stdClass Object ( [nazev] => University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague [adresa_url] => www.vscht.cz [api_hash] => [seo_desc] => [jazyk] => [jednojazycny] => [barva] => [indexace] => 1 [obrazek] => 0005~~Cwt29gjRTcsv0vV3BwA.jpg [ga_force] => [cookie_force] => [secureredirect] => [google_verification] => [ga_account] => [ga_domain] => [ga4_account] => [gtm_id] => GTM-MLPTFM [gt_code] => [kontrola_pred] => [omezeni] => 0 [pozadi1] => [pozadi2] => [pozadi3] => [pozadi4] => [pozadi5] => [robots] => [htmlheaders] => [newurl_domain] => 'www.vscht.cz' [newurl_jazyk] => 'en' [newurl_akce] => '[en]' [newurl_iduzel] => [newurl_path] => 1/4111/959 [newurl_path_link] => Odkaz na newurlCMS [iduzel] => 959 [platne_od] => 17.03.2020 10:06:00 [zmeneno_cas] => 17.03.2020 10:06:41.987473 [zmeneno_uzivatel_jmeno] => Jan Kříž [canonical_url] => [idvazba] => 1237 [cms_time] => 1716306114 [skupina_www] => Array ( ) [slovnik] => stdClass Object ( [logo] => [aktualizovano] => Updated [autor] => Author [drobecky] => You are here: UCT Prague [more_info] => More Information [paticka_adresa] => CONTACT
UCT Prague
Technická 5
166 28 Prague 6 – Dejvice
Identification No.: 60461373
VAT: CZ60461373
Copyright: UCT Prague
Information provided by the Department of Communication.
Sitemap [paticka_budova_1_nadpis] => NATIONAL LIBRARY OF TECHNOLOGY [paticka_budova_a_nadpis] => BUILDING A [paticka_budova_a_popis] => Rector, Department of Communication, Centre for Information Services [paticka_budova_b_nadpis] => BUILDING B [paticka_budova_b_popis] => Dean’s Offices: FCT, FET, FFBT, FCE, Department of Education, Computer Centre, Department of International Relations, Registrar [paticka_budova_c_nadpis] => BUILDING C [paticka_budova_c_popis] => UCT Prague Childcare Centre, General Practitioner [paticka_odkaz_mail] => mailto:info@vscht.cz [social_fb_odkaz] => https://www.facebook.com/vscht [social_fb_title] => Facebook - UCT Prague [social_tw_odkaz] => https://twitter.com/vscht [social_tw_title] => Twitter - UCT Prague [social_yt_odkaz] => https://www.youtube.com/user/VSCHTPraha [social_yt_title] => YouTube - UCT Prague [stahnout] => Download [top_login] => Sign In [top_search_placeholder] => Search... [paticka_budova_1_popis] => [paticka_budova_2_nadpis] => CAFÉ CARBON [paticka_budova_2_popis] => [zobrazit_kalendar] => Read Calendar [logo_href] => / [google_search] => 001523547858480163194:u-cbn29rzve [adresa_url] => [archiv_novinek] => News Archive [submenu_novinky_rok_title] => Read News from All Year [paticka_mapa_alt] => [zobrazit_vice_kalendar] => More → [den_kratky_2] => Tue [den_kratky_5] => Fri [den_kratky_3] => Wed [novinky_kategorie_1] => UCT Events [novinky_kategorie_2] => Important Dates [novinky_kategorie_3] => Student Events [novinky_kategorie_4] => Fun [novinky_kategorie_5] => Science [novinky_archiv_url] => /news [novinky_servis_archiv_rok] => Annual Archive [novinky_servis_nadpis] => News Settings [novinky_dalsi] => More News [novinky_archiv] => News Archive [den_kratky_4] => Thurs [intranet_odkaz] => https://intranet.vscht.cz/ [intranet_text] => Intranet [den_kratky_1] => Mon [logo_mobile_href] => / [logo_mobile] => [mobile_over_nadpis_menu] => Menu [mobile_over_nadpis_search] => Search [mobile_over_nadpis_jazyky] => Languages [mobile_over_nadpis_login] => Login [menu_home] => Homepage [zobraz_desktop_verzi] => switch to desktop version [zobraz_mobilni_verzi] => switch to mobile version [den_kratky_0] => Sun [paticka_mapa_odkaz] => /contact/campus-and-directions [den_kratky_6] => Sat [nepodporovany_prohlizec] => For full access, please use different browser. [dokumenty_kod] => Code [dokumenty_nazev] => Name [dokumenty_platne_od] => Valid from [dokumenty_platne_do] => Expiration [preloader] => Please wait... [novinka_publikovano] => Published: [novinka_datum_konani] => Date of event: [novinky_kategorie_7] => [novinky_servis_kategorie_vse] => vše [novinky_servis_archiv_submit] => Filtrovat [novinky_filtered_empty] => Pri zvolenem filtru, v teto kategorii nejsou zadne aktualne platne aktuality... [social_in_odkaz] => https://www.instagram.com/vschtpraha [social_in_title] => Instagram - UCT Prague [hledani_nadpis] => Search [hledani_nenalezeno] => Not found [hledani_vyhledat_google] => Search with Google [social_li_odkaz] => ) [poduzel] => stdClass Object ( [1016] => stdClass Object ( [obsah] => [poduzel] => stdClass Object ( [1614] => stdClass Object ( [obsah] => [iduzel] => 1614 [canonical_url] => //www.vscht.cz [skupina_www] => Array ( ) [url] => [sablona] => stdClass Object ( [class] => [html] => [css] => [js] => [autonomni] => ) ) [1612] => stdClass Object ( [obsah] => [iduzel] => 1612 [canonical_url] => //www.vscht.cz [skupina_www] => Array ( ) [url] => [sablona] => stdClass Object ( [class] => [html] => [css] => [js] => [autonomni] => ) ) [1613] => stdClass Object ( [obsah] => [iduzel] => 1613 [canonical_url] => //www.vscht.cz [skupina_www] => Array ( ) [url] => [sablona] => stdClass Object ( [class] => [html] => [css] => [js] => [autonomni] => ) ) ) [iduzel] => 1016 [canonical_url] => [skupina_www] => Array ( ) [url] => [sablona] => stdClass Object ( [class] => [html] => [css] => [js] => [autonomni] => ) ) [1017] => stdClass Object ( [obsah] => [poduzel] => stdClass Object ( [1579] => stdClass Object ( [nazev] => Homepage [seo_title] => Homepage [seo_desc] => University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague [autor] => [autor_email] => [obsah] => [urlnadstranka] => [ogobrazek] => [pozadi] => [iduzel] => 1579 [canonical_url] => [skupina_www] => Array ( ) [url] => /home [sablona] => stdClass Object ( [class] => stranka_novinky [html] => [css] => [js] => [autonomni] => 1 ) ) [2409] => stdClass Object ( [nazev] => The University of Chemistry and Technology Prague [seo_title] => About [seo_desc] => Basic information about University of Chemistry and Technology Prague [autor] => [autor_email] => [obsah] =>The University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague is a natural centre of first-rate study and research in the area of chemistry in Czechia and is one of the country's largest educational and research institutions focused on technical chemistry, chemical and biochemical technologies, material and chemical engineering, food chemistry, and environmental studies.
