Funds provided for expert consultations and advice helped Czech teams to participate more frequently in international research programmes
PRESS RELEASE ON AUDIT NO 24/29 – 2 February 2026
Funds provided for expert consultations and advice to applicants for grants from international research programmes contributed to an increase in the participation of Czech research teams in these programmes. The success rate of project proposals submitted to international research programmes gradually increased by a further 20 percentage points. This more frequent involvement in international research programmes was made possible by a change in the concept of providing financial support. This was demonstrated by an audit conducted by the Supreme Audit Office (SAO) focused on the use of more than CZK 600 million provided from the state budget by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MoEYS) for this purpose. It was also possible to reduce the cost of one professional assistance provided by half. However, the auditors also found shortcomings: the MoEYS did not establish procedures to evaluate the benefits of projects and the effectiveness of expenditures. The SAO also revealed an ineffective control system at the MoEYS for public procurement and the eligibility of expenditures.
In 2016, the government identified the Czech Republic's lower participation in international research and development programmes as a persistent problem in its resolution and called for the introduction of tools to change the situation. Between 2016 and 2022, the INTER-INFORM subprogramme provided information support to researchers. This was followed by the newer CZERA and CZELO projects, which will continue until 2027. Their main objectives were to increase the participation of Czech research institutions in international research programmes and to involve Czech researchers more intensively in the European Union's Horizon Europe research programme.
Project proposals to which beneficiaries provided expert advice or consultation within the framework of INTER-INFORM were successful in obtaining grants in international research and development programmes at an average rate of 40%. With the change in the support concept, which the MoEYS concentrated into a new project of shared activities called CZERA, the success rate of supported grant applications increased to 60%.
The SAO found in a sample of 12 projects that 1,081 expert consultations or advisory services were provided to project proposals in the INTER-INFORM sub-programme, with subsidies for one expert assistance to a specific project proposal averaging CZK 181,000. In contrast, the follow-up CZERA project provided 1,154 expert assistance services in a comparable period, with each costing approximately CZK 91,000. The average subsidised cost per assistance service provided thus fell by approximately half. In total, 2,235 expert consultations or advisory services were provided to specific project proposals in the field of research, development, and innovation.
However, the audit also revealed a number of errors. For example, the MoEYS did not establish procedures that would enable the evaluation of the benefits of projects and the effectiveness of expenditure. The Ministry also supported a project that was not recommended for funding. The reason for this was an effort to use up the allocated resources.
The audit revealed an ineffective control system at the MoEYS for public procurement and eligibility of expenditure. Between 2016 and 2024, the Ministry did not carry out any public administration inspections on beneficiaries. It was therefore unable to detect violations of regulations uncovered by the SAO, for example in a public procurement contract worth CZK 10 million for the administration and development of the website of the Czech National Agency for International Education and Research (CNAIER). The CNAIER drew up the tender conditions in an ambiguous and incomplete manner, thereby preventing the transparent selection of the most economically advantageous bid. The conditions set gave the existing supplier an unjustified advantage.
Communication Department
Supreme Audit Office