace. When presenting the award, UP Rector Michael Kohajda also emphasised the laureate’s diligence. “Professor Peprník has made an indelible mark in the history of our university and in the hearts of many generations of students and colleagues. His work is both academically admirable and humanly inspiring. With his erudition, humility, and passion for language, he has encouraged hundreds of students, many of whom are now educators themselves,” he said.

Jaroslav Peprník (b. 1927) graduated in English and History at the Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University in Brno. His dissertation (1950) was entitled Nominal Tendencies in Modern English Prose. Since 1954 he has been working at the UP Faculty of Arts in Olomouc. At the Department of English and American Studies, he specialises in contemporary English, particularly lexicology. Peprník’s first university textbook Angličtina pro lékaře [English for Physicians, 1966] was republished several times and used also at the Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague. This was followed by the textbook Angličtina pro filology I–II [English for Philologists I–II. 1984, 1987]. Thanks to his work on the Slovník amerikanismů [Dictionary of American Usage], he was the only Czech professor to receive a Fulbright scholarship in 1969, with a six-month stay in the USA. Another successful textbook was Angličtina pro jazykové školy [English for Language Schools]. It was not until 1986 that he was able to obtain the academic degree of “candidate of philological sciences”, on the basis of his candidate dissertation Sémantika pojmenování barev v angličtině a češtině [The Semantics of Naming Colours in English and Czech]. He was not habilitated as associate professor until after the fall of the communist regime in 1989. His professional work has focused on research of the contacts between the Czech lands and the English-speaking world, culminating in the publications Anglie očima české literatury [England through the Eyes of Czech Literature, 2001], Amerika očima české literatury [America through the Eyes of Czech Literature, 2002], Češi a anglofonní svět: kontakty a percepce [The Czechs and the English-speaking World: Contacts and Perceptions, 2012], and Anglofonní svět a Češi [The English-speaking World and the Czechs, 2016]. His works for the general public include the history book Británie a USA: Ilustrované reálie [Great Britain and the United States: Illustrated Facts, 2004] and an anthology of short texts from The Times of London, called Journalistic English (2005). After 1990, he devoted great efforts to the revision of English passages in Oldřich Švarný’s textbook Hovorová čínština v příkladech [Conversational Chinese via Examples] and a revision of Velký česko-anglický slovník [Large Czech-English Dictionary] by Josef Fronek. In 2021, UP Press published his memoirs Vzpomínky anglisty [Memoirs of an English Studies Scholar].

Jaroslav Peprník is the holder of several awards. In 2003 he received the City of Olomouc Award, and in 2023 he received the highest ministerial award, the first-degree medal, which was granted to him by the Czech Minister of Education, Youth and Sports at Palacký University. Prof Peprník’s entire speech is available here.

 

The František Palacký Prize honours outstanding creative activities in the fields of science and culture, which have contributed to the prestige of the Czech Republic and Palacký University Olomouc. It was established on the occasion of the bicentennial of František Palacký’s birth in 1998. Ever since its establishment and its first bestowal, the birthplace of František Palacký, the village of Hodslavice, and the town of Neratovice, where František Palacký often stayed, have been cooperating with Palacký University Olomouc. It is awarded on behalf of Palacký University, usually once every two years, by the UP Rector. This year, the František Palacký Prize was awarded for the thirteenth time. Among the winners to date are the American Studies scholar and UP rector emeritus Josef Jařab, Tomáš Josef Cardinal Špidlík, expert on Constitutional Law Pavel Rychetský, and prominent Czech historian and art and architecture theoretician Rostislav Švácha.

He has always loved numbers and counting. He was so good at it that he voluntarily chose maths for his school leaving certificate subject. However, he did not become a professional “number-cruncher” but instead chose a career at first glance seemingly distant from the natural sciences: law. This year marks a quarter-century since his name and in fact his life have been attached to Palacký University. As a student, graduate, academic, vice-dean, and now... rector. As of May, jurist Michael Kohajda is the new rector of the second oldest university in the Czech Republic.

