Assessment
Return grants’ assessment process
Assessment of return grant applications is a transparent and multi-level process whose aim is to ensure high scholarly quality of the supported projects and an equal approach to all applicants.
Formal
check
Eligibility
check
Expert
review
Assessment of applications
Assessment is carried out in a single stage – all the applications undergo a formal check, an eligibility check and an expert review. Due to capacity restrictions, the cap is set at a maximum of 80 applications accepted in one round, with submissions accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
Formal check
The formal check and eligibility check is carried out by the SNG Administration Office. The checks examine exclusion criteria which can be amendable or non-amendable. If an application is found deficient with respect to amendable criteria, the applicant will be contacted via the SNG App and invited to resolve the situation within 5 working days. In the case of non-amendable criteria or if deficiencies are not resolved withing the deadline, the application is excluded from further assessment.
Eligibility check
Double funding is prevented through the processes of project management and financial management at CTU, coordination of projects at the level of individual faculties and the university as a whole, mandatory approval by the head of the department and the applicant’s declaration confirming that the grant does not receive double or combined funding.
Expert review
Expert review focuses on the academic merit of the return grant proposal. The reviewers assess particularly:
- scholarly quality and relevance of the research proposal
- feasibility of the planned activities
- suitability of the proposed approach in relation to the duration and scope of the grant
- principal investigator’s qualifications, previous experience and potential
- project’s contribution to the applicant’s return to a research career and its further development
- relevance and appropriateness of the planned outputs
Expert review also includes an assessment of the project’s compliance with the general principles of the CTU Return Grants Scheme, in particular with regard to equal opportunities, Open Science and transparency of project implementation.
A detailed description of the assessment process, including assessment criteria, is provided in the CTU Return Grants Guide.
SNG Committee
The SNG Committee is composed of recognised expert with relevant experience in research and in research project assessment.
The committee provides expert oversight of the entire assessment process and safeguards its objectivity, impartiality and scholarly quality.
As an outcome of the assessment process, the SNG Committee recommends selected projects for funding, and this serves as the basis for the final decision to award the grant.
SNG Scheme results
The results of the assessment of the Return Grants Scheme will be published here. The first round is expected to open in April 2026.
