We have prepared a list of frequently asked questions to help you with the proposal preparation. Should you have any other questions or comments, contact us.
Application, including all required documents, must be submitted in English through the application form which will be available here in the Application Section along with the Guide for applicants.
Applications submitted by any other means will not be considered. No reminders will be sent by Charles University regarding missing documents; the applicant is responsible for timely submission and completeness of their application.
The following eligibility criteria for researchers apply to the Charleston program:
Employment at CU: Applicants must not be CU employees as of the call closing date (May 31, 2025).
Mobility rule: Applicants must have not resided in the Czech Republic for more than 12 months in the past 36 months. Please see question 4 below for more information.
Doctorate degree: Applicants must have successfully defended their doctoral thesis by the call closing date (May 31, 2025), but do not necessarily need to have been awarded the PhD degree at that time.
Research experience: Applicants must be no more than 8 years post-award of their (first) doctoral degree. This limit may be extended for the following reasons: maternity leave, paternity leave, compulsory national service, time spent outside of research, long-term sick leave, seeking asylum, natural disasters, or clinical training.
For eligibility criteria related to the project, supervisor, and others, you can find further details in the Guide for applicants, soon available in the Application Section.
The eligibility criteria must be fulfilled by the call for applicants deadline. Applications that do not meet these criteria by the deadline will be deemed ineligible for evaluation.
Researcher cannot have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the Czech Republic for more than 12 months in the 36-months prior to the call deadline.
Example 1: Eligible applicant
A researcher who resided in France from June 2022 to December 2024 and then in the Czech Republic from January 2025 is eligible. This researcher has only spent 5 months in the Czech Republic within the 36-month period from June 1, 2022, to May 31, 2025, and thus meets the mobility rule.
Example 2: Eligible applicant
A researcher who worked in the Czech Republic from June 2022 to the end of November 2022 (6 months) and again from January 2024 to March 2024 (another 3 months) would have spent a total of 9 months in the Czech Republic within the 36 months before May 31, 2025. This researcher is still eligible.
Example 3: Non-eligible
A researcher who lived in the Czech Republic from June 2022 to the end of September 2022 (4 months), and again from January 2024 to March 2025 (15 months) would have spent a total of 19 months in the Czech Republic in the 36-month period before May 31, 2025. This researcher exceeds the 12-month mobility rule and would not be eligible.
Note: Applicants will be required to provide proof of their residence and main activity during this period. Acceptable documents include a lease agreement, utility bills (electricity, gas, etc.), or employment contracts. These documents will only be required from applications recommended for funding (Autumn 2025).
Any faculty, institute, or research unit of Charles University can host your project. For a full list of faculties and units, please visit this page.
No, applicants can submit only one proposal. In case of multiple submissions, only the most recent proposal will be considered for evaluation, and the others will be disregarded.
Yes, you will receive an email confirmation that your application has been received.
No, submitted proposals cannot be updated before the deadline. If you wish to make changes, submit a new proposal. The most recent application will be evaluated.
No, it is not possible to update your application or submit additional material/information after the call deadline. All submissions are considered final once the deadline has passed to ensure a fair and transparent evaluation process for all applicants.
Yes, applicants should contact the secondment institution before submitting the project proposal.
Applicants can select from a list of associated partners to plan their non-academic secondment period. If none of the current partners is relevant to their research topic, researchers may propose another non-academic institution.
Yes, if your secondment is outside Prague (Plzeň, Hradec Králové), the Charleston programme will reimburse any travel expenses. The calculation of travel expenses must be included in the project proposal.
Your secondment can last between three and six months. It may be split into two parts and can take place at any point during the fellowship; however, it cannot begin within the first 60 days of the project’s implementation. No gaps are allowed between the academic and non-academic phases of the fellowship.
Yes, you will continue to receive a salary from the Charleston programme for the entire duration of your non-academic secondment period. You will remain an employee of Charles University throughout this period.
For details about the funding coverage, please refer to the Employment conditions section.
The relevance of your project to the UN SDGs will be evaluated as part of the selection process, as the SDGs are one of the key elements of our programme. Applicants should align their project with the SDGs and demonstrate how their proposed research contributes to them.
You can find the full list of SGDs on this website. Refer to the University of Auckland SDG Keyword mapping for a list of keywords that can serve as a guidance. This list is intended to inspire applicants and help them better align their proposed research with the SDGs.
The project start date must be within 3 months from the signing of the Grant agreement, approx. between November 2025 and February 2026 for Call 1.
The full-time equivalent (FTE) commitment must be 1.0 throughout the duration of the project and cannot be reduced, except in exceptional cases, such as for family reasons (e.g., childcare).
1. Choose a Relevant Faculty or Unit
See the list of faculties and university units and select the one that best aligns with your research topic.
Faculties:
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University Institutes:
2. Identify a Suitable Supervisor
Visit the website of your chosen faculty/unit and find a potential supervisor whose expertise matches your research area.
The supervisor must have at least eight years of research experience after completing their Ph.D. The decisive date for calculating this experience is the call deadline (May 31, 2025).
3. Contact Your Potential Supervisor
Send an email introducing yourself and your proposed research topic. Express your interest in working under their supervision and inquire about their availability and willingness to take on this role.
4. Confirm and Add the Supervisor in IS Věda Portal
If the supervisor agrees, you can list them as your supervisor in the IS Věda portal as part of your project proposal. They will receive a notification requesting their approval. (See User Manual for Submitting Online Application Form for more details).
N.B. Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
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