How would he like to reshape the school? What qualities should its graduates have, and how will the university stand up to these dynamic times? You’ll find out all this and more in our interview with Palacký University’s new rector.

Your professional academic career path in Olomouc has been quite direct. From student to teacher, to vice-dean, and now to the very top position.

I wasn’t only in Olomouc. I completed my doctoral studies in Prague at the Charles University Faculty of Law. In my opinion, that was where the best financial law was being taught, under the tutelage of Prof Bakeš. That I was able to get two degrees at two such hallowed and traditional universities is an experience I consider positive and beneficial. I actually deviate a bit from that frequent “inbreeding” – when someone gets their Master’s degree and doctorate at the same school and then stays there teaching and doing research, never leaving it for the rest of their professional life. I think it’s better to go to different institutions; it brings one more experiences and inspiration.

With that point of view, what would you like to bring into higher education in Olomouc, a university which has been around for some 450 years?

Traditional values are important to me, and universities have them. Respect for the heritage of the mantle I am assuming is one of the reasons why I decided to have the inauguration take place in the university Church of Our Lady of the Snows. I wanted to make it clear that we are continuing the work of our predecessors. Especially in today’s hectic geopolitical times, it is important to emphasise the existence of a stable institution with a four-hundred-and-fifty-year history which has maintained its same principles and ideals. The world around us is changing, but the university remains, and we should not forget our historical roots. They are part of the narrative which we at Palacký University are living and writing every day.

That’s the continuity you mentioned. But what is your conception for the future existence of Palacký University?

First, we must ensure that the university functions and continues further development. That may seem as obvious to some and that there’s nothing too complicated in that. But I perceive many risks: especially in the proper functioning of academic self-government. If we are not able or will not be able to effectively govern ourselves, then we are handing someone else the argument that there should be changes made.

This is a very hot political topic today, whether or not academic self-governance is proper. As an MP in Parliament, you must have certainly clocked the debates on this...

I often hear this when discussing the financing of universities. Universities are always asking for more money, arguing that they are underfunded. Of course it is legitimate to try to get more finances for development. But that is the view from inside the university. I feel it is also necessary to see how the outside world looks at us. And what they are looking at are our numbers and all the money that goes to us. Just to illustrate: as a year-on-year increase, the university received almost 10 million euros, and if you compare the roughly 1.25 million which we received in 2023 from contracted research, it is obvious that we are completely dependent on public funding. The money we earn is just a drop in the bucket of our total budget, which is in the tens of millions of euros. So then we should not be surprised that the authority who sends us the money wants us to budget it wisely and keep our house in order. There are relevant objections, and we have to show that we are capable of governing ourselves and that we are using the funds entrusted to us effectively.

We probably need to be much more aware of the reality in which we live. The Czech Republic is going to have to invest more into areas such as defence...

I have a realistic view on the economics of universities, it’s a topic I’ve done some serious thinking on. I’ve been a member of the parliamentary Budget Committee for four years, so let me mention that as a nation, we have a huge, systemic deficit, on the level of somewhere around 10 billion euros. Next year, spending will certainly increase in two key areas: defence and healthcare. Given that situation, I don’t think higher education can be a priority at present. And when someone sends us 10 million euros as a year-on-year increase, that is a very fine outcome. We are talking about money which we are not automatically entitled to.

Shouldn’t we be prepared in the event another year-on-year increase doesn’t happen, or even, as we have seen abroad, that our funding will be decreased?

I think our universities are not mentally prepared for that event. A few weeks back, I lectured at a university in Nebraska. Not a day goes by when their academic newsletter doesn’t have information from the president that the school will be losing ten million dollars here or twenty million there, and what the practical impacts will be. The situation can change here, too, and we will have to deal with it. We have to be prepared systematically, mentally, and search for alternatives. One of my goals for UP in my four-year term is to increase non-public funding sources, and if from public sources, then on the basis of contractual agreements, in a kind of civil law relationship.

Certainly not everyone in the ivory tower will be happy to hear we ought to also “raise” money.

