Newsletter September 2025

ACADEMIC EVENT SECTION
#1: 13th International Conference in Honour of the Laureate of the 2025 Václav Havel Human Rights Prize
The Václav Havel Library, an associate partner of the EPS programme, is organizing a conference focused on Artists in Oppression. The theme of the conference is linking Václav Havel´s personal story of a persecuted dramatist and writer during the totalitarian regime in Czechoslovakia with the situation of contemporary artists who are subjected to threats, harassment, and persecution amid a global wave of rising authoritarianism. The conference will occur in Prague on October 1, 2025, at the Technology Center of the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague, Mikulandská 5. The conference programme and registration link is available here. Note that the EPS students will attend Panel Young section of the conference. See the details in the email! Please register via this link to attend the afternoon section of the programme.

#2: Forum 2000 Conference
Forum 2000 Foundation, the EPS-associated partner, pursuing the legacy of Václav Havel with the value of democracy and human rights at the lead, organizes the 29th edition of the conference, supporting the foundation and development of civil society in a democratic environment. The conference will take place on October 12-14, 2025, in Prague, and all EPS students are more than welcome. Furthermore, EPS students based in Prague in October will be given the opportunity to actively contribute to the conference if they are interested. Keep posted!

#3: Czech Security Forum 2025
The Peace Research Center Prague wants to invite you to the annual security conference titled “Czech Security Forum 2025: A New Cold War?” The conference will occur on October 22, 2025, at Kampus Hybernská. The detailed information about the conference as well as the registration link can be found here.

SOCIAL AND CULTURAL EVENT SECTION
Leiden University in The Hague – Researchers of the City
Visit the photo exhibition that offers a unique glimpse into the research being carried out at Leiden University in The Hague. It features eight researchers connected by one common thread: their research has a real impact on the city and the people of The Hague. Do not hesitate too much, the exhibition closes on September 5, 2025!

CALL
#1: Best Thesis Award
The second-year students can apply for the Best Thesis Award. Please visit the EPS website to see all the requirements. The application deadline is September 20, 2025.

IMPORTANT DATES
#1: Enrolment
The enrolment session for the first-year students will take place on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, at the Hollar building of the Faculty of Social Sciences. The session starts at 10 a.m. The second-year students are also welcome to attend!

#2: Meeting for the second-year students
The second-year students are invited to participate on the on-line, ZOOM meeting with the EPS program director Eliška Tomalová. The meeting will occur on Monday September 8, 2025 at 2 p.m. Please see more info in your email!

HINDSIGHT
EPS Grant Results – the reason to celebrate!
The EPS programme was one of the 33 selected projects (out of 195 proposals) for the new funding from the European Commission!

READING TIP: Rituals (author: Cees Nooteboom, NL, 1980)
The novel’s narrative follows two friends, one who breaks rules frequently and one who follows them strictly. It was Nooteboom’s first novel in 17 years. After finishing The Knight Has Died (1963), he had worked as a journalist, written poetry, and traveled around the world, “looking for something to write about”.

FREQUENT QUESTION / DO NOT FORGET
Have you recently graduated from the EPS? Do you need confirmation of the finished studies? Please contact the International Office at Charles University (degreeprograms@fsv.cuni.cz) which can issue it for you at once!

Do you have any hints, ideas, or tips for interesting events, calls, books, films, podcasts, etc.? Do not hesitate to reach us at eps@fsv.cuni.cz. Your feedback and contribution are highly appreciated.