OPUS, SONATA, PRELUDIUM BIS and POLONEZ BIS – the National Science Centre is proud to announce four new calls, offering grants to researchers at all levels of seniority and experience, as well as foreigners who wish to conduct their research in Poland.
The National Science Centre supports researchers at all levels, from research centres throughout Poland, and actively promotes mobility and international research cooperation.
The next round of the OPUS, SONATA, PRELUDIUM BIS and POLONEZ BIS calls starts on 15 September; proposals will be accepted until 15 December.
For researchers at all levels
OPUS 22 is targeted at researchers at any level, who are planning to carry out projects with or without foreign partners in bilateral or multilateral cooperation (including within the framework of the LAP – Lead Agency Procedure under the Weave programme), as well as those that require large, international research equipment.
Launched at the beginning of 2021, the Weave programme is based on multilateral partnership between research-funding organizations that belong to the Science Europe association.
Projects carried out under OPUS 22 may take 1, 2, 3 or 4 years to complete. There is no upper funding limit for any single project; the total budget of the call equals 500 million PLN.
Grants for young researchers
SONATA 17 is designed to support those who are just starting out on their research careers, helping young researchers to conduct innovative studies with the aid of state-of-the-art equipment or an original methodology. The call is targeted at PhD holders who earned their degree 2 to 7 years prior to the application year.
Apart from the principal investigator, the project team may include students and PhD candidates, as well as postdoctoral fellows. The projects may take 1, 2 or 3 years. There is no upper funding limit for any single project; the total budget of the call equals 200 million PLN.
Support for PhD candidates
PRELUDIUM BIS 3 is open to entities that operate PhD programmes. The objective of the call is to support the education of PhD candidates in doctoral schools and fund projects conducted by young researchers within the framework of their PhD dissertation. Winners of PRELUDIUM BIS 3 may receive grants of up to 300,000 PLN, a PhD scholarship, and other resources to cover indirect costs. PhD candidates who get scholarships under PRELUDIUM BIS will also complete a 3- to 6-month foreign research fellowship funded by the National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA).
The budget of PRELUDIUM BIS 3 equals 60 million PLN.
POLONEZ BIS – a comprehensive programme for foreign researchers
POLONEZ BIS is a comprehensive programme that combines research, secondments in non-academic institutions and soft skills training courses. In three successive rounds, the NCN will recruit 120 experienced researchers, who will then move to Poland for 24 months to carry out their research at various public and private institutions. The programme will be supplemented by a series of attractive training courses and cooperation with start-ups and NGOs. Successful applicants can expect attractive financial terms and conditions, including an annual salary of more than 65K € and a research grant of up to 100,000 €. “If you have an excellent research idea, we encourage you to take part in the call and carry out your research in Poland. It is an opportunity for professional advancement and financial independence, as well as a great chance to create your own team”, says Jolanta Palowska from the NCN’s Department of International Cooperation.
POLONEZ BIS is open to applicants who hold a PhD degree or have at least 4 years of full-time research experience, and who have lived and worked outside Poland for at least 2 years within the last three years prior to the call announcement. The choice of the subject matter and discipline is up to the applicants, who must submit their proposals in tandem with their host institutions in Poland, i.e. their future employers.
The first round of applications is scheduled to last until mid-December. Two more will follow next year.