Call for Dioscuri Centres of Scientific Excellence in the Czech Republic

The Max-Planck-Gesellschaft (MPG) and the Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MEYS) launch the first call for Dioscuri Centres of Scientific Excellence in the Czech Republic.

MPG and MEYS are looking for excellent early career researchers interested in establishing their research group at a Czech host institution. The current call, which is open to applicants from all scientific disciplines and all nationalities, aims to establish up to three Dioscuri Centres (DCs) in the Czech Republic. Going beyond the scope of a project grant, a DC is awarded to excellent scientists capable of establishing and leading an outstanding, highly visible research group. A DC shall connect the local research landscape to the wider scientific community while simultaneously positioning the leader of the DC in the respective field. These efforts will be supported by a partner from a German university or research institution. The partner will promote the Centre’s structural development and integration in scientific networks, thereby strengthening scientific exchange between the Czech Republic and Germany. The DC’s development will further be supported by an international scientific advisory board. DCs are expected to conduct top-class internationally competitive and innovative research. Each of them will be funded with up to € 300,000 p.a., initially for five years. This amount will be part of a larger package involving supplementary funds, infrastructure, scientific equipment, and a long-term perspective for the leader of the DC at the respective host institution (to be arranged individually between selected candidates and their Host Institutions). This will put the DCs in a position to attract additional funding from national and European/international sources, and to continue their research after the Dioscuri funding has ended. Applicants are asked to provide a concept for the DC they plan to establish, which includes an innovative research program as well as an outline for the DC’s structural development. The deadline for applications is 25 July 2022. Each DC established through this call will be monitored and evaluated by the Dioscuri Scientific Committee, and will be awarded the title of Dioscuri Centre of Scientific Excellence. A programme initiated by the Max Planck Society, jointly managed with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MEYS) in the Czech Republic, and mutually funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the MEYS. Dioscuri is a programme devised by MPG to support the development of lighthouses of scientific excellence in Central and Eastern Europe by promoting outstanding scientists who want to conduct their research in this region. Following a bottom-up and sustainable approach, it strives to establish future-oriented research fields and international standards of scientific quality. Dioscuri serves to strengthen the European Research Area as a whole and to expand the foundations for long-term economic and social prosperity in Europe. The detailed call and further information about the Dioscuri Programme are available at
www.mpg.de/dioscuri and www.msmt.cz/research-and-development-1/dioscuri-programme-1