The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in collaboration with the Czech Academy of Sciences and the IOCB Foundation, has announced a new call for proposals for the MIT-Czech Republic IOCB Foundation Seed Fund. It is aimed at researchers from Czech universities and institutions of the Czech Academy of Sciences who wish to establish or develop collaboration with colleagues from MIT, across all scientific disciplines. Proposals for joint projects may be submitted until 3 December 2026.
The programme was established in 2021 in collaboration with MIT, the Czech Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, and its subsidiary, IOCB Tech. It is currently funded by the IOCB Foundation, which contributes USD 100,000 annually. From this sum, the foundation supports between three and five new collaborations each year, with up to USD 25,000 allocated to each.
Project proposals are submitted jointly by two partners: an academic or researcher at MIT authorised to lead the project and a colleague from a Czech university or a research institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences. Applications are submitted via the MIT Global Seed Funds system; applicants from Palacký University must therefore have a partner at MIT with whom they will prepare the application. Employees of companies are not eligible to apply.
The funds are intended for face-to-face meetings between the two teams – economy class airfares, accommodation, meals, local transport and the costs of working meetings. They cannot be used to cover salaries, materials or long-term stays.
Priority is given to projects that are new or entering a new phase, envisage a balanced exchange between both teams, build on the areas where the teams complement each other, and involve students at Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD level.
Detailed guidelines are available HERE.
Joint proposals may be submitted until 3 December 2026. A decision on the projects to be funded will be made in spring 2027. Project leaders will have approximately 20 months to carry out the project, after which they will submit a final report.
Further information and the application form are available on the MIT website.
If you have any enquiries, please contact the staff at the UP Project Service via .
Source: MIT