UCT Prague - A challenge that pays off
[urlnadstranka] => [ogobrazek] => [pozadi] => [iduzel] => 2409 [canonical_url] => [skupina_www] => Array ( ) [url] => /about-us [sablona] => stdClass Object ( [class] => stranka_submenu [html] => [css] => [js] => [autonomni] => 1 ) ) [12965] => stdClass Object ( [nazev] => Faculties and Departments [seo_title] => Faculties and Departments [seo_desc] => Faculties and Departments UCT Prague University of Chemistry and Technology Prague [autor] => [autor_email] => [perex] =>
The University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague consists of four faculties and several other departments
[ikona] => ukazatel [obrazek] => [ogobrazek] => [pozadi] => [obsah] =>Faculty of Chemical Technology
Faculty of Environmental Technology
Faculty of Food and Biochemical Technology
Faculty of Chemical Engineering
402 Department of Analytical Chemistry | ||
403 Department of Physical Chemistry | ||
409 Department of Chemical Engineering | ||
413 Department of Mathematics (replaced by 446) | ||
444 Department of Physics and Measurements | ||
445 Department of Computing and Control Engineering (replaced by 446) | ||
446 Department of Mathematics, Informatics and Cybernetics | ||
453 Dean’s Office of Faculty of Chemical Engineering |
University Research and Education Centres
504 University Centre UCT Prague - Unipetrol | ||
550 Department of the National Institute of Virology and Bacteriology (NIVB) | ||
554 Department for the History of the Chemical Industry and Applied Chemistry | ||
557 BIOMEDREG | ||
558 Metrology and Testing Laboratory | ||
559 Prague University Analytical Center | ||
560 BAFA | ||
570 Technoparc Kralupy UCT Prague |
The Administration of University Facilities
712 Director´s Office | ||
713 Finance Department | ||
721 Operating Department | ||
723 Sázava Dormitory | ||
724 Volha Dormitory | ||
731 Technical Department | ||
747 Conference Center | ||
748 Recreation facility Jáchymov | ||
749 Recreation facility Pec p. Sněžkou | ||
755 Volha Canteen | ||
756 Club Carbon | ||
757 Zikova Canteen | ||
758 Camping site Běstvina |
Service Departments for all UCT Prague Faculties
827 Department of Physical Education and Sport | ||
832 Department of Chemical Education and Humanities | ||
834 Department of Languages | ||
837 Department of Economics and Management |
Rector's Offices
929 General Practitioner | ||
930 Crèche Zkumavka | ||
938 Department of Internal Auditing | ||
939 Department of Supervision | ||
940 Counselling and Career Centre | ||
955 Project Centre | ||
961 Rector's Secretariat | ||
962 Registrar's Secretariat | ||
963 Department of Education | ||
965 Research and Technology Transfer Office | ||
966 Personnel Department | ||
968 Records Office | ||
969 Supplies Department | ||
971 Finance Department | ||
972 Department of Safety and Risk Prevention | ||
974 Department of International Relations | ||
976 Department of Construction and Maintenance | ||
977 Department of Building Administration | ||
979 Department of Communication | ||
980 Central Laboratories | ||
990 Computer Centre | ||
991 Department of Strategic Planning | ||
992 Hollow Glass Workrooms | ||
994 Technology Transfer Office | ||
995 Department of Operation and Technical Services | ||
996 Department of Public Order | ||
997 Centre for Information Services UCT Library UCT Press |
||
998 Vice-Rector's without Portfolio Office |
UCT Prague is a research university primarily focused on technical chemistry, chemical and biochemical technologies, material and chemical engineering, food science, and environmental science. Its cutting-edge facilities and equipment together, with an impressive scientific and research profile, make it an ideal training ground for the managerial, R&D, and public sector leaders of the future.
UCT Prague has four faculties. Its competitive edge lies in its unique “weaving together” of teaching activities with the highest-quality basic and applied research. Across UCT Prague, scientific teams are intensively involved in various national and international cooperative R&D efforts. The Project Centre provides methodological and administrative support to researchers submitting project applications and managing funded projects.
UCT Prague considers the commercialisation of applied research to be an important part of its mission. For that reason, UCT Prague’ss Research and Technology Transfer Office offers researchers support, contributing to extending valourisation of scientific outputs and pursuing the quest for new collaborative partners in applied settings. In 2015, UCT Prague opened Technopark Kralupy, a science and technology hub focused on chemistry for building construction applications, materials engineering, and related fields. The Technopark plays an essential role in UCT Prague’s technology transfer efforts and strategies.
The Research and Technology Transfer Office facilitates internal grants for researchers and students, offers opportunities to compete in prestigious research competitions, and promotes active engagement and participation in student conferences.
UCT Prague is an attractive institution for young scientists and early career researchers, and the Project Centre actively supports hosting and mentoring ECRs, e.g. as part of Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. Here, ECRs can apply for a prestigious start-up grant, the Dagmar Procházková Fund, in order to create their own UCT Prague research groups. Postdoctoral fellows at UCT Prague receive extensive international mobility support for broadening their research horizons.
UCT Prague is actively involved in global scientific efforts and is continuously expanding and deepening its collaborations with partners around the world. The basic pillars of these activities include scientific research projects, inter-university cooperation memoranda, and Erasmus+ agreements. UCT Prague additionally creates and accredits joint study programmes with universities abroad.
