The Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (TA CR) was established by the Act No. 130/2002 Coll. on the support of research, experimental development and innovation, which took effect on July 1, 2009.

The primary objective of TA CR is to support applied research, experimental development and innovation in the Czech Republic in compliance with the Czech legal system as well as with legal norms of the European Union. The creation of TA CR is one of the cornerstones of the fundamental reforms in research and development (R&D) in the Czech Republic. The key features of the reform is the redistribution of financial support from the national budget.

"The mission of the Technology Agency of CR is to promote efficient use of public funds channeled to applied research, development and innovation with the aim of contributing to the achievement of the strategic economic and social objectives of the Czech Republic. I am sure that with the cooperation of ministries, research institutes and the business sector and through an effective system of state aid we can fulfill this fundamental task for the overall prosperity of the Czech Republic. The Technology Agency is ready to hold a dialogue with all that pursue the same objective.”

Karel Klusacek

August 2011

One of objectives of the reform is to simplify the national R&D support system. This reform removed national financial resources for R&D from some Czech governmental sectors led by their respective ministries. The finances were redirected to the functional budget of the newly established Technology Agency CR. Therefore, the first R&D support programmes of TA CR are focused on advanced prospective technologies generally and specifically on R&D and innovation needs in the sectors of transport, energy, and environment which were the first to loose their R&D funding. Also, the Technology Agency CR communicates and cooperates closely with all ministries and other governmental organizations relevant to its core focus in applied research, experimental development and innovation. Another important objective of the Technology Agency’s first programmes is to stimulate cooperation between R&D institutions and industry, which is a challenging issue in most European countries.

Main tasks assigned to the Technology Agency CR by the Government of the Czech Republic are:

• preparation and realization of its own programmes of applied research, experimental development and innovation; and realization of programmes from those governmental departments without public financial support,
• evaluation and selection of programme proposals,
• administration of functional financial support of applied research from the national budget,
• control of a fulfillment of project contracts,
• evaluation of fulfillment of objectives of programmes and control of their results,
• counseling (legal, financial and IPR) for programmes and projects of applied research, experimental development and innovation,
• communication support between research organizations and the private sector,
• negotiations with institutions in the Czech Republic and the European Union in terms of permitted public support of applied research and innovation, and
• cooperation with similar foreign institutions.