GAČR Lead Agency International Projects

GAČR Lead Agency International Projects

Funds international collaborations led by Czech institutions through coordinated agency channels.

⚠ This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.

The Czech Science Foundation (GAČR), an independent public body established in 1993 and the only Czech institution funding exclusively basic research, operates the Lead Agency International Projects scheme as part of its annual grant portfolio. Under the Weave Lead Agency principle, Czech research teams apply jointly with partner teams in one of eight countries — Austria (FWF), Germany (DFG), Poland (NCN), Slovenia (ARIS), Switzerland (SNSF), Luxembourg (FNR), Croatia (HRZZ), or the United States (NSF) — submitting a single proposal evaluated by whichever agency acts as Lead. The partner agency then funds its own national side independently, eliminating duplicated peer review.

For the 2027 cycle, GAČR announced the tender on 9 February 2026 with a submission deadline of 31 March 2026; results are scheduled for announcement on 26 November 2026 and funded projects commence in January 2027. Project duration is two to three years. Eligible applicants are Czech principal investigators affiliated with universities or research organisations; for-profit companies and individuals are not eligible. If GAČR serves as Lead Agency, Czech teams submit through the GRITA portal (grita.gov.cz); if a foreign agency leads, Czech teams submit to that agency's system. GAČR's overall 2026 funding pool totalled CZK 3.7 billion (approximately €153 million) across more than 400 new projects, underscoring the scale of the institution's grant activity.

Applicants should note that two separate tender documents govern the GAČR-as-Lead-Agency and GAČR-as-Partner-Agency scenarios, both available on the GAČR website. Success rates across GAČR programs run historically around 14%, making a well-developed international partnership and a compelling basic-research question essential. An Israel ISF bilateral call was announced for September 2026 and may open a further round later in the year.