1 / 8
Masaryk University Directive No. 2/2020
INTERNAL GRANT AGENCY OF MASARYK UNIVERSITY
(in the version effective from 09 September 2020)
In accordance with Section 10(1) of Act No. 111/1998 Coll., On Higher Education
Institutions and on Modification and Amendment of Other Acts (Higher Education Act), as
later amended (hereinafter referred to as the “Act”), I issue this Directive:
Section 1
Subject of Regulation
This Directive regulates the rules of the Internal Grant Agency of Masaryk University
(hereinafter referred to as “IGA MU”), which, in the form of student grants, supports the
quality of teaching connected with research of students in accredited doctoral degree
programmes. IGA MU is funded from the Operational Programme Research, Development
and Education (hereinafter referred to as “OP RDE”) within the framework of the
implemented project IGA MU reg. No. CZ.02.2.69/0.0/0.0/19_073/0016943.
Section 2
Basic Provisions
(1) The IGA MU student grant (hereinafter referred to as “student grant”) is an internal
project of MU within the meaning of MU Directive No. 6/2016 – Project Management
and other applicable regulations.
(2) An eligible applicant for the student grant may only be a student enrolled in a
doctoral degree programme at MU in the standard length of studies and in the fulltime
mode.1
(3) The Rector announces the university-wide competition for student grants in research
and development pursuant to the above approved IGA MU project in accordance
with Frascati Manual 20152
in the fields of:
a) natural sciences,
b) medicine and health sciences,
c) social sciences,
d) humanities and arts.
(4) The expected number of student grants for the respective fields is determined in the
Rector’s call.
(5) A student grant application (hereinafter referred to as the “application”) cannot be
submitted if the project would be co-funded from targeted support for specific
university research.
(6) Unless the Rector determines otherwise in the call, the duration of the student grant
project shall be 12 months.
1
The investigator must be a student in a doctoral degree programme in the full-time form for the entire
implementation of the student grant project. However, he/she may submit the application for the student grant
while still studying a Master’s degree programme (in such case, the student grant shall be awarded after the
applicant officially becomes a Ph.D. student, i.e. after the enrolment in the doctoral degree programme).
2
Frascati Manual 2015: Guidelines for Collecting and Reporting Data on Research and Experimental
Development, OECD, 2015 (http://www.oecd.org/sti/inno/frascati-manual.htm).
2 / 8
(7) Applications may be submitted only for individual student grants, i.e. the applicant
must be the sole investigator.
(8) The unit responsible for the administration of the IGA MU is the Research Office at
the MU Rector’s Office (hereinafter referred to as “RMU RO”).
(9) In connection with the IGA MU, the following terms are defined herein:
a) Student grant project investigator – a successful applicant for the student grant
who is an MU student meeting the requirements under Section 2(2).
b) Mentor – a research or academic employee with the minimum academic
qualification of Ph.D., who provides professional and methodological support to
the student grant project investigator. Each investigator must have a mentor. A
mentor shall be a person who has the labour relationship with MU. A mentor may
supervise more than one student grant projects.
c) Competition administrator at an economic unit (ECU) – a person responsible for
the control of formal criteria of the application under Section 6(2). The
competition administrator at an ECU is determined by the head of the MU
constituent part after prior consultation with the RMU RO. Contact details of the
relevant persons shall be stated in the Rector’s call.
d) RMU competition administrator – a post determined by the head of the RMU RO. A
person responsible for the process of the competition at the RMU RO. Contact
details of the relevant person shall be stated in the Rector’s call.
e) IGA MU evaluation panel (hereinafter referred to as “evaluation panel”) is
established for the purpose of evaluation of student grant applications. The
panel’s statute forms an appendix hereto.
Section 3
Tentative Schedule
Competition announcement September of the
given year
Submission period September – October
of the given year
Checking formal criteria and review of applications by the end of
November of the
given year
Evaluation panel session, shortlisting student projects
recommended for funding
by the end of
December of the
given year
Implementation of the student grant project, monthly
reports on activities
January – December
of next year
Final report on activities, evaluation of the project
implementation by the evaluation panel
January – March of
the year following
the completion of the
student grant project
Section 4
Application and Requisites
(1) Applications are submitted solely through the internal Project Management
Information System (hereinafter referred to as “PMIS”). The application may be
consulted with the competition administrator at the ECU of the relevant faculty.
3 / 8
(2) The topic of the application must not be identical with the topic of the student’s
doctoral thesis,3
which shall be confirmed in the applicant’ affidavit.
(3) The application shall be filled in and submitted in English.
