NOVEMBER 2020
Porsche Engineering expands its operations in Ostrava
Porsche Engineering has expanded its operations by relocating to new premises at Ostrava’s Science and Technology Park. The company now has 1000 square metres of offices, laboratories and workshop space available to use. The Science and Technology Park is part of the Poruba complex of the VŠB-Technical University of Ostrava, so the new location will enable the company to develop close collaborative links with the university and its students.
General Manager Miloš Polášek explained the company’s move: “Our new premises at Ostrava’s Science and Technology Park offer us some unique opportunities. We will be able to locate all our activities at the same site, and the premises also offer us space for further expansion.”
Research and development plays a major role in Porsche Engineering’s activities; among the products being developed by the company are elements of smart charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.
Source (in Czech)
New careers portal launched for students, graduates and businesses
The VŠB-Technical University of Ostrava has launched a new careers portal offering its students and recent graduates a range of job opportunities, trainee programmes, internships, topics for Bachelor’s and Master’s theses, practical placements and offers for freelancers. The portal is also open to businesses which register for access, providing them with an ideal opportunity to cooperate with the university and offer jobs to students and graduates.
Currently a total of 30 employers are registered on the portal, including some major Czech and international companies such as Seznam.cz, Kofola, Siemens, Bosch Czech Republic and many more.
Besides the new portal, the University’s Careers Centre also organizes a range of other events and programmes helping students to gain direct experience of the world of work and the job market. These include Careers+ (the largest careers and jobs fair in the Moravian-Silesian Region), the Company Talkshow (a unique concept that provides a platform for students to meet with representatives of business and industry), and the Career Days event.
Source (in Czech)
University of Ostrava enters global rankings for the first time
The 1500 best universities in the world now include the University of Ostrava, according to rankings compiled annually by U.S. News. This year’s rankings include 593 European universities. Ostrava was ranked in 1339th place, mainly thanks to its involvement in regional research projects and its international collaboration with universities in other countries.
The University’s Rector Jan Lata commented: "Although we don’t have centuries of tradition behind us and are unlikely to be able to compete with the largest and longest-established academic institutions in the Czech Republic, I’m delighted that our strengths are making us an internationally renowned university despite our relatively short history. Our ranking among the world’s top universities confirms that we’re more than just a local or regional institution, and that if we continue to work as hard as we have been doing, we’ll not only gradually create our own tradition, but we’ll also get noticed by plenty of talented young potential students all around the world – just like we’ve been noticed by U.S. News.”
Source (in Czech)
Support for businesses during the second wave of COVID-19
The City of Ostrava is continuing to offer support to local businesses that are tenants in premises belonging to the City Authority and that have been negatively impacted by the current government measures taken to combat the spread of COVID-19. Businesses can apply to have their rent reduced by 50% for the entire time when their premises had to remain closed as a result of the restrictions.
Combined with the support already available at the national level, this city-level support means businesses can potentially have their rent costs reduced to zero (or can have already-paid rent refunded to them) for the period during which restrictions apply. Because it is not known how long the restrictions will last, no deadline for the submission of applications has been set. The system for submitting applications will be the same as in the spring of this year. The application form is available here (in Czech)
Source (in Czech)
City of Ostrava opposes plans to build a Danube-Odra-Labe canal
Ostrava’s City Assembly has expressed its opposition to the Czech government’s intention to build a canal linking the Danube, Odra and Labe (Elbe) rivers, as the plans would have a major negative impact on the city and the region as a whole. The Assembly issued a statement at its session on 11 November rejecting the government’s recent resolution to launch preparations for the Odra section of the canal.
The impact of the canal on the Odra River would be highly negative – not only in the vicinity of the canal itself, but throughout the entire floodplain area. Construction of the canal would seriously endanger valuable biotopes that form part of the Poodří protected landscape area, including nature reserves.
One dramatically destructive impact of the proposed canal would be its effect on groundwater. It would have a direct impact on the water sources that are used to supply Ostrava’s drinking water – especially the Nová Ves-Dubí source, but also others. These sources are directly dependent on the flow and level of water in the Odra River, so the canal would probably cause them to dry up.
The canal project is opposed not only by the City of Ostrava, but also by many universities and experts on the environment, urban planning and architecture as well as numerous local and municipal government bodies. The project is being imposed by central government, without any consultations with experts on whether it is necessary or what the local impacts will be.
