By appointment from the Czech government, structural biologist Prof. RNDr. Jaroslav Koča, DrSc., takes over the helm of the Czech Science Foundation (“GACR”) today. He is replacing nuclear physicist RNDr. Alice Valkárová, DrSc., who remains member of the Presidium. Prof. Koča brings his managerial experience from the position of Scientific Director of the Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC), and his goal is to continue developing international cooperation, and to expand grant opportunities.
“The Czech Science Foundation has supported Czech basic research since 1993. Since then, the agency has supported thousands of projects involving tens of thousands of scientists from hundreds of institutions. I dare say that a great part of our basic research in this country relies on the Czech Science Foundation. Although this research is usually carried out in the Czech Republic, science itself is international, and it is necessary for Czech science to be world-class. My goal is to continue supporting excellence projects, and developing international cooperation. I also consider it vastly important to continuously improve the system of grant support so that it has the capacity to fundamentally support scientists in their early careers, take them through each next phase of their careers, and respond to current challenges in all our society and, indeed, challenges on a global scale,” says Jaroslav Koča, the new President of the Czech Science Foundation.
“Jaroslav Koča is not only a scientist of high recognition, but he also has a wealth of experience from top management positions – at the moment he is acting as the Scientific Director of CEITEC. What I consider important is the fact that he has been member of the GACR Presidium since 2016, and deserves his share of credit for the current good condition of the Czech Science Foundation. He has taken an active part in its development, including a significant expansion of international cooperation, which is going to continue, and the preparation of highly selective calls for proposals within EXPRO and JUNIOR STAR projects. I am delighted to be able to hand over the Presidency to someone who knows the Czech Science Foundation very well,” notes Alice Valkárová, the outgoing President, who remains member of the Presidium.
In the course of his scientific career so far, Jaroslav Koča has published over 200 original scientific reports in international journals, and has led over 40 doctoral students and post-docs. He has worked at a number of institutions abroad, some of them in a long-term engagement (Norway, France, U.S.) Prof. Koča has also obtained and managed several large-scale international projects domestically and abroad in the volume of tens or even hundreds of millions of Czech crowns. He was appointed Professor in 1995 by the Masaryk University in Brno in the field of organic chemistry. Prof. Koča has held several science management positions, and has been the Scientific Director of CEITEC since 2015, a position he will leave by 31 December 2020. The government of the Czech Republic appointed Prof. Koča member of the GACR Presidium, where he takes over as President effective 10 December 2020.
About GACR Presidium
The Presidium of the Czech Science Foundation (GACR) is appointed by the government of the Czech Republic upon nominations from the R&D Council. It is composed of five members, each of whom represents one of the five basic fields of science: Technical Sciences, Physical Sciences, Medical and Biological Sciences, Social Sciences and Humanities, and Agricultural and Biological-Environmental Sciences. Presidium members are appointed for a four-year term, and may serve no more than two consecutive terms. The President of the Presidium acts as the individual governing (executive) body of the Czech Science Foundation. The Presidium approves invitations to R&D tenders, and executes Funding Agreements, i.e., the grant awards to scientific projects on the basis of evaluations from discipline committees and GACR panels. Furthermore, the Presidium coordinates the activities of these advisory bodies, and appoints and discharges their members. Please click here to see more information about the GACR Presidium.
About the Czech Science Foundation (GACR)
The Czech Science Foundation (GACR) is a governmental agency and the only institution in the Czech Republic providing targeted funds to basic research projects only. The budget in 2020 is approx. CZK 4.2 billion (EUR 160 mil.) Within its funding schemes, the Czech Science Foundation provides financing to projects carried out by seasoned scientists and teams as well as young ones in the early stages of their careers. Each year, hundreds of research projects receive funding based on multiple levels of transparent tenders.
The Czech Science Foundation (“GACR”) will put approximately CZK 1 billion (EUR 38 mil.) into new basic research projects next year out of its total budget of over CZK 4 billion. The remainder of the targeted funds is allocated to on-going projects. Apart from standard projects, the Czech Science Foundation will fund EXPRO excellence projects and JUNIOR STAR projects targeted at scientists in their early careers. Another group of projects will obtain funds within international cooperation with research and development agencies worldwide.