Naturally, these opinions are not categorical. Some academics would consider it quite matter-of-fact, they already have established relationships outside the university, while others would say that such activities would take them away from their “pure” science. Okay, but that science is financed entirely by public funds. I would like the university to discuss this topic openly, because if we were to have a wider portfolio of funding sources, then we would be more resilient to outside influences.

In your opinion, do you think the mission of Palacký University should be transformed? Should we launch a technical faculty, for example?

I don’t agree with launching a new faculty in the next four years. I strongly believe we must first resolve the essential problems now facing us. The first is the relationship between CATRIN and the Faculty of Science. The second essential thing is the discomfort of students at one of our faculties. I’m talking about the Faculty of Health Sciences.

You mean that FHS does not have its own building, and that this has been a long-term problem?

Yes, we should go back and see what FHS was meant to be when it was established seventeen years ago. How many students should it have? Where should they be taught? I cannot fathom how one could found a new faculty and not think about how it would work in practice. The reality is that in some sections there are more students than seats. This is then the second problem we must resolve – to get this faculty working effectively. And unless if we have managed to resolve these two systemic issues, we are not in a situation within a four-year mandate to even think about founding a new, independent faculty. What we can do is give more support to the economic-managerial direction of studies which we already have, something also sought by the business sphere in both the Olomouc and the Moravian-Silesian regions.

So the first thing you want to do is get the essential things into working order?

I think that we ought to admit that some things are not working and then have a serious talk about how to fix them. The university should consider things more strategically – for example, big investments. It shouldn’t be business as usual that some areas are able to get a lot more money than others. This is a systemic problem. Only once we have determined our workloads, our classroom and laboratory capacities, etc., does it make sense to talk about new building construction. We lack such university-wide analyses. And once we do have them, we will know better how and where to expand.

Ideally, the university should be like a glass house: it should be clear to all what is going on inside, what the rules are, where it is going, and how and on what it spends the money entrusted to it.

With a touch of idealism, I would like agreements made on all of this. In my opinion, it’s about the mutual trust which should certainly prevail at the university, and which is necessary to renew, whether between various units or between employees. I would like to treat every faculty the same, to fairly devote equal time and space to each of them. It shouldn’t be the squeaky wheel getting the grease. For me, all faculties are equally important and significant.

You teach at the Faculty of Law. What do you like about working with students?

Teaching keeps me young. I’m always out there in front of young people and it’s thanks to them, actually, that I sometimes forget I’m advancing in years.

That’s Michael Kohajda the teacher. But how does Michael Kohajda the rector see students?

I would like the students to fully enjoy the university experience and for the university to give them enough space and opportunities to do so. In addition to interesting study programmes, we also have to offer them a good environment. For studies and for relaxation. For example, I really miss the old U-klub, where I went to many concerts and where students could also realise their own projects, etc. In recent years it has been partly turned into a storage area and no longer serves the student body. I’m not okay with that, although I know restoring it to its former glory won’t be easy. I also see a lack of athletic fields and study relaxation zones. I know that some will say: “We never had those, and we did just fine.” But the times and the standards have changed, and if we want the narrative which the students here live for five years to be not only theirs but also the university’s, we have to do something about it.

Working with alumni is built upon working with students. How do you see that?

I believe that we should strengthen our work with alumni so that they feel themselves to be part of the university community even after they finish school. I’m aware that much has already been done in this area, but it’s necessary that that work should be systematic. We ought to take advantage of modern tools. If we have an app for students which makes their studies easier, then it would be great if that tool wasn’t discarded after their studies are over. If we were able to shift it into “Alumni mode”, then it could be a means of keeping in touch with our alumni. It could offer them information according to their choices, for example from their faculties or fields of study, allowing us all to keep in mutual contact. This way that student university narrative I mentioned could keep being written as an alumni narrative. The university could profit by that, too. We would get so much necessary feedback in practice to find out how our alumni are doing in the job market, and we could even do alumni fundraising on a system-wide basis.