Official report here (in Czech)
Ostrava City Authority again ranked as the Region’s friendliest local government body
For the third year in a row, Ostrava’s City Authority has been ranked the friendliest local government body in the Moravian-Silesian Region by the Ministry of the Interior in the “municipality with extended powers” category of the annual Friendly Government competition. Opava and Karviná also ranked highly.
The Ministry evaluated 66 criteria in total, including the accessibility of various departments without the need to book appointments in advance, the availability of forms online, notifications of progress on processing citizens’ applications, options for paying local fees, the possibility of notifying the authority about damage to municipal property, the online publication of materials from City Assembly sessions, online broadcasts of Assembly sessions, the publication of newsletters and annual reports, information on public contracts and other criteria. The ranking also took into consideration whether cities provided services above and beyond legal requirements or to a standard exceeding legal requirements.
The competition organizers were particularly impressed by the OSTRAVA 360° project, which aims to improve the quality of outdoor advertising in the city, making public spaces more aesthetically pleasing by removing and preventing the installation of tasteless (and often illegal) advertising. The project has been running for almost a year now, and major improvements are already clearly visible. The Ministry has ranked OSTRAVA 360° among the examples of good practice which are made available to all participants.
Source (in Czech)
Nová Karolina Park welcomes new tenants
The Nová Karolina Park office complex in the heart of Ostrava’s city centre has welcomed two new clients: the real estate agent RE/MAX and the travel agency ČEDOK. The new tenants will join the ranks of several other major companies based at this modern office park, including the bank Česká spořitelna, the health insurer Česká průmyslová zdravotní pojišťovna, the digital engineering company Ness Technologies and the Stora Enso IT centre. The complex offers almost 25 000 m² of office space, and it is now almost full to capacity, with just 1 300 m² still available to rent.
Nová Karolina Park was opened in 2013. It forms part of the major redevelopment which created the Nová Karolina quarter in the city centre.
Ostrava is following European trends and modernizing its transport system
The City of Ostrava is working in conjunction with Ostrava’s public transport corporation (DPO) to modernize its tram tracks and introduce new tram track technologies following trends pioneered by Western European cities.
The long-term goal of the City and the public transport corporation is to make public transport a genuinely attractive option so that people will prioritize it over car journeys. The modernization of the tram tracks (including aesthetic improvements) will have a positive impact on public space near tram routes – reducing noise, increasing passenger comfort, and creating more greenery.
The project team responsible for the tram track modernization has carried out a detailed analysis of the available types of tracks, focusing primarily on two options – tracks with standard rails mounted on sleepers (like normal trains), or with grooved rails set into the street surface. Most of the city’s tram tracks currently use sleepers, but these will be gradually phased out in built-up parts of the city, only remaining in areas where tram lines pass through uninhabited areas. The technology and type of surface chosen for the modernized tracks will depend on the specific location: in busy areas with dense pedestrian and/or vehicle traffic, the surfaces will be concrete, while in other areas with no pedestrian/vehicle traffic grassy surfaces will be used; this is especially suitable at locations which otherwise lack sufficient greenery.
Source (in Czech)
Ostrava steelmaker Liberty is reducing its carbon footprint
Sanjeev Gupta, the Executive Director of LIBERTY Ostrava (part of the LIBERTY Steel Group) has announced a tender for new hybrid furnaces. This new technological solution will help the Ostrava plant to transform its production base and achieve its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030. The furnaces will lower the company’s dependence on imported raw materials and radically reduce the environmental impact of its production processes. The combination of pig iron-based steel production and electric arc furnace (EAF) technology will enable the company to respond flexibly to the changing market situation in the future.
Over the next decade, the LIBERTY Steel Group is planning to invest 750 million EUR into its Ostrava plant. Besides the modernization of the steelworks, this investment programme will also include a major modernization of the rolling plants to enhance the quality of the steel produced and to expand the company’s portfolio to include products with high added value.
Source: LIBERTY Steel Group press release
Other news
Double-decker buses are now in service
Ostrava’s public transport corporation (DPO) has expanded its fleet to include two Scania double-decker buses which will operate throughout the spring/summer season as a shuttle service connecting two major tourist destinations in the city – Lower Vítkovice and the zoo. Outside the main tourist season the buses will operate along a regular route. Ostrava is the first Czech city whose public transport system uses double-deckers on a standard bus route.
The new buses offer an attractive bird’s-eye view of the city. Visitors can park free of charge at Lower Vítkovice and use the shuttle bus to reach the zoo – avoiding congestion and parking problems there.