“The Czech Science Foundation funds basic research projects at virtually all scientific institutions in the country – recipients include, primarily, the Czech Academy of Sciences and universities, but also museums, libraries, hospitals, and others. Each year, we allocate approx. CZK 4.2 billion to basic research projects. It is an enormous amount, more than 10% of the governments total R&D budget, and we are delighted to see the results coming in. More than half the articles by Czech scientists which rank among 1% most quoted ones worldwide have come to existence through our funding and support,” says RNDr. Alice Valkárová, DrSc., the President of the Czech Science Foundation, adding: “Sometimes basic research is not considered as important as applied research because it does not primarily aim at immediate use of the results in practical life. This view is short-sighted, however, because only through research that brings breakthrough discoveries can new inventions be created. Not even the greatest of innovations of a candle would result in the creation of a light bulb. Even the development of vaccines, so topical nowadays, is based on the findings of basic research.”
The Czech Science Foundation provides funding to projects from all areas of basic research – from technical sciences through natural and biological sciences to social sciences and humanities. Standard projects, of which hundreds get funded every year, usually support the top research efforts in the Czech Republic. New, highly selective projects include EXPRO, targeted at seasoned scholars, enabling them to explore unique ideas having the potential to give a fundamental push to the development of their scientific fields. In addition, EXPRO grants require their recipients to participate in the prestigious grant competition of the European Research Council (ERC). The JUNIOR STAR group of grants is an absolutely new scheme, targeted at scientists in their early careers who graduated with a Ph.D. no more than 8 years ago. Several dozens of researchers will be given the opportunity to become independent scientists, developing their own fields of exploration.
Furthermore, the Czech Science Foundation has developed, and is still developing, numerous international partnerships. The most recent ones include Switzerland, Slovenia, and Poland. Partnerships already in place include Germany, Austria, South Korea, Taiwan, Russia, and São Paulo in Brazil. Czech scientific teams work on international projects together with a team from the partner country. “In some cases, we have also seen three teams from three countries joining their forces. We are happy to be able to develop international cooperation so intensively. And we expect to continue expanding international cooperation in future years. Research in the vast majority of fields does not happen in a vacuum – findings are shared throughout the scientific community. The transfer of experience, and linking teams together, creates a significant added value,” concludes the President of the Czech Science Foundation.
About the Czech Science Foundation
Established in 1993, the Czech Scientific Foundation (GACR) is a governmental agency and the only institution in the country providing targeted funds to basic research projects. Within its funding schemes, the Czech Science Foundation provides financing to projects carried out by seasoned scientists and teams as well as young ones in the early stages of their careers. Each year, hundreds of research projects receive funding based on multiple levels of transparent tenders.
The Presidium of the Czech Science Foundation (“GACR”) has decided which standard projects to finance in the area of basic research in the upcoming year. Standard projects will be funded along with EXPRO, JUNIOR STAR, and international projects. Another 60 (approximately) projects will receive funding depending on the current availability of funds after partner organisations abroad carry out their evaluations.
“This year, we have seen scientists showing much greater interest in funding than they did in previous years. The volume of funding available from the state budget distributed through the Czech Science Foundation in support of Czech science is still the same, however: approximately CZK 4.2 billion (EUR 160 million). I wish to congratulate all those who have succeeded in the tight competition and are going to receive funding, and I look forward to the results of their explorations,” says RNDr. Alice Valkárová, DrSc., President of GACR, adding: “I do realise that the applicants who have not received funding for their projects may be disappointed, I will be happy if they don’t lose their love of science. First, they can still amend their projects and submit again next year. Second, we are continuously working on expanding grant schemes to tailor them to scientists’ needs as best we can. Among the recommendations we follow in this effort are those from the government’s R&D Council. In recent years, we have been able to establish several significant international partnerships, and there are more to come. Also last year, we financed EXPRO projects for the first time, and this year‘s calls for JUNIOR START projects were published for the first time. We are planning to open a new tender for POSTDOC INDIVIDUAL FELLOWSHIP next year. We are delighted that the Czech Science Foundation has been a long-term provider of grant funding whose contribution to the high level of Czech science is substantial – more than half the articles by Czech scientists which rank among the 1% most quoted ones worldwide have received funding from us.
