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30. 09. 2020

(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 20^th 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.

03. 08. 2020

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.

New measures for projects implemented in 2020

03. 06. 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.

MEASURES OF THE CZECH SCIENCE FOUNDATION ON ELIGIBLE COSTS IN ONGOING PROJECTS IN 2020

31. 03. 2020

In an effort to improve the situation for research teams, the GACR Presidium in connection with the declaration of an emergency, restrictions on movement and personal communication approved temporary changes in the definition of eligible costs.

Changes in the course of the grant project:

transfers between basic structure items of the allocated grant funds to the beneficiary or additional participant, up to 100,000 CZK are possible without a request to approve changes by the end of 2020 and do not require an amendment to the contract or a new decision on the support provision;
in a case of acquisition of previously unapproved fixed assets, it is necessary to send the GACR a request for approval of the intended investment before the acquisition;
changes in the drawing or transferring of the subsidy must be additionally justified by the beneficiary in the following report (interim or final). It must be demonstrated that the changes or transfers have been effective, economical, efficient and have occurred in connection with the declared state of emergency, restriction of movement and personal communication.

Eligible costs covered by grant funds may include the following costs until the end of 2020, in case they have been directly linked to the restrictions adopted to stop the spread of the coronavirus epidemic COVID-19:

fees for canceled or non-realized conferences, travel expenses for conferences (cancellations) or already paid and canceled work stays abroad (up to 100%);
costs for telecommunication services; costs for the acquisition, repair and maintenance of devices and equipment from the field of communication technology (from the item of material or investment costs), except costs for telephones, dictation machines, readers;
costs for acquiring tangible fixed assets or amortization (the purchase price is higher than 40,000 CZK) and for acquiring intangible fixed assets (the purchase price is higher than 60,000 CZK) with the period of use longer than one year, which are necessary for carrying out the grant project and are purchased and used in the direct connection with the grant project.

The GACR Presidium recalls that other costs incurred in dealing with the crisis may also be included in the eligible costs covered by the grant funds from additional (overhead) costs:

g. the costs of child care for workers involved in the project.

The GACR Presidium also recalls that other costs incurred in dealing with this crisis may be included in eligible costs paid from grant funds from material and/or personnel costs:

the cost of wage compensation up to an amount not paid by the state to the employer in a state of emergency;
computer technology used exclusively in direct connection with the carrying out grant project.

New deadline for the submission of project proposals based on the Lead Agency principle

26. 03. 2020

Dear applicants,

The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) has extended the submission deadline for the project proposals until 8 April 2020.

For the cooperation within CEUS initiative, the submission deadline for project proposals when GACR is in the role of Lead Agency is newly 4 May 2020.

Thank you for your understanding.

Statement of the GACR Presidium to the announced public tenders to support projects with the expected start of implementation in the year 2021

19. 03. 2020

In the context of the coronavirus epidemic in the Czech Republic, the scientific community warns that the announcement of a state of emergency disrupts the preparation of project proposals in the currently announced public tenders.

In an effort to respond to the current state of emergency and to accommodate as much as possible all researchers, the GACR Presidium has decided to cancel public tenders in research, development and innovation to support the EXPRO, JUNIOR STAR, standard and international bilateral projects announced by the Czech Science Foundation on 21 February 2020 in the Business Register (with the beginning of the competition period on February 22, 2020 and the end of the competition period on April 7, 2020) with the anticipated start of the implementation from January 1, 2021 and at the same time GA CR Presidium further decided on the immediate re-announcement of all these tenders in research, development and innovation from today with the expected implementation to begin on January 1, 2021.

The conditions of the newly announced public tenders in research, development and innovation will be identical to the conditions of the cancelled public tenders. By cancelling and re-announcing the tenders, the Czech Science Foundation meets the request of a large part of the scientific community for an extension to the period for submitting project proposals until 4 May 2020. This would otherwise not be possible within the current legal framework of the Act on Support of Research, Development and Innovation.

After careful consideration and consultation with representatives of research organizations, the GACR Presidium chooses this solution and these terms. This will ensure the extension of the submission period whilst keeping to the original deadlines for the evaluation (i.e. 2 November 2020 for the EXPRO and JUNIOR STAR projects and 1 December 2020 for standard grant projects and international bilateral projects).

Neither the period of uncertainty for organizations and research teams nor the beginning of project implementation will need to be extended to the following year. The Czech Science Foundation thus acts with maximum effort to maintain continuity of basic research funding as well as to provide more time for project proposal preparation to all applicants.

