Masaryk University
Žerotínovo nám. 617/9, 601 77 Brno, Czech Republic
T: +420 549 49 1111, E: info@muni.cz, W: www.muni.cz
GAMU – Research Support Programme
MUNI Award in Science and Humanities
2023 call
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Content
Aim of support............................................................................................................................................ 2
Candidate’s profile..................................................................................................................................... 2
Submitting a proposal................................................................................................................................ 3
Evaluation procedure................................................................................................................................. 3
Funding rules............................................................................................................................................. 5
Project implementation, interim and final report........................................................................................ 6
Links and documents for download........................................................................................................... 6
Contact details........................................................................................................................................... 7
Aim of support
The main aim of MUNI Award in Science and Humanities (hereinafter referred to as “MASH”) is to bring
excellent and successful external researchers to Masaryk University and to offer them such conditions
that they are motivated to stay, work for Masaryk University and to attain exceptionally high-quality
research results on the long-term basis. Top research teams shall become a stable part of MU thanks
to the employment of persons with transformation potential.
A MASH holder shall be employed full-time at Masaryk University and the primary place of work
performance shall be Brno. The holder of this prestigious grant shall be expected to represent Masaryk
University and proactively contribute to the future direction of research conducted at MU for the entire
duration of the grant holder’s engagement at MU, i.e. also after the completion of the MASH grant project.
The call is open to applicants from all fields of Social Sciences, Humanities, Physical Sciences and
Engineering, and Life Sciences.
Candidate’s profile
MASH is intended for applicants who were not employed by MU in their main employment for the period
of 5 years preceding the deadline of the call.
• An applicant is an ERC grant holder or a leading researcher in the R4 career stage according to
the European Framework for Research Careers:
o Has an international reputation based on research excellence in their field;
o Demonstrates critical judgment in the identification and execution of research activities;
o Makes a substantial contribution (breakthroughs) to their research field or spanning
multiple areas;
o Develops a strategic vision on the future of the research field;
o Recognises the broader implications and applications of their research;
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o Publishes and presents influential papers and books, serves on workshop and
conference organising committees and delivers invited talks.
Submitting a proposal
The proposal form in pdf including all annexes must be entered in the Project Management Information
System (PMIS) at the latest on the deadline date. The files entered shall be submitted for evaluation.
If the applicant is not affiliated with MU, the proposing person shall be the main contact person at the
economic unit (ECU) for the given application (e.g. head of the unit, project support officer etc.).
Documents (machine readable pdf files):
• The MASH form containing:
• Current professional CV of the applicant
• Description of the research plan
• Motivation letter
• Declaration of the ECU of its readiness to hire the applicant and create conditions for independent
research on the prescribed form*
• Optional annex: Decision on the award of the ERC or another prestigious individual grant / Evaluation
Summary Report, or an evaluation of another individual grant project
* The ECU’s declaration shall be part of the approval process at the main ECU in the PMIS – entered as
an annex of the proposal for the cover sheet approval (by approving the cover sheet, the head of the
ECU declares its readiness to hire the applicant and create conditions for independent research).
The application shall not contain the budget – the applicant shall obtain a predetermined amount in this
competition.
The applicant shall submit all the documents in English.
Additional information and documents may be requested during the evaluation procedure (e.g. the ERC
application form, detailed specification of the applicant’s key requirements etc.).
Evaluation procedure
The submitted application shall be evaluated against the following criteria:
Criterion Weighting
in %
Professional profile of the applicant based on the submitted CV (an ERC application is
taken into account)
60
Research plan and its coherence with MU research 20
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Criterion Weighting
in %
Potential asset for Masaryk University based on the submitted motivation letter 20
Formal inspection shall be made by the RMU Research Office under the supervision of the Vice-rector
for Research and Doctoral Studies. In this stage, the Vice-rector for Research and Doctoral Studies after
consultation with selected experts from the university shall have the right to exclude applications that fail
to meet the requirements for MASH applicants.
1st evaluation round
Based on the standardized keywords specified in the proposal, the domain guarantor shall select from
the internal database at least 3 evaluators for each application. Based on the evaluation reports, the
domain guarantors, or an expert panel approved for the given domain by the Vice-rector for Research
and Doctoral Studies shall prepare the ranking list in each domain (Life Sciences, Social Sciences and
Humanities, Physical Sciences and Engineering). If there are ambiguities (e.g. an extremely high or low
evaluation by one evaluator), the guarantors shall ask for additional information from the evaluator
concerned.
