Prague, 9 th December 2009 – Unipetrol awarded prizes to the graduate and postgraduate students of the Institute of Chemical Technology in Prague for their best Masters theses and PhD dissertations. The prizes were formally handed over before the Institute’s traditional Christmas concert, this year held on 8 th December in the Bethlehem Chapel.  The Unipetrol Prize was awarded to the four authors of the most promising theses and six authors of the best dissertations. For the best theses and dissertations they received CZK 200 thousand in total. The individual prizes, amounting to CZK 50 or 25 thousand, were divided according to whether one or two students were rewarded within the same faculty. 

Unipetrol employs many graduates of this internationally respected and prestigious institution. Even several persons from the Group’s management can boast a VŠCHT diploma, like, e.g., Mr. Milan Kuncíř, the CEO of Paramo, Mr. Radomír Věk, the Executive Director of Unipetrol RPA, Mr. Karel Surma, the Executive of Unipetrol Services, and Mr. Václav Loula, the Quality Manager in Benzina and a highly respected expert in the field of motor fuels production and properties. 

“Two things are the most important for our development and market success – progress and educated people. This is why we support VŠCHT, which is to us both a source of high-quality people and the provider of new trends and technological innovations,“ commented on this cooperation Dana Dvořáková, the Corporate Communication Director.  

The Unipetrol Prize is awarded for selected theses and dissertations of the graduates of all the VŠCHT Prague faculties defended successfully within the last academic year. The prize is of motivational character and is mostly intended for the students willing to continue scientific careers at VŠCHT Prague or going to work in one of the Unipetrol Group companies. The strategic cooperation between Unipetrol and VŠCHT has been in existence since 2002.

UNIPETROL, a.s. is a group of companies operating in the petrochemical industry in the Czech Republic. In 2005 UNIPETROL became a part of the PKN ORLEN Group, the largest oil processor in Central Europe. The UNIPETROL Group is oriented mostly towards oil processing, fuel distribution and petrochemical production. In all of these business areas the UNIPETROL Group is among the key players both in the Czech Republic and on the Central European market. The Group ranks among the leading firms in the Czech Republic in terms of its revenues, and employs more than 4,000 people.

Contact: 
Blanka Růžičková 
Spokesperson for Unipetrol, a.s. 
Telephone: +420 225 001 407, +420 731 881 111 
E-mail: blanka.ruzickova@unipetrol.cz​