JANUARY 2021
Ostrava has begun accepting applications for immediate financial support to small businesses
The support scheme is targeted at small businesses operating within the city which have had to close as a result of the government measures introduced on 27 December to restrict the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Applicants must meet the required conditions to receive the funding.
Businesses can apply for this one-off payment of 20 000 CZK by using a simple online form at https://pomoc.ostrava.cz/. After completing the form, they need to upload a copy of their identity card, print out the form, sign it, scan it, and upload it to send.
Like last year’s scheme, the 2021 scheme uses a tried-and-tested, reliable and user-friendly online form developed free of charge for the city by IT experts from TietoEVRY and the city’s own internet provider Ovanet.
Complete information about the scheme and how to apply is available at www.ostrava.cz/pomoc-podnikatelum.
NOTE:
For English-speaking entrepreneurs: at Ostrava Expat Centre they will be happy to help you fill out the application. You can contact them at:
✉️ info@ostravaexpat.eu,
✉️ via Messenger,
✉️ during opening hours at Českobratrská street 1888/14.
Municipal Studio for Urban Planning and Architecture is working on a programme to revitalize Ostrava’s longest street
28. října Street and Opavská Street, which together form Ostrava’s longest urban artery, connect two strategic parts of the city – the historic centre and Poruba, one of the largest municipal districts. One of the long-term goals of Ostrava’s Municipal Studio for Urban Planning and Architecture (MAPPA) is to devise a strategic solution for this street, which currently runs through or past a number of vacant areas.
To strengthen the role of this key transport artery, MAPPA is proposing several actions (some relatively simple, others requiring more time and funding) which will help transform the 12 kilometre-long street into a zone that is a pleasant place to move through and spend time. The plans include projects to facilitate cycling (without the need for structural alterations), to improve the appearance of selected public spaces, to remove barriers to movement, and to deal with inappropriate and ugly advertising (known as “visual smog”). The more demanding key activities to be coordinated by MAPPA include new buildings on current vacant land and coordinated management of green areas.
MAPPA publishes more information about its planned activities via its social media sites (CZ).
Source (only in Czech)
Ostrava’s skyscraper project moves into its next phase
The unique site in the centre of Ostrava known as “the Teardrop” (between the Karolina shopping mall and 28. října St.) was sold by the City last year to an Ostrava-based company that plans to build a commercial and office complex including a hotel and apartments.
RT Torax met the stipulated conditions for the sale and also presented an attractive and unexpected solution for the site. The investor will build a skyscraper complex with two towers – one with a hotel and apartments (48 floors) and the other containing offices and commercial premises (60 floors). With a total height of 238 metres, the complex will not only become a new Ostrava landmark; it will also be the Czech Republic’s tallest building.
After the sale of the land, the project moved into its next phase. Currently geologists and civil engineers are carrying out a survey at the site which will enable the launch of the structural design stage. Ostrava Tower, as the project is known, already has its own social media presence, so it is possible to keep up to date with the latest progress on the project.
The first Czech high-speed rail line will pass through Ostrava
Ostrava will potentially become the first Czech city to be served by a high-speed rail line. The City is currently involved in negotiations on a future line from Ostrava to Katowice, which will represent the central part of a longer international rail link connecting Warsaw and Vienna. The Polish partners in the project have already released information on the planned selection procedure for preliminary technical documentation.
A high-speed rail line enables trains to travel at speeds higher than 250 km/h, which brings a number of advantages – it cuts journey times while also minimizing the environmental burden. High-speed trains in European countries are often capable of travelling at speeds up to 320 km/h.
The high-speed rail line linking Ostrava, Brno and Prague with neighbouring countries is a project of major strategic interest to the City of Ostrava. The coordinating partner in the Czech Republic is the national rail management authority. Feasibility studies are currently being drawn up for all the affected sections of the planned line.
