Research programmes
Research Programme 1: Governance for Sustainable Transition
The region has long faced low entrepreneurial activity and a low representation of promising sectors. At the same time, it faces socio-demographic challenges such as social exclusion and population out-migration. A just transition appears to be a unique opportunity to alleviate these problems, but it requires a comprehensive socio-technological approach, involving not only technological transformation but also institutional, organisational and socio-cultural change. This approach, focusing on socio-technological transition (STT), seeks transformation along different dimensions.
Head of the research team: doc. RNDr. Petr Rumpel, Ph.D.
Petr Rumpel, who heads the Department of Social Geography and Regional Development at the Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, has been involved in basic and applied research for almost three decades. He is involved in many research projects that focus on regional innovation systems, shrinking cities, old industrial regions and the concept of smart cities. His work has been published in renowned journals such as European Urban and Regional Studies, European Planning Studies, Cities.
Research Programme 2: Predicting trends in undesirable social phenomena
This research programme focuses on analysing, modelling and forecasting the impact of the introduction of modern energy technologies and innovations on vulnerable groups in the Moravian-Silesian region. It focuses on groups identified in the field of social work as: (1) children and families at risk; (2) the elderly; (3) people in residential social care facilities; (4) people at risk of or affected by crime. The programme is based on the assumption that the success and sustainability of the energy transition depends on the ability to prevent or at least mitigate its negative consequences for the most vulnerable parts of the population in the Moravian-Silesian Region. The research outputs aim to provide expert recommendations to ensure the legitimacy, effectiveness and sustainability of the energy transition and minimise its negative impacts.
Head of the research team: prof. Soňa Kalenda Vávrová, Ph.D.
Professor at the Department of Social Work and also responsible for the doctoral programmes in social work at the Faculty of Social Studies of the University of Ostrava has more than 25 years of experience in social work research. Her work includes participation in a number of research projects, both basic and applied, specifically focusing on vulnerable children, the elderly and people in institutional care within selected social services.
Research Programme 3: Historical Risk Analysis of Social Transformations
The interdisciplinary team will focus on the study of the relationship between the evolution of energy resources and technologies and the transformation of social structures over a long period of time, from the medieval era transitioning to modern society, through the period of industrialisation and the subsequent transition to a post-industrial economy. This research will include a global-historical capture of changes in working patterns and relationships, as well as a reflection on the transformation of technologies in transport infrastructure and their impact on social and cultural aspects and changes in individual position within society.
Head of the research team: prof. PhDr. Aleš Zářický, Ph.D.
Director of the Centre for Economic and Social History at the Faculty of Arts, University of Ostrava. Aleš Zářický is a recognized expert in the history of Ostrava, Czech-Polish relations and the urban, social and economic development of Silesia. He is a member of several professional societies and editorial boards and actively publishes both at home and abroad.
Research Programme 4: Analysis of the impact of transformation on education, human health and mental health
The research team focuses on comprehensive research on the region's educational transformation. Two cohort studies will examine how the socioeconomic situation of individuals and their families affects their educational and career needs in the context of the specific Moravian-Silesian region. Specifically, these studies will focus on: (1) analyzing the resilience of students and families to changes in education and in the context of new technologies; (2) examining the impact of mining downturns on educational trajectories and employment opportunities in the region; and (3) identifying the biopsychosocial characteristics of workers during their career transition and their impact on the educational and social inclusion needs of children.
Head of the research team: doc. Mgr. Steriani Elavsky, Ph.D.
An outstanding professor and the most cited Czech academic in the field of social affairs, she is active in the Department of Human Movement Studies at the Faculty of Education, University of Ostrava. She has more than twenty years of experience in research and teaching in the field of kinanthropology, health psychology and the aging process.
Research programme 5: Knowledge and data processing unit
The planned research will be based on current trends in data analysis and the development of methods using artificial intelligence, which can find application in a wide range of fields, including social science research and industrial applications. In industrial areas, applications will focus on activities related to the Industry 4.0 phenomenon, such as optimisation of production processes or automatic detection of manufacturing defects. In the social science research area, the research team will focus on text and social data analysis, with an emphasis on criminology, history and population health.
Head of the research team: doc. RNDr. Martin Štěpnička, Ph.D.
Vice-Rector for Science and Arts at the University of Ostrava, 20 years of research experience in fuzzy modelling, expert systems and time series prediction. President of the European Society for Fuzzy Logic and Technologies (EUSFLAT) in 2017-2019 and 2019-2021, IEEE Senior, FUZZ-IEEE Best Paper Award 2016 (Vancouver, Canada).
Research Programme 6: Analysis and modelling of the economic dimension of technological change
Professor Jana Hančlová's research team will focus on the economic implications of technological change with an emphasis on the problems identified in the Moravian-Silesian region. The work of the sixth research team will thus build on the work of other research teams in the Social Lab, using insights from contemporary economic theory (including behavioural approaches) and advanced econometric and experimental methods.
Head of the research team: prof. Ing. Jana Hančlová, CSc.
Professor at the Department of Systems Engineering and Informatics at the Faculty of Economics, VŠB-TUO, 30 years of experience in macroeconomic and regional econometric modelling, efficiency evaluation of DEA models. He has extensive experience in solving national and international research projects. Her work has been published in reputed journals such as Omega- International Journal of Management Science and Expert Systems and Applications. She has served as President of the Czech Society for Operations Research and the Czech Econometric Society.