Perhaps we could take inspiration from the West, where universities have a good working relationship with donors, naming things after them. You have experienced that in the USA, haven’t you?

I saw a building named after a Supreme Court justice who died. His family wanted his legacy to live on, so they paid for the construction and the faculty named a new building wing after him. But universities there also know how to work with smaller donations. For example, renaming an auditorium after a company for a certain period of time. I think we are going to have that debate here as well. Do we need the money, or not? What can we offer, and where are the boundaries beyond which we do not want to go? Is it acceptable to name an auditorium after Michael Kohajda because he gives us a million a year for the privilege? I do think it is important for those who give us the money to know exactly where it is going. That they can decide if they want to support a specific faculty or a specific student. We don’t know how to do that at present.

That was Michael Kohajda the teacher and rector. What about Michael Kohajda the lawyer? You were good at maths, but you became a legal expert. Yet you have found a place where numbers and paragraphs meet. One of your areas of interest is cryptocurrency, something you even recently lectured on in the USA. What interests you about that?

It’s a new phenomenon, one which can even threaten a state’s sovereignty. Money and currency have always been an instrument of power for the sovereign – i.e. a ruler or the state. It’s not for nothing that we have laws to protect currencies. But once all money – in the ordinary meaning of the word – spills over into decentralised activities where the state has no control, then of course the state loses some of its power, and that has a direct impact on its economic policies. Let’s say for instance that you have a billion crowns in bitcoins. You do something for which you are legally liable to the tune of one million crowns. But you turn around and say you don’t have that kind of money, and the state does not know how to enforce the fine, which is a highly abnormal situation, because the state can take money from a normal bank account, even confiscate your house and sell it. The state does not know what to do about these new currencies, and then its power to enforce the law is quite limited. These are uncharted waters, and new legislation must be written, which interests me greatly.

You’re an academic, a lawyer, but you’ve always been engaged in the community, in local politics, and now even in parliament. What led you to take such an active role as a citizen?

It’s important. I was a town councillor for twelve years in Šumperk, and before that I was on various commissions. Taking an active part just seems natural to me. If someone has the opportunity and the abilities, they should do it. Not because of the money, but because you have the chance to make a difference in the place you live.

By the way, how do you relax? You’re a dog lover, aren’t you?

Yes, I like to go for walks with my Tibetan mastiff. He’s quite deliberate himself, so time permitting, we’ll go out together for several hours at a time. But I don’t take him to work, because he’s quite protective and wouldn’t let anyone get near me. I also go to animal shelters and rescue stations, bringing food donations. The animals there have often had quite tragic histories, so I try to help them a bit. Otherwise, I like to play squash, I go mountain biking, and I love downhill skiing. But actually, I don’t really have a great need for relaxation, I’m used to working hard. I’m lucky that in my work life, I can do what I like and what is fulfilling to me.

Michael Kohajda (b. 1981)

He completed his Master’s degree in Law and Legal Science at the UP Faculty of Law. He got his doctorate and habilitation in Financial Law from the Charles University Faculty of Law. He has been teaching at the UP Faculty of Law for almost twenty years. Since 2020 he has been a vice-dean, first for Doctoral Studies, Qualification Proceedings and Finances including investments, and later for External Relations and Investments.

His research and publication activities are concentrated on financial law, especially public budgets, taxation, banking, insurance, and capital markets. Since 2024, he has been the principal investigator of the Czech Science Foundation project Crypto Assets as a Threat to Sovereignty. He has had a number of research and teaching stays in Europe, the USA, and Australia. In addition to his work in academia, he also has a successful legal practice. In 2021 voters from the Olomouc Region chose him to be their representative in the Czech Parliament through preferential voting.

The NATO Science Technology Organization collaborative panels, one of the key advisory bodies of the alliance for defence research and innovation, met in May at Palacký University. The prestigious conference was hosted by the UP Faculty of Arts, which thus joined the ranks of selected European institutions that have had the opportunity to participate in the organisation of an international scientific meeting within the North Atlantic Alliance.

