EU operational programmes

ATCZ217

Project name:

Collaboration of institutions in Vysočina and Upper Austria in support of qualification improvement in the field of digitalization in cultural tourism/Zusammenarbeit der Institutionen in Vysočina und Oberösterreich bei der Unterstützung der Qualifizierungserhöhung - Digitalization in tourism/Digitalisierung im Tourismus

Grant title:

Interreg V-A Austria-Czech Republic 2014-2020

Period of implementation:

1 Jan 2020 - 30 Nov 2022

Annotation:

The main challenge for the project is to create a new active network of public institutions in the field of digitalization and to contribute to the improvement of cooperation between educational institutions and public service providers in the field of cultural tourism (CR) in the Highlands and Upper Austria regions. The aim of the project is to initiate a completely new systematic cross-border cooperation of higher education institutions - the Polytechnic University of Jihlava (hereinafter referred to as VŠPJ), Johannes Kepler Universität Linz (hereinafter referred to as JKU) with organizations mediating the cultural heritage of the AT-CZ region to the general public -  Vysočina Tourism and Verbund OÖ Museen. The cooperation will be based on the exchange of experience for the benefit of all partners and on joint activities in the field of training in digitalisation in cultural CR (i.e. effective use of modern online tools, e.g. websites, social media, etc. for the needs of cultural CR organisations).

The project activities will enable thanks to the active cooperation of all project partners:
a) Joint creation of a cross-border educational seminar "Museum and Tourism". In Upper Austria, JKU has been offering a professional seminar since 2007, which will be completely innovated, focusing on the topic of digitalization and will be implemented jointly by the project partners in AT and CZ territory. This is a completely innovative educational project within the programme area. The potential of cultural CR institutions (e.g. museums) is not fully exploited, the staff often lacks the knowledge needed to effectively promote the services of the institutions towards the general public. Training of staff will lead to networking of institutions and strengthening their cooperation, making museums more attractive and increasing their visitor numbers. The project will include a joint pilot teaching of an innovative seminar, which will be certified by ICOM (International Council of Museums).

b) Joint creation of a new course in English on the topic of digitization in cultural CR at VŠPJ and its joint pilot teaching. From 2019, JKU offers a number of courses focused on digitalization in CR. The content of these courses will be made available to the VŠPJ, there will be auditions of VSPJ academics in teaching selected courses at JKU, and then all partners will design the structure of the new course to be adapted to Czech conditions and to meet the needs of AT-CZ practice in the region. The JKU subjects will be  innovated with the knowledge gained in the CZ territory.

Project leader:

RNDr. Mgr. Stanislava Pachrová, Ph.D.

Total amount:

€225,161.91

Project partners:

Johannes Kepler Universität Linz
Verbund OÖ. Museen
Vysočina Tourism, příspěvková organizace

Internet site:

https://www.at-cz.eu/cz/ibox/po-4-udrzitelne-site-a-institucionalni-spoluprace/atcz217_digitalizace-v-cestovnim-ruchu_digitalisierung-im-tourismus

KPF-02-220

Project name:

City partnerships to strengthen cross-border regional development
Städtepartnerschaften zur Stärkung grenzüberschreitender Regionalentwicklung

Grant title:

Austria-Czech Republic Small Project Fund under the Interreg V-A Austria-Czech Republic Programme

Period of implementation:

1 Aug 2021 - 31 Oct 2022

Annotation:

Part of the "return of the Czech Republic to Europe" was the partnership between the cities. In the Czech-Austrian border region, historical affinities can be partly built upon, but their extent and quality can be burdened by certain events. Currently, an incomplete inventory records 30 towns in the South Bohemia, Vysočina and South Moravia regions with institutionalised links to their Austrian counterparts. The project will assess the level of partnership with a focus on mutual knowledge of the neighbouring state, region, locality, but also the functioning of public administration. This will be done through joint cabinet research by students and academics from the VŠPJ and DUK, as well as through fieldwork including meetings with representatives of local government, travel agencies, accommodation facilities and sightseeing sites (including paid admission). The results, first presented at the conference in the form of a travelling exhibition and publication, will significantly advance the state of knowledge about the twinning relations between the respective cities and thus promote the interconnectedness of the Czech-Austrian border region.

