Newsletter for PhD students and Postdocs

Last Call for Erasmus+ Short-term PhD application!

The applications are open till May 31, 2024, do not hesitate to apply!
Given the number of applications currently submitted, the chance of receiving a scholarship is very promising!
Check out for more info about the Erasmus+ Short-term PhD application.

Pay Attention to the Announcement of the Office for Doctoral Studies

We want to remind you of your student obligation to enrol for the next semester. Request for enrolment is done electronically in IS and you can do so in the period from May 28, 2024, through September 15, 2024. With that comes the responsibility to complete the Individual Study Plan, i.e., complete Feedback on Term Content for the Spring semester and complete Term Content for the Fall 2024 semester. Feedback for the Spring semester can be completed from May 1, 2024, through August 31, 2024, and Term Content for the following semester can be completed from June 1, 2024, through September 20, 2024.

👉All mentioned tasks are carried out in the IS system and are mandatory for all PhD students.

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The Česká Hlava Competition

The Česká hlava, a prestigious competition for Czech scientists and talented university students, announces a new call for the year 2024! The Doctorandus Prize for Natural Sciences is for the innovative approach, most outstanding achievement, and professional or scientific activity of a student of a doctoral study programme, especially in mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and medicine. The financial reward is CZK 50,000. Nominations should be sent with the relevant documentation to pazlerova@ceskahlava.cz. The nomination usually includes a description of the discovery or the candidate's professional or scientific work, including a description of the results achieved and a recommendation from experts or scientists on the significance and contribution of the candidate's work.
Proposals are submitted to the competition on behalf of the Rector, so please send the necessary materials to Jana Procházková, by June 10, 2024. The nomination must be approved by the Head of the Department and the Dean of the Faculty of Science. All information and requirements can be found on the competition web (in Czech).

Brno City Award

The Brno City Council annually awards the Brno City Award for a remarkable activity or project that has significantly enriched one or more areas of public life and contributed to strengthening the good name of city of Brno.
The open call is for the following fields: Technical Sciences, Science, Medical Sciences and Pharmacy. In these areas, only one prize per category in awarded yearly to an individual, a pair or a team. The winner will receive a financial donation from the Statutory City of Brno of CZK 20,000. The proposal must include the name of the candidate, the field in which the award is proposed in, a proper justification of the proposal, and the proposer's contact details. The proposal may be supplemented by other documents in an annex, which may complement the explanation of the proposal.

The Rector submits proposals on behalf of the University, so please send your proposals until July 30, 2024, to Jana Procházková. Detailed information and instructions for submitting a proposal can be found on the Brno City Statutory website (in Czech).

ENAI Academic Integrity PhD Summer School 2024

The summer school is co-organised with the Facing Academic Integrity Threats project (FAITH). The five-day summer school will take place from September 16 to 20, 2024, and each day will be divided into two parts. The morning sessions will run from 9:00 am to 12:30 and the afternoon sessions from 13:30 to 16:30. The aim of the sessions is to address 12 topics related to academic integrity which will cover both theoretical concepts and practical skills, in addition to interactive and collaborative discussions. In addition to lecturing, the experts are able to provide feedback to students about their research projects. Registration until: July 31, 2024 / Free of charge. Web

When: September 16 - 20, 2024
Where: Communication, Information, Media Centre (KIM), University of Konstanz, Germany

The 4th Synthesis in Drug Discovery and Development

The "4th Synthesis in Drug Discovery and Development - RSC BMCS" conference focuses on the importance of synthesis in drug discovery and development. Organised by the Biological and Medicinal Chemistry Branch of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC BMCS), this event brings together experts from academia and industry to discuss the latest discoveries, methodologies and barriers to creating new compounds for pharmaceutical purposes. These meetings provide an opportunity to exchange knowledge, network with colleagues and gain insight into the latest advances and trends in drug synthesis. Web

When: June 4 - 5, 2024
Where: Virtual (via ZOOM)

People who work in fields other than science usually don't understand why a scientist should have a "nomadic life" and should go on a "postdoc." You've been through this whole cycle. Do you think, in retrospect, that it was essential?

It’s undoubtedly the most efficient way to produce an excellent scientist. At the same time, it's the only way because nowadays, if you can't communicate internationally, you can't do science internationally. Many scientific topics are dealt with at the consortium level. This means that huge international projects are being set up, with many groups worldwide working on them, all with the same vision and a common goal. Everyone contributes their piece of expertise to achieve the goal. Another reason scientists have a nomadic life is that by working in different places and laboratories, they gain a lot of experience and become more independent and confident in communicating in a foreign language. I have been lucky to experience how it works in five research groups - Australia, Germany, America, and the Czech Republic. It varied in all of them, but it worked brilliantly in all of them. This experience is very enriching; you see different styles of functioning, different perspectives on the issue, and different ways of thinking.
Read whole article here.