The College of Physical Education and Sport Palestra engages in relevant research, scientific and creative activities in compliance with the measures of the „Action plan of international cooperation of the Czech Republic in research and development and internationalization of research environment and development in the Czech Republic, also in the sense of the „Action plan of human resources development for research, development and innovation and gender equality in research, development and innovations in the Czech Republic. The implemented research, scientific and creative activities correspond to the fields of education, in which the study programmes on the college are set. High attention is given to the area of research and science continually. Science-research activities are coordinated by the Department of Science and Research, which is headed by the vice-rector for science and research prof. PaedDr. Milada Krejčí, CSc. This department participates in the creation of international, domestic and regional projects, registers scientific and research and creative activities of the members of the academic staff of the college in an information system. It gathers information about scientific conferences and vocational seminars in the Czech Republic and abroad and further on it governs the evaluation portal for rating the results of science and research of the college. The rating of the science, research and creative activities is carried out within internal evaluation according to the Methodology 2017+ with regard to individual study programmes profiles and in particular it’s international reach.

The Department of Science and Research also partakes in ensuring qualification development of the members of the academic staff and in the effective transfer of research results into education and further science development within the principles of open access to the results of scientific research as in „Open Access“. An important role in science and research management is given to the academic council in coordination of evaluation criteria and the conceptual direction in the field of science and research, which enhances the quality of scientific work and it’s competitiveness.

„Society for Research in Wellness“ operates at the College of Physical Education and Sport Palestra. It has been established here as an open platform for scientific and research cooperation supporting high-quality research and spreading the new knowledge from the field of wellness in general. It especially helps to publicize scientific research with focus on wellness and health of socially weaker citizens, seniors and handicapped citizens. „Society for Research in Wellness“ furthermore supports and protects the publishing of the „Acta Salus Vitae“ scientific journal (ISSN 1805-8787). Here it watches over the contributions, so that they are based on the research in the spirit of ethical principles in compliance with protection of the environment.

The focus of scientific research and creative activities is also based on the suggestions of institutions with which the school cooperates as with clinical workplaces and in providing professional praxis for students. In addition to the members of the academic staff, students are also involved in the activities conceived in this way as part of the making of semester, bachelor’s and master’s theses. The rating of the science, research and creative activities is carried out within internal evaluation according to the Methodology 2017+ with regard to individual study programmes profiles and in particular it’s international reach.

Development of scientific and research cooperation

The College of Physical Education and Sport PALESTRA aims to further develop effective cooperation with leading scientists and recognized experts in its field in a national and international context in long-term perspective of the development of science and research until 2030. With these, to solve research plans based on the current needs of society in the field of improving the quality of life and health promotion. An important part of the strategic plan is also the integration of talented students into research and scientific work, and thus achieving a high degree of scientific communication with young promising specialists in the fields of wellness, fitness, nutrition and sports diagnostics.

As part of the strategic plan for the development of science and research with a horizon of 2020 and a view to 2030, the College of Physical Education and Sport PALESTRA is open to offers and challenges of scientific bilateral cooperation within Wellness, Health, Quality of Life in the private and public spheres. Quintessential element of an offer from the private sector is a description of the research project and a draft agreement on cooperation with the company under the conditions set by law and scientific ethics.

Science and Reseach Development Evaluation

The main indicators for evaluating the development of science and research are the following:

• Institutional management of science and research,  development potential, research capacity

Support for obtaining scientific degrees of the members of the academic staff at the College PALESTRA. Postdoctoral period. Involvement of talented students. Cooperation with important experts. Laboratory and experimental background.

• Recognition in the domestic and international scientific research environment

International and national cooperation and partnerships. Recognition of individuals and workplaces of the college by the international and national community. Joint publications.

• Research activities

Scientific outputs (type, number, trends). Bibliometrics, citation analysis. PhD education. Development of communication skills in a foreign language in science for students, teachers. Research internships for students and academics. Linking science and research with pedagogical activities. Support for a “network” of research units at college workplaces. Transfer of scientific research findings within the framework of publishing activities, pedagogical activities and conferences.

