Action Austria – Slovakia, Cooperation in Science and Education

A bilateral programme the objective of which is to intensify cooperation between Austria and Slovakia in the field of education and research. The Programme is funded by the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic and the Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy of the Republic of Austria on the basis of the agreement signed in 1992. The Programme is administered by SAIA, n. o.

Financial support is provided to Austrian PhD students and researchers in the form of individual scholarships and cooperation projects between universities.

Following types of projects can be supported:

• Target projects – the organisation of Slovak-Austrian language summer schools, the organisation of Slovak-Austrian training, co-supervised doctoral studies; grant: max. 60 000 €/project, duration: max. 36 months; application deadline: 15 October
• Initiative projects – e.g. cooperation of young researchers, lecture series of excellent researchers; grant: max. 6 000 €/project, duration: max. 12 months; application deadline: 15 March, 15 May, 15 October

Applications for co‑operation projects are submitted online at www.scholarships.at.

More information: www.oead.at, www.grants.at, www.aktion.saia.sk (the last one in Slovak and German only)

Fulbright Program – J. W. Fulbright Commission for Educational Exchange in the Slovak Republic

The J. W. Fulbright Commission for Educational Exchange in the Slovak Republic is an autonomous, non‑profit, non‑partisan, binational organisation established by executive agreements between the United States and the Slovak Republic to promote educational, research and cultural exchanges between the United States and the Slovak Republic through the Fulbright Program. The Commission services include grant programmes and information services. The Fulbright Program enables U. S. students, scholars, professionals and teachers to participate in study, research and teaching exchanges in the Slovak Republic.

General requirements for grants and awards are the U. S. citizenship at the time of application and high level of academic and professional achievements. In the Slovak Republic, the Program is administered by the J. W. Fulbright Commission in Bratislava.

Fulbright Program Mechanisms:

Programmes administered by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars

• Fulbright Scholar Program – U. S. scholars with considerable academic experience can propose projects in cooperation with a Slovak institution (usually a university or post/secondary university level institution, research institution or other placement, if necessary). Grantees can lecture and conduct research in a wide variety of academic and professional fields, although preference is given to subjects related to the United States and economic and social issues important for the Slovak Republic.
• Fulbright Specialists Program – The program pairs highly qualified U.S. academics and professionals with host institutions abroad to share their expertise, strengthen institutional linkages, hone their skills, gain international experience, and learn about other cultures while building capacity at their overseas host institutions providing  short‑term opportunities of two to six weeks in length.

More information: www.fulbright.sk

Erasmus+ – the EU programme for education, training, youth and sport

Erasmus+ is the EU’s programme supporting activities in the field of education, training, youth and sport. During the period 2014 – 2020, the programme provided opportunities for over 4 million Europeans to study, train, gain work experience and volunteer abroad. The total budget for this period is 26.2 billion €, this is nearly double the funding compared to its predecessor. The 2021 - 2027 programme places a strong focus on social inclusion, the green and digital transitions, and promoting young people´s participation in democratic life.

The main objective of the programme is to introduce a new EU approach to education and training with regard to the difficult economic period, changing world of labour market and imbalances in the available skills and market demand. The aim is to increase the quality and relevance of qualifications and skills of students, teachers, apprentices, volunteers, youth leaders and people working in grassroots’ sport. The single integrated programme is ambitious, easier to implement and strategically seeks for the cooperation of the education sector and work environment. The programme brings new features, such as a loan guarantee scheme for master’s students, Knowledge Alliances between higher education institutions and enterprises and Sector Skills Alliances – partnerships between education and training establishments and business. Erasmus+ enables the higher education mobility to the non‑EU countries and creating projects with higher education institutions in these countries.

In the field of education and training, the Programme pursues its objectives through the following types of actions intended for institutions:

Key Action 2: Cooperation for Innovation and the Exchange of Good Practices

• Transnational Strategic Partnerships are designed to develop initiatives in one or more fields of education, professional training and youth; they are designed to promote innovation, exchange of experience and know-how among different types of organisations involved in education, professional training and youth, or in other relevant fields. Certain mobility activities are supported if they contribute to achieving the project objective;
• Knowledge Alliances between higher education institutions and enterprises designed to support innovation, entrepreneurship, creativity, employability, knowledge exchange and/or multidisciplinary teaching and learning;
• Sector Skills Alliances aim at tackling skills gaps, enhancing the responsiveness of initial and continuing vocational education and training systems to sector‑specific labour market needs and demand for new skills with regard to one or more occupational profiles;
• Capacity Building projects supporting cooperation with Partner Countries in the fields of higher education and youth; their aim is to support organisations/institutions and systems in their modernisation and internationalisation process. Certain mobility activities are supported if they will contribute to achieving the project objective;
• IT support platforms, such as eTwinning, the European Platform for Adult Learning (EPALE) and the European Youth Portal, offering virtual collaboration spaces, databases of opportunities, communities of practices and other online services for teachers, trainers and professionals from practise in the field of school and adult education, as well as for young people, volunteers and youth workers across Europe and beyond.

