We have just announced the results of the fifth edition of the SONATINA call. Researchers who have recently earned their PhDs will receive almost 34 million PLN to fund their research and fellowships at prestigious foreign institutions.
SONATINA is targeted at researchers who earned their PhD up to 3 years before submitting the proposal or were awarded the degree before 30 June 2021. The fifth edition attracted 160 proposals to the total amount of 100 million PLN, 52 of which (with a total budget of 34 million PLN) were recommended for funding by NCN experts, for a final success rate of 32.5%. The grants will go toward the costs of the winners’ full-time employment at Polish research centres, basic and applied research activities, as well as three- or six-month foreign fellowships.
The greatest number of proposals, as many as 63, were submitted under the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences panel. 20 of these were awarded more than 10.6 million PLN in funding. Physical Sciences and Engineering attracted 61 proposals, 20 of which will receive a total of more than 12.5 million PLN. The NCN also received 36 proposals in the field of Life Sciences; 12 of these were awarded more than 10.7 million PLN in total.
The successful projects will be carried out at research institutions all over Poland. The ranking lists include researchers from, e.g. universities, universities of science and technology, institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences, and the Łukasiewicz Research Network.
The ranking lists of SONATINA 5
SONATINA 5 winners
The winners of SONATINA 5 will look into various subjects, such as, for instance, the social and cultural determinants of the relationship between blind people and their guide dogs. Headed by Dr Kamil Pietrowiak from the Faculty of History of the University of Gdańsk, this particular project will analyse the ways in which blind individuals cooperate and communicate with their assistant quadrupeds. The results will fill in gaps in our general knowledge on the functioning of blind people and the close interactions between people and animals.
Another grant will go toward funding research into the response of marine birds to the environmental warming in the Arctic. The goal of the project carried out by Dr Martyna Syposz from the Faculty of Biology of the University of Gdańsk is to establish how climate change has affected the activity of the little auk during breeding season. The research will deliver information on the social and parenting behaviour of marine birds and the corresponding impact of climate evolution. Dr Michał Czub from the Faculty of Biology of the University of Warsaw will use his SONATINA 5 grant to study the ecological consequences of the dumping of chemical weapons into the Baltic Sea. These chemical substances are not neutralized; they present a real threat and are toxic to marine organisms. The compounds have already been detected in the muscles of Baltic fish, including the Atlantic cod. Dr Czuba’s research will allow to describe the various effects of exposure to poisonous chemical warfare substance on the Baltic fauna and environment.
Upon the completion of the projects, the researchers will be able to apply for more funds under the SONATA call, designed for more experienced PhD holders, or SONATA BIS, which makes it possible to set up a new research team.
A full list of successful proposals (PDF)
Open Access Policy
In accordance with the Open Access Policy adopted by the National Science Centre, the results of research conducted under NCN-funded projects will be disseminated via various publication paths in open access journals and platforms that meet specific requirements. This will allow the general public to use their findings immediately and free of charge.
Decisions and their delivery
Decisions for successful and rejected proposals, submitted under SONATINA 5 call will be dispatched on 5 August 2021. The decisions of the NCN Director are delivered to the applicant in the form of an electronic document sent to the e-mail address indicated in the proposal.
If the applicant is an entity referred to in Article 27 (1)-(7) and (9) of the Act on the NCN, the decision will only be delivered to the Electronic Inbox (ESP ePUAP) address provided in the proposal. If an applicant who is a natural person lists an ePUAP inbox in the proposal, the decision will be delivered to that address; otherwise, an e-mail will be sent to the address indicated in the proposal with an address from which the decision can be downloaded.
The decision of the NCN Director is also communicated to the principal investigator, and, where the applicant is a natural person, to the host institution in the proposal.
If you have not received a decision, please verify that the electronic address (ESP, ePUAP, e-mail) you provided in the proposal is correct. If not, please get in touch with the NCN Programme Officer assigned to the proposal in the ZSUN/OSF system.