General Information
The European Science Foundation (ESF) is the European association of 79 national organisations (scientific institutions, academies, funding agencies)
from 30 countries responsible for support of scientific research. It is a nongovernmental organisation with its official headquarters in Strasbourg.
Since 1999, the Czech Science Foundation – GACR and the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (AS CR) have been the member organisations of the ESF
for the Czech Republic.
The ESF promotes the development of science by bringing together leading scientists and funding agencies to debate, plan and implement pan-European
scientific and science policy initiatives. It maintains close relations with other scientific institutions within and outside Europe.
The costs of membership of the Czech Republic in the ESF are covered from subsidies from the National Research Programme of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the CR (MEYS CR). The participation in research networking programmes, EURYI programme and costs arising from the membership in the ESF Scientific Standing Committees are also financed from the grant of the MEYS CR. The Call for the individual subprogrammes of EUROCORES programme is announced by the GACR and successful projects are paid out of the GACR budget.
The main decision-making body of the ESF is the Assembly. It meets once annually and contains representatives of all the ESF member organisations. The Governing Council consists of representatives of the individual member countries. Each country has one representative. In 2009 Professor Ivan Netuka became a member of the Governing Council for the Czech Republic.
Organisation structure of the ESF (in brief)
- Prof. Ian Halliday – President of the ESF
- Prof. Marja Makarow – Chief Executive of the ESF
- Dr. Paul Egerton – Head of LESC unit (Life, Earth and Environmental Sciences)
- Mr. Neil Williams – Head of PESC unit (Physical and Engineering Sciences)
- Dr. Nina Kancewicz-Hoffman – Head of SCH unit (Humanities)
- Dr. Stephane Berghmans – Head of EMRC unit (Medical Sciences)
- Dr. Balázs Kiss – Head of SCSS unit (Social Sciences)
The individual ESF Scientific Standing Committees are concerned with the relevant areas of science. The members of these committees are scientists
nominated by the individual member organisations.
The GACR and the AS CR named the one representative in each Committee for the CR.
Members of the Scientific Standing Committees for the Czech Republic
- Life and Environmental Sciences – LESC – Prof. MVDr. Jan Motlík, DrSc. – since 2005
- Physical and Engineering Sciences – PESC – Prof. RNDr. Milan Tichý, DrSc.– since 2007
- Social Sciences – SCSS – PhDr. Zdenka Mansfeldová, CSc. – since 2004
- Humanities – SCH – Doc. PhDr. Bohuslav Mánek, CSc. – since 2004
- European Medical Research Councils – EMRC – Prof. MUDr. Josef Syka, DrSc. – since 2009