About
About the Research Office
The Research Office at EBF UK was established in early 2026 to address a straightforward challenge: a small but historically significant theological faculty needs systematic research support, but doesn’t have the resources for a dedicated research administration team.
Our approach: combine the domain expertise that comes from being inside the faculty with AI-powered tools that multiply efficiency. The result is research support capacity that would otherwise require two or three additional staff positions.
Why This Matters
The European research landscape is becoming increasingly complex. Funding diversification, impact measurement, international consortium building, narrative CVs, open access mandates — the administrative demands on researchers grow every year. For a faculty of our size, these demands can crowd out the research itself.
The Research Office exists so that faculty members can focus on their scholarship while receiving professional guidance on funding, impact, and administration.
What We Offer
For faculty researchers: Personalized support with grant applications (APVV, VEGA, Horizon Europe, and beyond). Assistance with narrative CVs. Identification of funding opportunities matched to your research profile. Help articulating the societal impact of your work.
For the faculty as a whole: A funding opportunities overview. Strategy for research visibility and international collaboration. Documentation and knowledge management that reduces the “bus factor” — ensuring institutional knowledge isn’t locked in any one person’s head.
For international partners: A clear point of contact for collaborative research proposals. Faculty research profile and expertise mapping. Support for consortium-building across Central Europe and beyond.
Our Approach to AI
We use AI tools — including Anthropic’s Claude — as a force multiplier for research support. This means:
- AI identifies and pre-screens funding opportunities; humans make the decisions
- AI drafts and improves grant text; humans ensure accuracy, authenticity, and alignment with research goals
- AI handles routine administrative tasks; humans handle strategy, relationships, and quality assurance
We are transparent about AI use and follow all funder guidelines regarding AI-assisted proposal preparation.
The Coordinator
Prof. Michal Valčo, PhD. — Professor of Theology and Religious Studies at EBF UK. Combines academic expertise (Christian Personalism, AI ethics, Reformation studies) with technical skills in Python, AI agent development, and research automation. Part-time research coordinator since February 2026.
Contact
For inquiries about research support, collaboration opportunities, or the Research Office itself, please visit the contact page.