Key Action 3: Support for Policy Reforms

• Knowledge in the field of education, professional training and youth;
• initiatives for innovative policy;
• support of European policy tools;
• cooperation with international organisations with highly recognised expertise and analytical capacity;
• stakeholders’ dialogue, policy and Programme support.

Jean Monnet Activities

• Academic Modules, Chairs, Centres of Excellence in order to deepen teaching in European integration studies embodied in an official curriculum of a higher education institution;
• policy debate with academic world supported through Networks and Projects;
• support to institutions and associations to organise and carry out statutory activities of associations dealing with EU studies and EU issues;
• studies and conferences with the purpose of providing policymakers with new insights and concrete suggestions via critical independent academic views, and to reflect on current issues of the EU.

Sport

• Collaborative Partnerships supporting sport integrity;
• Non‑profit European sports events.

More information:

Erasmus+ programme, European Commission
DG for Education and Culture of the European Commission website
SAAIC – Slovak Academic Association for International Cooperation:
Erasmus+ Slovak webpage (in Slovak only)
IUVENTA – Slovak Youth Institute 

COST – European Cooperation in Science and Technology

COST was established as an intergovernmental framework in 1971 for promoting cooperation among researchers across Europe. Within COST, research carried out at the national level is funded by the COST Member States, while the EU funds central administration and coordination. COST has a very specific mission and goal. It contributes to reducing the fragmentation in European research investments and opening the European Research Area to cooperation worldwide.

COST activities are funded under the H2020 specific objective “Spreading excellence and widening participation”. They are implemented through the implementation structure - COST Association - under the direct governance of the Committee of Senior Officials. During H2020, COST receives EU funding from two different lines managed in an integrated manner:

1. a) Scientific and Technological Cooperation – COST reinforces its networking activities carried out by COST;
2. b) Widening Activities – COST contributes to fostering inclusive research and innovation policy by bringing together “pockets of excellence”, outstanding researchers, who are not yet well integrated into European and global research, also enhancing capacity building.

Moreover, COST includes a set of measures aimed at providing structural support to ERA, widening the European research base and promotes S&T cooperation with other countries, beyond COST current membership.

COST anticipates and complements the activities of the EU Framework Programmes, and also increases the mobility of researchers across Europe. It fosters the establishment of scientific excellence in the nine key domains:

• Biomedicine and Molecular Biosciences;
• Chemistry and Molecular Sciences and Technology;
• Earth System Science and Environmental Management;
• Food and Agriculture;
• Forests, their Products and Services;
• Individuals, Societies, Cultures and Health;
• Information and Communication Technologies;
• Materials, Physics and Nanosciences;
• Transport and Urban Development.

In addition, Trans‑Domain Proposals allow for broad, multidisciplinary proposals to strike across the nine scientific domains.

COST is composed of 38 countries (37 Member States and one Cooperating State): 28 EU Member States, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, FYROM, Iceland, Montenegro, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland, Turkey and Israel (cooperating country). COST does not fund research itself but provides a platform for European scientists to cooperate on a particular project and exchange expertise. These projects are called Actions. Each COST Action is a network centred around nationally‑funded research projects in fields that are of interest to at least five COST countries. COST provides the COST Actions with financial support for joint activities such as conferences, short‑term scientific exchanges and publications. Each COST Action has an objective, defined goals and clear deliverables. COST Actions have located their topic into one of the COST’s scientific domains. In order to support science and technology networking across borders, COST is also working on enhancing international cooperation by involving researchers from Near Neighbour Countries and International Partner Countries in COST Actions on the basis of ascertained mutual benefit. In addition, COST signed Reciprocal Agreements to increase cooperation with New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina.

More information: www.cost.eu

National coordinator for Slovakia:
Ms. Andrea Danková
Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic
Department of International Cooperation in Science and Technology
Lamačská cesta 8/A
811 04 Bratislava
e‑mail: andrea.dankova@minedu.sk

EUREKA

EUREKA, founded in 1985, is an intergovernmental organisation for market‑driven industrial R&D. It is a decentralised network facilitating the coordination of national funding on innovation aiming to boost the productivity & competitiveness of European industries. The network integrates over 40 pan‑European economies but also includes Israel, South Korea and Canada. The EUREKA Member States in cooperation with the European Commission promote international, market‑oriented research and innovation through the support they offer to small and medium‑sized enterprises, large industry, universities and research institutes. Through EUREKA, these organisations are introducing new products, processes and services to market, helping make Europe economically strong and socially sound. The Slovak Republic became a EUREKA member on June 28, 2001.

