National Information Day on ERC: Czech national support system praised by ERC President as an example worth following

The National Information Day on European Research Council (ERC) grants, organised regularly by the Technology Centre Prague in cooperation with Charles University and the Expert Group for Supporting ERC Applicants, took place on 19 November 2025 at the Rectorate of Charles University. The event aims to raise awareness of ERC grants and their importance for the Czech research environment. This year's 15th edition was attended by none other than the President of the ERC, Professor Maria Leptin.

In his opening address, Zdeněk Strakoš, coordinator of the Expert Group responsible for the scientific side of the events organised for ERC applicants in the Czech Republic, explained that the ultimate goal of these activities is not only to increase success rates in ERC calls but to change the research environment in Czechia. For newcomers just getting acquainted with the ERC, the National Contact Point for the ERC, Ludmila Tysjačna, presented the latest rules for participation. The first session concluded with reflections from Tomáš Jungwirth, speaking as the principal investigator of two ERC grants, a member of an evaluation panel, and a former member of the Scientific Council, the ERC's main governing body. In his talk, he took participants through the changes to the ERC evaluation process and the structure of project proposals that have taken place in recent years.

ERC President Maria Leptin welcomed the participants remotely. In her speech, she highlighted the Czech support system as an example of good practice. She outlined the changes the ERC plans to introduce starting with the 2027 calls. Last but not least, she called on the Czech research community to come together and lobby for an increase in the ERC budget for the next programming period, which begins in 2028.

This was followed by a panel discussion with invited grant holders (Libor Barto, Kateřina Čapková, Elisabeth Hehenberger, Tomáš Jungwirth and Adam Williamson), moderated by Pavel Tomančák. The overarching question of the discussion was whether the research environment in Czechia is ready to embrace the ERC as an important part of itself. Drawing on their own experience, the panellists reached a sobering verdict: although ERC grants are now generally perceived as a prestigious award and a benchmark of quality, with a few exceptions, they are not typically used by institutions as a strategic tool. On the other hand, as Tomáš Jungwirth emphasised, Czechia now has almost 100 ERC principal investigators who, together with evaluators, form a community that can bring about real change through joint effort.

Each year, the National Information Day brings together around a hundred participants, not only applicants preparing to submit proposals in upcoming calls but also management from universities and research organisations across Czechia. We believe that this year's edition also motivated many researchers to submit a project proposal and helped unite the scientific community and Czech institutions around a common goal: systematic support for participation in ERC calls.

Presentations:

Zdeněk Strakoš

Ludmila Tysjačna

Tomáš Jungwirth

Recording:

Photo: Michal Novotný