Source (only in Czech)
New regional project boosts the job market during the COVID-19 pandemic
The current pandemic and the government measures imposed to stop the spread of the virus have had a major impact on the job market. Many people in the Moravian-Silesian Region are currently without work or at risk of losing their jobs. This problem is being addressed by the Moravian-Silesian Employment Pact (MS PAKT), an organization that was set up in 2019 as an independent platform facilitating cooperation among a number of signatories – including the City of Ostrava, the Moravian-Silesian Region, the Union for the Development of the Moravian-Silesian Region and others.
The MSEP has devised the project My Job in the M-S Region, which comprises two core services:
- an online app for employers, which puts companies that are forced to make redundancies directly in touch with companies that need to recruit new employees,
- professional consultancy targeted at all employees in the Region who have lost their jobs, are at risk of redundancy, or are considering changing jobs.
Source (only in Czech)
Get in touch with new international partners thanks to CzechTrade
The CzechTrade agency – the key partner for Czech exporters – has published a database of foreign-based companies that are seeking Czech suppliers, and the agency is able to put Czech suppliers in contact with these potential partners.
The CzechTrade database currently offers information on potential customers in the Netherlands, Chile and Belgium. These companies are seeking Czech suppliers specializing in printed promotional materials, stationery and industrial weighing systems.
Source (only in Czech)
Ostrava-based Škoda Vagonka has the largest machining centre in Europe
Europe’s largest and most modern machining centre of its type is located in Ostrava. Containing equipment worth around 100 million CZK, the facility is run by Ostrava-based rail vehicle producer Škoda Vagonka. CEO and President of the Škoda Transportation group Petr Brzezina gave more details: “Development and innovation are of key importance for us in today’s world. Our new machining centre is unrivalled, and it will enable us to work much more effectively – both in terms of time and costs.”
Škoda Vagonka is a new tenant at the CTPark Ostrava industrial park. The company specializes in the production of rail vehicles as well as vehicle servicing, repair and modernization. It has rented almost 4 700 m2 of warehouse and office space. Thanks to these new and enlarged premises, the company plans to double its number of employees from the current 450 to 900.
Source (only in Czech)
Current apartment prices in Ostrava
The company FérMakléři has produced an analysis of rising apartment prices in the Czech Republic’s nine largest cities. Ostrava has seen the fastest price rises in the country, with an increase of 20 percent.
Jan Boruta from FérMakléři gave more details: “A year-on-year comparison for the fourth quarter of 2019 to 2020 shows that apartment prices have risen in all of the Czech Republic’s largest cities. Ostrava has historically had some of the lowest apartment prices, so the city offers the strongest potential for future growth.” Boruta added that the acceleration of price rises in Ostrava has primarily been caused by a 14% fall in the number of available apartments.
Boruta continued: “The entire real estate market is awaiting developments in the upcoming months, when further economic impacts of the pandemic may become evident. I estimate that the economic crisis caused by COVID-19 will impact the real estate market – especially for high-rise apartments on the outskirts of the city. The economic problems will particularly affect potential buyers of these apartments.”
The City of Ostrava is determined to address the situation by boosting its provision of rental apartments – a form of housing where demand is growing. The City recently expanded its housing stock to include several dozen new apartments in newly reconstructed buildings. A new apartment block Janáčkova Residence is scheduled for completion during the spring, and work on the Nové Lauby residential complex (a public-private partnership) is scheduled to begin this year.
Source (only in Czech)
Enter the competition for the prestigious Office of the Year awards
The annual Office of the Year awards are entering their sixth year. The awards are divided into ten categories according to type and size. They recognize innovative office solutions and companies that are not afraid to invest in a providing an excellent working environment for their employees.
The purpose of the awards is to motivate other employers to take an active approach to the working environment.
Registration for the competition is open until 30 April 2021.