NATO SCI and SET panel meetings are usually held twice a year, and their organisation is taken care of by individual NATO member states in turn. Due to their number, the Czech Republic takes over the organisation approximately once every fifteen years. This year, an offer to hold the meeting outside the capital city was accepted, allowing the centre of international science diplomacy to move temporarily to Olomouc.

Commenting on the meeting, John-Mikal Størdal, Director of the NATO Collaboration Support Office (CSO), said, “Conferences such as this SCI and SET panel meeting provide valuable scientific topics and research initiatives that have a direct impact on the capability of the Alliance’s forces in terms of actual deployment. They contribute to strengthening NATO’s ability to counter potential threats and to meet its defence and security commitments.”

The meeting was attended by more than 100 representatives from NATO member countries, including top defence research experts, analysts, and international research structures representatives. “We value the Alliance and we are grateful for our membership, especially in these turbulent times. It should be noted that mainly defence researchers came to Olomouc. Palacký University scientists were thus given a unique opportunity to present their results at this forum, which was essentially closed to the public, and to apply for broad cooperation and further grant support. I am very glad that linguists representing my home Faculty of Arts could also actively participate,” said Jan Stejskal, UP Faculty of Arts Dean.

Discussions took place not only in the premises of the Faculty of Arts, but also in the Rector’s Office historic fresco conference room, the Archbishop’s Palace, and the Fort Science interactive centre. The conference programme was accompanied by educational and cultural activities.

Special thanks for their support – along with personal attendance – go to UP Rector Michael Kohajda and his predecessor Martin Procházka. “It is certainly a great honour for our university to participate in the organisation of an event where the Alliance’s advisory bodies representatives could meet, and I’d love to thank all my colleagues who contributed to the success of the event. At the same time, it was a great opportunity for us to present ourselves as a reliable partner for possible collaboration with the top international structures of the Alliance that is so crucial for freedom and security in the world,” added Rector Kohajda. The students and organisers from the Faculty of Arts, who gained valuable experience in organising an international meeting of this format, also played a significant role in making the event a resounding success.

Killing bacteria using light. That’s how simple surface disinfection could become in the future. That’s why scientists from EMPA (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology), CATRIN at Palacký University, and the Centre for Energy and Environmental Technologies (CEET) at VSB–TUO have begun developing a special coating whose antimicrobial effect can be activated by infrared light. This material is also gentle on the skin and environmentally friendly – and it could become a new weapon in the fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Its first practical use is currently being prepared in the field of dentistry. The results were published in the journal EcoMat.

A novel material that is eco-friendly, biocompatible, and metal-free is designed to rapidly and locally eliminate microorganisms. It is based on polyvinyl alcohol—a biocompatible plastic commonly used, for example, in the food industry. “A specially synthesized, nitrogen-enriched graphene acid has been incorporated into this matrix. Thanks to its chemical properties, it has significant antimicrobial potential. Its full effect is unleashed when exposed to near-infrared light. The material then employs a dual strategy: it converts light energy into heat, which kills bacteria, and at the same time generates oxygen radicals that disrupt the membranes of pathogens,” explained Radek Zbořil from CATRIN and CEET.

The advantage of this approach is that it works entirely differently from conventional antibiotics. The material thus protects against a wide spectrum of microorganisms without contributing to the development of resistance. “Our laboratory tests clearly confirmed the material’s effectiveness against both bacteria and viruses. Surfaces that frequently come into contact with infectious agents—such as door handles in hospitals or furnishing in operating theatres—are particularly well-suited for this innovation,” said Giacomo Reina from EMPA.

The first practical use of the new coating is being developed for dental medicine. EMPA is collaborating with the Center for Dental Medicine at the University of Zurich to develop a dental splint with firmly embedded graphene acid. Since near-infrared light penetrates several centimetres into tissue, the splint can be placed in the mouth, repeatedly activated by an external light source, and used to destroy microorganisms inside the oral cavity. Oral microflora is an especially tough opponent—complex bacterial communities hide in hard-to-reach niches, protected by layers of their own mucus. Antibiotics and conventional disinfectants struggle to penetrate these biofilms. This allows bacteria to damage teeth or even cause serious infections elsewhere in the body.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria and emerging viruses pose an increasingly serious threat to the global healthcare system. They are associated with approximately 5 million deaths annually, with the COVID-19 pandemic alone accounting for over 20 million fatalities. Scientists are therefore seeking new strategies to combat these pathogens. One of their goals is to prevent the spread of resistant bacteria and viruses through smart materials and technologies.

