SIGMA: New support for projects with a societal impact and for early career researchers
A completely new and comprehensive programme to promote applied research and innovation has already been approved. We expect to launch the first public call, this time aimed at increasing the potential and effectiveness of research in the social sciences, humanities and arts, in October this year.
The new SIGMA programme should replace mainly the ÉTA programme (for projects in the social sciences, humanities and arts) and the ZÉTA programme (for projects involving young early-stage researchers). It should also implement the activities of GAMA, DELTA and some EU instruments.
One of the main objectives of SIGMA is to contribute to effective collaboration between research organisations and businesses and to achieve positive societal impacts through research, development and innovation.
The main advantages of the programme are its efficiency, flexibility and variability, as well as its links with EU programmes. Thanks to its very broad focus and the setting of only basic parameters, it can respond to current problems in the field of research and innovation. The detailed thematic and technical conditions will be defined in the framework of the individual calls for tenders, several of which are expected to be launched each year. We can therefore look forward to an intense wave of support!
The programme will have 5 sub-goals:
- Pre-application research activities – streamlining the transfer of knowledge and R&D results from research organisations to practice (the essence of the GAMA programme)
- Early career researchers and equalisation of opportunities in applied research projects – support for cooperation of early career researchers in specific projects directly with subjects from the application practice (the essence of the ZÉTA programme)
- Promotion of social sciences, humanities and arts – strengthening in applied research and innovation activities and the application of the results of these activities in the form of substantially improved products, processes, processes or services (the essence of the ÉTA programme)
- International cooperation – support for international cooperation and integration of Czech teams, research organisations and companies into international activities (the essence of the DELTA programme and EU instruments)
- Overall support – support for activities that will be directed towards areas outside the focus of programmes to support applied research and innovation
The basic parameters, including allocation, duration of projects and intensity of support, will be set according to the sub-objectives. The duration of the programme is provisionally set from 2022 to 2035.
If you would like help with the preparation of your project and increase your chances of obtaining a subsidy, arrange a non-obligatory consultation now!
