Principles for Student Grant Competition 
Contents
1. General Regulations
2. Financial Support
3. Project Applications
4. Evaluation of Applications
5. Selection of Projects
6. Financial Management of Projects
7. Changes In the Course of the Project
8. Project Conclusion
9. Deadlines
10. Provisional and Final Regulations

1. General Regulations
1.1	These Principles are based on the Rules for providing special aid for specific academic research according to the Act No. 130/2002 Coll. on the Support of Research and Development from Public Funds and on the amendment to some related acts (the Act on the Support of Research and Development) introduced by subsequent regulations (hereinafter referred to as "Rules"). The Rules determine criteria and the method of granting special aid from public funds for research projects carried out by students in accredited doctoral or master study programmes. The project must be directly related to their education (hereinafter referred to as "Specific Undergraduate Research"). The Rules are published on the web pages of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports at http://www.msmt.cz/vyzkum/specifickyvysokoskolsky-vyzkum. SGC is organized for each faculty. If the faculties do not formulate their own Principles for applying for and selecting of supported SGC projects, they abide by this copy of the Principles. Faculty principles must correspond with these Principles and must be published on the faculty web.
1.2	The goal of the Student Grant Competition (hereinafter referred to as “SGC”) is to increase and grant support to scientific research activity of students in doctoral or master study programmes in collaboration with the academic staff; to increase quality and efficiency of scientific, technical and educational work, to develop new, particularly interdisciplinary fields of doctoral and master studies and to promote collaboration in these fields with foreign countries.
1.3	The Department of Science and Research, the TUL SGC Committee and each Faculty’s SGC committee share responsibility for administration of SGC at TUL.
1.4	SGC is announced on 15th November.
1.5	These Principles are published on the website of TUL; for students they are accessible at http://www.tul.cz/veda-a-vyzkum/studentska-grantova-soutez, and for academics – after logging on the intranet zaměstnanci – vnitřní normy, směrnice rektora 
2. Financial Support
2.1	Financial support budget is assigned to each Faculty according to the formula stated in the Rules, using coefficients given by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports as published at http://www.msmt.cz/vyzkum/pravidla-pro-poskytovani-ucelove-podpory-na-specificky
2.2	Financial support can only be used for:
a)	payment of eligible costs1) for student projects which have been selected in the Student Grant Competition
b)	payment of eligible costs related to organization of Student Scientific Conferences, (up to 10% of the aid granted)
c)	payment of eligible costs related to organization of the Student Grant Competition, including costs for evaluation and review of student projects and evaluation of the achieved results, (up to 2.5% of the aid granted)
2.3	Criteria for granting the aid:
a)	the researcher of a student project is a student in a doctoral study programme at TUL; in exceptional cases it can be a member of the academic staff at TUL
b)	other members of the research team are students in doctoral or master study programmes or academic, scientific or pedagogic members of staff; if the researcher is a student in a doctoral study programme, the researcher’s supervisor must be a member of the research team
c)	the number of the members of the research team who are students in doctoral or master study programmes must be at least equal to the number of other members of the research team
d)	the period of a research project is from 1 to 3 years
e)	financial aid for any student project for one calendar year cannot exceed 3, 000, 000 CZK
f)	in the eligible costs there is more than a 60% share of personal costs (including scholarships) related to the participation of students in doctoral or master study programmes as researchers or other members of the research team, and of total personal costs (including scholarships)
g)	the financial aid can be used to cover the costs of the student project which is carried out at a research department other than one at TUL, only in the case of agreement between TUL and herewith department according to the § 81 of the Act No. 111/1998 Coll., Higher Education Act and changes and additions of other laws, as amended by the Act No. 473/2004 Coll. Such a department must be one where an accredited study program is implemented and in which student-members of the research team take their courses. According to the requirements stated in Article 4, letters c) and f), other members of the research team are also scientific, academic or development members of staff of the given legal entity.
2.4	If the project researcher is a student, he or she will sign the Agreement to complete a job (hereinafter referred to as ”DPP”) or the Agreement to perform work (hereinafter referred to as “DPČ) at the beginning of the project process. The forms 4.01 a 4.2 are available by logging on the intranet zaměstnanci – vnitřní normy – personální oddělení.
2.5	The Agreements have to include: 
•	job description, which is leading and organizing the SGC project
•	scope of work – 	for DPČ it is between 4 and 8 hours per week
for DPP it is between 16 and 24 hours per month
					(both values have to be divisible by 4)
•	minimum remuneration, which  is 88,- CZK/hour

A scholarship will be also paid to a student - researcher for his or her scientific and research activity for the project.
Academic, scientific or pedagogic members of staff execute work for SGC as part of their job duties and they are paid in agreement with their working contract and according to the Internal salary regulation of the TUL.