Several months ago, an Irish Corner was opened in the department library of the Department of English and American Studies, FF UP with the participation of the Irish ambassador Alan Gibbons, our former Rector Martin Procházka and additional representatives from our university, the city of Olomouc and the Olomouc Region. This cooperation with the only native English speaking country remaining in the European Union continued on May 24 with a concert of traditional Irish music by the Prague based band Conamara Chaos in Jazz Tibet Club in Olomouc.

Conamara Chaos is a folk band led by Doc. Radvan Markus, lecturer in Irish language and literature at Charles University. Doc. Markus has also been teaching the Irish language part-time at the Department of English and American Studies in Olomouc for over ten years. Apart from his academic pursuits, he is also a renowned translator (having received the Magnesia Litera award in 2017 for his translation from Irish to Czech of Máirtín Ó Cadhain novel Cré na Cille (Graveyard Clay in English, in Czech Hřbitovní hlína) and last but not least a talented musician. Doc. Markus plays the flute, the recorder, the Irish whistle and even the bouzouki. His wife, Jana Markusová plays the violin, Martin Jankovec the guitar and Ladislav Veselý the bodhrán. Vocals and the stand-up bass are provided by Svatka Hlávková Štěpánková. The name of the band makes reference to a region in the west of Ireland as well as to part of the planet Jupiter’s moon Europa. They recently released a CD entitled Anord consisting of a mix of traditional tunes and their own compositions. These, and other songs, were performed at the concert in Jazz Tibet. Further information about the band: www.conamarachaos.cz.

The concert was organised and sponsored by both the university and the city of Olomouc. From the university side, financial support was provided by the Rectorate, the Faculty of Arts and the Department of English and American Studies. Special thanks go out to Ms. Tereza Kalousková, from the International Department, for her assistance with the organisation. The City of Olomouc also provided financing and support and thanks once again go to the members of the Department of Foreign Relations, specifically Ms. Hana Ederová and her team. The Lord Mayor of Olomouc, Mr. Miroslav Žbánek, even attended the event and said a few words of support prior to the concert. There was a full audience, consisting of people of a range of nationalities and ages, for the approximate two hour show. Many of the adults and children danced through much of the performance. Our thanks also go out to Mr. Roman Fojtášek, the manager of the club, for his assistance with the organisation of the concert.

The evening was enjoyed by all, both audience and performers, and provided further proof of the rich connection between Ireland and Czechia. It will hopefully lead to further cooperation on the university, city and regional levels.

Scientists from the Joint Laboratory of Optics, a workplace of Palacký University Olomouc and the Institute of Physics at the Czech Academy of Sciences, are the first in the world to experimentally confirm the relation between the quantum state of uncertainty and quantum entanglement, theoretically predicted by physicists from Japan and Taiwan. The result of this scientific work, published in the prestigious journal Springer Nature, introduces a completely new perspective on the previously unknown implications of how nature functions at the quantum level.

“In quantum physics, there are very peculiar rules according to which, say, a measurement will affect the measured state and the result of a measurement can be random. So we never know in advance how our measurements will turn out. On the other hand, we do know that there is a phenomenon that is crucial for a number of applications in quantum physics, and that is quantum entanglement. Now what we have been able to discover is a fairly fundamental relation between the uncertainty inherent in quantum measurement and quantum entanglement. We have literally found an equation, or rather an inequality, that reveals a relation between these two fundamental concepts in quantum physics,” said Karel Lemr of the Joint Laboratory of Optics.

