Technology Agency of Czech Republic

What Technology Agency of Czech Republic does

Technologická agentura České republiky (TA ČR; English: Technology Agency of the Czech Republic) is a state-funded national funding agency for applied research and innovation, established in 2009 pursuant to Act No. 130/2002 Coll. and operating under the supervision of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic. Headquartered at Evropská 1692/37, Prague 6 (Dejvice), with 11-50 employees, the agency distributes state budget funds to Czech research institutions, universities, enterprises, and government bodies through competitive public grant programmes including SIGMA, EPSILON, DELTA, DOPRAVA 2030, PRODEF, and TREND.

TA ČR's core operational technology stack comprises three internal platforms: SISTA, a unified system managing the full lifecycle of grant applications, expert evaluation, contract management, and proposal submission (now replacing the legacy ISTA/ISRB systems); STARFOS, a public full-text search engine over state-funded R&D projects; and INKA Viz, an interactive visualization of Czech innovation potential. Supporting services include the Partnering Tool for cross-border research matchmaking, Aftercare for post-grant commercialization (with routing to the National Development Bank), and TA ČR Expo for showcasing funded project outcomes. Web infrastructure relies on standard third-party tooling (Google Analytics, Cloudflare, OpenStreetMap, Infogram). The agency is a member of TAFTIE, the European Network of Innovation Agencies, and has bilateral cooperation agreements with ministries (Industry and Trade, Foreign Affairs, Transport, Environment), the Academy of Sciences, CzechInvest, the Industrial Property Office, and internationally with Nigeria's NASENI.

The business model is non-commercial: TA ČR does not generate revenue from customers but rather administers state appropriations and channels them to recipients under competitive calls, with typical support intensities of around 75% of eligible project costs (as in DOPRAVA 2030). The agency's go-to-market is event-driven — open public competitions, applicant webinars, and a network of regional consulting centers — through which researchers, universities, and Czech enterprises apply for grant funding. A breakdown of organizational segments includes research organizations and universities (primary), Czech enterprises (primary), and government ministries/agencies (secondary), with the agency targeting applied research gaps, fragmentation in the research ecosystem, weak academia-industry cooperation, and limited commercialization pathways as core problems addressed.

Name

Technology Agency of Czech Republic

Legal name

Technologická agentura České republiky

Website

https://tacr.gov.cz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (TA ČR) is a state-funded national agency established in 2009 that competitively distributes Czech government grants for applied research and innovation to universities, research institutes, enterprises, and government bodies across multiple thematic programmes including SIGMA, DOPRAVA 2030, and PRODEF.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Research Funding

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Research Administration & Compliance (Sponsored Programs, IRB/REB) (EDADAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Donor Coordination, Monitoring & Evaluation (MEL) Programs (BPADABAN), Technical Assistance, Policy Lending & Capacity Building Programs (BPADACAN)

Keywords

• Research funding programs
• Innovation grant administration
• Applied research support
• Government R&D funding
• Public research grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Dejvice

HQ country

Czechia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Funding Distribution: TA ČR distributes state budget funds to support applied research and innovation projects through competitive grant programs. The agency itself is funded by the Czech government and does not generate commercial revenue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (TA ČR) is a national government funding agency that distributes state budget funds to Czech research organizations, universities, and enterprises through competitive public grant programs for applied research, experimental development, and innovation. It manages multiple themed funding programs (SIGMA, DOPRAVA 2030, PRODEF, EPSILON, TREND) and operates supporting administrative platforms (SISTA, STARFOS, INKA Viz) and services such as Aftercare commercialization support and a Partnering Tool for international cooperation.

