Czech Science Foundation

Standard grant projects - 33 projects

Junior grants - 10 projects

Lead Agency grant projects - 2 projects

EXPRO projects - 4 projects

The Czech Science Foundation (GACR) is an independent public organisation supporting basic research throughout all scientific fields from public funds. GACR is the only institution in the Czech Republic, which provides public funding exclusively for basic research projects. Since its establishment in 1993, GACR has provided financial support for both experienced as well as young and early-stage researchers.

EXPRO projects

The goal of EXPRO projects is to create favourable circumstances for development of excellent research, to set the standards of excellent science, to help to overcome barriers limiting the success rate of ERC project proposals, and to provide an opportunity to obtain valuable knowledge and experience for those interested in submitting highly prestigious European grant projects.

The Tender Document is to be found here.

Structural study of enterovirus replication in situ   

• Principal Investigator: Mgr. Pavel Plevka, Ph.D.
• Project number: 19-25982X
• Project type:  Czech Science Foundation, EXPRO
• Implementation period: 1. 1. 2019 – 31. 12. 2023
• Budget: 49 984 000 CZK

Project description:

Viruses from the genus Enterovirus, including coxsackieviruses and rhinoviruses, cause billions of infections every year. However, no anti-enterovirus treatments are available. We aim to structurally characterize enterovirus replication in situ to enable the identification of macromolecular interactions that could be targeted by therapeutics. We will use focused ion beam milling and cryo-electron tomography to determine: (1) how enteroviruses deliver their genomes into the cell cytoplasm; (2) whether enterovirus replication “factories” in infected cells contain the multi-subunit complexes of RNA-polymerases that were observed in vitro; and (3) whether enterovirus capsids assemble around genomes or if the genomes are packaged into capsids. To facilitate the cryo-electron tomography studies we will develop: (1) patterned grids to enable automation of the focused ion beam milling of cell sections; and (2) a method to embed macromolecules in rod-shaped vitreous ice to allow the recording of more complete tomographic data than is possible with currently used slab-shaped samples.

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STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY – NEXT GENERATION: from isolated molecules to cells, from cells to tissues

• Principal Investigator:  doc. Mgr. Lukáš Trantírek, Ph.D.
• Project number:  19-26041X
• Project type: Czech Science Foundation, EXPRO
• Implementation period: 1. 1. 2019 – 31. 12. 2023
• Budget: 37 921 000 CZK 

Project description:

Our comprehension of biological mechanisms as well as our capacity to exploit this knowledge for devising of novel bio-materials, molecular devices and/or effective therapeutics, critically depends on a detail knowledge of fundamental principles that governs structure, stability and interactions of biomolecules in living cells. Historically, for methodological reasons, biological processes are either investigated at low resolution in biologically relevant systems (organisms, tissues) or at high-resolution on biomolecules isolated from their native cellular environment. Although recent methodological developments have allowed gaining high-resolution insight into structure and interactions of biomolecules in intact cells, this insight remains limited to prokaryotic organisms and mammalian cells either cryogenically frozen or living cells cultured in asynchronous populations. Influence of natively fluctuating composition of intracellular environment, as a result of propagation of the cell cycle or organization of cells into tissues, on biomolecules’ structure/function remains elusive.

Molecular and functional analysis of casein kinase 1 biology

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• Principal Investigator:   prof. Mgr. Vítězslav Bryja, Ph.D.
• Principal Investiagtors at CEITEC MU:  prof. RNDr. Zbyněk Zdráhal, Dr., Konstantinos Tripsianes, Ph.D., Mgr. Jana Kotašková, Ph.D.
• Project number: 19-28347X
• Project type: Czech Science Foundation, EXPRO
• Implementation period:  1. 1. 2019 – 31. 12. 2023
• Budget:  49 976 000 CZK

Project description:

The aim of this project is to fill several major gaps in our understanding of casein kinase 1 (CK1) mediated cellular functions. CK1 acts as a component of several developmental pathways such as Wnt, Hedgehog or Yap/Taz that are important drivers of tumorigenesis. In this grant proposal we want to understand how CK1 gets activated and mediates the Wnt signalling pathway, a key signalling machinery dependent on CK1. Further, we will identify unique protein targets of individual CK1 isoforms in developmental signalling pathways, and analyse the biological consequences of the selective inhibition of CK1 isoforms in the context of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a disease with the proven sensitivity to CK1 inhibition. We will take advantage of the state-of-the-art integrated structural biology, RNA Sequencing and global proteomic analyses in combination with standard cell physiology techniques. This work will provide mechanistic insight into the role of CK1 isoforms and will pave the avenue for the use of isoform-specific CK1 inhibitors in the treatment of cancer.

Biogenesis and evolution of telomerase in plants

• Principal Investigator:    prof. RNDr. Jiří Fajkus, CSc.
• Project partner:   Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy Sciences
• Project number:  20-01331X
• Project type:  Czech Science Foundation, EXPRO
• Implementation period:   1. 1. 2020 – 31. 12. 2024
• Budget:   49 540 000 CZK

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Project description:

Telomere biology belongs to hot research topics due to its attractive links to cell ageing and immortality, genome stability, and pathogenesis of severe human diseases including cancer. Our research in plants contributed to this field, among other things, with the observations of: i) reversible regulation of telomerase activity and its coupling with cell proliferation; ii) evolutionary changes in plant telomere DNAs. Mechanisms underlying these phenomena, however, have not been known. The answer is presumably hidden in the most important telomere factor – the telomerase. Recently we identified templating telomerase RNA subunits across land plant phylogeny, which not only explains the observed evolutionary switches between diverse telomere repeats but allows us – in association with known catalytic telomerase subunits and other associated proteins – to address a problem of telomerase biogenesis in plants. Using a multidisciplinary approach, we aim to characterise distinct steps in telomerase assembly, with the focus on the presumed scaffolding role of telomerase RNA in this process.

Projects with start in 2018

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The Tender Document is to be found here.

Projects with start in 2019

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The Tender Document is to be found here.

Projects with start in 2020

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The Tender Document is to be found here.