More information (only in Czech)
Smart and eco-friendly – the new building of the CEETe research centre
The Centre for Energy and Environmental Technologies – Explorer (CEETe), which is being created at the campus of the VŠB-Technical University of Ostrava, will carry out research into new alternative methods of producing energy from waste materials. Its goal is to help the Moravian-Silesian Region transform itself from a carbon-dependent society to one that makes full use of renewable resources.
The building for the new centre will be a model example of how modern architecture should look. The roof and façades will feature greenery irrigated by rainwater. Rainwater will also be used in the building’s WC facilities and to produce hydrogen. The building will also incorporate solar panels for power generation.
The total costs of this unique building will be 270 million CZK. The construction will be funded by the Moravian-Silesian Region, a private investor and the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade.
Source (only in Czech)
City of Ostrava joins the campaign to change the proposed new law on construction
The City of Ostrava has joined the Four Municipal Articles campaign which aims to change proposed new legislation on construction. The articles summarize the problematic aspects of the new law, and have been presented to the Minster for Regional Development Klára Dostálová.
Suggested changes include giving cities greater control over urban planning, bringing this area of activity within their independent powers so that municipalities and regions can carry out their own land use studies and draw up analytical documentation.
The large cities’ demands are supported by Petr Boháč, Director of the Institute of Planning and Development in Prague (IPR), which is the capital’s equivalent of Ostrava’s MAPPA (Municipal Studio for Urban Planning and Architecture). He commented: “I’m glad that Prague has joined forces with other Czech cities to express a clear standpoint on the proposed new building legislation. All four articles are of absolutely key importance for the future of urban planning in the Czech Republic.”
Source (only in Czech)
Other
City seeks new Director for Ostrava Zoo
The City of Ostrava is announcing a vacancy for the Director of Ostrava Zoo and Botanical Park (a City-controlled organization). The selection procedure will take place in two rounds; the deadline for applications in the first round is 26 February. A committee will then select the applicants who can proceed to the second round, when they will be expected to present their own visions of how the zoo can operate and develop in the future. The second round will also include psychological profiling.
Applicants for the position must have a university degree and at least five years’ experience of managing zoos or nature conservation organizations. It is essential to possess an excellent knowledge of working with animals, animal welfare, and conservation work with animals and the environment. Successful applicants must also have excellent skills in management, organization, communication and presentation.
More information on the position is published on the City of Ostrava’s official noticeboard.
Source (only in Czech)
New air link between Ostrava and Kyiv
Ostrava will soon have a new air link. The Ukrainian airline SkyUp has announced the launch of a new service at the end of April, connecting Ostrava and Kyiv’s Boryspil airport three times a week. It is already possible to buy tickets via the Ostrava Airport website or on the airline’s own website. The service will use a Boeing B737-800 and a Boeing B737-700, with 189 and 149 seats respectively.
The Ukrainian capital will join the list of destinations with direct flights from Ostrava. Flights to Warsaw have been operating from 25 October 2020. Thanks to the quick link with Warsaw Airport, passengers from Ostrava can easily transfer to onward flights giving access to a range of major destinations – Amsterdam, Oslo, Geneva, Milan and many more.
University of Ostrava is applying for accreditation for its stomatology degree
The Region suffers from a lack of dentists, and so the Medical Faculty at the University of Ostrava has decided to address this problem by creating a new degree programme in stomatology (oral medicine). In February 2021 the Faculty will begin compiling the necessary documentation for the accreditation process, which in the words of Dean Rastislav Maďar may take several months. The Faculty first needs to resolve issues connected with the accreditation of its general medicine degree, but Maďar is confident that this process will be successful.
The creation of the new degree programme will bring substantial costs. The University is planning to source funding from the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, the Moravian-Silesian Region and the City of Ostrava.
This is just one of the Medical Faculty’s ambitious projects. The Faculty also plans to integrate its research activities more closely into its teaching provision, invest in research facilities, support the creation of research teams (including international mobility), and encourage scientific startups, competitions and conferences.
Source (only in Czech)