A glass-supported palladium catalyst was developed. The catalyst could be used repeatedly (12 times) with a low catalytic loading (0.05 mol%) for the Heck reaction with a turnover number of 45 000, and no special treatment was necessary before catalyst reuse. The catalytic activity was maintained even after the catalyst was left to stand in air for one month. Furthermore, it was found that the glass surface assisted the adsorption and reduction of the Pd(II) species, through which catalytically active Pd(0) nanoparticles were formed and stabilized. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.