The domain guarantors in a meeting with the Vice-rector for Research and Doctoral Studies shall select
candidates with the best evaluation in the respective domains, who shall be invited to the 2nd evaluation
round.
2nd evaluation round
Invited candidates shall be interviewed by the evaluation board, whose members are: Vice-rector for
Research and Doctoral Studies, domain guarantors and invited experts. The candidates present their
research plan proposal. The board suggests selected candidates for MASH and MASH JUNIOR grants
based on evaluation reports of the previous rounds and the interview. A larger number of MASH JUNIOR
applications may be approved to the detriment of MASH, and vice versa (both calls have common
allocation of funds).
The Vice-rector for Research and Doctoral Studies shall inform the MU management of the competition
results in their session.
The Rector of MU decides on awarding the grants in the MASH and MASH JUNIOR competitions
pursuant to the recommendation of the evaluation board.
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Funding rules
For the period of the project implementation, a MASH holder shall be employed full-time at Masaryk
University and the primary place of work performance shall be Brno. GAMU financial support shall
be used toward the settlement of costs immediately related to the MASH holder’s research plan.
Annual budget: CZK 5 million / calendar year1
Duration of funding: 5 years
Eligible costs
• Personnel costs (wages, bonuses, agreements to complete a job (DPP) and agreements to
perform work (DPČ) of persons directly involved in the research activities necessary for the
research plan investigation)
• Scholarships
• Consumables
• Investment
• Low-value tangible and intangible assets
• Services
• Local and international travel
• Publication and application costs
• Additional costs or expenses (projects may include a share in common operating costs
corresponding to the Joint Operating Costs (JOC) coefficient for the given economic unit in the
year concerned in accordance with MU Instruction for determining the proportion of administrative
overheads and system of applying overheads to projects, as amended)
Ineligible costs
• Costs not eligible for institutional support toward long-term conceptual development (e.g.
refreshments)
The drawdown of funds must comply with the rules for the drawdown of funds of institutional support. The
grant shall be provided as non-investment funds. Each ECU shall arrange an exchange for investment
individually. Purchase of investment and necessary transfers among the respective items of the eligible
costs are possible after the consultation with the relevant finance office of the ECU.
The amount that has not been spent in the given year may be transferred to the Special Purpose Fund
(SPF) in the maximum amount of 5% of the funds awarded for the year concerned. It applies that if the
1
If the employment starts or is terminated during the year, the amount shall be proportionately adjusted.
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funds in the SPF are not spent in the following year, the beneficiary is obliged to return the funds not
used. The SPF cannot be created in the last year of the project investigation.
The approved financial support shall be allocated to a specific economic unit in the form of an adjusted
schedule of institutional support in accordance with the Budget Implementation Schedule submitted by
the investigator.
The economic and administrative resources of the projects shall be identical to the economic and
administrative resources of the units where the researcher and his/her team work (now or in the future),
and these units shall also bear common operating costs of the project. Both the professional and
administrative coordination of the project shall be the responsibility of the MASH grantee.
Project implementation, interim and final report
The project is implemented in three stages (months 1 to 24; 25 to 36; and 37 to 48).
The investigator shall submit the Budget Implementation Schedule before the start of the project.
The interim report / final report including an approved cover sheet must be entered in the PMIS always
within 60 days after the end of the relevant stage.
The interim / final report (in Czech or English) contains a list and a brief description of the achieved
results. The interim report is assessed by the Vice-rector for Research and Doctoral Studies and the
GAMU guarantor for the domain concerned. Interim and final report forms are accessible in the PMIS.
In case of serious shortcomings in the performance of the project, as ascertained on the basis of the
interim report, the project funding may be suspended by a decision of the Rector of MU.
The project completion shall include a final public lecture in which the grantee shall summarize the main
results of his/her engagement at MU so far, and outline the idea of further career at the university (the
final lecture is part of the GAMU final conference which is held in the last quarter of each calendar year).
Links and documents for download
GAMU website
IS Document Server
PMIS
Directive
Application Form
Declaration of ECU
Interim Report
Final Report
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Contact details
Grants Office
RMU Research Office
Žerotínovo nám. 9
Brno 601 77
Iveta Daňhelová
danhelova@rect.muni.cz
+420 549 49 3864