Additional standard projects, on top of those listed below, can be financed depending on the funding decision for international projects in cooperation between the Czech Science Foundation and partner institutions abroad. That decision should be made in the Spring of 2021.
“In recent years, the number of projects involving international cooperation has surged. New international projects received funding in the amount of CZK 33.5 million in 2018. The amount went up to CZK 57 million in 2019. And CZK 105.6 million this year. And the amount ear-marked by the Czech Science Foundation for such projects is even higher: CZK 200 million. At the moment, however, we still do not know which projects will receive funding – most of them are still awaiting an evaluation and/or approval by the partner organisation abroad. If the financial provision for international projects is not exhausted, it will be used for the funding of another 60 projects (approx.) We will reach out to inform such applicants in the Spring about funding possibilities for their projects starting in the second half of 2021,” adds Alice Valkárová.
The evaluations of standard projects takes place in three stages, and there are 400 experts involved. Each project proposal was evaluated by at least four independent experts in a given field. Over half of the best project proposals were then assessed by evaluators abroad – more than 99% project proposals have received at least two evaluations from abroad. You are welcome to learn more about the evaluation process for standard projects.
The Czech Science Foundation (“GACR”) has completed the evaluations of bilateral international projects where the Lead Agency principle is used as basis of evaluation, and where the Czech Science Foundation is the evaluating agency. Final decisions on funding by the participating agencies will be announced in the next few weeks and months.
LEAD AGENCY PROJECTS
The year 2020 has seen a tremendous development in the area of Lead Agency (LA) projects, where one organisation (the Lead Agency) recommends projects for funding, and the other agency accepts this recommendation, which is different from bilateral international projects. The LA approach reduces the administrative burden of the entire process dramatically.
Earlier this year, the Czech Science Foundation, and the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) have published a joint call for proposals for the first time. The results were published (only in Czech) in late September. CEUS, the new Central-European initiative, was an important part of international LA projects. The initiative has been joined by the Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung (FWF) of Austria, the Javna agencija za raziskovalno dejavnost Republike Slovenije (ARRS) of Slovenia, and the Narodowe Centrum Nauki (NCN) of Poland. It was also possible to submit trilateral proposals in response to this new call. The last important news is that the Czech Science Foundation has become the Lead Agency for the first time, i.e. the agency carrying out the expert evaluation and proposing which projects receive funding.
The Presidium of GACR made the decision on LA projects evaluated by the Czech Science Foundation in late November, proposing projects worth nearly CZK 212 million (EUR 8 million). The next step is the confirmation of the proposed results by the partner agencies. Thus, the applicants will be notified of the final results once the agencies abroad confirm the decisions of the Czech Science Foundation. LA projects worth over CZK 64 million have already been approved in the autumn (in cooperation with SNSF and FWF).
More projects are still in the evaluation process where FWF of Austria and NCN of Switzerland play the Lead Agency role. The Czech Science Foundation has already announced (only in Czech) the first results of the joint call for proposals by FWF of Austria, which carries out evaluations contiuously throughout the year. More results are expected in March next year. The joint call with ARRS of Slovenia will be published in early December this year. These calls (published later) will produce projects launched in the 2nd half of 2021 or in early 2022.
The Czech Science Foundation continues to support international projects carried out jointly by scientific teams from Taiwan (in cooperation with the Ministry of Science and Technology – MOST), South Korea (National Research Foundation of Korea – NRF), Germany (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft – DFG), São Paolo, Brazil (São Paulo Research Foundation – FAPESP), and Russia (Russian Foundation for Basic Research – RFBR). Project proposals submitted in these tenders are evaluated by both the Czech Science Foundation and the partner abroad. They receive funding if recommended by both institutions.
The number of project proposals received within international bilateral projects has increased more than threefold over the last 3 years, and the amount of funds provided by the Czech Science Foundation corresponds to this increase.
Please see below the list of projects recommended by the Czech Science Foundation for funding in 2021. The funding of those projects is contingent upon approvals by the partner organisations, which have not been issued yet. The final funding decision will be made in the next weeks and months after evaluation results are received from partner institutions.
