One of the GACR´s long-term priorities is developing and strengthening of international cooperation. GACR cooperates globally within the Global Research Council (GRC) and at the European level especially within the Science Europe (SE). Based on the bilateral agreement GACR closely cooperates with Germany, Austria, Taiwan, South Korea, Russia and the state of São Paulo in Brazil.
Bilateral cooperation
Based on the bilateral agreement signed with partner agencies, GACR promotes the establishment of international scientific teams cooperating in basic research. GACR closely cooperates on bilateral level with the following partner agencies:
• Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), Taiwan
• National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), South Korea
• São Paulo Research Foudation (FAPESP), São Paulo
Further information about bilateral cooperation
Evaluation based on the Lead Agency principle (LA projects)
Projects evaluated on the principle of Lead Agency are among the increasingly preferred forms of cooperation between foreign agencies supporting basic research due to reduction of administrative burden.
GACR closely cooperates bilaterally (trilaterally) on the LA principle with:
- Austrian Science Fund (FWF, Austria)
- German Research Foundation (DFG, Germany)
- National Science Centre (NCN, Poland)
- Slovenian Research Agency (ARIS, previously ARRS, Slovenia)
- Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF, Switzerland)
- National Research Fund (FNR—Luxembourg)
- Croatian Science Foundation (HRZZ—Croatia)
- National Science Foundation (NSF – USA)
LA projects
The Czech Science Foundation (GACR) has been participating in projects based on the Lead Agency principle since 2013 when it signed an agreement on cooperation with the Austrian agency Funds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung (FWF). This form of international cooperation went through a major change and expansion at the end of 2020 thanks to Weave, an initiative of twelve research-funding European organisations, GACR being one of them. GACR already cooperates with a part of the Weave members thanks to the CEUS initiative, cooperation with the rest will start within the next five years. The main aim of Weave is to make international research cooperation all across Europe easier and more effective.
Further information about LA projects
European Research Council (ERC)
The European Research Council´s (ERC) mission is to encourage the highest quality research across all scientific fields. The main ERC criterion is scientific excellence. ERC promotes investigator-driven research – the so called bottom-up frontier research (https://erc.europa.eu/about-erc/mission). On national level, ERC also encourages the development and support of research potential across all member countries of European Union.
Science Europe (SE)
Science Europe (SE) was established in 2011 and is based in Brussels. GACR representatives attend regular meeting of the governing and executive bodies of SE. Science Europe´s main mission is the strategy coordination of European research-supporting organisations to increase the competitiveness of European science and research at a global level. One of the GACR’s main interests within the SE is Open Access, cross border cooperation and research data management.
Global Research Council (GRC)
Global Research Council (GRC) was established in 2012. GRC associates national agencies supporting basic research from Europe, Asia, Africa, Latina America and USA. The main idea for establishing such organisation was the creation of a platform for communication and cooperation between national agencies, pursuing common interest, sharing experience with funding basic research in various countries, coordination of shared information and data, support of excellent research and excellent research teams across continents.