Our Projects

UNESCO

Společně, o.p.s., and its activities have been tied to the UNESCO for a long time.

In 2021, it drew up a nomination application and negotiated through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic the award of the UNESCO Anniversary designation for events in 2022-2023 due to the 200th anniversary of the birth of Gregor Johann Mendel.

Společně, o.p.s also produced and submitted a nominating documentation for the listing of Mendel manuscript into the UNESCO World Memory Register (it is expected in 2025)

Together, o.p.s. is currently also preparing nomination documentation for the registration of the Old Brno Abbey of the Order of St. Augustine on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The nomination of the Old Brno Abbey of the Order of St. Augustine to the UNESCO World Heritage List is supported by the South Moravian Region and the Statutory City of Brno

Mendel Festival

The Mendel Festival is one of the most important summer open air festivals in Brno for many reasons, but mainly because it combines the seemingly incompatible – science, faith and fun. Through its regular events, it popularises the legacy of Gregor Mendel, who lived in Brno and discovered the basics of genetics to the world.

The magical combination of quality music, educational activities and popular science lectures in the environment of the Augustinian Abbey on Mendel Square in Brno brings the right mix of culture and knowledge every year. It is thanks to this combination that the festival has a unique atmosphere and has become one of the most visited events in the South Moravian Region.

Festival location

• City of Brno
• Augustinian Abbey in the Old Brno
• The Abbey complex is located on Mendel Square.

We are already working on the next edition. See you next year at the Mendel festival. More information can be found on the festival website.

The Mendel Festival is supported by the South Moravian Region and the Statutory City of Brno.

Mendel’s Greenhouse

The restored Mendel Greenhouse is a unique space that connects the worlds of science and faith. Scientific conferences, lectures, banquets, exhibitions and concerts are held here. At the same time, a permanent exhibition of Mendel’s legacy has found its place under the glass roof in the form of a glass artwork representing Mendel’s handwriting, or a model of the monument Hrachovina.

At the centre of the story of Mendel’s greenhouse is the (un)ordinary pea. It was Gregor Johann Mendel, who is considered the father of genetics, who experimented with crossbreeding pea plants in the 19th century. Based on the results of his research, he described the basic laws of heredity and gave birth to a new scientific discipline.

Mendel grew peas in the greenhouse in the garden of the Augustinian Abbey in Brno, which was built in 1854 by Abbot Cyril František Napp. A few years later, however, the greenhouse was damaged by a storm and the building gradually fell into disrepair. In the 1960s it was decided to demolish it and only the foundations of the greenhouse remained.

The Augustinian Abbey in Old Brno decided to breathe new life into such an important place. The architectural studio Chybík+Krištof was therefore approached and a unique project was created, based on the original form. In February 2022, intensive construction work began and lasted less than nine months. The restored Mendel Greenhouse, dedicated to the legacy of the famous abbot and scientist, was opened on 12 November 2022.

Apart from the glass structure itself, the building is interesting because it replicates the original layout, orientation and actively works with Mendel’s three laws of heredity that predicted the future of modern genetics. Moreover, as in Gregor Johann Mendel’s time, it still symbolically grows peas. But this time in the most modern way – in aeroponic pots.

Gregor Mendel Sustainability Center

The Gregor Mendel Centre for Sustainability is a newly established organisation that aims to identify, process and make available to the professional and lay public topics related to sustainable development.

Among other things, to seek to deepen the knowledge of the professional and lay public in related topics and fields such as circular economy, breeding, meteorology and climate, animal husbandry, agriculture and life science, human genome genetics and gene therapy, precision medicine and others.

In our research and work, we build on the legacy of Gregor Mendel, who in his genetic experiments was also guided by the idea of increasing the efficiency of economic activity in order to improve the quality of human life, already in the second half of the 19th century.

Under the umbrella of a strong consortium of partners, and under the auspices of one of the most important Czech scientists of all time, we carry out research projects and other activities, the results of which certainly build on the successes achieved by Gregor Mendel in his work.

An equally important activity of the Centre is the popularisation of Gregor Mendel’s personality in connection with the topics of sustainable development. Research, publication, promotion and educational activities in the field of promoting the principles of sustainable development, mainly through its own research and study activities, the organisation of expert panels, conferences, talks, trainings, seminars, workshops and the production of studies, analyses and publications, and assistance in the implementation of the principles of sustainable development in the private and public sector.

The Hrachovina (the pea experiment symbol) Monument

Tribute to Mendel on his 200th birthday. An original work of art in a modern concept and a legacy for future generations – the Hrachovina monument on Mendel Square in Brno.