The Czech Science Foundation (“GACR”) has selected 16 EXPRO and 30 JUNIOR STAR projects to fund, starting next year. Both grant categories aim to support excellence in all areas of basic research. JUNIOR STAR grants are designed to give young scientists in their early careers the opportunity to carry out their own research. The EXPRO grants target innovative projects run by seasoned scientists.
Top research projects in a position to substantially enhance the development of their fields of science need special conditions. The Czech Science Foundation makes those projects happen by publishing calls for exactly such projects. When defining the conditions, the Czech Science Foundations has also taken inspiration from conditions set out for European Research Council (ERC) projects. The objective of EXPRO and JUNIOR STAR projects is not only a substantial improvement in the research environment of the Czech Republic but also a tangible scientific impact on a global scale.
“The call for JUNIOR STAR tenders was made for the first time ever this year. We were overwhelmed by the enormous interest in these grants, which are supposed to be just as selective as EXPRO grants. We are delighted to see that scientists in their early careers find it attractive to start their own research teams – the interest exceeded the original, less selective junior grants, but unfortunately, we are unable to fund more projects given the amount of funds assigned to the Czech Science Foundation from the government’s budget. Nevertheless, we have decided to fund five more projects than planned originally,” says RNDr. Alice Valkárová, DrSc., the President of the Czech Science Foundation.
EXPRO
The objective of the EXPRO grants is to facilitate excellence in research, set the standard of excellence in science, and also help overcome the barriers which hamper the success of project proposals in the prestigious ERC grant competition. “Within the EXPRO calls, we also fund what is called ‘high risk – high gain’ projects bringing radically innovative ideas with the potential to make a breakthrough in their fields of science,” adds Alice Valkárová. The costs of the EXPRO projects, ear-marked primarily for seasoned scientists, may amount up to CZK 50 million. The calls for EXPRO tenders will now be made in even-numbered years only, i.e. there will be no call in 2021.
A total of 123 EXPRO proposals were received in this year’s call, of which 16 will receive funding. The highest number of projects – 6 each – will be carried out at the Czech Academy of Sciences and the Masaryk University in Brno.
JUNIOR STAR grant projects give young explorers the opportunity to implement their own, original ideas in the early stages of their careers and, if needed, to also develop new scientific teams. Grant applications may be submitted by applicants who completed their Ph.D. programmes no more than 8 years ago (this deadline may be extended because of parent duties). The amount assigned to junior scientists will be up to CZK 25 million.
A total of 355 JUNIOR proposals were received in this year’s call – the first ever – of which 30 will receive funding. The highest number of projects – 13 – will be carried out at the Czech Academy of Sciences, and another 10 at the Charles University in Prague.
Only international experts, recommended by Science Connect, an international agency, took part in the evaluation of all the proposals submitted in the EXPRO and JUNIOR STAR tenders. There was a two-stage evaluation. Each project proposal was evaluated by at least four professionals from various countries in the given field of science.
The list of the standard projects to be launched in 2021 will be published on 1 December 2020.
Research dealing with the improvement of the properties of fine-grained advanced ceramics using cold plasma was rated as excellent by the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic. Group of experts from CEITEC BUT and the Faculty of Science of Masaryk University participated under the leadership of professor Karel Maca. The basic three-year research has discovered completely new contexts and researchers would therefore like to build on the success with follow-up projects.
The three-year project under the auspices of the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic named Physical surface activation of ceramic particles as a tool for improving the properties of fine-grained advanced ceramics was solved between years 2017-2019. The team of the Applied Plasmochemistry from Masaryk University first had to solve the issue of how to put the fine powders, which are necessary for the advanced ceramics production, into the proper contact with plasma. “Subsequently, we were solving how to characterize the changes that occur on the particles. We didn’t know what the plasma would do with the fine powders. And standard techniques such as infrared spectroscopy have proven unsuitable in this case. However, thermoluminescence and thermal desorption spectroscopy proved to be very useful, “described associate professor Jozef Ráheľ from Masaryk University
Experts from CEITEC BUT subsequently used the modified particles in combination with classical and modern ceramic technologies and investigated the possible benefits of this as yet untested procedure. Part of the research, led by Dr. Daniel Drdlík, was devoted to experiments with electrophoretic deposition of ceramic particles. “It turned out that thanks to the surface treatment of the particles, we can eliminate some of the necessary components in the suspensions used, which may be inherently unsuitable for the environment. We have also found that electrophoresis can serve as a diagnostic tool for examining the extent to which particles are affected. Thanks to this, we were able to determine how many particles were processed by the plasma,” specified Daniel Drdlík, stating that this finding may lead back to a modification of the design of the plasma technology.
