Establishment of CANF

Foundations are defined in the following way in dictionaries:“.. an investment fund set up for the support of social or cultural objectives”. These definitions have omitted the support of science, so we add: the objective of the Czech Antarctic Foundation is to support anything, which is related to Czech scientific activities in the Antarctic region.. In comparison with other sciences, the Czech research is not backed up by numerous scientific teams or large costly infrastructures, but it has been systematically developed for 20 years already. Solving of scientific issues, achieving a great acclaim for them abroad and the position, which the Czech Republic has achieved in supranational Antarctic structures are a proof both of the high international level and status of the Czech science and the Czech cultural maturity and shared responsibility for the sustainable development of both the Antarctica and our entire planet. The idea of establishment of the Czech Antarctic Foundation was created during a gradual consolidation of teams of Czech scientists and technicians during Antarctic research projects. We have scientific, technological and logistic experience and we are a great team, both from the professional and from the human perspective. The Czech Antarctic Foundation will make it possible to continue developing, in an optimum manner and broader extent, everything we have already learnt due to this southern continent.

prof. Pavel Prošek
president of the Czech Antarctic Foundation

The Czech research of the Antarctica and the station of Johann Gregor Mendel are already inseparable. This area has been increasingly more important and popular since the beginnings of the research on the James Ross Island in 2004. However, owing to this increased public awareness people more often ask questions like: “Why should we have a station on the other end of the world? And how much this fun is costing us?” At the times when the global climate is in danger, it is literally a moral obligation of each civilised state to make it possible for its scientists to work on recognising the causes of this danger and its future consequences. The Antarctica may seem too distant, but its exploration has a direct importance for the ecosystem of the planet Earth is a unique, fragile and very closely interconnected system and the Czech scientists deem it a privilege to be able to contribute to its exploration, to face extreme climatic

conditions and to bring knowledge, which could be used to explain current world threats and mysteries. Even so, it is not easy to obtain a support: projects of polar scientists are competing with “home” research, which is not burdened with travel costs. It is therefore necessary to find a support elsewhere – and so the idea of a foundation has come up, which would enable the scientists to continue with their contributive work.

Pavel Kapler, Ph.D.
managing director of the Czech Antarctic Foundation

 
 

The Czech research station of Johann Gregor Mendel, built and operated by the Masaryk University from Brno on the James Ross Island is both a unique exploration project, which promotes the Czech Republic abroad, and also a demonstration of organisation skills, strong will, persistence and courage of a group of enthusiasts, who have dedicated their lives to this project. Me and my colleagues from the management of the Masaryk University visited the station for a short time in the beginnings of 2010 and we learnt about its operation and troubles. The purpose was above all to find new ways of procuring more finances both for the technical background of the operation of the station and for the research, which is taking place in the station. It has been obvious from the beginning that such a project cannot be financed just from grant projects in the long term and that it is necessary to simultaneously keep looking for other sources, e.g. in the business sphere and also abroad. That is why I accepted the invitation for a membership in the Board of Directors of the Czech Antarctic Foundation and I firmly believe that its objectives will be soon achieved.
 

František Mikš
a member of the Board of Directors of the Czech Antarctic Foundation

 

I am honoured to cooperate with the people, who support scientific and research activities in the Czech Republic related to the polar region of the Antarctica.
 

Ing. Dušan Jamný
founder of the Czech Antarctic Foundation