KAPPA Programme

KAPPA — 1st for Proposals

Funds Czech and partner institutions through EEA-style cross-border applied-research collaborations.

Eligibility · Czechia, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein

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

The KAPPA programme was established by the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (TA CR) under the EEA and Norway Grants 2014–2021 cycle to co-fund applied research, experimental development, and innovation in partnership with entities from Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein (the Donor States). The 1st and only call under KAPPA was announced in the fourth quarter of 2019 and closed 30 April 2020, with 163 proposals submitted and 154 evaluated. Total programme funding was approximately EUR 32.5 million, distributed across two separate ranking lists: one for carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects, allocated approximately EUR 5.2 million, and one for all other thematic areas, which were unrestricted. Ultimately 25 projects were funded under the main call and a further 11 after evaluation processes concluded, with eligible project costs running through 30 April 2024.

Eligible applicants were Czech research organisations and enterprises; the main applicant (project promoter) had to be based in the Czech Republic and bring at least one partner from Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein. Research organisations from third countries outside these four states could participate as partners with limited funding. Per-project support ranged from EUR 500,000 to EUR 1,500,000 for standard projects and up to EUR 2,500,000 for CCS-focused projects. Average aid intensity across the programme was 80%, meaning applicants generally covered roughly 20% of costs from non-public sources, though the precise intensity varied by applicant type and activity category under EU Commission Regulation (EU) No. 651/2014. Indirect costs were reimbursable only at a 25% flat rate on direct costs. Enterprises less than 18 months old at the time of proposal submission were required to provide a financial plan in lieu of historical accounts.

Evaluation was rigorous and multi-stage: three foreign experts outside the four eligible countries assessed each proposal, followed by panels and the KAPPA Programme Committee, which produced the two final ranking lists submitted to the TA CR Board for approval. The dual-list structure ensured dedicated CCS funding was not competed away by non-CCS applicants. Although KAPPA was a one-cycle programme tied to the EEA and Norway Grants 2014–2021 period, its design — thematically open, bilaterally structured, and delivered through TA CR — made it a precursor to the bilateral-cooperation logic embedded in SIGMA Sub-objective 4, which continues as the active bilateral-research track.