The University of West Bohemia has opened a Welcome Center to assist in the integration of foreign experts coming to work in the university and the city. Photo credit: UWB
Czech Rep, Jan 13 (BD) – The University of West Bohemia in Plzen (UWB) opened a Welcome Center on its campus at Bory on January 12th. The Office of International Cooperation will take care of foreign experts to make them feel as welcome as possible in Plzen, providing assistance with arrival and accommodation, and handling the necessary requirements to help them get acquainted with the university and the city. The purpose of the Welcome Center is to provide a full service for professionals who come to the west of Bohemia for work, and their families.
“The University of West Bohemia has long been involved in international projects in the field of research and development, studies, professional events and conferences and strives to internationalize all activities in order to succeed in international competition,” said Dita Hommerová, UWB International Vice-Rector for Internationalization. “In order to be able to motivate foreign experts and specialists to cooperate, it must have sufficient infrastructure. The International Cooperation Offices, often referred to as the Welcome Center, are one of the tools to achieve this, ”
The influx of foreign employees at the UWB has slowed in recent years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but scientists are still present in Plzen. “Thanks in particular to the support of the Plzen Region’s Academic Careers in Plzen project and the ongoing Mobility 3.0 project, we are obtaining grant funding for incoming foreign experts who often come to the region with their loved ones and work at the UWB for a long time,” added Hommerova.
The UWB Welcome Center assists foreigners with:
- assistance with residence and work permits, both before arrival in the Czech Republic and during the stay;
- arranging accommodation;
- necessary information about arrival in Pilsen;
- scheduling appointments with their future workplace;
- application for a JIS card and subsidized catering at the UWB;
- assistance with residence permits for their family members and additional support, terms of securing a school or kindergarten, health care, accommodation or leisure activities;
- help with miscellaneous matters such as health insurance, general or specialist medical care, bank accounts, court interpreters and others.