(4) The application shall include the following information:
a) Short description of the project.
b) Research focus, methodology and aims/objectives of the student grant project.
c) The applicant’s and mentor’s professional experience and interest in the
implementation of the project.
d) Mandatory educational/research stay abroad. During the implementation of the
student grant project, the student must participate in at least one
educational/research activity abroad (e.g. internship, summer school, research
stay, active participation in a conference). The activities may take place in the EU
or outside the EU. In case the educational/research activity is carried out in a
country where the mother tongue is generally understood (e.g. Slovakia), at least
part of the activity (e.g. presentation of a paper, text of a study) must be in a
foreign language (other than Slovak).
e) Educational objectives of the applicant.
f) Planned outcomes of the student grant project.
g) Justification of amount and structure of funds.
(5) Submission of the application is subject to the approval by the faculty, which
confirms in the PMIS that the application complies with internal rules of grant
project implementation.
Section 5
Eligible Costs
(1) Financial support toward one student grant project is CZK 479,160.4
(2) Financial support of a student grant project may only be granted toward eligible
costs:
a) Personnel costs of the investigator in the amount of CZK 282,586.5
The
mandatory workload of a student grant project investigator is 0.5.
b) Personnel costs of the Mentor in the amount of CZK 13,480.6
c) Other direct expenses connected with the implementation of a student grant
project, e.g. material, small equipment, software, specialised literature, travel
expenses, external education, costs or expenses toward services.
d) Overhead costs in the amount of CZK 71,874.7
Section 6
Evaluation of Application
(1) The evaluation process shall commence on the next business day after the period
for the submission of applications, which is specified in the Rector’s call. The
evaluation process consists of 2 stages, whereas the application is assessed at the
3
The topics must not be entirely identical, they may be related or logically connected, expanding the
investigated issues in the doctoral thesis. Students may use the grant project results/outcomes in their doctoral
thesis. However, the doctoral thesis as a whole must not be the outcome of the student grant project.
4
Calculation of the total amount of a student grant project is based on a unit cost which corresponds to the
workload of 0.1 per month and equals to CZK 7,986. In this case, the workload of the student grant project
investigator is 0.5 and the amount for such workload is CZK 39,930. The period of implementation of a student
grant project is 12 months. Thus, the total financial support is a product of the total investigator’s cost and the
number of project months (39,930 x 12).
5
Gross wage in the amount of CZK 17,600 (220 CZK/hour x 80 hours per month) plus levies.
6
Gross wage in the amount of CZK 10,000 plus levies (paid in the form of a bonus).
7
15 % of the budget of the student grant project.
4 / 8
relevant faculty in the first stage. The second stage falls within the competence of
the RMU RO.
(2) In the first evaluation stage, the competition administrator at the ECU shall assess
the compliance with formal criteria:
a) the application is written in English,
b) the topic of the application is not identical with the topic of the student’s doctoral
thesis,
c) the student is enrolled in a doctoral degree programme at MU in the standard
length of studies and in the full-time mode, or is a student in the last year of a
Master’s degree programme and shall become enrolled in the doctoral degree
programme no later than within 30 calendar days of the end of the submission
period.
d) the student is an investigator of only one student grant project for the period of
IGA MU project implementation,8
e) the application is submitted by the deadline specified in the MU Rector’s call.
(3) In the event that the topic of the student grant project is identical with the topic of
the doctoral thesis of the investigator, the application shall be excluded from the
competition. If there are other formal defects, the applicant shall be asked by the
competition administrator at the ECU to remedy the defects within the prescribed
period. If the defects are not remedied in the given period, the application shall be
excluded from the competition.
(4) After the formal criteria are met, the competition administrator of the ECU shall
refer the application to the RMU RO. Two reviewer’s reports must be written for
each application that passes to the second evaluation stage; one of the reports
must be prepared by an external reviewer.9
(5) Reviewers for individual applications who are provided an application for
assessment are nominated by the RMU RO.
(6) The criteria for the evaluation of applications by reviewers are:
a) Professional level of the student grant project and its quality meet the standards.
b) The student grant project envisages outcomes that are beneficial for the relevant
field. The achievement of the planned outcomes is realistic.
c) The methodology of investigation of the student grant project is clearly designed
and is suitable for the achievement of the planned objectives.
d) Professional experience and interest of the applicant and mentor are adequate to
the submitted student grant project.
e) The proposed financial planning and its justification are prudent and adequate to
the planned outcomes.
(7) The reviewer shall state whether each criterion is met (10 points), met with
reservation (5 points) or not met (0 points).
