Project Support Office
The MUNI Grant Agency is a project support program whose aim is to provide material and methodological assistance to researchers and research teams at Masaryk University, primarily in the preparation of international project proposals, thereby increasing the university’s success in obtaining prestigious international grants. The Grant Agency directs its support both to students (master and doctoral) through awards for outstanding theses — see more on the GAMU website — and to researchers and research teams, as described below.
ONGOING CALLS
HORIZONS Support is intended to cover costs associated with the preparation of highly prestigious international research projects, for example within European Commission programmes. This support includes both individual consultations and assistance with project preparation provided by an experienced project manager, as well as the possibility of funding related essential organizational or travel costs.
ABOUT HORIZONS
APPLICATION CATEGORIES
- Support for ERC Grant Submission
- Support for Submission of Other International Grants (excluding ERC)
PROPOSAL CONDITIONS
- Support is provided only for the preparation of projects announced by an international funding agency with a specific deadline.
- A proposal for GAMU support can be submitted on a rolling basis, but at least 30 days before the planned start of the project (evaluation takes place at the end of each month).
- The applicant must be a Masaryk University staff member engaged in research.
- Masaryk University must be one of the institutions proposing or co-proposing the project for which support is requested.
- In the case of a consortium project, the co-applicants must be known.
- The project must have clearly defined objectives, a solution strategy, and a preliminary budget.
GRANT IMPLEMENTATION
- Any changes must be handled in writing using the Change Request Form.
- Support lasts from the time of approval until the submission deadline of the proposal to the international competition.
- Within 30 days of project completion, the recipient is required to prepare a final report and upload it to ISEP.
- FUNDING
- Maximum support amounts:
- CZK 250,000 if the Masaryk University staff member is the principal applicant of a collaborative project
- CZK 100,000 if the Masaryk University staff member is a co-applicant
- Eligible costs include, in particular:
- Organization of preparatory meetings (venue rental, consumables)
- International business trips related to project preparation
- Consulting and editorial services
- Ineligible costs include, in particular:
- Costs related to research activities
- Costs generally ineligible under institutional support (e.g., refreshments)
- Personnel costs
LINKS & DOWNLOADS
Career Restart is a competition aimed at creating conditions for researchers to return to research teams at Masaryk University after a career break, for example due to parental leave, a prolonged illness, or caring for a close family member. The goal of this scheme is to facilitate the return of talented researchers to a productive career and to increase their integration into independent or senior research positions.
ABOUT CAREER RESTART
PROPOSAL CONDITIONS
- The applicant may be a female or male researcher:
- whose career was interrupted due to maternity/parental leave, long-term illness, or long-term care for a close person;
- whose last employer prior to the career break was Masaryk University, with a cumulative appointment of at least 0.5 FTE;
- who has completed a PhD degree;
- who has an agreed appointment of at least 0.5 FTE upon returning to the workplace (as the grant represents a supplement, not a salary);
- authorship of a significant publication* is an advantage.
HOW TO APPLY
- The proposal form in PDF format must be submitted in ISEP no later than on the competition deadline date under a reference number; it must also include a statement from the supervisor.
- This is followed by an evaluation of the application based on the criteria of the applicant’s contribution to the host department and their potential to achieve independence and a leading position in research (weighting 50/50).
SUPPORT DURATION
- 2 years
GRANT IMPLEMENTATION
- Any changes must be formally processed in writing using the Change Request Form.
- Within 60 days of the project’s completion, the beneficiary is required to prepare a final report and upload it to ISEP (the report provides information on the integration of the principal investigator, involvement in the department’s activities, the project’s contribution, and career development).
- As part of the project completion, a public lecture must be delivered; this lecture is included in the regular GAMU conference, which is held annually in Q4 of the given calendar year.
FUNDING
The annual budget amounts to CZK 500,000 to cover:
- personnel costs: salary supplements and bonuses;
- consumables, services, or domestic and international travel expenses, up to a maximum of 40% of the budget.
The following are considered ineligible costs:
- scholarships;
- minor tangible and intangible assets;
- investments.
- Any unspent funds in a given year of the project (except for the final year) may be transferred to the Fund of University Funds (FÚUP) up to a maximum of 10% and used in the following year.
LINKS & DOWNLOADS
The MUNI Award in Science and Humanities (MASH) is a competition aimed at attracting outstanding external researchers to Masaryk University and offering them motivating conditions to work at the university and produce excellent long-term scientific results. By employing individuals with transformative potential, this initiative also helps establish top-tier research teams at Masaryk University.
ABOUT MASH
PROPOSAL CONDITIONS
- An applicant for the MASH grant may be an ERC grant holder or a senior researcher with a profile corresponding to the R4 classification under the European Framework for Research Careers, who has not been employed by Masaryk University during the last five years as of the call deadline.
- An applicant for the MASH StG/CoG grant may be an external applicant who has not had an employment or contractual relationship with Masaryk University for more than 12 months within the last 36 months as of the call deadline (with the exception of permissible career breaks) and who holds a PhD degree awarded no more than 10 years prior to the call deadline.
