Innovation Week at the VŠE to Feature Lectures, Workshops, Excursions and Opportunities to Engage with Professionals
From 2 to 5 November 2026, the VŠE will host Innovation Week. This year, once again, it will offer a varied programme of lectures, workshops, discussions, excursions and other activities that will enrich regular classes with current topics, practical experience and opportunities to meet experts from companies, the public sector and abroad.
The programme brings together a wide range of areas across the disciplines taught at the VŠE. Technology, artificial intelligence and data will feature prominently. The week will include, for example, the VŠE Data Festival, the workshop AI Work-Life Mastery: Mastering Work and Personal Life, as well as activities focusing on digital marketing in the age of AI and agent-based modelling. Students will also have the opportunity to take part in a workshop using artificial intelligence to build and manage their own “empire” inspired by the world of Narcos.
From Leadership and Marketing to Crisis and Project Management
Management, leadership, marketing and entrepreneurship will also feature prominently. The programme includes, for example, a session on values-based leadership in practice with a guest from Česká spořitelna, an Agile workshop, a lecture with E.ON on the transition from an expert to a managerial role, and the story of SIKO and its journey “from a family business to a global player”. Other activities will focus on crisis management, creative thinking and strategic decision-making, project management, and decision-making at the intersection of business, operations and marketing.
Marketing and communication will be complemented by the Business Storytelling Workshop, a programme devoted to building a personal brand on LinkedIn, digital marketing and PPC advertising, as well as presentation and communication skills with a representative of Škoda Auto. The programme will also include career-focused workshops on job searching and CV preparation.
International Affairs, Diplomacy and Social Issues
International and social topics will also form an important part of the programme. On Monday, Innovation, Sustainability and Competitiveness: Lessons from Sweden will offer a lecture and discussion with Swedish Ambassador Håkan Jevrell. The Conference on the Republic of Korea and Central Europe Cooperation will address geopolitical and economic challenges facing Asia and Europe in 2026.
Other events will introduce economic diplomacy in Latin America, the Chinese cultural environment and its links to business, and European trade policy. The programme also includes a lecture by Korean studies expert Nina Špitálníková on life in North Korea under Kim Jong-un, a discussion on disinformation, propaganda and hate speech, and a meeting with the Representation of the European Commission in the Czech Republic.
More Than Lectures: Students Can Get Hands-On Experience
There will also be a strong emphasis on practical and interactive formats. The programme includes marketing simulation games, a legal game focusing on advertising, trademarks and copyright agreements, an open improvisation training session and first-aid demonstrations. Students can also take an excursion to the creative 3D studio ZIGILAB or meet the Director of Trading and Listing at the Prague Stock Exchange.
The programme extends beyond the university campus as well. In addition to excursions, the Innovation Week Hike for International Students will take place along the Dobřichovice–Mořinka–Karlštejn route. The international dimension of the week will also be complemented by the VSE-UTM Startup Challenge in Chișinău, Moldova.
Topics related to studying, personal development and wellbeing will also be included. Students can attend workshops on effective learning, stress, energy and recovery, individual writing sessions, and language activities, including practice speaking tests. The Faculty of Management will also host its autumn bachelor’s and master’s thesis hackathon DOPIŠ TO!
Innovation Week will therefore offer students an opportunity to step away from the usual rhythm of semester classes for a few days and connect academic topics with practice, current affairs and interactive forms of learning. Students can create their own programme across topics ranging from AI and data to management, marketing and finance, as well as diplomacy, international relations, languages and personal development.
CTVS Sports Activities
The sports section of Innovation Week will offer students a range of opportunities for active recreation and to try different physical activities. The programme includes an autumn climbing course, a course for future ski instructors, creative bouldering and the HY(VŠE)ROX fitness challenge.The week will also feature Step Workout, Streetball, Power Pilates, Kondi Step and Mobility Training. The sports programme thus complements the professional and educational activities of Innovation Week with a varied selection of sports and physical activities.