Latest news from Charles University

Charles University is the biggest and the oldest university in Central Europe and as such doesn’t need much introduction. If you want to study at THE university, this is without doubt the most famous and traditional Czech school. What have they been up to lately?

Summer School of Slavic Studies

It’s the 65^th year the event takes place, this time from 22 July to 19 August. The Faculty of Arts welcomed 138 participants from 36 countries all over the world. The course consists of intensive language lessons in the morning and cultural and social activities in the afternoon. Did you know that studying at Czech state universities is free of charge if you’re able to attend lectures that are in Czech instead of English? See our article on learning Czech and studying for free.

A new educative centre

Didaktikon is a project that aims to create a unique centre at Hybernska for educating people of all ages. Its goal is to make a space for interdisciplinary connection between faculties and people living in Prague—especially primary and secondary students, colleges, parents, teachers, researchers and graduates.

An automatic Czech-Ukrainian translator

Scientists from the Institute of Formal and Applied Linguistics developed an automatic Czech-Ukrainian translator that’s free of charge and anyone can use it. The app was developed just a few weeks after the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a means to bridge the language barrier between Czech volunteers and the refugees. The app is also available at Google Play, search for Charles Translator for Ukraine.

Czech EU presidency debate

Since July 2022, the Czech Republic holds the presidency of the EU together with France and Sweden. There are lots of topics that will have to be covered and Charles University wants to help by organising six debates at Hybernska and inviting influential political figures. These debates are public so you’re free to participate.

E-shop for natural and synthetic compounds

Innovation Prague, which is a subsidiary of Charles University, launched an e-shop this June, one of its kind in the Czech Republic as well as abroad. They sell unique chemicals that were created at the university. Their aim is to find practical usage in a commercial sector for these special chemicals as well as earn money that could be used to fund further research.

An innovative chef is cooking for university canteens

Vladimír Palička is the chief of canteens that belong to Charles University and his goal is to bring university canteens closer to their diners. He wants to create a menu that’s both nutritious and delicious. In June, he and his team represented Charles University at the international championship of canteen cooking and performed amazingly. Palička is slowly finishing a pizza place at the Troya campus and is planning to open a pastry-shop as well as start producing his own sandwiches for vending machines at university premises.

Practical textbooks for students of medicine

Every year many foreign students enrol in various medical programmes and a lot of them decide to stay in Czechia even after they graduate. This requires to speak Czech, of course, but also the knowledge of our hospital environment and common practices. To help them with exactly that, two textbooks were published—Talking Medicine I and Talking Medicine II. Recently, in a reaction to the war in Ukraine, there’s a new textbook in the making—Лікуємо чеською.