AKADEMIE VED CESKE REPUBLIKY

Their core work

The Czech Academy of Sciences (AVCR) is the leading public research institution in the Czech Republic, comprising dozens of specialized institutes across natural, technical, and social sciences. Within H2020, their involvement centers on the humanities and social sciences — studying inequality, democratic governance, public spaces, and the cultural impacts of digitalization across Europe. They participate in large ERA-NET co-funded programmes that coordinate national research funding across multiple countries, acting as a bridge between Czech social science research and pan-European research networks.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early period (2015-2018), AVCR focused on foundational social science themes: transnational humanities, inequality dynamics, demography, and cross-disciplinary research bridging sociology, economics, and political science. From 2018 onward, their work shifted toward politically charged and digitally oriented questions — democratic governance under stress, identity and authority, and the social impact of digital transformations. The trajectory shows a clear move from studying structural social patterns to examining how digital change and political turbulence reshape European societies.

AVCR is moving toward understanding how digital transformation reshapes European democratic societies — expect future work at the intersection of technology, politics, and culture.

How they like to work

AVCR operates exclusively as a participant or third party — they have not coordinated any H2020 projects in this dataset, preferring to contribute expertise within large, multi-country consortia. With 53 unique partners across 27 countries, they are a highly networked organization that joins broad European programmes rather than leading small focused teams. This makes them a reliable, low-friction consortium partner for anyone building a large transnational social science project.

AVCR has worked with 53 distinct partners across 27 countries, giving them one of the broadest geographic networks possible within the social sciences. Their connections span virtually all EU member states, built through large ERA-NET programmes that coordinate national funding agencies.

What sets them apart

AVCR brings the weight of the Czech Republic's premier research institution — a national academy with deep disciplinary breadth — to European social science collaborations. Their strength lies in participating in ERA-NET co-funded calls that coordinate research across many countries, making them an ideal partner for projects that need Central European perspectives on inequality, governance, or digital society. Few organizations combine this institutional prestige with such consistent participation in transnational humanities funding mechanisms.

Highlights from their portfolio

• CHANSE
  Their largest-funded project (EUR 202,120) and most recent, signaling a strategic pivot toward studying digital transformations in European societies.
• DIAL
  A major NORFACE programme spanning sociology, economics, political science, and demography — demonstrates AVCR's ability to contribute across multiple social science disciplines.
• Governance
  Directly addresses democratic erosion and political change in Europe — a politically timely topic that connects AVCR to policy-relevant research networks.