An experiment was carried out in the Olomouc laboratory in which physicists prepared special quantum entangled states of light. Using photon pairs, they created states upon which they then made measurements. The outcomes confirmed the validity of the theoretically predicted inequality.

“We have found and confirmed a new law of quantum physics. We have been able to validate the theoretical framework experimentally, which is a significant advance in fundamental research. It helps us better understand how the world around us works at the quantum level," added Antonín Černoch, who collaborated on the experiment.

Read the full article here.

The question of how to deal with an ageing workforce is becoming pressing, considering the demographic situation in developed countries. The challenges faced by employees who entered the labour market several decades ago are being addressed by experts within the international project COST Action LeverAge. The meeting, bringing together over a hundred researchers from this initiative, is currently being hosted by Palacký University.

“The ability to adapt to the ever-accelerating changes in the labour market is one of the greatest challenges we face,” says Dr. Hila Axelrad, a researcher at Reichman University in Israel and one of the conference participants.

What is your main area of research and scientific focus?

I am a senior scholar at the Aaron Institute for Economic Policy of Reichman University, Israel, which is a think tank dedicated to shaping socio-economic policies through impactful research and strategic initiatives. Specifically, my work explores issues such as age discrimination, employment and unemployment trends among older workers, retirement transitions, and workforce participation in later life.

What is your role within the COST Action LeverAge network?

I am an active member of two working groups within this network. One is focused on the multi-age workforce and its organization, and the other covers career development in later life, as well as retirement.

Over the past year, I’ve also been involved in several collaborative initiatives within the network, resulting in co-authoring a publication, contributing to a book chapter, and organizing a symposium at an international conference. The current meeting in Olomouc presents a valuable opportunity to reconnect with colleagues and further advance our shared research and project development.

Why is it important that such a large international and multidisciplinary group of experts is focusing on the issue of an ageing workforce?

Ageing populations pose a major economic and social challenge for many developed countries. A cross-national, interdisciplinary collaboration allows us to exchange diverse insights from different countries, evidence-based practices, and policy perspectives. It fosters knowledge transfer and joint learning that can help promote employment opportunities for older adults, combat age discrimination, and support inclusive and sustainable social policies.

What is the biggest challenge we will face in connection with the demographic situation and an ageing workforce?

One of the most pressing challenges is the need for older workers to adapt to a rapidly evolving labour market shaped by technological advancement and the rise of AI. Many of these workers entered the workforce decades ago, under very different conditions. Today, they must continuously update their skills and adapt to remain competitive and relevant in the labour market. This is not easy for many of them, and our work is to find ways to help them – from the perspective of employers, governments, and younger colleagues.

 

What are you most looking forward to during your stay in Olomouc?

Beyond experiencing the city, which I’ve heard is both beautiful and culturally rich, I am especially looking forward to meeting colleagues and friends, both old and new. I hope to deepen existing collaborations, initiate new ones, and engage in meaningful dialogue that will expand our shared knowledge and impact in the field. Especially after COVID, we truly appreciate every opportunity to meet in person.

Once again, Palacký University Olomouc wants to award its best teachers. The second year of the university-wide competition UP Teaching Awards has been announced, whereby students themselves can nominate their teachers. Nominations can be submitted until October this year. As in the first year, the award will have two categories based on the length of teaching experience. The best teachers can receive either the Junior Teaching Award if they have been teaching for less than five years, or the Senior Teaching Award if they have been teaching longer.

Last year’s pilot edition established a new tradition, aiming to acknowledge the educational efforts of individual teachers from various faculties. “What is crucial is the involvement of students in this competition. They are the ones who select the teachers they consider not only professionally accomplished but also innovative and inspiring. I believe their feedback is very important for all teachers as it motivates them in their further work,” said Jitka Petrová, Vice-Rector for Studies and Lifelong Learning.

To submit proposals, students use the university’s evaluation system, which they are familiar with. They are asked to employ five criteria to evaluate the selected teacher. They should consider, for example, whether the teacher is an expert in their field or innovative enough to master new technologies. Once the nominations have been concluded, the five teachers with the most votes in each category will move on to the next round of the competition. Subsequently, they will present themselves and their work to the UP Teaching Board with a prepared portfolio. The board will then select the winner in each category. Prizes for the most popular Palacký University teachers will be awarded in February 2026 at a ceremony during UP Academic Week.

