Josef Urban and Milan Němý from the Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics and Cybernetics CTU have achieved success: they have received prestigious grants from the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic (GA ČR) in the EXPRO and JUNIOR STAR categories. These grants provide scientists with superior support for the implementation of projects with the potential to achieve new discoveries.

Mgr. Josef Urban, Ph.D., has become a receiver of the prestigious EXPRO grant in support of the project „NextReason: Next generation computational reasoning. The NextReason project focuses on the development of advanced computational reasoning methods that can fundamentally change our understanding and capabilities of automated logic and inference. These innovations may find widespread application in areas such as artificial intelligence, formal verification and decision-making systems.

Ing. Milan Němý, Ph.D., received the prestigious JUNIOR STAR grant to support his research project „Quantitative structural and functional imaging of the human cholinergic system with applications in cognitive science and neurodegenerative disorders“. This project aims to analyse in detail the human cholinergic system, which plays a key role in cognitive function and whose disturbances are associated with various neurodegenerative diseases.

For his research this year, Milan Němý was awarded the Jan Bures M.D. Prize. This award, given by the Alzheimer’s Foundation, recognizes the best scientific article in the field of neuroscience. His award-winning paper, „Cholinergic white matter pathways along the Alzheimer’s disease continuum “ (Brain, IF 15.255), provides new insights that can make a significant contribution to better understanding and treatment of this serious disease.

Importance of the JUNIOR STAR and EXPRO Grants

The JUNIOR STAR and EXPRO grants are among the most important forms of support for excellent research in the Czech Republic. The JUNIOR STAR grants are intended for budding scientists who can become scientifically independent and establish their own research teams. They provide funding of up to CZK 25 million for five years. On the other hand, EXPRO grants, aimed at more experienced researchers, offer support of up to 50 million CZK for five years and allow the implementation of ambitious and risky projects with a high potential for international recognition.