(8) In the event that one of the criteria has not been met in the view of both reviewer’s
reports, the application is excluded from the evaluation process. In case the
evaluation of one and the same criterion is disputable, i.e. it has not been met
according to one report (0 points) and it has been met with reservation (5 points)
or met (10 points) in another report, the RMU RO shall invite a third reviewer to
assess the disputable criteria.
a) In case the third reviewer’s report assesses the disputable criterion as not met (0
points), the application shall be excluded from the evaluation process.
8
Not relevant for the first call.
9
I.e. an expert with a corresponding professional profile and experience, who has not the labour relationship
with MU at the time of evaluation of the student grant project.
5 / 8
b) In case the third reviewer’s report assesses the disputable criterion as met with
reservation (5 points) or met (10 points), the original evaluation of 0 points shall
be substituted with the evaluation according to the third reviewer’s report.
(9) The total score of applications that have not been excluded from the evaluation
process is determined as the sum of points in both reviewers’ reports.
(10) The RMU RO shall provide the reviewer’s report to the applicant in the anonymised
form through the PMIS.
(11) The list of student grant projects recommended for funding shall be made on the
basis of scores awarded by the reviewers in each field of science as mentioned in
Section 2(3). The expected number of student grant projects that can be
recommended for funding is determined in the Rector’s call.
(12) In case the expected number of student grants for each field of science mentioned
in Section 2(3) is exhausted and more applications with the same score take the
border place, the evaluation panel may:
a) Increase or decrease the number of student grants in the field concerned.
b) In case the expected number of grants in a certain field has not been awarded,
increase the number of grants in the field where the number of applications
exceeds the number of available grants.
c) The order of applications with the same number of points shall be decided upon
the evaluation of sub-criteria in the following order:
1. Professional level of the student grant application and its quality meet the
standards.
2. The student grant project envisages outcomes that are beneficial for the
relevant field. The achievement of the planned outcomes is realistic.
3. The methodology of investigation of the student grant project is clearly
designed and is suitable for the achievement of the planned objectives.
4. Professional experience and interest of the applicant and mentor meet the
standards.
5. The proposed financial planning and its justification are prudent and adequate
to the planned outcomes.
(13) The final list of student grant applications recommended for funding shall be
submitted by the evaluation panel to its chairperson, who shall decide on the
panel’s proposal no later than on the last day of the evaluation period. The RMU RO
is responsible for the publication of the competition results.
Section 7
Implementation
(1) The implementation of a student grant project commences as of 1 January of the
year following the submitting of the application and shall end as of 31 December of
the calendar year concerned. The duration of the student grant project shall be 12
months unless the Rector’s call stipulates otherwise.
(2) The investigator prepares an interim report on activities for each month of the
project implementation. The report is filed through the PMIS and is signed by the
investigator and the mentor. The formal aspect of the report is approved by the
competition administrator at the ECU of the relevant faculty. The report shall
contain the following requisites:
a) activities implemented in the given month,
b) the investigator’s workload,
c) evaluation of work on outcomes,
d) plan of activities for the next period.
6 / 8
(3) The investigator prepares the final report on activities at the end of the project
implementation. The final report is filed through the PMIS and is signed by the
investigator and the mentor. The formal aspect of the report is approved by the
competition administrator at the ECU of the relevant faculty. The final report shall
contain:
a) A section prepared by the investigator, which includes:
1. summary of the implementation of the student grant project,
2. summary of outcomes/results achieved,
3. fulfilment of educational aims stated in the application e.g. in the form of
reflection.
b) A section prepared by the mentor, which includes:
1. summary of the mentored activities, evaluation of implementation of the
student grant project, obtained knowledge and outcomes,
2. recommendation for further/future research of the student.
(4) In case after the completion of the student grant project, the investigator fails to
submit reports specified in subsections 2 and 3 of this Section and outcomes listed
in the application, e.g. a certificate, report from a stay abroad, or relevant
publications, the expenditures corresponding to unit costs for the last month in the
amount of CZK 39,930 shall be considered ineligible and shall not be reimbursed
within the IGA MU project. Such reimbursement shall be settled by the relevant
faculty from its own sources.
(5) Outcomes of the student grant project must comply with the promotion rules of the
OP RDE.
Section 8
Changes in Implementation
(1) The awarded grant must be spent during the implementation of the student grant
project and cannot be transferred to next periods.
(2) Any changes to the student grant project implementation must comply with all the
provisions of the relevant legal regulations and MU internal standards.
(3) Personnel costs of the student cannot be decreased below the amount specified in
Section 5(2)(a).
(4) A substantial change to the implementation of the student grant project is:
a) A change in the person of the mentor.
b) Transfers between the budget items over CZK 12,000.10
Substantial changes may only be carried out on the basis of an approval of the
Vice-Rector for Research and Doctoral Studies. A request for a substantial change is
filed by the investigator through the PMIS and shall contain consents of the mentor
and the competition administrator at the ECU of the relevant faculty.