Another group of researchers and students, led by Dr. Václav Pouchlý, tested how ceramics would behave during high-temperature firing. “We found that when we treat the surface of the particles, the material behaves differently when fired. In particular, when fired at normal temperature, it achieved better properties. In other words, in order to achieve the standard properties of ceramics, it was enough for us to burn them at lower temperatures, which is of course economically and energetically beneficial,“ Václav Pouchlý explained.
According to professor Maca the most important thing that the whole project showed is the fact that even a small change in surface properties can bring a macroscopic effect. “We are now working with this knowledge further,” concluded Maca. The researchers have therefore already applied for a follow-up project and hope to be able to develop their knowledge even further
(Prague, 23 September 2020) Alice Valkárová, President of the Czech Science Foundation (“GACR”) presented her awards to five scientists for their excellence in research within projects completed in 2019. These prestigeous awards have been presented since 2003, serving as proof of the superior quality of basic research in the Czech Republic, and confirming the significance of basic research for scientific discovery.
This winners of this year’s awards are research projects which stand to contribute to the development of ultrafast-charging batteries, the exploration of the origins of life on Earth, the understanding of defects in cells leading to malignant tumours, the critical publication of the complete works of composer Bohuslav Martinů, and the description of genome structure of certain crops.
“Year after year, it is always difficult to select the best of the best from among dozens of excellence projects. This year was no exception because the short-listed projects are world-class,” said RNDr. Alice Valkárová, DrSc., President of the Czech Science Foundation. “This year is special for me in that this is the fourth and last time I have presented these awards – this pleasant duty will be taken up by my successor, the new President of the Czech Science Foundation,” says Alice Valkárová, a nuclear physicist whose term in office ends later this year.
Every year, the President’s Award winners are selected on the basis of nominations from several hundred scientists participating in the evaluation of projects funded by the Czech Science Foundation. Thirty excellence projects from five areas of basis research made the short list. The experts selected winners in the areas of: Technical Sciences; Physical Sciences; Medical and Biological Sciences; Social Sciences and Humanities; and Agricultural and Biological-Environmental Sciences.
“The Czech Science Foundation has funded basic research for 27 years. We believe basic research is fundamental. Basic research pushes the borders of human discovery, and lays down solid foundations for future applied results. Apart from the excellence in standard projects, which are nominated for the President’s Awards, we also publish special calls for projects highlighting and facilitating international cooperation and junior scientists,” adds Alice Valkárová.
Due to the complications caused by the covid pandemic, the Czech Science Foundation has arranged an online broadcast to guests who were unable to attend the ceremony in person.
About the President’s Awards
The Awards of the President of the Czech Science Foundation have been conferred every year since 2003 to 3 to 5 selected laureates as an appreciation of outstanding results achieved in GACR-funded projects completed in the previous calendar year. A total of 75 leading scientists and their projects have been awarded until present day (see the complete list). Each award winner receives a prize of CZK 100,000. The awards are presented in five areas of basic research.
About the Czech Science Foundation
The Czech Science Foundation (“GACR”) is an independent public organisation, the only institution of its kind in the Czech Republic providing public funds earmarked for basic research projects. Within its programme calls, the Czech Science Foundation funds scientific projects for seasoned scientists and teams, as well as young and junior scientists. Every year, the Foundation funds hundreds of research projects on the basis of multiple rounds of transparent tenders. The Czech Scientific Foundation was established in 1993.
Projects Awarded
Technical Sciences:
Multiscale Nonequilibrium Dynamics, RNDr. Michal Pavelka, Ph.D. (Faculty of Mathematics & Physics, Charles University, Prague)
The project’s objective was to find a unifying geometric description of the development of physical systems on various levels of detail. The investigators identified procedures to reduce levels of detail, while still obtaining irreversible behaviours associated with an increase in entropy. The findings are being applied in research related to e.g. new, ultrafast-charging batteries, the possibilities of antivirus nanoparticles, and machine learning.