Product overview

Technologická agentura České republiky (TA ČR) operates as the Czech national funding agency for applied research and innovation, offering a portfolio of administrative platforms and themed research programs. The core operational systems include SISTA (comprehensive research project administration system) and STARFOS (full-text search engine for state-funded R&D projects), along with INKA Viz (innovation potential visualization). TA ČR manages multiple funding programs including SIGMA (applied research with bilateral cooperation), DOPRAVA 2030 (transport sector innovation), PRODEF (defense sector), and EPSILON (international cooperation). The agency also provides supporting services such as Aftercare (post-project commercialization support), a Partnering Tool for international collaboration, and TA ČR Expo for showcasing successful projects. Currently, TA ČR is transitioning from legacy ISTA system to SISTA for all public competitions and project administration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SIGMA Programme Applied research and innovation support program with multiple sub-objectives including Industrial Chairs, bilateral cooperation, and thematic calls. Current open competitions include the 17th public competition under sub-objective 2.
• DOPRAVA 2030 Programme Transport sector applied research and innovation support program (2023-2030) with focus on sustainable, automated, and low-emission transport. Total budget: 1,950 million CZK.
• PRODEF Programme Defense sector research support program. Currently in its second public competition phase.
• TREND Programme Ministry of Industry and Trade program for results with potential for competitiveness - new products, production processes, and services. Currently in preparation.
• EPSILON Programme Program supporting research with international cooperation in specified thematic areas.
• SISTA Information System Comprehensive system managing all research project administration processes including registration, expert evaluation, contract management, and proposal submission workflows for TA ČR applicants and beneficiaries.
• STARFOS Full-text search engine for R&D projects supported from the state budget, allowing users to search and explore funded research projects.
• INKA Viz Visualization tool presenting data from mapping Czech Republic's innovation potential using interactive charts and infographics.
• Aftercare TA ČR Post-project support service helping beneficiaries utilize research results fully - from partner connections to export opportunities and further financing through National Development Bank.
• Partnering Tool Database connecting Czech enterprises and research organizations with foreign partners for applied research and innovation cooperation. Includes bilateral cooperation funding under SIGMA Programme.
• TA ČR Expo Platform for presenting successful research results and achievements of TA ČR-supported projects.
• Gazely Czech business innovation rankings recognizing companies that successfully commercialize research and development results.
• ISTA Previous administration system for program BETA implementation. Being phased out in favor of SISTA as of 2025-2026.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) - NigeriacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBilateral cooperation under the DELTA-2 Programme supporting technology transfer and commercialization of local innovations between Nigeria and Czech Republic. Partnership focuses on sectors including agriculture, manufacturing, and renewable energy.
• Ministry of Industry and Trade (MPO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMemorandum of cooperation for preparation and implementation of research, development and innovation support signed April 16, 2013.
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech RepubliccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMemorandum of cooperation signed August 26, 2013, supporting international cooperation in research and innovation.
• Industrial Property Office (ÚPV)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMemorandum of cooperation signed April 2, 2013, focused on IP protection and commercialization of research results.
• CzechInvestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgreement on mutual cooperation principles in research, development and innovation support signed May 24, 2013.
• Academy of Sciences of the Czech RepubliccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMemorandum of cooperation signed January 14, 2014, supporting research collaboration.
• Ministry of Transport of the Czech RepubliccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the DOPRAVA 2030 program supporting applied research in transport sector, approved by government resolution No. 750 on September 7, 2022.
• Ministry of the Environment of the Czech RepubliccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through the Environment for Life (Prostředí pro život) program supporting environmental research.
• TAFTIE (European Network of Innovation Agencies)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTA ČR is a member of TAFTIE, the European Association of 32 innovation agencies from 28 European countries. TA ČR held the Chairmanship in 2017. TA ČR Board Member Petr Konvalinka serves on the TAFTIE Board of Directors.
• Digitální a informační agentura (DIA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMemorandum of mutual cooperation on digitalization of public administration signed April 19, 2023. Focuses on sharing IT solutions and know-how, promoting principles preventing vendor lock-in and knowledge lock-in, and developing open source software for public administration.
• Hospodářská komora ČR (Chamber of Commerce)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgreement on mutual cooperation principles in research, development and innovation support signed August 28, 2013.
• Svaz průmyslu a dopravy ČR (Confederation of Industry and Transport)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMemorandum of cooperation signed February 24, 2014, supporting industrial research and innovation.
• Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership within the NASENI 3Cs framework (Collaboration, Creation, Commercialisation) for localizing production of industrial components.
• Abuja Technology VillageminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership within the NASENI 3Cs framework for technology transfer and innovation commercialization.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Vinnova: Sweden's innovation agency and TAFTIE member. Comparable in size and applied-research/innovation mandate, distributing state funding through competitive programs and offering international collaboration opportunities similar to TA ČR.
• Czech Science Foundation (Grantová agentura České republiky): The other major Czech public research funding agency, focused on basic research grants. Comparable to TA ČR as a domestic peer operating competitive grant programs under statutory mandate, but with a basic-research rather than applied-research focus.
• National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI): Nigerian federal agency for science and engineering infrastructure, TA ČR's bilateral partner under the DELTA-2 Programme covering agriculture, manufacturing, and renewable energy. Directly comparable as a national R&D and innovation promotion agency operating in a different geography.
• Fonds National de la Recherche (FNR) Luxembourg: Luxembourg's national research funding agency and TAFTIE member. Comparable in scale and applied-research mandate, operating competitive grant programs and supporting bilateral international research cooperation similar to TA ČR's model.
• CzechInvest: Czech investment and business development agency with which TA ČR has a formal cooperation agreement signed May 2013. Comparable as a state agency supporting innovation and enterprise development in the Czech ecosystem, though focused on investment attraction rather than research funding.
• Research Council of Norway: Norwegian national research funding body and TAFTIE member. Comparable in distributing competitive state-funded grants across thematic areas including applied research, with established bilateral cooperation programs similar to TA ČR's DELTA-2.
• Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR): French national research funding agency and fellow TAFTIE member. Closely comparable as a government agency distributing competitive grants for applied and basic research across multiple thematic programs, with similar bilateral cooperation activities.

Broad incumbents

• Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG): Germany's largest public research funding organization and TAFTIE member. Comparable in mandate for funding research projects across disciplines, though considerably larger in scale and broader in scope than TA ČR's applied-research focus.
• UK Research and Innovation (UKRI): UK's national funding agency for research and innovation covering all disciplines. Comparable as a TAFTIE peer operating multi-program competitive grant funding for research and innovation, with substantially broader scale and scope.

Regional players

• National Research Foundation (NRF) - South Africa: South African government agency funding research and innovation support across the country. Comparable as a national R&D funding agency operating competitive grant programs and supporting researcher development, though serving a different geography and ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tacr_cz
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/Technologick%C3%A1agentura%C4%8CRPraha
• Facebookfacebook.com/tacr.cz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tacr
• Instagraminstagram.com/tacr_official

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments4 records

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Frequently asked questions about Technology Agency of Czech Republic