Paving the way for the European Commission’s HR Excellence in Research Award, UCT Prague is committed to creating collegial working conditions, supporting continuous professional development, and transparent hiring procedures. The Personnel Department co-creates facilities for employees together with the Welcome Centre, which supports employees arriving from abroad, from assisting with the visa process to answering questions about everyday life in Prague. In its determination to be an attractive and welcoming institution for all employees and students, UCT Prague has created a Gender Equality Plan, an executive action initiative.
[urlnadstranka] => [iduzel] => 2403 [canonical_url] => [skupina_www] => Array ( ) [url] => /research [sablona] => stdClass Object ( [class] => stranka_submenu [html] => [css] => [js] => [autonomni] => 1 ) ) [5649] => stdClass Object ( [nazev] => Cooperation [seo_title] => Cooperation [seo_desc] => [autor] => [autor_email] => [perex] =>UCT Prague has a long tradition of collaborative and cooperative activities, across technological sectors, with other institutions and laboratories, secondary schools, and industrial and international partners - nearly seventy percent of which are located beyond the boundaries of the Czech capital.
[ikona] => molekula [obrazek] => [ogobrazek] => [pozadi] => [obsah] => [urlnadstranka] => [iduzel] => 5649 [canonical_url] => [skupina_www] => Array ( ) [url] => /cooperation [sablona] => stdClass Object ( [class] => stranka_submenu [html] => [css] => [js] => [autonomni] => 1 ) ) [59365] => stdClass Object ( [nazev] => [seo_title] => Career [seo_desc] => [autor] => [autor_email] => [obsah] => [urlnadstranka] => [ogobrazek] => [pozadi] => [iduzel] => 59365 [canonical_url] => [skupina_www] => Array ( ) [url] => /career [sablona] => stdClass Object ( [class] => boxy [html] => [css] => [js] => $(function() { setInterval(function () { $('*[data-countdown]').each(function() { CountDownIt('#'+$(this).attr("id")); }); },1000); setInterval(function () { $('.homebox_slider:not(.stop)').each(function () { slide($(this),true); }); },5000); }); function CountDownIt(selector) { var el=$(selector);foo = new Date; var unixtime = el.attr('data-countdown')*1-parseInt(foo.getTime() / 1000); if(unixtime<0) unixtime=0; var dnu = 1*parseInt(unixtime / (3600*24)); unixtime=unixtime-(dnu*(3600*24)); var hodin = 1*parseInt(unixtime / (3600)); unixtime=unixtime-(hodin*(3600)); var minut = 1*parseInt(unixtime / (60)); unixtime=unixtime-(minut*(60)); if(unixtime<10) {unixtime='0'+unixtime;} if(dnu<10) {unixtime='0'+dnu;} if(hodin<10) {unixtime='0'+hodin;} if(minut<10) {unixtime='0'+minut;} el.html(dnu+':'+hodin+':'+minut+':'+unixtime); } function slide(el,vlevo) { if(el.length<1) return false; var leva=el.find('.content').position().left; var sirka=el.width(); var pocet=el.find('.content .homebox').length-1; var cislo=leva/sirka*-1; if(vlevo) { if(cislo+1>pocet) cislo=0; else cislo++; } else { if(cislo==0) cislo=pocet-1; else cislo--; } el.find('.content').animate({'left':-1*cislo*sirka}); el.find('.slider_puntiky a').removeClass('selected'); el.find('.slider_puntiky a.puntik'+cislo).addClass('selected'); return false; } function slideTo(el,cislo) { if(el.length<1) return false; var sirka=el.width(); var pocet=el.find('.content .homebox').length-1; if(cislo<0 || cislo>pocet) return false; el.find('.content').animate({'left':-1*cislo*sirka}); el.find('.slider_puntiky a').removeClass('selected'); el.find('.slider_puntiky a.puntik'+cislo).addClass('selected'); return false; } [autonomni] => 1 ) ) [13885] => stdClass Object ( [nazev] => Press and Media [seo_title] => Press and Media [seo_desc] => Press and Media UCT Prague University of Chemistry and Technology Prague [autor] => [autor_email] => [perex] => [ikona] => [obrazek] => [ogobrazek] => [pozadi] => [obsah] =>Contact for media
Feel free to contact Department of Comunication with any inquiry. The department will provide contact on University scientific staff.