Physical Sciences:
The Origins of Life on Earth and in the Universe, Judit E. Šponerová, Ph.D. (Institute of Biophysics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno)
The project made a fundamental contribution to how we understand the origins of the first molecules of genetic information on Earth. The project demonstrated that asteroid and meteorite impacts may have affected the creation of the first small RNA molecules. The project was also instrumental in generating possible scenarios of the origination of the first functional genetic molecules, composed of simple substances present on early-stage Earth, such as formamide, hydrogen cyanide, or formaldehyde.
Medical & Biological Sciences:
Detailed Analysis of the Functions and Regulatory Potential, and the Subcomplexes, of the Subunits of Eucaryotic Translation Initiation Factor 3 in Humans, Dr. rer. nat. Leoš Shivaya Valášek, DSc. (Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague)
The project explored the regulation of protein synthesis (aka translation), which is a process of the translation of genetic information – stored in the form of DNA in genes – into proteins. The investigators established how the eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF3) in humans ensures the assembly of ribosomal complexes in charge of detecting the exact start of the synthesis of individual proteins. This project’s findings are important mostly for the research of translation deregulation, which facilitates the progression of certain types of malignant tumours, and a number of other diseases.
Social Sciences & Humanities:
The Bohuslav Martinů Complete Edition (BMCE)– Phase 2, Mgr. Aleš Březina, Ph.D. (Bohuslav Martinu Institute, benevolent association, Prague)
The major contribution from the project is the critical publication of nine volumes of the works of Bohuslav Martinů – a Czech music composer of worldwide acclaim. The project served to assemble and publish a database of the sources which are key to the discovery and examination of his life and works, as well as the history of 20th century music in the historical region of Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia, the United States, France, and Switzerland. The project also opens up nearly 900 letters from the voluminous correspondence of this leading Czech figure.
Agricultural and Biological-Environmental Sciences:
Missing Links: Genome Evolution in the tribe Camelineae (fam. Brassicaceae), RNDr. Terezie Mandáková, Ph.D. (Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno)
Camelina sativa (aka “gold-of-pleasure”, “false flax”, “linseed dodder”, “Siberian oilseed”, or “German sesame”) from the Brassicaceae family is an ancient oilseed crop cultivated in Europe as early as several thousand years B.C. This project was instrumental in the identification of the most likely parents in the family, characterisation of the genome structure of the five most closely related species, and the identification of the mechanisms of evolution of the genomes. The new findings provide the information necessary for the future cultivation of this significant crop.
We would like to inform you about the planned closure of the GRIS system on 7 August from 12:00 to 10 August at 8:00 due to system maintenance and technology upgrades.
The system will not be available during the outage.
The Presidium of the Czech Science Foundation has been creating and updating a number of rules for managing projects in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. The changes include deadline extensions, more leeway in dedicated workload, and eligibility of new types of costs. Here is the complete overviews of the measures.
“The current situation is unprecedented in many respects, including the fact that certain activities cannot take place, such as conferences we had planned a long time ahead. More importantly, it places an increased burden on all of us – scientists included – for many reasons. We have been looking for ways to make their situation easier to the maximum extent possible, without an impact of those changes on basic research in the Czech Republic. I trust that the set of measures we have approved will help project investigators handle the situation better,” says RNDr. Alice Valkárová, DrSc, the Chair of the Czech Science Foundation.
The changes in rules allow scientists to request deadline extensions for projects to be completed this year by up to 6 months. They can also request a deadline extension for the submission of the final report – this deadline has been moved until the end of August. Deadline extensions also apply to Ph.D. students seeking aid within the JUNIOR STAR programme – their graduation deadline has been extended until 15 December. It is now possible to use grant funds to cover telecommunication costs incurred because personal meetings were impossible. Eligible costs now also include cancellation fees for activities which could not take place. The Czech Science Foundation has also allowed a more flexible modification to dedicated work hours, making it possible to modify the hours by up to 35% without requesting a prior approval or amending the Contract.
