The SIGMA – Industrial Chairs programme will support the involvement of internationally recognized experts
Long-term strategic cooperation between research organisations and businesses, with an internationally recognized expert (known as an Industrial Chair) at the heart of every project. This is the main focus of the next SIGMA call for proposals, which will be published early!
Who is an Industrial Chair?
An Industrial Chair is an internationally reputable expert who will lead a research team, contributes to the strategic management of the host research organisation, and bridges the gap between academia and applied practice. He or she has proven experience in applied research and commercialisation, including collaboration with the applied sector.
The Industrial Chair will act as the principal investigator with demonstrable international experience, newly arriving from abroad, where he or she has worked full-time for at least five years, including two years in a managerial position. This may also be a Czech expert returning to the Czech Republic. In the period prior to the start of project design, Chair must not have been in an employment relationship with the host institution in the past. However, this condition does not preclude the expert from having studied at the institution in the past.
The research team must include at least three early-career researchers per research organisation.
Who can apply for the grant
The main applicant must be a single research organisation. The role of the other participant is that of a company. The company must contribute to the co-financing of the project with a minimum of 20%.
Grant amount
The maximum grant per project is CZK 42 million. The maximum funding intensity for the entire project is set at 75%.
What does the grant cover?
All costs must relate directly to the implementation of the project and must be justifiable. Eligible costs include:
- personnel costs – including scholarships
- costs of subcontracting
- other direct costs
- indirect costs
Costs for the Industrial Chair position may be funded up to 9 months retroactively from the date of the call for proposals.
Selected conditions of the call for proposals
The project proposal must be submitted in English. A mandatory component is a strategic plan describing the vision and strategy for cooperation, the partnership-building model, talent development and key performance indicators (KPIs). Projects involving long-term cooperation lasting 60–84 months will be supported. At least one team member must have a minimum 30% workload at the participating organisation. Project sustainability is important – the host institution must retain the Chair position within its organisational structure for at least 3 years after the project ends.
Would you like to take part in this attractive competition but aren’t sure where to start? Get in touch with us and we’ll discuss everything together.
