Scientific equipment can be purchased directly from the funds of ongoing projects. However, these funds are usually only sufficient for the purchase of small equipment. Currently, the main method of acquiring medium and capital scientific equipment is by applying to the tenders of the Ministry of Science and Education, in accordance with the provisions of the Act on Scientific Activity and Higher Education.
In Article 111, paragraph 1, the Act stipulates that the Ministry, with the prior opinion of the National Science Council, announces tenders for financing scientific infrastructure and equipment from the state budget, that these tenders are open for applications until they are revoked (open tender), and that decisions on financing are made periodically, at least once a year, in accordance with the available funds.
Paragraph 2 of the same Article stipulates the applications for tenders for the procurement of scientific infrastructure and equipment can be submitted by research organizations, and paragraph 3 of the same Article stipulates that the decision on financing the procurement of scientific equipment is made by the Minister. Finally, paragraph 4 of the same Article stipulates the following: "Regarding the allocation of funds from the national budget for the purchase of capital and medium scientific equipment, the research organization enters into a contract with the Ministry, which determines the manner of use of the equipment by other research organizations and scientists whose work is financed or co-financed from the national budget. The Ministry maintains a register of scientific equipment purchased in part or in full from the budget funds."
At the beginning of each calendar year, the Ministry of Science and Education publishes a Call for submission of requests for financial support for the purchase of scientific equipment in the current year, and the exact conditions for the procedure of submitting and evaluating requests are prescribed in that call. All requests received within the prescribed period are first analysed by the Committee for Scientific Research of the School of Medicine, which submits its proposals to the School Council for discussion and adoption. The requests are then submitted to the Ministry, where they are evaluated by the Committee for Scientific Equipment, which is appointed by the decision of the Minister of Science and Education. Upon the completion of the evaluation, the Committee publishes the following three documents on the Ministry of Science and Education website:
- Record of the work of the Committee for Scientific Equipment for the current year
- Proposal for financing small and medium equipment
- Proposal for capital equipment financing.
After the Minister makes a decision on the aforementioned proposals, the conclusion of the contract between the Ministry of Science and Education and the School will begin, and the entire equipment procurement process must be completed by the end of the current fiscal year
Furthermore, the procurement of scientific equipment is carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Public Procurement Act. The relevant provisions of that new Act, as well as the publication of the call and rules for the procurement of equipment will be published on this website in a timely manner.