According to internal overviews, 118 projects were approved during this period:
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94 projects within Horizon Europe, including 27 MSCA projects, 4 ERC projects, and 6 consortium projects coordinated by CTU
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11 projects within the DIGITAL Europe program
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5 projects within the CEF program
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4 projects within the LIFE program
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2 projects within the RFCS program
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2 projects within the EDF program
These figures demonstrate CTU’s growing ability to participate in international consortia and, thanks in part to the activities of individual research teams, succeed in strong European competition. For comparison: during the previous seven-year framework program Horizon 2020, a total of 92 projects were carried out at CTU. Within the current Horizon Europe program, CTU has already reached the same number of projects in just five years. Overall, an exceptionally strong final result can therefore be expected, potentially strengthened further by project proposals submitted during the program’s final two-year phase.
Key Milestones in Horizon Europe
The very first project at CTU to receive funding under Horizon Europe was RECONMATIC in December 2021, focused on the automation and robotisation of construction processes. At CTU, the project is led by Jan Valentin from the Faculty of Civil Engineering. “We saw the success of RECONMATIC not only as an achievement of a specific team, but above all as confirmation that CTU has something to offer in European competition and is perceived as one of the leading technical universities in Europe,” says Valentin. “I think it also served as a message to other researchers that opportunities always exist – you just need to seize them.”
Looking back, Jan Valentin considers the project a valuable experience through which his team learned how to coordinate European projects and established a number of additional collaborations and partnerships. The project also contributed to the transfer of research results into practice. “At the turn of 2025 and 2026, we established the spin-off company Constriq for part of the innovations developed within the project. In doing so, we sent a signal to the European Commission that, as a university, we are able to transfer scientific knowledge into real life relatively quickly and potentially also create economic added value. Personally, I consider this very important,” Valentin adds.
The RECONMATIC project confirmed the continuity of the university’s successful participation in European framework programs while also opening a new period of dynamic development across CTU. In the following years, this first Horizon Europe success was followed by a number of significant projects. In several cases, CTU even assumed the role of international coordinator.
These include the MechaTwing project (2024–2027), led by Michael Valášek from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, aimed at strengthening CTU’s excellence in morphing and aeroelasticity; the SENSORBEES project (2023–2028), led by Tomáš Krajník from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, which develops microrobotic technologies for long-term ecological monitoring using bee colonies as natural sensory networks; the PoliRuralPlus project (2024–2026), coordinated by Pavel Kordík from the Faculty of Information Technology, which uses AI and spatial data for the sustainable development of rural-urban regions; and the AutoFair project (2022–2026), led by Jakub Mareček from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, which develops transparent and fair AI algorithms with practical applications in HR, banking, and marketing.
Among the highest-budget projects at CTU is PICTUS (2026–2030), supporting 23 PhD candidates, with which Pavel Ripka from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering succeeded in the Marie Skłodowska-Curie COFUND call. Another major project is the Czech AI Factory (2026–2028), coordinated at CTU by industrial intelligent systems expert Petr Kadera from CIIRC. The third largest project is CLARA (2025–2030), led by Josef Šivic, which focuses on connecting AI and quantum computing in research on the brain and neurodegenerative diseases.
European Projects as a Team Effort
For a European grant to succeed, it must be based not only on excellent science but also on the ability to prepare a high-quality project proposal within an environment shaped by complex rules, international partnerships, and demanding coordination requirements. Alongside principal investigators and research teams, professional support infrastructure therefore plays an important role – from identifying suitable calls and consulting project ideas to budget preparation and contractual, financial, and administrative aspects of proposal development.
At leading European universities, grant support is a standard part of research infrastructure. In recent years, CTU has increasingly relied on specialists who help the research community navigate the complex process and relieve researchers of part of the administrative burden associated with proposal preparation. The sharing of experience across the university also plays an important role. “Project specialists from CTU faculties and other university units meet regularly, discuss current developments in European programs, and share good practice,” explains Pavel Koudelák from the Rectorate’s Department for Scientific and Research Activities, who focuses on international research projects. “At the same time, we work closely with the Technology Centre Prague, which provides expert support for EU framework programs in the Czech Republic. Continuous education and monitoring of changes in European regulations are essential today,” he adds.
This continuously developed expertise is one of the key prerequisites for success. European projects are becoming increasingly complex and place high demands not only on the quality of the research idea itself, but also on consortium preparation, project structure, and administrative and financial setup. “The good news, especially for early-career researchers, is that they do not have to prepare projects on their own. It is a team process involving different types of expertise. CTU project administrators are prepared to help in this regard,” Koudelák explains.
Building Relationships for Consortium Formation
Experience from recent years shows that participation in European programs is not a one-off activity but rather a competence developed gradually over time. Every submitted proposal, work package leadership role, or participation in even a smaller part of a project increases the chances of seizing the next opportunity. As project manager Radka Preclíková from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering points out: “Success in European projects is built on relationships between researchers and project managers across Europe, as well as on the ability to be involved already at the stage when calls are being shaped – not only once they are officially announced.”
According to Preclíková, European research is increasingly shifting towards applications, consortium diversity, and, in the future, higher co-financing requirements from partners. This creates new demands on institutional infrastructure and internal support for project teams. One possible step worth considering in the future is establishing CTU representation in Brussels. “It would not be only about representation at the European Commission and access to information. Such an office would also need to be effectively connected to the university’s internal system. Combined with a strong and motivated project management community, this could significantly increase CTU’s competitiveness in European programs,” she adds.
The Final Stretch of the Program Period
The current program period will continue until the end of 2027. CTU enters its final stage with established support infrastructure and a high number of teams that already have direct experience with European projects. However, the next phase of European projects will inevitably be linked to growing pressure on quality. “The ability to prepare top-quality proposals has improved significantly across Europe in recent years. A good idea alone is no longer enough; you need a truly excellent project, a strong consortium, and often also a certain degree of luck,” explains Jan Valentin, referring to situations in which exceptionally highly rated proposals in some calls may ultimately be decided not only by expert evaluation but also by lottery mechanisms. “There is only a limited amount of funding and many ‘hungry’ hands.” According to him, this makes it even more important for CTU, as a technical university, to combine scientific potential intelligently with a strong entrepreneurial spirit, collaborate effectively with industry, and genuinely understand industrial needs.
Where to Follow Opportunities and Build Collaborations
Researchers who want to stay informed about current grant calls or search for potential partners can use several practical tools available at CTU.
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The platform ANLUPA.cz automatically aggregates calls from national funding providers as well as EU framework programs from the Funding & Tenders portal. Users can set up so-called “Call Watchers” and receive notifications about relevant opportunities according to their field.
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Another tool is SCINET CTU, which provides an overview of projects, results, and research activities at the university while also serving as a contact database for researchers across CTU.
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The EZOP database contains an overview of scientific and research projects that are planned, ongoing, or already completed at the university. The application is used for the internal approval process of project proposals before submission to funding providers, and the information it contains serves as a valuable basis for reports, evaluations, and statistical outputs. Project registration within EZOP significantly simplifies communication within research teams.