Abstract:

The project "Regional and Information Contact Point for International Cooperation in Research (RIKoC+)" has been implemented by the University of Pardubice since the year 2002. This project is funded by the state budget of the Czech Republic. The project implementation phase will end on the 31st of December 2014.

The long-term main objective of the project is to provide information and supporting service to researchers in the Pardubice and Hradec Králové region (Czech Republic) in the field of participation in European R&D programmes. The project is currently focused on (i) the information service about Horizon 2020 programme and other financial sources dedicated to research and (ii) daily work on the real research project proposal preparation, project management and administration. All project activities and their expected outcomes (guidelines, courses, workshops, advisory services and conferences) are supposed to enhance the involvement of Czech R&D teams in cross-border European research projects and to increase the external financial sources of Czech universities.

Financing public higher education institutions in the Czech Republic is regulated by Act on Higher Education Institutions. The funds comprise seven main resources. Financing coming from the main source, the state budget, has been declining for longer time.
The aim of the research is to define and compare the financial sources coming to public higher education institutions in the Czech Republic during the last years, describe the trends and propose right measures for the future.

The project RIKoC+ is connected with another project implemented by the University of Pardubice named “Grant Office – The Way to Successful Projects (GROFF)” which is focused on (i) the development of the university system of qualified support for preparation and management of research projects, (ii) the education of academic and administrative staff in the field of the objective and financial management, communication and presentation skills, financial legislative and other competences essential for the high-quality preparation and successful management of research projects.

Implementation of both presented projects (RIKoC+ and GROFF) should help to enhance the participation of the University of Pardubice in HORIZON 2020 and to increase the financial sources necessary for research activities.

Keywords:

Financing, financial source, university, project, project preparation, project management, research.