PROJECT DURATION
- 5 years in the case of MASH
- 4 years in the case of MASH StG/CoG
HOW TO APPLY
- The proposal form in PDF format, including all annexes and the approved cover sheet, must be uploaded to ISEP no later than on the competition deadline date.
- In the case of an applicant from outside Masaryk University, the principal contact person at the Host Site (HS) for the given application acts as the proposer.
- The proposal documentation in English includes:
- a PDF application form for the prescribed category MASH or MASH StG/CoG, consisting of a CV, description of the research project, motivation letter, and a record of previous scientific achievements (MASH StG/CoG only);
- a declaration by the Host Site (HS) of its readiness to host the applicant and to create conditions for independent research, submitted on the prescribed form;
- optionally: a decision on the award of an ERC or another prestigious grant (Evaluation Summary Report or equivalent);
- a proposal submitted to the GA ČR JUNIOR STAR competition and the evaluation of the submitted proposal.
- A budget proposal is not part of the application; a pre-allocated amount is awarded.
- After the formal check, the application undergoes a two-stage evaluation process, consisting of:
- reviews by at least three evaluators selected from an internal database within the relevant domain;
- in the second stage, an interview of shortlisted candidates before the evaluation committee.
GRANT IMPLEMENTATION
- The project is implemented in stages:
| CATEGORY | STAGE 1 | STAGE 2 | DOCUMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| MASH | Month 1–36 | Month 37–60 | Interim report / Final report |
| MASH StG/CoG | Month 1–24 | Month 25–48 | Interim report / Final report |
- The interim/final report, including the approved cover sheet, must be uploaded by the principal investigator to ISEP within 60 days of the end of the relevant stage. Its content consists of a list and brief description of results achieved to date (publications are attached to the report in PDF format). The reports are assessed by the Vice-Rector for Research and Doctoral Studies and by the GAMU guarantor for the relevant domain.
- Within 60 days after completion of the project, the beneficiary is obliged to prepare a final report and upload it, including the approved cover sheet, to ISEP.
- In the case of MASH StG/CoG, the principal investigator must submit an ERC grant application to the European Commission or commence implementation of an ERC grant at Masaryk University.
- Completion of a MASH project includes the delivery of a final public lecture (as part of the GAMU final conference in the last quarter of the calendar year).
FUNDING
- The grant amounts to:
- CZK 3 million per calendar year for MASH StG/CoG
- CZK 5 million per calendar year for MASH
- The financial support must be used to cover costs directly related to the preparation of an application for a prestigious individual grant.
- The costs must be eligible under institutional funding for long-term conceptual development (see DKRVO rules) and may include, for example:
-
personnel costs, scholarships, consumables, investments, small tangible and intangible assets, services, domestic and international travel expenses, publication costs, etc.
- Unspent funding in a given year of the project (except for the final year) may be transferred up to a maximum of 10% to the FÚUP and drawn down in the following year; any surplus in the final year must be returned.
LINKS & DOWNLOADS
- GAMU Website - MASH
- ISEP
- Document Server - MASH Forms
- GAMU Directivs 08/2017
The MUNI JUNIOR STAR Grant aims to create conditions for highly promising junior researchers by covering costs related to the preparation of applications for prestigious individual grants (within the Czech Science Foundation, ERC, or equivalent), after they rank among the top candidates in the GA ČR JUNIOR STAR call but do not receive funding.
ABOUT MUNI JUNIOR STAR
PROPOSAL CONDITIONS
-
The applicant may be:
-
a junior researcher who submitted an application to the GA ČR JUNIOR STAR competition through Masaryk University, ranked among the top 20% of applicants in the evaluation, but did not receive GA ČR funding.
-
PROJECT DURATION
- 2 years
HOW TO APPLY
- The proposal documentation in PDF format, including the proposal submitted to the GA ČR JUNIOR STAR competition and the evaluation of the submitted proposal, must be submitted in ISEP together with the annexes, and the project proposal cover sheet must be approved.
- This is followed by a two-stage evaluation of the application, based on the point-based evaluation of the GA ČR project application; for details, see the MUNI JUNIOR STAR documentation.
GRANT IMPLEMENTATION
- During the project implementation, the MUNI JUNIOR STAR holder must have a full-time employment at Masaryk University, with the primary workplace located in Brno.
- Within 60 days after the completion of the project, the beneficiary is obliged to prepare a final report and upload it, including the approved cover sheet, to ISEP.
- Within 2 years from the start of the MUNI JUNIOR STAR project, the principal investigator must submit a project proposal to the GA ČR JUNIOR STAR competition or apply for an ERC grant, or alternatively, another prestigious individual grant.
FUNDING
- The grant amounts to CZK 2 million per calendar year.
- The financial support must be used to cover costs directly related to the preparation of an application for a prestigious individual grant.
- The support is allocated to the Host Site (HS) in the form of an adjustment to the institutional support distribution.
- Therefore, the costs must be eligible under institutional funding for long-term conceptual development (see DKRVO rules).
- Unspent funding in a given year of the project (except for the final year) may be transferred up to a maximum of 10% to FÚUP and drawn down in the following year; any surplus in the final year must be returned.