"We popularise chemistry studies and improve the studying conditions in schools. We enable students to connect the theoretical knowledge they acquire at school with practice and to learn about the conditions in development and production. We also support dozens of them in the form of individual scholarships," said Tomáš Herink, Member of the Board of Directors of the Unipetrol Group responsible for science, research and education. "Even elementary school pupils are not left behind. For them, we organise entertaining and educational seminars called A Fabulous Day with Chemistry. We also invite them to the EduBus mobile lab," he added.

Unipetrol's activities aimed at promotion of chemistry and support of students and schools are, thanks to cooperation with the Unipetrol Foundation, Unipetrol Centre for Research and Education, Unipetrol Research Center and other partners, diverse. In addition, in the past school year, the popularization of chemistry was expanded also among pupils. A thousand primary school pupils attended the Unipetrol Foundation’s half-day seminar in Litvínov and Pilsen called A Fabulous Day with Chemistry, during which teachers and scientists from the University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague and the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic bring children closer to the world of chemistry in an entertaining way. Another activity is the EduBus mobile chemical lab. Roughly 1,200 children from 10 primary schools have tried out several interesting chemical experiments. Last but not least, the Unipetrol Foundation has become a partner of the third Student Scientific Conference held at the University Centre UCT in Unipetrol’s production plant in Litvínov.

Within the framework of the scholarship program, the foundation distributed among 22 secondary school and 18 university students of science and technical fields of scholarships worth a total of CZK 1.5 million. Within the framework of the grant programme aimed at supporting educational and scientific activities, CZK 2.7 million was distributed to twelve secondary schools from the whole country.

Unipetrol also supported other secondary schools and their students - besides University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague also Schola Humanitas and Educhem in the surroundings of the chemical plant in Litvínov. It also organized excursions to its production plants for over 540 students and pupils from across the country. Last year, seventy students from seven secondary schools and grammar schools also visited Spolana Neratovice, another company from the Unipetrol Group.  What’s more, at the end of June, the first year of a three-month competition called the Chemist’s Challenge culminated at the chemical plant in Neratovice, attended by 85 students from the 16 primary schools from the Central Bohemia Region. After being acquired by Unipetrol in 2016, Spolana is thus becoming more active, not only in the area of production modernisation but also in education and support for schooling.

As a partner of the University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague (UCT) for seventeen years, Unipetrol also rewarded the most interesting study and scientific projects of students and graduates of this university. In 2015, this cooperation resulted in the University Centre which allows to study directly in the premises of the chemical plant in Litvínov. It is located directly in the premises of the chemical plant in Litvínov with 42 students studying four fields there. Twelve of them successfully completed their studies by submitting a bachelor, diploma or dissertation theses. Through its Polymer Institute Brno, Unipetrol also cooperates with the Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC) which is part of the Faculty of Science at Masaryk University in Brno. This long-term cooperation focuses on applied research on polymer structures and their analysis using nuclear magnetic resonance methods.

 

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The Unipetrol Group is the largest refinery and petrochemical company in the Czech Republic. It focuses primarily on crude oil processing, distribution and sale of fuel and petrochemical products — particularly plastics and fertilisers. In all these fields, the group is a key player on both the Czech and Central European market. The Unipetrol Group includes refineries and production plants in Litvínov and Kralupy nad Vltavou, Paramo with the Mogul brand in Pardubice and Kolín, Spolana in Neratovice, and two research centres in Litvínov and Brno. Unipetrol also owns the Benzina network of petrol stations with 404 stations, which is the largest chain in the Czech Republic. Unipetrol is one of the largest companies in the Czech Republic in terms of turnover. The group created revenue of over CZK 122 billion last year and employs more than 4600 people. In 2005, Unipetrol became part of the PKN Orlen Group, the largest crude oil processor in Central Europe.