Project leader:

Doc. RNDr. Milan Jeřábek, Ph.D.

Total amount:

€19,971.98

Project partners:

Polytechnic College Jihlava
Donau-Universität Krems - Universität für Weiterbildung

KPF-02-135

Project name:

Readiness of monuments for the German-speaking clientele
Bereitschaft der Sehenswürdigkeiten für die deutschsprachigen Klientel

Grant Title:

Austria-Czech Republic Small Project Fund under the Interreg V-A Austria-Czech Republic Programme

Period of implementation:

1 March 2020 - 30 November 2021

Annotation:

The aim of the project is to expand the teaching at the Polytechnic University of Jihlava and the University of South Bohemia (VŠPJ/JU) by specifically involving students in a European project. The means is an analysis of the current use of selected landmarks of the Highlands and South Bohemia (KV/JČK) regions, their visitation, promotion (especially foreign language and German) and transport accessibility. The project is a continuation of a similar project of Masaryk University implemented in the South Moravian border region (FMP-02-031), for the VŠPJ it is the beginning of cooperation with the partner Donau-Universität Krems (DUK) in the sense of strengthening internationalisation. The basic idea is to strengthen mutual understanding on a general/societal and specific/individual level through research, educational and presentation activities. At the same time, it will promote the cultural identity and interconnectedness of the Czech-Austrian border region with the aim of increasing the number of visitors or extending their stay. The specific research concerns selected heritage sites, which will be investigated as case studies (25 examples in the Czech Republic, 10 examples in Austria) through field research including personal visits to the sites and questionnaire surveys of residents and visitors. Relevant institutions of heritage conservation, regional development and public administration will also be involved in the project.

The aim of the project is to involve academic institutions in the application level of the Czech-Austrian cooperation through the production of outputs for public administration in general and entities active in heritage conservation and tourism in particular. It will also compare the situation in the model area on the Czech and Austrian side, while the existing activities of the Department of Tourism of the University of Applied Sciences have focused on the KV (focused on marketing, potential of the area, visitor profile). The target group is primarily Bc. of Tourism and Mgr. M.Sc. students of geography (10 VŠPJ, 10 JU, 5 DUK of regional/local development). Representatives of towns and municipalities, administrators of monuments, representatives of other organizations (e.g. National Heritage Institute/NPÚ - Telč, South Bohemian Museum in České Budějovice), and in a broader context, professional and lay public will be involved as consultants and also as recipients of outputs.

The project consists of four follow-up stages/events, namely 1. an initial 1-day workshop (03/2020 in Jihlava), 2. a cabinet research of the VŠPJ+JU / KV+JČK (03-05/2020), 3. two 5-day field surveys (06/2020 Vysočina Region, 09/2020 South Bohemia Region) and 4. The applicant also coordinates the project outputs, namely publications, a travelling exhibition via posters, as well as the corresponding promotion and publicity. The field survey serves to complement the information and findings on site, their verification and CZ-AT comparison, and includes a self-survey of both the local population and visitors. VŠPJ is responsible for activities in the model area of the Vysočina Region, as well as cooperation with Vysočina Tourism and other entities of the Region.

Project manager:

Doc. RNDr. Milan Jeřábek, Ph.D.

Total amount:

23 472.09 €

Project partners:

Jihlava Polytechnic College
JU České Budějovice
Donau-Universität Krems

Tourism has a high potential in the Austrian-Czech border region in the form of natural wealth and cultural monuments, agro-tourism is developing, new cycling routes are being built to connect the two countries. The problem of the lack of cross-border management and marketing of tourist destinations still applies. The main aim of the project is to create conditions for the meeting of experts, academics and students. Students from tourism-oriented universities will have the opportunity to learn about practical problems and present the results of their work in a professional forum. They will benefit not only from meetings, exchange of professional experience and international contacts, but also from the opportunity to publish in an international peer-reviewed journal.

Fachhochschule Wien GmbH