The Czech Science Foundation (GACR) is announcing calls for Project Proposals for Standard and International Projects, POSTDOC INDIVIDUAL FELLOWSHIP, and Restart Grants. The deadline for submissions is 31 March 2026. The EXPRO and JUNIOR STAR tenders will be announced in early March.
“Grant calls and tenders bring a healthy degree of competition to the research environment and give the best researchers a chance to succeed. Anyone can apply, and if they successfully pass the evaluation carried out by leading scientists in the field, scientists can develop their ideas into excellent research. This means that the conduct of research does not depend solely on the will of the head of the department, and grant tenders promote academic freedom,” says Milan Jirsa, GACR President. “In addition, the preparation of a grant project helps organize thoughts and develop ideas – and this can be useful even if other projects win over yours in the tender.”
Project proposals for projects to be launched in 2027 may be submitted until 31 March 2026. The results of the tenders will be published on 26 November this year. The results of international tenders and calls will be announced later, depending on our arrangements with the agencies in other countries.
For this year’s tenders, in view of the long-term underfunding of the GACR budget, the rules for multiple submissions and concurrent new projects have been modified compared to previous tenders. The aim is to provide funding to as many outstanding researchers and their teams as possible.
The EXPRO and JUNIOR STAR tenders will be announced in early March due to a transition to a new information system.
Standard projects are the backbone of targeted aid for basic research in the Czech Republic, with GACR having financed hundreds of them each year since its founding in 1993. Through these projects, the best basic research in all areas is supported. Standard projects are usually worked on for three years and their proposals may be submitted by all researchers and their teams without limits on the length of their scientific careers. Project proposals are evaluated on the basis of a multi-level selection process.
- Tender Document – Standard Projects 2027
- Practical information – Standard projects 2027
- Things to Watch For – Standard projects 2027
POSTDOC INDIVIDUAL FELLOWSHIP (PIF) is aimed at scientists who have finished their doctoral studies in the past four years. It can take two forms – either allowing a Czech scientist to carry out two years of research at a prestigious research centre abroad (with the condition of spending a third year at a research centre in the Czech Republic) or allowing a Czech postdoc or foreign scientist to come carry out research and begin their career at a Czech research centre.
- Tender Document – POSTDOC INDIVIDUAL FELLOWSHIP OUTGOING 2027
- Practical information – POSTDOC INDIVIDUAL FELLOWSHIP INCOMING 2027
RESTART GRANTS are the most recent grant scheme. They allow excellent scientists to restart their careers after a break due to parental leave or dependent care. RESTART GRANTS address scientists from Czech institutions who have completed their Ph.D.’s in the last ten years (or earlier if they had a career break). Project proposals may be submitted up to two years after the end of a career break related to childcare or dependent care that lasted at least one year. The schedule of the funding will be two to four years, depending on the workload chosen by the scientist.
Projects worked on by scientists and their teams in cooperation with researchers from partner states are a separate category of grants. Project proposals are either evaluated by both agencies (bilateral cooperation), or they are recommended for funding by one agency and the other adopts its recommendations (Lead Agency cooperation).
Bilateral-cooperation
- Taiwan – National Science and Technology Council (NSTC)
- South Korea – National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF)
- Tender Document – International-bilateral projects 2027
- Things to Watch For – International project – bilateral 2027
Lead Agency
- Austria – Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
- Germany – German Research Foundation (DFG)
- Poland – National Science Centre (NCN)
- Slovenia – Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (ARIS)
- Switzerland – Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)
- Luxembourg – Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR)
- USA – National Science Foundation (NSF) – GACR is always a partner agency
- Croatia – Croatian Science Foundation (HRZZ)
- Terms and Conditions – Lead Agency 2027 (GACR is LA)
- Things to Watch For – International projects – Lead Agency 2027
Further international calls based on Lead Agency cooperation may be launched during the year.