3. Project Applications
3.1	A Project application must contain personal data shown in the attached model Application form which is published together with these Principles.
3.2	Any submitted project application must not be identical with another project that has been or is supported by public funds or within the scope of additional activity.
3.3	The title of the project must not be identical with the name of an assigned dissertation or thesis.
3.4	For a project scheduled for more years, its researcher has to submit a new application every year.
3.5	Financial means are divided into non-investment costs (NIV) and investment costs (INV). NIV include personal expenses, operating expenses, services and other expenses; INV include acquisition of tangible and intangible assets, specified in detail in the Application form – see the attached documents. It is possible to include travel insurance in “Travel costs”. Travel insurance rates are listed in the list of attachments.
3.6	All financial requirements in the application form must be sufficiently justified. Applications with errors or submitted after the deadline will be disqualified by the SGC committee.
3.7	Additional costs must include a year’s school overheads. Each faculty will determine unified overheads for SGC projects.
3.8	Each researcher can submit only one application, while he or she can also be a member of another research team, but in no more than 2 other projects.
3.9	Applications must be submitted to the SGC committee of the faculty as a hard copy and in the electronic form before 10 January of a calendar year.
4. Evaluation of Applications
4.1	Each Faculty’s dean will appoint the members of the SGC committee of the faculty. The SGC committee of each faculty has at least 3 members, including a chairman. The Committee decides by voting.
4.2	The SGC committee of the faculty will decide whether applications have been submitted correctly and on time.
4.3	For the applications’ evaluation the SGC committee of the faculty will use the following criteria:
a)	qualification of the research team members
b)	topicality, scientific significance and technical level of the proposed project
c)	the level of project processing (aims, concept and presumed results)
d)	appropriateness of the proposed time schedule of the research project
e)	adequacy of financial aid requirements
f)	presumed project results
g)	future effect of presumed results of the project in the Register of Scientific Result Information (RIV)
4.4	The SGC committee of the faculty will evaluate project applications and will determine the order to list them according to the above stated criteria. The evaluated applications and their shortlist will be passed to the Department of Science and Research.
4.5	The Department of Science and Research will submit adjusted applications to the TUL SGC committee.
5. Selection of Projects
5.1	The Rector will appoint the members of the TUL SGC committee composed of:
the Chairman: Vice-Rector responsible for scientific and research activities
members: representatives of faculties appointed by deans and the bursar
5.2	The SGC committee of the TUL has to comprise an odd number of members
5.3	The TUL SGC committee will evaluate the applications and then the projects selected for financing will be forwarded to the Rector for his approval. The Committee decides by voting.
6. Financial Management of Projects
6.1	The support granted can be used only to cover eligible expenses of the student project. Eligible expenses include the costs of research, development and innovation which have been approved by the provider, which are justified and the accounting of which is verifiable.
6.2	The project researcher is responsible for the use and management of the funds granted. According to the Rector’s directive on the Internal Control System, he or she is also the transactor of financial operations. The financial means granted for the project are drawn on the basis of its internal project number that has been assigned by the Budget department.
6.3	Unspent funds can be transferred to the Fund for special means (FÚUP) up to 5% of the total amount assigned, in accordance with the Bursar’s directive on Circulation of accounting documents.
6.4	Each faculty will decide upon their method for the financial settlement of the SGC projects which have overdrawn their own budget.
6.5	Unused funds shall be returned to the provider.

7. Changes In the Course of the Project
7.1	Changes in the course of the project may be requested not later than by 1st November of the relevant calendar year.
7.2	No changes are allowed in the items of “additional overhead costs” and “capital expenses”.
7.3	There is no need to request changes in other items of non-investment expenses up to 20% from the total project amount while complying with the Article 2 of these Principles.
7.4	Any application for changes in the course of the project is approved by the faculty SGC committee. The application for changes must contain a justification for the proposed changes.
7.5	Applications for changes between faculties (financial transfers) and applications for substitutions of researchers are passed to the chairman of the TUL SGC committee. The chairman will forward such an application to the Rector for his approval. These changes will be published on the TUL website.
7.6	All changes introduced in the project process must be included and justified in the Final report.
8. Project Conclusion 
8.1	Each project must be financially completed before 30 November and factually before 31 December of a given calendar year.
8.2	The researcher will produce a hard copy of the Final report and its electronic form about working on the project and present it to the SGC committee of the faculty before 5 January of the following year.
8.3	The Final report must contain data that are requested in the Final report form – see the attached documents.
8.4	The Final report will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
a)	The faculty SGC committee will recommend an evaluator for the project to the dean of the faculty for the purpose of impartial assessment of the Final report. Evaluators must work for departments different from the one of the project researcher; they cannot be members of the research team nor members of the faculty SGC committee. 
b)	Projects with the total amount less than 1 million CZK will be assessed by one evaluator. Projects exceeding 1 million CZK will be reviewed by two evaluators.