More than eight hundred students participated in the first year, nominating three hundred teachers. The winners were two teachers from the Faculty of Education. I Kamil Kopecký from the Department of Czech Language and Literature won in the senior category, and Kateřina Valchářová from the Institute of Education and Social Studies won in the junior category.

“The very fact that I won was an immense surprise for me – I really did not expect that. After the competition results were announced, I was also surprised that other universities started to approach me with requests for lectures on how to teach and what is the key to engaging students. This is a question I often think about, and I actually think the number one key is that I really enjoy going to the class and seeing the students – and that I often find great inspiration in their views and opinions. It has also energised and reassured me that what I’m doing is meaningful and that students feel that their time, such a valuable resource, is not being wasted in my classes,” said Valchářová when asked about the importance of the award for her future work.

Through this competition, the university is also trying to highlight the importance of quality teaching. “The introduction of the annual process of awarding outstanding teaching activities is part of the Programme for the Support of Strategic Management of Higher Education Institutions for 2022–2025. The course of the competition can be followed on the Centre of Excellence in Education website and is regularly reported by the university media,” said Klára Tesaříková Čermáková, Head of the UP Continuing Education and Teaching Innovations Office, the guarantor of the competition.

The first year of the competition has been documented in detail here.

Digitalisation, artificial intelligence, and new technologies are fundamentally changing the way we live, work, and communicate. And so Palacký University Olomouc has now launched the new Digital Society, Social Innovation and Global Citizenship (DIGISOC) Master’s degree programme, jointly developed with the University of Innsbruck and University of Naples Federico II. It will provide students with key skills for the future via some of the best experts from the three universities in order to understand not only technology, but also its impact on society. Its accreditation was approved by the UP Internal Assessment Board at the end of April and applications are being accepted until the end of June.

The DIGISOC study programme responds to the growing need for professionals able to navigate the dynamically changing environment of the digital society. The study will be conducted entirely in English and in a hybrid format combining online learning with in-person classes in blocks. International mobility, internships, and summer schools are also part of the programme. Students will thus gain not only academic knowledge, but also valuable intercultural experience and the ability to work in international teams at universities, as well as in companies and other institutions.

At UP, the course will be held under the auspices of the Faculty of Law in cooperation with the Faculties of Science and Arts. Palacký University will be the guarantor of education in law (including international and digital law), social and economic geography, and media and communication, with the participation of the University of Naples Federico II. The latter will also provide education in sociology and social education. The University of Innsbruck will be responsible for digital humanities, IT, and digital platforms.

Emphasis will be placed on the development of critical thinking, interdisciplinary approaches, and the ability to use digital tools in the context of socially responsible innovation. Graduates may find employment in a variety of fields – from public administration and the non-profit sector to technology companies and international organisations.

“The study programme is one of the key outputs of the EURIDICE project. I am pleased that we have managed to achieve this milestone so that the first students can enrol this September. Another output of the project will be, for example, lifelong learning courses for academics and the public, which will be acknowledged with microcertificates,” says Markéta Šemberová, the Euridice project coordinator at UP.

The EURIDICE project, and thus the study programme, would not have been possible without the prior establishment of close cooperation in Aurora, the European university network. “We are thus fulfilling the European Commission’s intention for European universities to cooperate closely not only in science and research but also in education, for example in the form of joint study programmes. At the same time, we are applying for the prestigious European Degree Label certification, which ensures the recognition of diplomas in all EU countries and increases the competitiveness of graduates on the international labour market,” adds Michal Malacka, principal investigator of the EURIDICE project at UP.

Those interested in enrolling in the DIGISOC programme can look forward to classes led by experts from various European universities, access to current research, and the opportunity to become part of an active international community. Applications are open until the end of June, and online information sessions are also available. Further information is available here.