Exceptional achievement of Metropolitan University Prague, three of our GACR projects succeeded

Šárka Kolmašová succeeded with her project "The spread of anti-gender radicalism among right-wing parties, movements and communities in the V4 countries", which examines how anti-gender radical ideologies have spread in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary over the last 15 years. It examines the role of political actors, digital platforms and social networks, as well as the influence of transnational far-right movements in shaping and spreading these radical narratives. "The project aims to understand anti-gender radicalism in the specific socio-political context of the selected countries," summarises Šárka Kolmašová in her own words.

Lukáš Tichý's project focuses on the growing security threats that have forced the EU to rethink its European Neighbourhood Policy, which has led to a shift in attitudes and perceptions of the EU's neighbours to the east and south. "In particular, Russia's actions have deepened the existing dependence on external energy sources and threatened the EU's plans for energy transition, namely the Green Deal for Europe (EGD), Lukáš Tichý describes his research. "In response, there is now a drive to strengthen ties with the uncertain and energy unstable eastern region, in particular Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia, but also Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as to explore alternative energy sources and suppliers, located mainly in the Middle East and North Africa," he adds." The project aims to explore this transformation in terms of identifying new patterns of emerging interdependencies with regions in the EU's neighbourhood, accompanied by the search for new energy sources and alternatives in the EU following the introduction of the EGD and the Russian attack in Ukraine.

Ales Karmazin notes that "non-Western states have long (and increasingly) criticized past colonial expansionism, Western dominance, and injustices rooted in the liberal international order." His project thus explores how this type of argument is used to create new principles of political order outside the liberal international order. It focuses primarily on Russia, China and India and elaborates on their relations with other states in the global South.

All three of our colleagues agree that it makes sense to submit projects to the GACR and urge you to do so: 'The GACR is certainly competitive, but in the Czech environment it is the most meaningful grant funding for research projects. In addition, it also provides decent financial support for related activities, such as foreign trips, etc.," summarises Aleš Karmazin his experience with the GACR. "It is definitely a challenge that brings the possibility of tackling interesting topics and advances the academic in his or her scientific career," adds Lukáš Tichý.

Šárka Kolmašová echoes the opinion of her colleagues: 'Receiving financial support from the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic is an important recognition of the scientific value and social relevance of the project.' She also points out that it is not just about the means to conduct in-depth research, collaborate with international experts and produce high-quality publications. "In addition, the entire research team gains experience in the process of preparing the application, the research itself and publishing, which is particularly important for early career scientists," Šárka Kolmašová urges colleagues to consider submitting a project at the earliest possible date.