The Czech Arctic Research Station is named after the Czech-Canadian polar ecologist Josef Svoboda and is operated by the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice.

The station is located in the central part of the Svalbard archipelago and consist of three parts:

The station is used by Czech and foreign scientists and offers all the comfort and logistics facilities for research in Svalbard.

Station may be used only for scientific purposes under a contractual agreement with the operator.  All research projects must be registered in Research in Svalbard database.   

Contact address       

Czech Arctic Research Station
University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice
Branišovská 1760
370 05 České Budějovice
Czechia

Station address

Czech Arctic Research Station
Vei 401-42, 9170 Longyearbyen
Svalbard, Norway
Organisasjonsnummer (NO): 911 879 689

Billing address

University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice
Branišovská 1645/31a
370 05 České Budějovice
Czechia
VAT: CZ60076658

Laboratory of Archaeobotany and Palaeoecology (LAPE) is specialized research body of the university founded in September 2002 at the Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia as part of the Department of Botany. Since 2014 LAPE is a separate department of Faculty of Science.

Research activity of laboratory members is targeted at the area of bioarchaeology and palaeoecology, namely archaeobotany, archaeozoology, but also other specializations dealing with interaction between humans and environment in history. Bachelor, magister and doctor theses namely in botany, zoology and environmental archaeology are developed within the laboratory. In the case of environmental archaeology, laboratory closely collaborates with the Institute of Archaeology of the Faculty of Arts of the University of South Bohemia. LAPE comprises research in the Czech Republic as well as abroad. LAPE also offers services for other research bodies. Besides consultancy concerning natural sciences in archaeology LAPE provides analytical work in several areas of bioarchaeology. LAPE co-edits the international journal Interdisciplinaria Archaeologica, Natural Sciences in Archaeology (IANSA).

Centre for Polar Ecology

The Centre for Polar Ecology (CPE) was established in 2013, and its main goal is to conduct and support research in polar ecology at the Faculty of Science at the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice.

The Centre for Polar Ecology is located in České Budějovice, in the building of a newly renovated farmhouse, which includes high-tech laboratories, cultivation room, cooling rooms and a lecture room. We provide facilities for various research groups, with focus on a research, for example, in Svalbard, Finland, Alaska, Iceland, Greenland and the high Andes of South America.

Students of the Faculty of Science USB can get an unforgettable experience at the two-week Polar Ecology Course in Svalbard, where they will gain comprehensive knowledge of the ecology of the polar regions. The course runs once every two years and is very popular among students.