The buses are eco-friendly, running on CNG (compressed natural gas). They each have 68 seats, with a glass roof on the upper deck. The buses are fully air-conditioned and have wi-fi, a camera system and USB connectors. The total cost of the new buses was 28.6 million CZK.
Source (in Czech)
Ostrava’s concert hall has its own website
The latest news on Ostrava’s flagship concert hall project is regularly published on the new website www.koncertnisal.cz. The site offers information about how the project is progressing, plus key technical information and expert opinions on the planned new hall.
In 2018 the City of Ostrava launched one of the most important architectural competitions in Ostrava’s entire history. The winner of the international competition was New York-based Steven Holl Architects in conjunction with Prague studio Architecture Acts.
As in many other European cities, Ostrava’s new concert hall (combined with the complete modernization of the neighbouring cultural centre) will create an iconic modern flagship building which will represent a major boost to the city’s architectural reputation and tourist potential. The new hall will be the home of Ostrava’s Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra, which after 70 years of existence will finally be able to work in modern facilities offering top-class acoustics for both musicians and audiences.
Donate computers to Ostrava schoolchildren
Although many of Ostrava’s schools have benefited from the City’s programme supporting digital learning and some have also received subsidies from the Ministry of Education enabling them to buy new computer technology, online learning still remains a problem for some children.
In response to this situation, the City is appealing to potential donors to help children by contributing the necessary equipment. We are asking companies, institutions, government bodies and individuals to donate any IT equipment which they do not use so that it can be distributed to schoolchildren in order to help them with their online studies. We need laptops/notebooks with functioning cameras and built-in microphones/speakers. We would also appreciate mice, web cameras and headphones.
Donors can contact the Education and Sport Department at Ostrava City Authority direct; the Department is coordinating the donations and has already mapped requirements at individual primary schools throughout Ostrava. To donate, please contact Pavlína Poledníková (telephone 599 443 032, e-mail ppolednikova1@ostrava.cz).
Source (in Czech)
Events
1.12.2020: FestUp (online startup festival), only in Czech
Talks about marketing, elevator pitch, consultation with experts and virtual marketplace. More information.
2.12.2020: Canada – webinar on opportunities for Czech businesses (online), only in Czech
Online webinar for Czech businesses focusing on opportunities in Canada. More information.
2.12.2020: Online expansion to the German market: tips for marketing (online seminar)
Seminar on e-commerce in Germany. More information.
2.12.2020: The role of the ICC in international trade and its financing (online), only in Czech
Webinar providing information on the current role of the ICC in the standardization of international trade and its financing. More information.
3.12.2020: Webinar Circular Czechia 3 (online), only in Czech
Webinar on current trends and experiences of Czech companies that have successfully become part of the circular economy. More information.
3.12.2020: Austria – webinar on opportunities for Czech companies (online), only in Czech
Webinar focusing on opportunities in the Austrian market. More information.
3.12.2020: Advanced advertising on Facebook and Instagram (online), only in Czech
Tips and information about advanced techniques for targeting and optimizing advertising on Facebook and Instagram. More information.
9.12.2020: The current situation and export opportunities in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan (online), only in Czech
Online export seminar focusing on the current situation and future market opportunities in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. More information.
10.-11.12.2020: ITAPA Online Matchmaking 2020 (online)
Online B2B platform organized as part of the ITAPA IT congress. More information.
10.12.2020: Selecting suppliers in the Operational Programme Enterprise and Innovation for Competitiveness (online), only in Czech
Webinar for applicants in the Operational Programme Enterprise and Innovation for Competitiveness, outlining the correct procedure for selecting suppliers. More information.
14.12.2020: Diversity management (online), only in Czech
Course presenting the key principles currently implemented in HR practice regarding employee diversity and inclusion in small, medium and large companies. More information.
14.12.2020: Incoterms 2020 – comprehensive seminar (online), only in Czech
Online seminar for exporters, banking specialists, experts in international transport and logistics, freight insurance and other interested parties. More information.
14.12.2020: New options for digital presentations of your business on international markets (online), only in Czech
Event focusing on modern tools supporting export and the effective presentation of Czech industry on international markets. More information.
15.12.2020: Developing commercial and economic cooperation between Czech companies and businesses in the Kaliningrad region (online), only in Czech
Webinar outlining potential routes for cooperation between Czech companies and businesses in the Kaliningrad region of the Russian Federation. More information.
15.12.2020: EU subsidies and cost-benefit analyses – Ostrava, only in Czech
Seminar focusing on how to conduct a cost-benefit analysis for a project co-financed from EU funds. More information.