Following are the details of the individual COVID19-related measures:
Budget
Budgets Unexhausted in 2020 May Be Carried over to Future Years
Unlimited amounts may be drawn from unexhausted targeted aid in future years – and this was already possible on the basis of Tender Documents and in compliance with Decree 367/2015 on Principles and Deadlines of Financial Reconciliation with the State Budget, State Assets and the National Fund (hereinafter “Financial Reconciliation Decree”). (The Beneficiary must, however, deploy a specific accounting procedure other than an increase in the reported costs –the required procedure is to increase the targeted aid funds above the threshold defined by law.)
Items of the Basic Breakdown May Be Shifted in 2020
Items of the basic breakdown of the grant funds allocated to a Beneficiary or another participant may be shifted by up to CZK 100,000 until the end of 2020 without prior approval and it is not necessary to amend the Contract and a new decision on the provision of aid is not required.
It is still possible to shift items worth CZK 100,000 or more on the basis of an individual request approved by the Presidium, and an amendment to the Contract.
Eligible Costs in 2020
Travel Expenses
Eligible expenses may now include the costs of COVID-19 tests if required for travel abroad in order to carry out a grant project. The amount of eligible costs will be reduced appropriately if the grant project is not the exclusive reason for the particular trip abroad.
Postponed Conferences
osts incurred in the course of a project may now be included among eligible costs (i.e. advances paid in the course of the project) if those costs were related to a conference which was postponed due to COVID-19 and was/will be held after the completion of the project, but no later than a year within such completion.
Cancellation Fees
Eligible costs may include cancellation fees for cancelled conferences, including travel costs for cancelled business trips, both up to 100%, provided that the trip was cancelled due to COVID-19.
If the supplier refunds the costs or if the trip takes place on a different date (e.g. after redeeming a voucher) but the trip is not related to a specific project, these amounts will have to be included in the project-related revenues.
Telecommunication Cost
Until the end of 2020, eligible costs covered by grant funds may include the costs of telecommunication services and the costs of purchasing, maintaining, or repairing ICT devices and appliances (drawn from the material purchases or investments account), excluding phones, recorders and readers.
Fixed Asset Purchases
Until the end of 2020, eligible costs covered by grant funds may include fixed-asset purchases or fixed-asset depreciation (if the purchase cost exceeds CZK 40,000) as well as intangible assets (if the purchase cost exceeds CZK 60,000) with a useful life of over one year if such asset is necessary to carry out a grant project and the purchase and use of such asset is directly associated with the grant project.
This measure makes it possible for eligible costs to include the purchases or depreciation of fixed assets and/or intangible assets in 2020 due to the state of emergency hindering communication in person (even in case the Tender Document does not make such costs eligible within a specific project).
The eligible cost for projects carried out in 2020 will be equal to the purchase price of the asset or a proportion of such price corresponding to the actual allocation of the asset to the specific project based on time and the plausibility of such allocation.
Dedicated Workloads
Total Dedicated Working Hours of a Team May Now Change by up to 35% without Prior Approval
If it is impossible to work on a project according to an approved plan due to COVID-19, the changes in professional teams that include a change in the aggregate dedicated working hours (workload) of up to 35% of the team’s aggregate dedicated working hours (workload) as defined by the Contract, including a change in the investigator’s or co-investigator’s dedicated workload, are now possible through 2020 without a request for prior approval, and such changes do not require an amendment to the Contract or a new decision on the provision of aid.
Decrease in the Minimal Dedicated Working Hours of the EXPRO Investigating Team in 2020
If it is impossible to work on a project according to an approved plan due to COVID-19, the Beneficiary may request a reduction in the dedicated working hours of the individual team members carrying out the project pursuant to Article 5.1. of Annex 4 to the Tender Document.
Deadlines
Postponed Evaluation of the Final Report
If the Beneficiary has requested a deadline extension for the evaluation of the final report, and such report is to be submitted by 31 July 2020, the deadline for the submission of the final report is now extended until 31 August 2020.
Extended Project Period
If it is impossible to work on a project according to an approved plan due to COVID-19, the Beneficiary may request a 6-month extension to the period to carry out the project. To cover the costs incurred during the extension, the Beneficiary will draw from the funds not exhausted in 2020, which the Czech Science Foundation allows to be carried over into the following period in compliance with the pertinent Tender Documentation.
