Pilot studies, library and archive searches and conferences are but some of the research activities that can be carried out under the MINIATURA call. The third edition of the so-called "small grants", aimed at enabling researchers to take their first steps in the grant system, has just been launched.
The call is targeted at PhD holders who plan to seek funding for future research projects under other NCN calls, as well as other national and international calls. Experience gained while carrying out a minor task may make it easier to apply for other forms of funding later on. The call is open to researchers who have earned their PhD degrees within 12 years before the proposal submission year, and who have never coordinated and do not currently coordinate any NCN-funded research projects. Project duration must not exceed 12 months, and its budget must fall between 5,000 and 50,000 PLN. The total budget for the third edition of the MINIATURA call equals 20 million PLN.
The procedure of MINIATURA differs from that of other calls in the NCN portfolio. Proposals will be accepted on an ongoing basis via the electronic ZSUN/OSF system from 17 June to 30 September 2019. However, the call may be closed early if the total budget of the submitted proposals exceeds twice the total budget of the funding scheme. For this reason, it is worth submitting the proposal at an earlier date. The review process is simplified and includes only one stage, which means that the results will be known as early as four months from submission. Research implementation is also faster: the general conditions of the agreement are already included in the proposal, which means that the tasks can be undertaken immediately once the funding decision has come into force.
Detailed conditions can be found here (in Polish only).