Czech Academy of Sciences

Be the HERO of your time!

We are looking for LECTURERS OF SCIENTIFIC INTERNSHIPS!

INSPIRE, MOTIVATE, EDUCATE our young generation!

Prepare INTERNSHIPS for high school students with us!

Ever dreamed of being a hero? Now's your chance!

Help us find the next generation of researchers by supervising a student internship. Show them what the research world is really like. Give them a unique opportunity to gain professional experience and top up their knowledge in the field they're most interested in. 

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HELP US FIND THE NEXT GENERATION OF RESEARCHERS — REGISTER YOUR INTERNSHIP FOR 2025!

You can register your proposed internship(s) in our web-based database. Give your internship a title and include a short text that presents the topic in a way secondary students can understand. The registered internships will be published in October in our database on this website, where students will then be able to apply for them by the end of November.

There is no limit to the number of topics that you can register (and therefore offer to students). However, you must complete a separate registration form for each topic. We will send you the applications received for your internship(s) in December, based on which you (the supervisor) will decide which student(s) to accept for your internship. For each internship you may select one, two or three students from those who apply. Those students will then begin to assist you with your research from January 2025.

INFORMATION FOR 2024

Internships in 2024 run from January until November (including the summer vacation). As the internship supervisor, you must decide how many hours per month the internship will involve (this must be at least 8 hours) and must indicate this on the topic registration form. When deciding on the number of hours you must take into account that the internship students will be excused from school during these hours. Internship supervision is voluntary (unpaid). Supervisors must be university-qualified researchers employed at one of the CAS institutes. Internships can be carried out in English, i.e. foreign researchers employed at CAS institutes can also become supervisors. Internships take place at CAS workplaces.

TIMELINE
  • January – start of all internships, first meetings are held with students,
  • February March April May – share your internship experiences with us on social media,
  • June – attend Czech Science Fair organized by CAS with your intern(s) or let them help you with presentation of your research institute at this event,
  • July August – summer comes with an unique opportunity to spend more time on research with students, share photos and videos with your progress, do not forget to claim the internship allowance via invoice,
  • September October – prepare for important deadlines for students (uploading photos, abstracts and presentations),
  • November – support your intern(s) in their presentation at Students' Conference, attend The Week of the Czech Academy of Sciences, fill out evaluation and finish the internship with student(s)
SELECTING STUDENTS

Students will consider the offered internships and decide whether to apply for any of them during October and November. They will submit their electronic applications by 30 November, and if those applications meet the eligibility criteria, they will be forwarded to the relevant supervisor for consideration. The supervisor will select between one and three of the candidates who have applied for his/her internship. Students may apply for more than one internship. However, no student may attend more than one internship in a given year. Supervisors may also select a runner-up from among the applicants for his/her internship, who would attend the internship if the first student(s) selected turn(s) out to be unable (with due reason) to attend the internship. Each student signs an Internship Agreement with the CAS institute at which the internship will take place and with the Centre of Administration and Operations of the CAS as the project implementer.

DURING THE INTERNSHIP

Open Science internships in 2024 run from January until November (including the summer vacation). One to three students attend each research internship, and work throughout this period on the internship topic, overseen by the internship supervisor. The number of hours each student attends monthly is set by the supervisor in advance and is stated in the internship blurb. The specific days and times of attendance in each month are set by the supervisor in agreement with the student(s).

INTERNSHIP REPORTING

Each student completes a Student Diary once a month, via a web application, in which he/she briefly describes their progress on the internship during that month. Once the student has completed their Diary entry, the supervisor is informed by email and provided with a direct link via which he/she can then confirm the details provided by the student. Students do not have to confirm their trips and upload their tickets for reimbursement in their Diary for 2024.

INTERNSHIP ALLOWANCE FOR INSTITUTES

The internship supervisor is entitled to claim a one-off allowance to cover materials, up to a maximum of 3,000 CZK/year for each student accepted on internship. This allowance is intended to cover the cost required during the course of the internship (laboratory equipment, chemicals, literature, stationery, etc.). The allowance cannot be used to purchase material assets. The allowance is paid on the basis of properly issued invoices sent to info@otevrenaveda.cz until the end of August 2024. The invoices are to be issued by the CAS institute at which the internship takes place.

TRAVEL COSTS REIMBURSEMENT FOR INTERNS

Students are going to be reimbursed for their travel expenses by project administrator, based on a distance between the student's home or school address and the research institute where the internship is held. Following steps are required for successful reimbursement:

monthly confirmation of the internship attendance filled in Diary and

declaration of travel plans from students attached to Internship Agreement.

Travel costs can be covered up to 100 CZK or 200 CZK monthly for each student and they are going to be paid by the end of November at the latest. The maximum amount of expenses for the whole duration of the internship is 1 100 CZK (distance 30-100km) or 2 200 CZK (distance 100km or longer) for each student. Project administrator is responsible for all administration connected to this agenda.

STUDENTS' CONFERENCE AND REQUIRED OUTCOMES

Interns should submit following outcomes:

5 photos from the internship activities, deadline: 30. 9. 2024

• upload abstract (1. 10. 2024) and presentation (30. 10. 2024)

• fill in the evaluation questionnaire, deadline: 30. 11. 2024

Each Open Science year concludes with a Student Conference and showcase of internship work, which is held on November 6th-8th, 2024. At the conference, interns present the outcomes of their year's work on the internship. The showcase contest is judged in three separate categories according to the Czech Academy of Sciences’ three Research Areas:

  1. Mathematics, Physics and Earth Sciences
  2. Life and Chemical Sciences
  3. Humanities and Social Sciences.

The outcomes of each internship are summarised in a single presentation at the conference, even when that internship was attended by two or three students: in such cases, the internship students present the outcomes of their internship research as a team. The presentations are judged by panels of researchers from the CAS: panel is appointed for each of the Research Areas to assess both the students’ research activities during their internship and the quality of their presentation. The top three winning presentations in each Research Area/contest category receive financial prizes. Panel may also award a special "Judges' prize".

SUCCESSFUL END OF THE INTERNSHIP

Every student who participated in the project and his/her Diary is complete, will receive a certificate confirming the successful end of the internship. The best presentations at the conference will also receive a diploma confirming their win. Students may request absence form for their school from administrators at any time (info@otevrenaveda.cz).

INTERNSHIP TERMINATION

If an Open Science internship has to be terminated prematurely (with due reason), the supervisor must immediately inform administrators by e-mail: info@otevrenaveda.cz.

In case the internship is terminted after the Internship Agreement is signed with a student, there is one more document that also needs to be signed - Internship Termination Agreement

INFORMATION ABOUT PERSONAL DATA PROCESSING

Information about how your personal data are processed for the purposes of the Open Science internships can be found in the following document: GDPR English version

The project of the Czech Academy of Sciences, financially supported by The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.

 

For more information contact our team: info@otevrenaveda.cz