Å kodaAuto ANNUAL REPORT 2006 - Skoda Auto
Å kodaAuto ANNUAL REPORT 2006 - Skoda Auto
Å kodaAuto ANNUAL REPORT 2006 - Skoda Auto
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Sponsorship<br />
and Corporate Citizenship<br />
Škoda <strong>Auto</strong> is engaged in corporate<br />
citizenship in all regions of the Czech<br />
Republic supporting, in particular,<br />
culture and the arts, education, healthcare,<br />
and sport.<br />
The pillar of the Company’s sponsorship<br />
of sport, is support for ice hockey. Since<br />
1992 the Company has provided the<br />
official vehicle for the IIHF Ice Hockey<br />
World Championship and has been a main<br />
sponsor of the Championship since 1993.<br />
The Company is also general partner of<br />
the Czech Ice Hockey Extra-league and<br />
the Czech National Ice Hockey Team.<br />
Cycling is another supported sport<br />
activity. Since 2004 the Company is one of<br />
the principal sponsors of the legendary<br />
cycling race, the Tour de France. In <strong>2006</strong>,<br />
the Company became a partner to the<br />
World Cycling Championship. Ever since<br />
1992, the Company has been a General<br />
Partner to the Czech Olympic Team. In<br />
Motorsport, the Škoda brand continues to<br />
be involved in the world championship<br />
through support for private teams.<br />
In culture & the arts, the Company is<br />
a traditional partner of the Czech<br />
Philharmonic Orchestra, the National<br />
Theatre, and the International Film<br />
Festival for Children and Youth in Zlín.<br />
The Company also focuses its attention on<br />
a number of social and charity programmes,<br />
and helps people with handicaps in their<br />
efforts to improve their lives. The<br />
Company maintains long-term<br />
partnerships in this area with the<br />
Foundation for Cancer Research, the<br />
Oncological Care Centre, the Paralympic<br />
Committee, and Centrum Paraple (run by<br />
the Union of Paraplegics), among others.<br />
Another project in the social field is<br />
support for “Healthcare Clowns”, who visit<br />
paediatric wards in hospitals to help little<br />
patients overcome fear and anxiety.<br />
The Company contributed to culture and<br />
the arts in the Mladá Boleslav region in<br />
<strong>2006</strong> by supporting the Municipal Theatre<br />
and the Festival of Film Laughs. The latter<br />
took place in September at the Škoda<br />
<strong>Auto</strong> Museum. To help develop<br />
infrastructure, the Company made<br />
contributions toward construction of<br />
roads, a car-park, and a bus station. In the<br />
education area, the Company provided<br />
funding for the renovation of the 4th<br />
Primary School and, in sport, it supported<br />
the local football club.<br />
In close co-operation with technical<br />
universities, the Company is developing<br />
project-oriented study programmes and<br />
endeavouring to secure and support<br />
a graduate profile that is in line with the<br />
Company’s objectives and interests. <strong>2006</strong><br />
saw the renewal of framework agreements<br />
with ČVUT Prague, TU Liberec and ZČU<br />
Plzeň and, at the same time, the parties<br />
are joint beneficiaries of grants from<br />
European Structural Funds – Sectoral<br />
Operational Programme Human<br />
Resources Development. In addition, the<br />
Škoda <strong>Auto</strong> University is expanding study<br />
opportunities in the Mladá Boleslav area.<br />
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