EUREKA programmes:

• EUREKA Network Projects – transnational, market-driven innovative research and development projects can be supported via this programme. The “bottom-up” approach to project creation continues to be a characteristic that differentiates EUREKA from other similar initiatives. This approach allows the project consortia to define the nature of the technologies to be developed and how the project comes together. EUREKA Network Projects aim to develop marketable products, services or processes. At least two partners from two different EUREKA countries must participate in a project. Partners can be of any type: SMEs, large companies, research institutions and universities.
• Eurostars Programme – a joint programme between EUREKA and the European Commission and the first European funding and support programme to be specifically dedicated to research‑performing SMEs. Eurostars stimulates them to lead international collaborative research and innovation projects by easing access to support and funding. It is co‑funded by the European Communities and 36 EUREKA member countries. Eurostars projects are collaborative; they must involve at least two participants (legal entities) from two different Eurostars participating countries. In addition, the main participant must be a research‑performing SME from one of these countries. The role of the SME participants in the project should be significant. At least 50 % of the project’s core activity should be carried out by SMEs. The consortium should be well balanced, which means that no participant or country will be required to invest more than 75 % of the total project costs. Eurostars project should be market‑driven: it must have a maximum duration of three years, and within two years of project completion, the product of the research should be ready for launch onto the market. The exception to this rule applies to biomedical or medical projects, where clinical trials must be started within two years of project completion.         
• EUREKA Clusters – long‑term, strategically significant industrial initiatives that usually have a large number of participants, and aim to develop generic technologies of key importance for European competitiveness mainly in ICT, energy, communication, water and manufacturing. Through regular calls for projects, Clusters bring together large companies, often competitors, along with SMEs, research institutes and universities, sharing both the risk and benefits of innovation. They focus on developing and commercially exploiting new technologies. Their goal is to ensure that Europe retains its leading position in the world market.
• EUREKA Umbrellas – thematic networks, which focus on a specific technology area or business sector. The main goal of an Umbrella is to facilitate the generation of EUREKA projects in its own target area. Umbrella activities are coordinated and implemented by a working group consisting of EUREKA representatives and industrial experts. Currently, EUREKA Umbrellas exist in the following technology areas: manufacturing, materials, tourism and agrifood.

Countries participate in EUREKA projects through a network of National Information Points (NIPs). The affiliation known as Associated Country Status was initiated as part of EUREKA’s strategy to enhance cooperation with countries outside of Europe judged to have scientific and research potential. The National Project Coordinators (NPCs) are at the operational level, running the National EUREKA Offices. NPCs facilitate the setting‑up and running of a project and are responsible for project generation, national and international support and follow‑up.

More information: www.eurekanetwork.org
National project coordinator for Slovakia:
Martin Kontrík – contact form

International Visegrad Fund

The International Visegrad Fund is an international organisation based in Bratislava founded by the governments of the Visegrad Group (V4) countries – the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and the Slovak Republic – in 2000. The mission of the Fund is to facilitate and promote the development of closer cooperation among citizens and institutions of the V4 region, as well as between V4 region and other countries, especially the Central and Eastern Europe, Western Balkans and South Caucasus. The Fund does so through grant support of common cultural, scientific and educational projects, youth exchanges, cross‑border projects and tourism promotion, and through individual mobility programmes (scholarships, residencies). Non-governmental organisations, civil society organisations, municipalities and local or regional governments, schools and universities, but also private companies or individual citizens are eligible for grant support provided that their projects deal with the region and further develop cooperation among project partners based in the region. The Fund’s annual budget of 8 million € consists of equal contributions from the V4 governments.

The Fund operates following programmes:

Grant programmes:

Visegrad Grants – projects must develop meaningful co-operation and active participation of organisations from at least three V4 countries. Cross-border co-operation of at least two organisations from two neighbouring V4 countries also qualify for the support of projects taking place within a 40-km radius from the border. The maximum duration of the project implementation is 18 months. Projects must address at least one of the seven objectives: Culture and Common Identity; Education and Capacity Building; Innovation, R&D, Entrepreneurship; Democratic Values and the Media; Public Policy and Institutional Partnership; Regional Development, Environment and Tourism; Social Development.

Annual application deadlines: 1 February, 1 June, 1 October, 1 December.
More information: http://visegradfund.org/apply/grants/visegrad-grants

Visegrad+ Grants – the programme supports projects that contribute to the democratisation and transformation processes in selected countries and regions, especially non-EU member states in the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership countries. Projects must develop meaningful co-operation and ensure active involvement of least three V4 countries and one entity from the EaP region or the Western Balkans countries at the minimum. The maximum duration of the project implementation is 18 months. Projects must address at least one of the seven objectives: Culture and Common Identity; Education and Capacity Building; Innovation, R&D, Entrepreneurship; Democratic Values and the Media; Public Policy and Institutional Partnership; Regional Development, Environment and Tourism; Social Development.

Annual application deadlines: 1 February, 1 June, 1 October.
More information: www.visegradfund.org/apply/grants/visegrad-plus-grants

Strategic Grants – the programme supports projects addressing annual strategic priorities of the Visegrad Group. Strategic priorities are announced annually by the V4 country holding the rotating presidency over the group. Projects must develop meaningful co-operation and ensure active participation of organisations from all V4 countries. The programme supports projects that last from 12 to 36 months.

Annual application deadlines: 1 February, 1 June, 1 October
More information: http://visegradfund.org/apply/grants/strategic-grants

More information:
www.visegradfund.or
International Visegrad Fund
Hviezdoslavovo námestie 9, 811 02 Bratislava
Slovak Republic