General Information on SFG

SFG provision principles are set out in Article 5 point 2 to 12 of the Rules for Awarding Scholarships at MFF UK. Here we present their brief summary.

• SFG proposals are accepted twice a year, in the spring and in the fall. The application submission deadlines are May 15 and November 15.
• SFG can be awarded to Bachelor's or Master's Students at MFF UK. Each student can participate in at most one proposal. It is also possible to submit group applications involving two or three students.
• Topics of SFG projects are offered by departments of by project supervisors, e.g. on this page, or in any other way. The student can also propose his own topic if he finds the project supervisor and acquires the consent of the head of the department.
• SFG Application is submitted in an electronic form. The application must meet the certain requirements.
• The SFG project ends with the submission of the Final Report that satisfies the requirements.
• The results obtained within SFG cannot be used as a part of a bachelor's or diploma thesis and cannot contribute to the fulfillment of any other duties given by the study plan.

Details

• SFG are awarded by the Dean based on the recommendation of the Committee for Student Faculty Grants.
• The committee evaluates the submitted proposals with regard to the fulfillment of the formal requirements, the concept of the submitted project, the potential connection of the topic with a bachelor or diploma thesis, previous study results of the applicant, etc.
• The total scholarship for the SFG project usually does not exceed CZK 8,000, in the case of joint projects of two or three students it is lower.
• The scholarship is paid in two installments. The first half is paid as soon as the Dean approves the project, the second half after the submission of an acceptable final report based on the recommendation of the project supervisor and the consent of the Vice-Dean.
• If the project is not completed successfully, the other half of the scholarship is not paid. In the case of serious failure to complete the project, the student is also asked to return the pre-paid installment.
• If there is a publication of the results developed within the SFG project, the SFG project must be acknowledged among the funding sources (except when the rules or technical possibilities do not allow such an acknowledgement).
• The primary contact for SFG administration is Mrs. Lucie Šimůnková from the Student Affairs Department.

Evaluation of applications

SFG application is submitted by a student within a specified submission period by an electronic form.

The submitted applications are assessed by the SFG Committee. The Committee evaluates the applications according to the following criteria:

• the application must include the date of commencement and termination of the project;
• the application must include a specific description of the project, including gradual steps towards the solution and time schedule for each step;
• the topic of the project may be specified as any creative activity of scientific or teaching character;
• procedures and goals must be well described, realistic and reasonable;
• if the topic of the project is related to any other SFG project solved in previous periods, it is necessary to clarify their connection in the application;
• if the topic of the project is related to the topic of a bachelor or diploma thesis of the applicant, it is necessary to clarify the relationship between the SFG and the thesis;
• the consent of the project supervisor and of the chair of the department where the project is going to be accomplished must be attached to the application;
• work on SFG should not prevent the student from performing regular study duties; the committee does not have to recommend a project submitted by a student with below average grades or insufficient study progress.

Final report assessment

The deadline for submitting the final report is 14 days after the date of termination of the project specified in the application. If the project cannot be completed in time, the student can apply for an extension at the Student Affairs Department. The final report is submitted in an electronic form.

Requirements for the final report

• In most cases, we require a final report in the format of a structured scientific paper with the sections „Introduction“, „Methods“, „Results“, „Conclusions“. It can be written in Czech, Slovak or English. The recommended length of the final report is 5–8 pages.
• In the „Methods“ section, the methods used for obtaining the results must be described in sufficient detail.
• The final report may contain links to electronic attachments.
• If the preferred format of the final report is inappropriate for the topic of the project (e.g. the aim was to develop a teaching material for a particular course), it is possible to write the final report in an alternative way and to make the results available, for example, by an electronic reference.
• If a group of students has been working on SFG, it is necessary to specify the contributions of the individual members in the final report.
• If possible, published or publicly available SFG results must include an acknowledgment of SFG support. The form of the acknowledgement is not determined.
• An evaluation written by the project supervisor must be attached to the final report.

Occasionally asked questions

What if I find that I don't have time to work on SFG?

Apply for cancellation of the project and return the paid scholarship.

What if I choose a topic of a bachelor/diploma thesis after SFG, which is related to the SFG project?

It is permissible, but you cannot present the results obtained within the SFG project as a part of your thesis. You can mention or briefly describe them, but you must give a reference to SFG report and treat these results as cited from an external resource.

I am a first year Bachelor's student. Can I apply for SFG?

You can, but do it in the summer semester when you understand the workload associated with studying and can be sure that you will have time for SFG.

Can I have a supervisor working at an Institute of the Academy of Sciences?

Yes, but the topic has to be approved by a department of MFF UK and its chair must give you a consent.

I am a student of another Faculty of the Charles University. Can I apply for SFG?

No, we would have to refuse such a request. You must be a regular student at MFF UK.

Can I apply for SFG in the last year of the bachelor's study?

If you are planning to continue studying for a master's degree at MFF UK, certainly yes. You should mention this circumstance in the project description.

Can I apply for a SFG in the last year of a master's study?

Yes, but you have to close the project before completing your studies, otherwise you can be asked to return the scholarship.

Can I participate in multiple SFG projects?

No. A student can apply for at most one project in a given period. If the student applies for another project in a subsequent period the previous project must be completed, otherwise the committee will reject the application.

I have a question that this site does not provide an answer to. Where can I send it?

Send it to Mrs. Lucie Šimůnková at the Student Affairs Department, lucie.simunkova@matfyz.cuni.cz.