Newsletter for PhD students and Postdocs

JIC PhD Academy: From Research to Business

Are you a PhD student or a postdoc at a university in Brno? Do you have an interesting research project and want to explore how to bring it into the commercial sphere? Then don't wait and be sure to apply for the JIC PhD Academy! 
The JIC PhD Academy is designed for PhD students and postdocs who recognize the commercial potential of their research. Over seven engaging afternoon sessions, you’ll gain the knowledge and skills needed to turn your project into practice.

What to expect?

 Lectures – Learn how to transfer research into business
 Workshops – Apply practical skills directly to your project
 Mentoring – Get one-on-one consultations with experts to tackle challenges
 Networking – Connect with peers and special guests over informal discussions

Join us to learn, get inspired, and expand your network! Application deadline on March 4, 2025. More info in Czech.

When: March - June, 2025 (13:00 - 17:30)
Where: JIC INMEC, Purkyňova 127, Brno
Price: CZK 3000

The programme is conducted in Czech.

Science Communication & Outreach Course for PhD Students

Want to make your research engaging, accessible, and impactful? This course helps PhD students master the art of science communication—whether through writing, public speaking, or media engagement. Learn how to break down complex topics, captivate diverse audiences, and present your work with clarity and confidence. Through a mix of expert-led lectures and hands-on workshops, you’ll gain practical skills to elevate your science communication.

📅 March – May 2025

🔹 7.3. – Science Communication & Outreach (lecture)
🔹 14.3. – Popular Science Writing (workshop)
🔹 TBA – Science Communication in Teaching
🔹 4.4. – Data Visualization (workshop)
🔹 12.3., 31.3., 2.4. – Elevator Pitch (workshop, choose one date)
🔹 TBA – Teaching Scientific Terminology Through Popularization
🔹 TBA – Personal Experience in Science Communication (lecture & discussion)
🔹 May – Media & Press Training (workshop)

Registration for course (open until full capacity)
For more info contact Barbora Novotná

Female Empowerment in Academia – Online Training

Educational and Research Internships at the Von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics

The Von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics, a world-leading research centre in fluid mechanics based in Belgium, offers a variety of educational and research programmes for students in technical and natural sciences. These include:

• Specialized one-week lecture series
• Short training programmes
• PhD and postdoctoral programmes

Learn more on the VIK web.

Czech-Israeli Innovation Internship: A Unique Research Opportunity Abroad

Are you looking for a top-tier research experience abroad to enhance your skills? The Neuron Foundation and IOCB Tech Endowment Fund are launching a new round of the Czech-Israeli Innovation Internship, offering students a unique opportunity to intern in Israel. In contrast, Israeli students come to the Czech Republic. Participants will engage in research at leading Israeli institutions, gaining expertise and insights into innovation and science commercialisation. The programme is organised by Charles University’s First Faculty of Medicine and the Czech-Israeli Chamber of Commerce and is open to students at early PhD levels in all disciplines! The programme lasts up to two months, within the period from May to September 2025.

 Application deadline: March 10, 2025.
More info (in Czech). Apply now and broaden your research horizons!
The condition of the internship is Czech citizenship or permanent residence in the Czech Republic.

Neuron Prize for Promising Scientists - Open Call

Every year, the Neuron Foundation for the Promotion of Science announces the prestigious Neuron Prize for Early-stage Researchers, the "Neuron Prize for Promising Scientists".
The prize is awarded to Czech scientists (PhD degree max. 10 years before the date of the competition) for outstanding scientific achievements.
Taking into account the scientific achievements to date, their contribution, and the possibilities for further research. The award recognizes up to seven outstanding scientific talents across biology, computer science, physics, chemistry, mathematics, medicine, and social sciences. The prize laureates will receive a financial bonus of CZK 500,000. Nominations open on March 31, 2025. Find more info on Neuron website.

Women and Girls in Science 2025 Challenge

To celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science on February 11, the NATO Science and Technology Organization (STO) is launching a challenge for female university students and early career researchers up to 35 years of age. The goal is to inspire women to pursue STEM careers, highlight NATO’s support for women in science, and promote diversity and inclusion in the field. Proposals should aim to solve an existing issue or prevent the emergence of new threats. Each submission should address one of the following NATO Science & Technology (S&T) priorities: Deterrence, Energy, Climate, Space and Resilience. Up to 12 finalists will be selected to present their ideas in person at NATO Headquarters on June 6, 2025. More info.

🔹 For whom: Female PhD students and early career researchers up to 35 years of age
🔹 What: A short research proposal (max. 1,300 words) addressing one of NATO’s key S&T areas: (Deterrence, Energy, Climate, Space and Resilience)
🔹 When: Submission  deadline: March 11, 2025
🔹 Prize: The three winners will visit NATO’s Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE) in Italy in summer 2025!