The GACR Presidium is aware of the fact, that it will only be possible to fulfil these commitments with the maximum effort of both evaluators and the GA CR Office staff and believes that this decision will be accepted by the scientific community with understanding.

Thank you for your understanding.

Cooperation with Swiss agency SNSF has been started

28. 11. 2019

On 27 November 2019, GACR President signed a memorandum of understanding with the Swiss National Science Foundation on bilateral cooperation on the Lead Agency principle. This new cooperation enables scientists from the Czech Republic to carry out scientific projects in basic research with new foreign partners. The first call is announced now with the SNSF in the role of a Lead Agency. Projects duration is maximum 3 years.

Representatives of cooperating organizations

Detailed rules for submitting project proposals under the new LA cooperation will be published at the beginning of 2020.

Notification by Swiss Agency

Cooperation within CEUS initiative has been started

22. 11. 2019

On Monday 17 June 2019, the highest representatives of GACR, FWF (Austria), NCN (Poland) and ARRS (Slovenia) solemnly signed the “CEUS – Central European Science Partnership” Lead Agency Agreement: Memorandum of Understanding on the unilateral administration and mutual recognition of evaluation procedures. This new cooperation enables scientists from the Czech Republic, Austria, Poland and Slovenia to carry out scientific projects with new foreign partners based on the Lead Agency evaluation, which is among the increasingly preferred forms of cooperation between foreign agencies supporting basic research due to reduction of administrative burden. Within the CEUS initiative supporting basic research in the Central European region, scientists will be enabled to submit bilateral and also trilateral project proposals on the LA principle.

In brief:

It is possible to submit bilateral and trilateral projects in the first call.
Projects duration is maximum 3 years.
First project proposals will be accepted from 22 February 2020, when detailed rules will be published as well.
Within bilateral and multilateral LA cooperation, the main criterion for determination of “Lead” agency will be stipulated in international memoranda. The main criterion is the budget amount of the international team, via which the project is submitted. On the basis of this “Lead” criterion, scientists determine the national LA agency that will evaluate the project proposal.
- Bilateral projects: at least 40 % of total project costs must be requested with the “Lead” agency
- Trilateral projects: at least 25 % of total project costs must be requested with the “Lead” agency
The Lead Agency is the only agency that will evaluate the projects from the scientific perspective.
Partner agencies evaluate the formal and financial part of their national applicants’ project proposals.
In case GACR becomes the Lead Agency, the proposals will be evaluated by advisory bodies of GACR, in accordance with concluded partnership agreements on mutual cooperation and in accordance with individual agreements concluded between partner organizations, in such a way as the level of quality of LA project proposals recommended for funding is not lower than the level of quality of project proposals recommended for funding under standard projects.

EXPRO

JUNIOR STAR

Evaluation Process

SOUVISEJÍCÍ ČLÁNKY

SOUVISEJÍCÍ ČLÁNKY

SOUVISEJÍCÍ ČLÁNKY

Budget

Budgets Unexhausted in 2020 May Be Carried over to Future Years

Items of the Basic Breakdown May Be Shifted in 2020

Eligible Costs in 2020

Travel Expenses

Postponed Conferences

Cancellation Fees

Telecommunication Cost

Fixed Asset Purchases

Dedicated Workloads

Total Dedicated Working Hours of a Team May Now Change by up to 35% without Prior Approval

Decrease in the Minimal Dedicated Working Hours of the EXPRO Investigating Team in 2020

Deadlines

Postponed Evaluation of the Final Report

Extended Project Period

Deadline Extension for the Certificate of Completion of a Ph.D. Programme within JUNIOR STAR

SOUVISEJÍCÍ ČLÁNKY

Eligible costs in 2020

Travel costs

Postponed conferences

Workload

Increasing the limit for changing the total work capacity of a team without a request

Reducing the limit of minimum workload of EXPRO project research team in 2020

Evaluation postponement/extension of the project implementation time

Evaluation postponement of final report

Extension of project implementation time

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

SOUVISEJÍCÍ ČLÁNKY

SOUVISEJÍCÍ ČLÁNKY

SOUVISEJÍCÍ ČLÁNKY

SOUVISEJÍCÍ ČLÁNKY

SOUVISEJÍCÍ ČLÁNKY

SOUVISEJÍCÍ ČLÁNKY