(5) An insubstantial change to the implementation of the student grant project is:
a) Transfers between the budget items up to CZK 12,000.11
b) A change in the destination of the stay abroad, partial changes in the student
grant project focus, or investigation methods.
c) Changes not expressly mentioned in this Section.
Insubstantial changes may be carried out after a consultation with the mentor and
only upon the approval of the competition administrator at the ECU of the relevant
10
Provided that Section 8(3) is observed.
11
Provided that Section 8(3) is observed.
7 / 8
faculty.12
The justification of insubstantial changes shall be part of monthly reports
on activities, and as the case may be, of the final report on activities.
Section 9
Interruption, Early Termination
(1) A change in the person of the investigator is not possible. In the event that the
investigator is unable to continue in the implementation of the grant project, upon a
request approved by the Vice-Rector for Research and Doctoral Studies the project
may be interrupted and extended so that it may be completed at a later date,
however, no later than by 31 December 2022. In case this is not possible, the
implementation of the student grant project shall be terminated.
(2) If the student grant project is terminated prematurely, the investigator shall submit
the final report on activities, summarizing the results achieved so far. The
expenditures corresponding to unit costs for the last month in the amount of CZK
39,930 shall be considered ineligible and shall not be reimbursed within the IGA MU
project. Such reimbursement shall be settled by the relevant faculty from its own
sources.
(3) The RMU RO, which is in charge of the student grant competition, must be informed
of all facts that affect the interruption or early termination of the student grant
project implementation promptly after such fact is ascertained.
Section 10
End of Implementation and Final Evaluation
(1) The evaluation panel shall assess whether all planned outcomes of the student grant
project have been delivered.
(2) The final evaluation of the panel is confirmed by the evaluation panel chairperson.
Section 11
Final Provisions
(1) I authorize the vice-rector authorized under the MU Organizational Regulations to
interpret the individual provisions of this Directive.
(2) This Directive is part of the methodological procedure “Project Support (excluding
structural funds and development projects)”.
(3) The compliance with this Directive shall be inspected by the vice-rector authorized
under the MU Organizational Regulations.
(4) This Directive shall enter into force on the day of its execution.
(5) This Directive shall enter into effect on 09 September 2020.
Appendices: Appendix No. 1 – Statute of IGA MU Evaluation Panel
electronic signature
Martin Bareš
Rector
12
A concrete procedure shall be determined by the relevant faculty.
8 / 8
Appendix No. 1
Statute of IGA MU Evaluation Panel
Section 1
Competence of Evaluation Panel
(1) The IGA MU evaluation panel (hereinafter referred to as the “evaluation panel”) is
part of the evaluation system for awarding student grants within the framework of
the IGA MU student competition. The evaluation panel covers the following fields of
science: natural sciences, medicine and health sciences, social sciences, humanities
and arts.
Section 2
Evaluation Panel Membership
(1) The evaluation panel has 9 members.
(2) The members of the evaluation panel are experts in the given fields of science
(natural sciences, medicine and health sciences, social sciences, humanities and
arts) – vice-deans responsible for research at individual faculties.
(3) The members of the evaluation panel are obliged to actively participate in its
activities.
(4) The chairperson of the evaluation panel is the Vice-Rector for Research and
Doctoral Studies.
(5) All members of the evaluation panel are obliged to:
a) Maintain confidentiality of the content of evaluated student grant projects so that
the information in the applications may not be misused.
b) Declare any conflict of interest whenever it may arise in connection with the
membership in the evaluation panel.
(6) The term of office of evaluation panel members is the period of the IGA MU project,
i.e. until 31 March 2023.
Section 3
Evaluation Panel Activities
(1) The evaluation panel is managed by its chairperson or another member of the panel
authorized by the chairperson.
(2) The evaluation panel constitutes a quorum in case at least two thirds of its
members including the chairperson, i.e. at least 6 persons, take part in the voting.
The absolute majority of all members is needed for the adoption of a resolution.
The Vice-Rector for Research and Doctoral Studies may decide on voting per rollam.
(3) The evaluation panel makes the list of student grant projects approved for funding,
whereas it must base the list on the reviewers’ reports on the student grant project
applications.
(4) The panel evaluates the success of implementation of a student grant project on
the basis of the final report on activities specified in Section 7(3).13
(5) Administrative and technical support necessary for the work of the evaluation panel
is provided by the RMU competition administrator.
13
The evaluation panel shall confirm whether all planned outcomes of the student grant project have been
delivered.