Years ago, Pavel Šiler from the Faculty of Chemistry began attending international conferences. “I met people from the field there, but those conference encounters tend to be very superficial. You usually exchange a few words and move on. But once I was sitting at a table with a professor from Rome, who also happens to be the president of the Italian Society for Thermal Analysis – a field I focus on in my work. So, I asked him if it would be possible to visit him through Erasmus,” recalls Šiler about how it all began.

One thing led to another, Šiler went to Italy, and according to him, a whole new world opened up. “Thanks to Erasmus, I built contacts, opened up to the world, and published papers in journals I could only dream of before. Other people in the field started to notice me and talk to me. I was in Italy, the professor from Rome later came to Brno, we published a joint paper, and through him I got in touch with another leading figure in the field, Giuseppe Lazzara, a distinguished professor from Palermo,” explains Šiler.

It was in Palermo that he formed very close ties thanks to Erasmus. “Just in the past year, we’ve published three articles together in prestigious journals. Right now, one of his Ph.D. students is visiting for a month. We have resources they don’t, and vice versa. For example, we share different instruments for measuring samples. The greatest advantage, in my opinion, lies in the different perspectives we bring to solving problems, which significantly moves our collaboration forward,” he says, adding: “Normally, it would have been difficult for me to become part of such a group of people, but I managed to integrate very quickly. We’ve built great collaborations and friendships. When I was in Palermo, there was a heatwave, and power outages were frequent. During the day, Professor Lazzara – who, as they say, is a big name – didn’t have much time, and it was almost impossible to reach him. But in the evenings, he would stop by. We would sit, drink beer, and talk for hours about work and life. Several times, the power went out during our conversations, which only strengthened our friendship as we searched for candles and such. We’ve shared so many experiences, and even our children exchange birthday greetings. When I attend a conference now, I already know many people there, and they know me. So rather than going to a professional conference, I’m visiting friends. And I owe all of that to Erasmus.”

You can go abroad even for a week

Both students and employees of BUT have several opportunities to visit foreign universities and institutions through Erasmus. “It’s no longer the case that if a student wants to go on Erasmus, they must spend a whole semester or two at a partner university. In addition to traditional study stays, we now offer work placements and short-term mobilities. Doctoral students can go on internships lasting from five to thirty days, while bachelor’s and master’s students can take part in blended intensive programs. These are short-term programs usually focused on a specific topic, where students from different countries meet at the host university,” explains Michaela Veselá, the institutional Erasmus+ coordinator at BUT.

It’s also not true that Erasmus is only for students. Employees (CZ only) can also travel abroad thanks to the program. “In addition to teaching stays, where an employee arranges to teach at one of our partner universities, Erasmus+ also offers the opportunity to shadow a foreign colleague or take part in training in a company. Language courses are quite popular as well. We support these both for academic staff, to help them teach in English, and for other university employees, so they can communicate with incoming foreign students and lecturers,” says Veselá. Another interesting option is the so-called staff week – a week-long program for employees organized by various European universities on a specific topic. “It’s a week-long event focused on a specific issue. For example, it may be intended for university librarians, finance departments, and so on,” adds Veselá.

Applicants will also appreciate the digitalization of much of the administration related to these stays. “Employees apply through the Intraportal, and everyone answers the same questions. The faculties’ international offices then use a scoring system to award points for meeting various criteria,” explains Veselá, adding that by the end of the year, the process of signing participant contracts and submitting Erasmus documents will also be digitalized. The aim is to make the application process as transparent and simple as possible. Pavel Šiler also highlights how easy it is. “Going on Erasmus is really simple because we have an excellent team of people who are always ready to help. At our faculty, that’s mainly Mrs. Jurčeková, Sýkorová, and Alexová, and at the Rector’s Office, Mrs. Dziková and Veselá. I’ve only had great experiences,” says Šiler.

Those interested in Erasmus can apply twice a year. “If someone plans to go abroad in the summer semester, they can apply in December and January. For the winter semester, applications are open from April to May,” notes Veselá.

For those who are still considering Erasmus+, Pavel Šiler has a simple piece of advice – don’t overthink it, just go. “The more you plan and create expectations, the more likely it is that something won’t go as planned. Of course, it’s good to prepare and learn as much as possible about the person or institution you’ll be working with. It also helped me to have a presentation ready. Now people usually know me, but at the beginning, I always started by giving a talk about the Czech Republic, our workplace, and my research – so they’d know who I am and what I can offer. But in any case, I wouldn’t overthink it – I’d just go and make the most of it,” concludes Pavel Šiler with a message to students and employees alike.

(zeh)