In compliance with the Financial Reconciliation Decree, the Czech Science Foundation makes it possible already now to carry over unlimited amounts of the unexhausted targeted aid into future project years and to draw from such amounts without limitation.
Detailed explanation: This year, it is necessary to request a 6-month extension due to COVID-19 only for projects which were supposed to be completed in 2020. Should the negative impacts of the COVID-19 related measures prevail with projects to be completed in later periods, the Presidium will take into consideration well-founded requests for extension submitted during the last year of such projects.
Deadline Extension for the Certificate of Completion of a Ph.D. Programme within JUNIOR STAR
The deadline to submit a Ph.D. diploma (or a certificate of an equivalent degree) of the Applicant pursuant to Article 3.1. (5) of the Tender Document for JUNIOR STAR grant projects – 2021 is now extended until 15 December 2020. This applies to situations in which, due to COVID-19 related measures, it became impossible to complete the Ph.D. programme by the original deadline and to submit a Ph.D. diploma (or a certificate of an equivalent degree) by 10 October 2020.
In connection with the global restrictions against the spread of COVID-19 and in an effort to improve the situation for project investigators supported by the Czech Science Foundation (GACR), the GACR Presidium approved another set of transitional measures for grant projects.
The measures we have announced earlier can be found at this link.
Eligible costs in 2020
Travel costs
Mandatory tests for COVID-19 can be included among the eligible costs when traveling abroad due to a grant project implementation. The amount of the eligible costs will be reduced accordingly for the travels abroad that are not fully realised for the grant project implementation.
Postponed conferences
Eligible costs may include expenses incurred during the grant project implementation (i.e. advanced payments at the time of the project implementation) related to the active participation at the conference which was postponed due the COVID-19 situation and take place after the end of project implementation, and within maximum of one year.
Workload
Increasing the limit for changing the total work capacity of a team without a request
Changes in the team of professional co-workers, including a change of team´s aggregate workload up to maximum of 35 % in the contract-approved aggregate workload, including the workload change of principal investigator or co-investigator while maintaining the professional quality of the team, and except the change of principal investigator or co-investigator, are possible without a request in 2020 and do not require a contract amendment or a new decision on provision of targeted support, if it is not possible to work on the project according to the approved plan in the connection with COVID-19.
Reducing the limit of minimum workload of EXPRO project research team in 2020
If it is not possible to work on the project according to the approved plan in connection with COVID-19, the beneficiary may request workload reduction of individual team members on the project implementation according to Article 5.1. of Annex No. 4 of the Tender document.
Evaluation postponement/extension of the project implementation time
Evaluation postponement of final report
If the beneficiary has requested an evaluation postponement of final report with the submission deadline of the final report until 31 July 2020, the submission deadline of final report shall be postponed to 31 August 2020.
Extension of project implementation time
If it is not possible to work on project according to the approved plan in connection with COVID-19, the beneficiary may request an extension of the project implementation by six months. To finance the costs incurred at the time of extension, the beneficiary will use unused funds in 2020, which GACR in accordance with the relevant Tender Document allows to draw in the following period.
GACR already allows, in accordance with the wording of Decree No. 367/2015 Coll., On the principles and deadlines for financial settlement of relations with the state budget, state financial assets and the National Fund (Decree on Financial Settlement) to transfer and draw unused targeted support to following years of project implementation in an unlimited amount. Thus, GACR already allows the funds provided according to the project proposal in one of the previous years of project implementation to be used in the following years of project implementation.
Confirmation of completion of doctoral study in JUNIOR STAR projects
Deadline extension for delivery of confirmation of completion of doctoral studies for JUNIOR STAR grant projects
Deadline for sending confirmation of Ph.D. (or equivalent) of the applicant according to Article 3.1. para. 5 of Tender Document for grant projects JUNIOR STAR – 2021 is extended until 15 December 2020. This measure applies to cases where due the complications caused by the adoption of measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 it will not be possible to complete the study on time and thus provide the confirmation of Ph.D. degree until 10October 2020.
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