Main contact person
L Mgr. Michal Janovský
b Michal.Janovsky@vscht.cz
e + 420 220 444 159
e + 420 733 690 543
- Room: A205a
Deputy contact person
D Mgr. Jan Kříž
b Jan2.Kriz@vscht.cz
e +420 220 443 799
: +420 728 831 726
- Room A318
Whole team of Department of Comunication
Press releases
- 3. 2. 2024 DETECT! (Deep Tech Creativity) successfully completed the first phase of project activities
- 13. 2. 2024 Hydrogen Academy: a new milestone in clean energy education
- 17. 1. 2024 Jitka Čejková's successful book recently released by prestigious U.S. publisher
- 30. 11. 2023 Material genetics will be pursued by the AMULET project, which succeeded in the Excellent Research Call
- 19. 9. 2023 The Prague Dejvice concept to be completed after 100 years
- 5. 9. 2023 UCT Prague co-founds Prague.bio with goal of connecting research and business sectors
- 1. 9. 2023 Faculty of Environmental Technology celebrates its 70th birthday
- 27. 8. 2023 Prague hosted world’s leaders in catalysis
- 8. 6. 2023 UCT Prague to lead on a new project for boosting innovation and entrepreneurship through deep tech
You can find older press releases in archive.
[urlnadstranka] => [iduzel] => 13885 [canonical_url] => [skupina_www] => Array ( ) [url] => /press [sablona] => stdClass Object ( [class] => stranka_submenu [html] => [css] => [js] => [autonomni] => 1 ) ) [64884] => stdClass Object ( [nazev] => Alumni of UCT Prague [seo_title] => Alumni of UCT Prague [seo_desc] => [autor] => [autor_email] => [perex] =>This webpage is intended for graduates of UCT Prague. Here you can register in the Alumni database, view defended theses or get copies of your lost or destroyed documents about your studies.
[ikona] => [obrazek] => [ogobrazek] => [pozadi] => [obsah] =>
Counselling and Career Centre UCT Prague
We offer students and graduates counselling, psychological counselling, soft skills workshops and job offers.
Alumni Club
The Alumni Club of the UCT Prague, brings together alumni and friends of the University. It strives to create a mutual communication platform between the school, alumni and current students. The club offers alumni meetings and lectures by successful alumni.
[urlnadstranka] => [iduzel] => 64884 [canonical_url] => [skupina_www] => Array ( ) [url] => /alumni [sablona] => stdClass Object ( [class] => stranka_ikona [html] => [css] => [js] => [autonomni] => 1 ) ) [72595] => stdClass Object ( [nazev] => Contact [seo_title] => Contact [seo_desc] => Overview of contacts on University of Chemistry and Technology Prague. [autor] => [autor_email] => [perex] => [ikona] => [obrazek] => [ogobrazek] => [pozadi] => [obsah] => [urlnadstranka] => [iduzel] => 72595 [canonical_url] => [skupina_www] => Array ( ) [url] => /contact [sablona] => stdClass Object ( [class] => boxy [html] => [css] => [js] => $(function() { setInterval(function () { $('*[data-countdown]').each(function() { CountDownIt('#'+$(this).attr("id")); }); },1000); setInterval(function () { $('.homebox_slider:not(.stop)').each(function () { slide($(this),true); }); },5000); }); function CountDownIt(selector) { var el=$(selector);foo = new Date; var unixtime = el.attr('data-countdown')*1-parseInt(foo.getTime() / 1000); if(unixtime<0) unixtime=0; var dnu = 1*parseInt(unixtime / (3600*24)); unixtime=unixtime-(dnu*(3600*24)); var hodin = 1*parseInt(unixtime / (3600)); unixtime=unixtime-(hodin*(3600)); var minut = 1*parseInt(unixtime / (60)); unixtime=unixtime-(minut*(60)); if(unixtime<10) {unixtime='0'+unixtime;} if(dnu<10) {unixtime='0'+dnu;} if(hodin<10) {unixtime='0'+hodin;} if(minut<10) {unixtime='0'+minut;} el.html(dnu+':'+hodin+':'+minut+':'+unixtime); } function slide(el,vlevo) { if(el.length<1) return false; var leva=el.find('.content').position().left; var sirka=el.width(); var pocet=el.find('.content .homebox').length-1; var cislo=leva/sirka*-1; if(vlevo) { if(cislo+1>pocet) cislo=0; else cislo++; } else { if(cislo==0) cislo=pocet-1; else cislo--; } el.find('.content').animate({'left':-1*cislo*sirka}); el.find('.slider_puntiky a').removeClass('selected'); el.find('.slider_puntiky a.puntik'+cislo).addClass('selected'); return false; } function slideTo(el,cislo) { if(el.length<1) return false; var sirka=el.width(); var pocet=el.find('.content .homebox').length-1; if(cislo<0 || cislo>pocet) return false; el.find('.content').animate({'left':-1*cislo*sirka}); el.find('.slider_puntiky a').removeClass('selected'); el.find('.slider_puntiky a.puntik'+cislo).addClass('selected'); return false; } [autonomni] => 1 ) ) [73531] => stdClass Object ( [obsah] => [iduzel] => 73531 [canonical_url] => [skupina_www] => Array ( ) [url] => [sablona] => stdClass Object ( [class] => [html] => [css] => [js] => [autonomni] => ) ) [13665] => stdClass Object ( [nazev] => [seo_title] => Sitemap [seo_desc] => [autor] => [autor_email] => [obsah] => [iduzel] => 13665 [canonical_url] => //www.vscht.cz/sitemap-en [skupina_www] => Array ( ) [url] => /sitemap-en [sablona] => stdClass Object ( [class] => sitemap [html] => [css] => [js] => [autonomni] => 1 ) ) [24134] => stdClass Object ( [obsah] => [iduzel] => 24134 [canonical_url] => [skupina_www] => Array ( ) [url] => [sablona] => stdClass Object ( [class] => [html] => [css] => [js] => [autonomni] => ) ) ) [iduzel] => 1017 [canonical_url] => [skupina_www] => Array ( ) [url] => [sablona] => stdClass Object ( [class] => [html] => [css] => [js] => [autonomni] => ) ) [519] => stdClass Object ( [nadpis] => [data] => [poduzel] => stdClass Object ( [61411] => stdClass Object ( [nadpis] => [apiurl] => https://studuj-api.cis.vscht.cz/cms/?weburl=/sis [urlwildcard] => cis-path [iduzel] => 61411 [canonical_url] => [skupina_www] => Array ( ) [url] => /sis [sablona] => stdClass Object ( [class] => api_html [html] => [css] => [js] => [autonomni] => 1 ) ) ) [iduzel] => 519 [canonical_url] => [skupina_www] => Array ( ) [url] => [sablona] => stdClass Object ( [class] => [html] => [css] => [js] => [autonomni] => ) ) ) [sablona] => stdClass Object ( [class] => web [html] => [css] => [js] => [autonomni] => 1 ) [api_suffix] => )
DATA
stdClass Object ( [nazev] => More than half a million crowns for the Ukrainian scientists in Kovaříček’s Research Group [seo_title] => More than half a million crowns for the Ukrainian scientists in Kovaříček’s Research Group [seo_desc] => [autor] => Experientia Foundation [autor_email] => [perex] =>Immediately after the Russian invasion of the Ukraine in February 2022, Petr Kovaříček, recipient of a 2021-2023 Experientia Foundation Start-Up Grant, offered, via social networks, that he would employ female Ukrainian scientists prevented from conducting research at home in his UCT Prague research group. “I knew I had no influence on diplomacy. But what I could do as a scientist was to quickly open positions for refugee scientists, considering especially the situation of Ukrainian female colleagues with children. It was a very spontaneous decision,” explains Kovaříček.
