The Impulz project scheme aims to improve the scientific organizations of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS) by recruiting internationally recognized scientists and highly talented young researchers who come from abroad or do not leave for abroad. The scheme is intended to help increase the Academy's excellence, internationalization and competitiveness in the European Research Area and its success in obtaining prestigious grants.

IMPULZ 2026 Call for Applications

The Presidium of the Slovak Academy of Sciences approved this Call on 14 May 2026.

  • Date of the call announcement: 1 June 2026, 9:00 CET (7:00 GMT)
  • Application deadline: 1 September 2026, 9:00 CET (7:00 GMT)
  • Evaluation completed: March 2027 (expected)
  • Project start: June 2027 (expected)

The IMPULZ Programme is the flagship grant scheme of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS), designed to enable outstanding researchers to establish research teams and pursue excellent research at the highest international level. The Programme is intended for ambitious researchers with the vision and potential to become leaders in their scientific field. IMPULZ provides researchers with the opportunity, resources and institutional support necessary to build their own research teams, define original research directions, and generate results with international impact. The principal objective of the Programme is not only to support individual projects, but also to develop a new generation of scientific leaders who will strengthen the research capacity of the Slovak  Academy of Sciences and further embed it within the European Research Area.

Eligibility Criteria

Applications must satisfy the selection criteria set out in the IMPULZ Programme Statute. These criteria include the following requirements:

  • The applicant must hold a PhD or equivalent degree at the time of application submission.
  • The applicant must demonstrate relevant international research experience.
  • The applicant must demonstrate scientific productivity and international recognition within their specific field.
  • In the case of early-career researchers, the applicant must demonstrate scientific independence from their dissertation supervisor.
  • The applicant must demonstrate the ability to lead the proposed research team and to secure competitive funding on a long-term basis.

Application Procedure

Applications must be submitted in English through the electronic application system available on the Programme website (impulz.sav.sk) and must include all required parts specified in the IMPULZ Programme Statute.

The application must also include a statement of support from the host institution (a public research institution of SAS), as the principal investigator must be employed by the host institution on a full-time basis for the entire duration of the project.

Evaluation of Applications

The evaluation procedure is conducted in three rounds. Only applications that meet all mandatory formal requirements will proceed to expert review. In the first round, the Evaluation Committee will assess the extended abstract of the project and the scientific excellence of the applicant. Selected applications will then be evaluated in the second round, in which the full project will be assessed on the basis of the consensus opinion of three independent foreign reviewers. The highest-ranked applications will advance to the third round, where applicants will be invited to a personal interview before the Evaluation Committee. The final decision on funded projects shall be made by the Presidium of SAS on the basis of the recommendation of the Evaluation Committee. Detailed information, including the evaluation criteria, is provided in the IMPULZ Programme Statute.

Project Implementation

The maximum amount of funding available for one project is EUR 160,000 per year for a period of five years. Eligible cost categories include personnel costs, travel exoenses, consumables and equipment, research infrastructure, publication costs, and services. Indirect costs shall be covered by the host institution.

A mid-term evaluation will be conducted halfway through project implementation. Where the predefined conditions are met and the result of the mid-term evaluation is positive, project funding will continue. The mid-term evaluation will also assess activities aimed at securing external funding, in particular the submission of an ERC grant application or an application under another comparable prestigious international grant scheme with a comparable funding scale.

Position of the Presidium of SAS on Salary Funding from SAS Programmes

The Slovak Academy of Sciences provides financial support to researchers through several programmes. Currently, the following active programmes allow for the allocation of salary funds, listed hierarchically:

  1. Compensatory allowance
  2. Štefan Schwarz Support Fund
  3. IMPULZ

Concurrent support from more than one of the above-mentioned programmes is not possible. Funding provided under these programmes may not be accumulated or carried over to subsequent years. Researchers are advised to apply for support from a higher-level programme only during the final year of their current project. Should a recipient of the Compensatory Allowance successfully secure support from a higher-level programme, entitlement to the allowance shall terminate on the date the higher-level funding commences. Recipients of the Štefan Schwarz Support Fund may only begin drawing support from a higher-level programme following the formal completion of the project and the submission of the final report.