8.5	The faculty SGC committee will evaluate whether the initially proposed results have been accomplished and whether the granted means have been used in accordance with the submitted application. The chairman of the SGC committee of the faculty will contact the Department of Science and Research and forward to them the Final reports in a hard copy and also electronically, together with the evaluation report and the completed form for Information on the Use of the Granted Financial Aid for Specific Undergraduate Research (see the attachments).
8.6	The SGC committee of the TUL will evaluate the achieved results on the basis of the Final reports obtained from the Department of Science and Research. The Final summary report will be forwarded to the Rector for his approval.
8.7	Each project must explicitly state in its documentation and in the project outcomes that it was supported by the financial aid in the framework of the Competition for Support of Projects of Specific Undergraduate Research.
8.8	The TUL department for which assets were acquired from the project becomes their owner, according to the § 15 Act on Support of Research and Development.
8.9	Legal rights emerging from the results of the project are owned by the TUL, according to the § 16 Act on the Support of Research and Development. The researcher is obliged to comply with the Dean’s directive on the Protection of Intellectual Property. After receiving the Final reports, the Department of Science and Research reviews whether the obligation of informing the employer about creating results in the project has been fulfilled in the demanded written form. If not, the researcher will be informed about the infringement and he or she must provide necessary rectifying actions.
8.10	Should the student member of the research team create a result of work (e.g. an article...), he or she has to sign the License contract with the TUL due to the intellectual property protection of the TUL. The License contract form can be found on the website of TUL after logging on the intranet zaměstnanci – vnitřní normy – vzory smluv.
8.11	The results of the project can be introduced in dissertations or theses in a way which will not endanger the intellectual protection of results.
8.12	Before the given deadline, the researcher is obliged to submit the results into the Information System of Research and Development (RIV), according to the Act on the Information System of Research and Development.
8.13	Student’s scientific conferences for SGC enable presentations and evaluations of research results of students in doctoral and master study programmes.
8.14	The Dean of the faculty will decide about organization of such a conference; eligible costs related to its organization are paid from the granted funds, according to the regulation No. 2 of these Principles.
9. Deadlines
9.1	Deadlines determined for researchers and TUL Faculties:
a)	Applications must be submitted before 10 January of a calendar year (hereinafter referred to as “c. y.”) to the SGC committee of the faculty
b)	The SGC committee of the faculty will pass the List of applications to the TUL SGC committee before 7 February of the c. y.
c)	The TUL SGC committee will pass projects recommended for granting of the financial aid to the Rector for his approval before 10 February of the c. y.
d)	The Chairman of the faculty SGC committee will notify the Chairman of the TUL SGC committee before 30 March of a c. y. on how much of the granted funds will be spent by the faculty on investment and non-investment items.
e)	The research project will be financially and factually completed before 30 November of the c. y.
f)	Final reports will be submitted to the SGC committee of the faculty before 5 January of the following year
g)	The faculty SGC committee will submit the Final reports to the Department of Science and Research before 31 January of the following year
h)	The Department of Science and Research will pass final reports to the TUL SGC committee to evaluate the project results and to prepare the Final report on research for the approval of the Rector before 15 March of the following year
9.2	Deadlines determined by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports:
a) Before 15 February of a calendar year, TUL will publish the List of projects with granted funds for each calendar year on its web pages 
b) Before 15 April of a given calendar year, TUL will notify the Ministry of how much of the granted funds will be drawn for non-investment and investment costs
c) Before 30 November of a calendar year, TUL will publish the Principles of Student’s Grant Competition for the following year on its web pages 
d) Before 30 November of a calendar year, TUL will submit the Application for financial aid to the Ministry 
e) On its web pages, TUL will publish data on the supported student projects and data on their drawing of financial aid 
f) Before 31 March of the following year, the TUL will publish the evaluation of the results achieved from the granted support on its web pages
10. Provisional and Final Regulations
10.1	All documentation related to the projects must be archived for 10 years. The faculty secretary will archive the documents in compliance with the directive on “Filing and Disposition of Documents”.
10.2	List of attachments:
•	Application form
•	Form for List of submitted projects
•	Final report form
•	Form “Information on the Use of Granted Financial Aid for Specific Undergraduate Research”
•	Travel insurance rates
10.3	Vice-Rector for science and development reviews and evaluates compliance with this Directive.
10.4	Vice-Rector for science and development and the legal department are authorized to interpret this directive.
10.5	Hereby the previously used Rector’s directive No. 3/2012 on Principles of SGC of 30th November 2014 is repealed and replaced with the present one