The University of South Bohemia (USB) was founded in 1991, following a long tradition of educating teachers and university experts in various fields of agricultural production, theological studies and the tradition of fish farming and fisheries. The USB, as one of the first 15 institutions in the Czech Republic and one of the first 400 international, holds a prestigious HR Excellence in Research Award.

USB is a modern public university located in the town of České Budějovice. It educates more than 10,500 students at 8 different faculties and in more than 200 programmes including bachelor’s & master’s degrees as well as doctoral programmes. The faculties include: Faculty of Economics, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Education, Faculty of Science, Faculty of Theology, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture. USB is proud to be a top-quality science & research centre specialising in education and research in natural, humanist and social sciences.

The Institute of English Studies was founded on 1 September 2010. As the most recently established department at the Faculty of Arts, it is dynamic in both its research orientation and teaching. It has ten full-time members of staff, all of whom are research-active and engaged in teaching. Students can choose from a range of study programmes, including a Bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature, consecutive Master’s and PhD programmes in English and American Literature, a consecutive Master’s in Teacher Training for Upper Secondary Schools in English Language and Literature, and a follow-up Master’s degree in Translation. The Institute places strong emphasis on practical training and continues to strengthen partnerships that provide professional development opportunities for its students. Its graduates find employment in a wide range of industries and professions where creative thinking and an excellent command of English are required.

Helena Lohrová

Helena Lohrová  holds a PhD in Applied Linguistics from the University of Birmingham, UK, and is an Assistant Professor at the University of South Bohemia (USB) in České Budějovice, Czech Republic. She teaches courses in linguistics and discourse analysis within both the general linguistics and teacher education programmes. Her research focuses on applied linguistics and discourse, including critical language awareness, and examines how language and interaction shape professional, educational, and social contexts. She coordinated the Teachers of English for Future Europe (TEFE) project (2020–2023) and currently serves as overall project coordinator of the follow-up TEFE A+ initiative (2023–2026), leading the USB team and ensuring strategic and academic alignment across the consortium. Together with TEFE Consortium colleagues, she contributed to the development of the TEFE Framework for the Internationalisation of Teaching Practice and Employability, which underpins the project’s ongoing implementation phase.  

Ivo Petrů

Ivo Petrůholds a PhD in French Philology and a JUDr in Law. He is a lawyer-linguist specialising in legal language and its translation in the European context, particularly from French into Czech. He is an Assistant Professor at the University of South Bohemia (USB) in České Budějovice, where he combines teaching and research with expertise in project management. He has extensive experience in coordinating international Erasmus+ projects, including the Strategic Partnership Legal Systems and Business Law in the EU: Translating and Interpreting in Diversity (2015–2021). He serves as project manager within the TEFE and TEFE A+ initiatives, overseeing coordination and administrative processes at USB.

Alena Prošková

Alena Prošková holds a Ph.D. in Foreign Language Teaching Methodology and serves as Vice-Dean for Teacher Education Programmes, Accreditation and Quality Control at the Faculty of Arts, University of South Bohemia (USB) in České Budějovice, Czech Republic. She is an Assistant Professor at the Institue English Studies and an experienced teacher trainer coordinating internships and cooperation with schools and mentors. Her academic work focuses on EFL teaching methodology, with particular emphasis on competence-based education, CLIL, and diachronic research of teaching materials. In the TEFE project, she plays an active role in coordinating the content and delivery of project learning activities and intellectual outputs.

Tomáš Jajtner

Tomáš Jajtner holds a Ph.D. in English and American Literature and a Th.D. in Catholic Theology. He teaches British and American cultural studies, older English and American literature and ecocriticism. He has published extensively in all the mentioned fields. Since 2021 he has been active in the teacher training programme, focusing on the presentation skills and on the use of literature in EFL classes. He joined the TEFE A+ project in 2023.