On 4th of November 2021a public competition for the design of the monument was held entitled “Artwork to Celebrate 200th Anniversary of Gregor Mendel’s birth.” Jaromir Gargulak, submitted the winning design and the statue was finished in 2022, and it now stands on Mendel Square in Brno.

Gregor Johann Mendel, abbot, farmer, beekeeper, meteorologist, scientist. He was the first person in human history to define the laws of inheritance based on his experiments with the crossing of peas and thus laid the foundations of genetics, one of the most important scientific fields of our time. Although Mendel was not recognised for his research work during his lifetime, he did not become bitter and continued to pursue the natural sciences, researching and believing in his discoveries, as evidenced by his statement “My time will come”.

The foundation stone of the monument was blessed by Pope Francis himself during an audience in Rome. On the part of the Holy See, this is a confirmation that Gregor Johann Mendel is perceived in the Vatican as one of the most important representatives of the Order of St. Augustine of all time. The Pea Monument, which in its design refers directly to Mendel’s experiments with the pea and forms a landmark of Mendel Square in Old Brno, should remind present and future generations of the personality and groundbreaking discovery of G. J. Mendel.

Project Consulting

We also offer consulting in various grant writing areas.

We will evaluate your project and together we will select the most suitable subsidy area and plan the important steps to successfully obtain the subsidy. We will complete the subsidy application including all the project documentation as per the grant agency’s request.

We will then provide quality support and professional assistance throughout the project implementation period up to the final settlement of the grant funds.

Cross border Activities for Seniors

The goal of the project is to make the functioning of organizations in the Czech and Slovak Republics for seniors more effective, and to make the services for seniors more accessible and make cross border activities such as trips, sport and cultural organizations possible.

A part of the project is to set up a smart phone app listing provided services for seniors.

Code: INTERREG V-A SK-CZ/2016/02
Project registration number: NFP304030D135

COL – Centre for the Renewal of a Common Cultural Heritage

The aim of the project is to establish a Centre for the Restoration of Common Cultural Heritage (COL), which will systematically deal with the sustainable restoration of monuments, sites and historic settlements and develop cross-border cooperation in the restoration and promotion of common cultural heritage.

The aim of COL is to sensitize the population in an effort to preserve and develop the disappearing local building culture, one of the main sources of tourism in the border regions of AT and CZ. For the cities of Retz (AT) and Znojmo (CZ), twin cities since 1998, the project also means deepening mutual relations and connecting citizens in the regions.

Programme: INTERREG V-A Austria-Czech Republic
Project number: ATCZ171

The Grey Grows Green in the Czech Republic and Slovakia

Concrete goals of this project include many faceted approaches to the seniors’ status in Slovakia and in the Czech Republic in a connection with sustainability, green competences, and new life skills when solving our four key priorities.

First and foremost, we aim to equip 20 educators and adult education staff (10 CR/10 SK) with the necessary knowledge and tools to effectively educate seniors on environmental awareness and climate change, which directly addresses our top priority. These educators will undergo comprehensive training to enhance their competencies in line with our second priority, thus ensuring the quality of the educational programmes provided to seniors.

As a result, our trained educators will lead interesting workshops, seminars and study excursions for a minimum of 180 seniors (90 CR/90 SK) and will actively promote active ageing as our fourth priority. These activities will enable seniors to apply their newly acquired competences in the field of sustainability, and by creating and managing educational materials and resources we will bridge existing gaps and contribute to a broader understanding of our third priority, environment and climate change.

The project is supported by Erasmus program.

Ecologically acceptable treatment of exotic zoo animal droppings

The project will develop various adaptation strategies aimed at mapping the possibilities and potential in the field of climate change mitigation and education with direct implementation of selected measures and transmission of information and knowledge to zoos and other organizations in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

A specific area of research on adaptation options in this area is the production of animal waste, which represents an economic and environmental burden, not only for zoos, but also for other large-scale breeding operations.

The collected data will be evaluated in the form of scientific and final theses of students of the University of Trnava and University of Ostrava, who will participate in partial tasks and practical implementation. The application report will be presented on both sides of the border within the eligible territory, but also outside it in the framework of dissemination of the results in the form of professional conferences, workshops and scientific publications.

Project number: NFP403201DSQ4
Total amount of the contribution fromthe ERDF: 368 639 EUR
Project implementation: 09/2024-08/2026
Project partners: National Zoological Garden Bojnice, Brno Zoo and Station of Interest Activities, Contributory Organisation, University of Trnava, University of Ostrava, Together, o.p.s

The project is funded by the cross-border cooperation programme Interreg Slovakia – Czech Republic 2021 – 2027.