[ikona] => [obrazek] => 0002~~y84vSyzKTE7N1i3OLi3IzEs0MjAyAgA.jpg [ogobrazek] => [pozadi] => [obsah] =>Two Ukrainian researchers took advantage of his offer. Through social networks, Petr was first contacted by a young scientist, a doctoral candidate at Karazin University in Kharkiv, Anna Heleveria (left front in the laboratory picture), who was conducting research in organic synthesis. “Anna fled the war together with her six-year-old daughter, and they completed a rather dramatic journey. They travelled by train from Kharkov with fifteen other people in one compartment with darkened windows so as not to be a target for snipers. Due to the impassability of the crossings in Przemyśl and Užhorod, they ended up going through Hungary, and after four days (!) of travelling, both finally arrived safely in Prague. There I picked them up at the station and escorted them to the UCT Prague dormitories,” says Kovaříček. “A big thanks goes to UCT Prague, especially to the Department of International Relations and the Personnel Department and The Administration of University Facilities, who arranged all the formalities and administrative details incredibly flexibly,” he adds. “Thanks to their great support, Anna was able to start working in our group right away in March 2022, on a project that combines her expertise from Kharkiv with our focus on surfaces and catalysis, which was a completely new topic for her. Anna is a strong fighter with a cheerful soul and a friendly nature and she quickly fit into our team. And I think that concentrating on a new demanding work task helped her to at least partially displace thoughts about the fact that her husband and the father of her daughter remained in Kharkiv,” explains Kovaříček.
Subsequently, Kovaříček was contacted by another young scientist, namely Daria Artemieva, a student of biotechnology from the National University of Food Technologies in Kyiv (front right in the laboratory picture). “Daria contacted me from a gym in Karlovy Vary, where she ended up with her family because the Assistance Centre for Refugees from Ukraine in Prague could no longer keep up. Thanks to UCT Prague’s great support, Daria was also able to resume research in April 2022,” says Kovaříček. “We involved her in a joint project with Dr. Marko Cebecauer’s team at the Czech Academy of Science’s Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry, were we develop the functionalization of microscopic glass for the study of specific cell interactions. For Daria, it was a thematic leap, from stem cells to the surface chemistry of glass, which she managed smoothly and at the same time, she fit in perfectly with the team,” says Kovaříček.
The Experientia Foundation, which had, from the very beginning, followed the story of the two Ukrainian scientists thanks to Kovaříček, offered right away in early March 2022 to support the scientists with an extraordinary foundation contribution, increasing the grant amount. “Since the beginning of the invasion, we had been discussing with the whole Foundation team possibilities for how our foundation could meaningfully support the Ukraine. We therefore greatly appreciated Petr’s initiative in opening positions for female Ukrainian scientists. When he, as an Experientia Foundation Start-Up Grant holder, employed young Ukrainian scientists, it only seemed right to us to support his group’s activities beyond the scope of his grant, i.e. he did not have to change his planned budget, but only to increase it with new funded positions,” the founders of the Experientia Foundation, Hana and Dalimil Dvořák, explain. In the end, the Foundation allocated more than half a million crowns to support the Ukrainian scientists working in the Kovaříček Group.
“I greatly appreciate the extraordinary support that the Experientia Foundation gave us to welcome Anna and Daria into the group, thus avoiding drastic cuts in material and other costs. It also means a lot to me personally, knowing that solidarity and willingness to help are still in us and our society even after two difficult COVID years,” says Kovaříček, emphasizing that his group gained two amazing scientists thanks to this initiative, even though Daria stayed just a few months. “Daria’s alma mater resumed part of its instructional activities in August in Poland, and in September, Daria decided to return to Kyiv and complete her studies there. We wish her luck and courage in the future, which she will still need,” says Kovaříček. Anna Heleveria, on the other hand, decided to stay in Prague and she has currently enrolled in a Czech doctoral programme. “We expect that she will complete her doctorate here at UCT Prague, since her laboratory and university in Kharkiv have been completely destroyed. In her doctoral research, we are trying to overturn the generally accepted paradigm about the role of certain reactions in surface functionalizations and their subsequent use for catalysis, optoelectronics, and sensors,” adds Kovaříček.
The Kovaříček Group at UCT Prague, with its Experientia Foundation grant, is doing very well. “We received a Junior STAR grant from the Czech Science Foundation, and thanks to this, we were able to expand the team to 14 scientists, from the Bachelor level to postdocs, including several Erasmus+ students. Most importantly, our chemistry works: we have developed two new organocatalytic systems on our own, we have a photosensitive system that self-assembles by the effect of light, and we are writing the first two separate publications. I am happy that everything is finally starting to go well after COVID,” rejoices Kovaříček. “None of this would have happened without the start-up grant.” adding: “From my personal experience, I would like to emphasize that the grant really functions like a ‘start-up’—you start and it takes you to the next level. It is the best possible way to begin your independent scientific career.”
- Read more about the Kovaříček Group