Abstract

This paper focuses on two examples of best practices in proposal development with activities related to choosing appropriate funding opportunities and couching in grant writing, while reflecting experience of evaluator. Firstly, the paper develops the case study of measures in support of the European Research Council grants (the so called “ERC pipeline”) at the Charles University. Secondly, it follows by the case of support in the development of Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) proposals destined also to individual applicants in search of reaching their professional maturity through the mobility training scheme. European Centre (EC) offers comprehensive grant advice for all researchers active or prospectively seeking to work at Charles University. EC consists of 7 experts, including those for the financial capacity of the projects. At the same time, EC is the local coordination point of the 4EU+ University Alliance. This paper discusses in detail two of its activities in support of individual research projects, above all those from social sciences and humanities.
The “ERC pipeline” is a unique tool, centrally administered and coordinated in cooperation with Charles University faculties. The expert group formed by the Charles University and Academy of Sciences of Czech Republic was set up being composed of researchers who had worked at the ERC in the past. The tool provides complex service for all researchers in Czechia in view of submitting a proposal to one of the project schemes of ERC. The structure of the group is multilevel, the EC is focusing mainly on individual consultations and workshops organized according to individual ERC panel sections. Similarly, the measures in support of MSCA applicants were particularly tailored to the individual needs of researchers. EC particularly nurtures those applicants proposing the MSCA projects from numerous disciplines of social sciences and humanities (SSH) represented at Charles University. SSH disciplines are diverse, and researchers also reflect this diversity by the heterogeneity of their needs. Among most important funded projects at Charles University there are topics and disciplines as diverse as digital humanities, law, pedagogy, cultural heritage, migration, populism, and societal impact of research. In its sum however, SSH specific topics are rather marginal in research support programmes, and they suffer additional oversubscription and tough competition. The initiatives of EC relevant to SSH therefore stress needs for partnering with non-SSH or non-academic RPOs and most particularly, the focus on the grants under the 1st pillar of Horizon Europe, such as ERC and MSCA.