Rudolf Lukeš Prize

The Rudolf Lukeš Prize recognizes elite scientists for outstanding original work in organic, bioorganic, and medicinal chemistry published in prestigious international journals over the past 5 years. It is awarded by the Czech Chemical Society's Organic, Bioorganic, and Pharmaceutical Chemistry Expert Group in cooperation with the Experientia Foundation. More Info here.

The prize includes the award of CZK 100,000 and a plenary lecture at the Advances in Organic, Bioorganic, and Pharmaceutical Chemistry conference. It is open to scientists of any age working at Czech institutions.

Applications sent (in English, as a PDF to lukes.award@csvts.cz) must include:

• 1-page CV
• Research report (max. three pages) summarizing key results from the last 5 years
• List of publications from the previous 5 years
• 5 significant publications (PDFs) with the nominee as corresponding author

Application deadline: March 31, 2025

24th International Workshop for Young Scientists BioPhys Spring 2025

You are cordially invited to the young scientists and PhD students to the 24th BioPhys Spring Conference 2025. The international conference/workshop focuses on natural sciences, energy, and the environment and will take place on May 29 – 30, 2025, at the Aula of the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague. The event is held under the patronage of the Minister of the Environment, Mgr. Petr Hladík, and the Rector of CZU, Prof. Ing. Petr Sklenička, CSc. Thanks to financial support from the Polish government, participation in the conference is free of charge. Deadline for registration and abstract submission on April 20, 2025. More info.

When: May 29 - 30, 2025
Where: Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Geographies of Creativity/Creative Geographies Conference

The RGS-IBG Annual International Conference attracts over 2,000 geographers worldwide. The 2025 conference, chaired by Professor Patricia Noxolo (University of Birmingham, UK), will focus on "Geographies of Creativity/Creative Geographies".

The conference will include:

• Journal-Sponsored Lectures: Showcasing cutting-edge geographical research.
• Author Meets Critics Panels & Book Launches: Authors present new works with expert discussions.
• Receptions and Socials: Networking opportunities for global geographers.
• Exhibitions: Displays of innovative geographical projects.
• Research Group AGMs: Updates and strategic discussions within research groups.

The conference offers a dynamic platform for sharing knowledge and fostering collaborations in geography and creativity. The deadline for submissions for the conference programme is on March 7, 2025. More info here.

When: August 26 - 29, 2025
Where: Birmingham, UK / Online

Return of Parents Back to Science: A Long-term Problem to Be Newly Addressed by Return Grants

Text: Lenka Kuběnová, Tereza Mašínová, Vladislava Vojtíšková

The Czech Science Foundation (GACR) will soon announce its regular grants. However, there will be a new one among them: Return Grants. These will allow scientists to restart their careers after they have been interrupted by parental leave or other care for a dependant. What specifics will these grants have, and what support will the research institutions provide to parents?

The return grants are a new extension of GACR's special-purpose support projects, which are one of the other ways in which GACR promotes the reconciliation of personal and scientific life, gender equality, and attempts to fill specific gaps in the basic research grant system in the Czech Republic, which results in an outflow of quality personnel outside the scientific environment.

"With the competition, we are responding to the shortcomings of the current Czech environment: while abroad, it is hard to imagine an institution that would allow its young talents to be lost to parenthood; in the Czech Republic, the situation was quite the opposite. Returning is usually very difficult for talented scientists, so they prefer to choose a different career path. This is, of course, a shame for Czech science, and it also widens the gap in opportunities between men and women," says the chairman emeritus Petr Baldrian, who designed the scheme, about the motivation for the GACR to prepare the return grants.

The material submitted by the Grant Agency to the government also cites unfavourable statistics: the Czech Republic has one of the highest gender employment gaps in the EU. In 2019, this gap was 15.8% in favour of women. The high gap in employment rates is mainly due to women's long absences from the labour market to care for children or other dependants. Another characteristic is the high difference in average wages between women and men. The Czech Republic has long been one of the worst EU countries in this indicator (in 2018, the gender pay gap was higher only in Estonia and Germany but has since decreased).

The first call for Returns Grants will be launched around mid-February 2025 alongside existing calls. What interest does GACR expect? "Considering the number of researchers requesting rescheduling of their next projects, we estimate that the number of submissions will be relatively high. I wouldn't like to talk about the number. Still, it could be in the lower dozens of projects, of which we will support 20-25," Petr Baldrian believes and estimates that the success rate of projects will be around 20% (for standard grants, the success rate is around 18%, for the JUNIOR STAR and EXPRO competitions it is around 10%). In his estimates, Petr Baldrian bases his forecasts on the informal response and the fact that GACR projects have, in his opinion, a tolerable level of administration, high flexibility, and decent prestige.

Whole Article in Czech.