The National Science Centre (NCN) has launched a new round of its funding programmes: the second edition of the UWERTURA and SONATINA funding opportunities, and the sixth edition of the ETIUDA call. Polish researchers may compete for over € 11.25 million for research projects, doctoral scholarships and fellowships in institutions abroad.
ETIUDA 6 is a funding opportunity addressed to those at the beginning of their academic career, preparing their doctoral dissertations. The young researchers can receive a monthly allowance of ca € 1,000 over 6 to 12 months, a time devoted to the completion of their theses. Additionally, the grant provides for a 3 to 6 month fellowship at a research centre abroad. In response to the enormous popularity of the programme in its former editions, and because of the high level of the submissions received, the Council of the NCN has contributed nearly € 1.2 million of additional funding. The total budget of ETIUDA’s sixth edition will be ca € 3.6 million.
SONATINA 2 welcomes entries from researchers with a doctorate who have received their degree within 3 years of submitting the research proposal or who will have received it by the end of June 2018. The call’s mission is to provide young researchers with the opportunity to work at Polish research centres as principal investigators in projects of their own design. Apart from this, the beneficiaries of the programme may go on a fellowship to a foreign research centre of their choice. The call’s budget is ca € 7.2 million.
UWERTURA 2 is a call for more experienced scholars, aimed to help them successfully apply for the prestigious European Research Council (ERC) grants. Under this scheme, Polish researchers may join research teams abroad working on ERC-financed projects, so as to gain precious hands-on experience, invaluable in applying for funds and conducting international research projects. Within 18 months of completing their fellowships abroad, the visiting researchers themselves are required to prepare and submit a research proposal to the ERC. The budget for this year's edition has been set at ca € 479,000.
The intention behind the December calls is to bring the Polish research community and the international community more closely together said professor Janusz Janeczek, Chair of the Council of the NCN. All three calls allow the researchers to develop vital contacts and cooperations with leading institutions in their respective fields. Each programme has been tailored for researchers at a given level of their academic career, enabling doctoral candidates to work on their theses, young doctorate-holders to find firm ground at their chosen research centre, and those who are more experienced to set out on international-scale projects.
Submissions under the calls launched by the National Science Centre will be accepted by 15 March 2018. The proposals will undergo a two-stage evaluation procedure by the NCN’s Expert Teams comprising eminent scholars with expertise in their given field, supported by external reviewers, including those from abroad.
The results of ETIUDA 6, SONATINA 2 and UWERTURA 2 will be published in the summer of 2018.