• Excellency in research

Peer-review of selected outputs. Prestigious international cooperation. The planned strategic intention is expressible by bibliometrics, i.e. in the quality of publication outputs. The plan is focused on continuous improvement of the quality of scientific journals at the college, on quality scientific publication outputs of academic staff in scientific journals in databases Web of Science, Scopus, Erih, etc. Only such a strategy in science and research allows the college to participate in national and international projects, not least to obtain significant awards. The quality of the magazines in which our specialists publish is more important to us than just their number of publications. In this regard, each member of the academic staff  has the opportunity to develop their own standards.

• Social relevance of science and research outputs

The social relevance of the outputs of science, research and creative activities is significantly linked to educational programs in which the college provides undergraduate education. The main educational vision is the education of professionals who provide services or are managers in the fields of health promotion in the context of leisure and organizing physical education and sports activities with the aim of the widest possible dissemination of the principles of healthy lifestyle, creating conditions and environment for their implementation. We therefore focus on the research of phenomena that play an important role in an individual’s path to quality of life. Quality of life is the result of the complex action of many factors that constantly affect a person. According to WHO, wellness expresses the optimal health status of individuals and groups, and there are two key determinants of goals – the realization of the full potential of the individual in physical, mental, social, economic and moral, and the role in the family, community, workplace and society. meaning humane. It is therefore a state of harmony, harmony, balance, satisfaction and it is clear that this harmony is the result of individual and time-varying settings. It is the search for new ways to set personal life harmony that is the main research vision at the College of Physical Education and Sport Palestra. With the help of modern procedures, academic staff and students systematically address the basic pillars of research, which are connected with accredited undergraduate study programs. It is a research of balance in the broadest sense, nutrition, physical and mental fitness and performance, cultivation and development of the sports environment.

• Internationalization development in science and research

The strategic goal is to support the professional growth of the members of the academic staff and college students, especially through international cooperation in science and research, active organization of research mobility and international conferences so as to ensure the continuity of expertise of individual workplaces at a high level. Functioning developed cooperation on the basis of bilateral agreements on scientific research cooperation is implemented with universities and colleges in Japan, Canada, India, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia and Slovakia. Our intention is to effectively expand scientific research cooperation to other countries, especially the USA and Great Britain.

Science and Research Priorities

• To submit conceptual proposals for new national and international research projects in the field of basic and applied research, funded from public sources and from internal resources of the college.
• To emphasize the maintenance and improvement of the quality of implementation and coordination of already accepted research projects, financed from public sources and from internal sources – see the overview of these projects on the college website in the section Scientific and creative activity.
• To support the members of the academic staff in professional scientific development. At colleges, members of the academic staff are guaranteed academic freedoms and academic rights, such as the freedom of scientific and research creation and publication of its results, as well as the freedom of teaching, consisting mainly in its openness to various scientific opinions, scientific and research methods.
• To continue to deepen scientific-research cooperation with existing contracted foreign institutions (in India, Japan, Canada, Germany, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, etc.) and with research organizations in the Czech Republic. Based on current national and global professional topics in scientific-research cooperation, adhere to the ethical foundations of research and contribute to an open approach to acquired scientific knowledge such as Open Access.
• To establish new scientific and research cooperation with institutions in the USA and Great Britain.
• To carry out internal evaluation of scientific and research activities according to the valid methodology of evaluation of scientific and creative activities of colleges in the Czech Republic.
• To actively involve students in scientific research work within research projects, conferences, research internships and published outputs. Actively involve talented students in the submission and implementation of research projects within the student grant competition for 2021.
• To support scientific and research internships of academic staff of the In / Out type, especially in cooperation with contractual foreign partners in the field of R & D & I.
• Organize professional seminars, workshops, conferences with the participation of prominent scientists and experts. Develop cooperation with important scientists and experts within the editorial, publishing and reviewing activities of scientific journals published at colleges.
• To increase the quality of presentation of scientific and research results (support for publishing in journals registered in WOS databases, SCOPUS, etc., publishing professional monographs in cooperation with the college publishing center and major publishers in the Czech Republic and abroad, publishing scientific journals).