The new rounds of MAESTRO and SONATA BIS calls have just been launched and are open to proposals for funding of innovative basic research projects as well as projects aiming to establish a new research team. Researchers may be awarded a total amount of 140 million PLN for their research projects. SONATA BIS has a budget of 120 million PLN and MAESTRO 14, 20 million PLN.
MAESTRO is addressed at well-established and outstanding researchers aiming to conduct pioneering research, including interdisciplinary research, that goes beyond the current state of the art, and may result in scientific discoveries. The principal investigator must be at least a PhD holder who has acted as the principal investigator in at least two research projects funded in national or international calls for proposals over the last 10 years. They must have at least five papers published in renowned Polis or international academic press/ journals.
A new requirement has been introduced to MAESTRO 14 for applicants who are grant winners of another MAESTRO call. They may submit another funding proposal only if they are former ERC grant winners or have submitted a grant proposal to the ERC over the past 5 years which has been evaluated at least in stage I of the call.
MAESTRO is addressed at experienced researchers with significant academic and research track record. We reward outstanding research projects that involve cutting-edge research resulting in innovative results, says Prof. Jacek Kuźnicki from the International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw, President of the NCN Council.
SONATA BIS 12 is a call for research projects aiming to create a new research team to conduct basic research projects. The principal investigator must be a researcher with a PhD degree conferred within 5 to 12 years before the proposal submission year. This period may be extended if the principal investigator has had any career breaks. Principal investigator’s scientific achievements must include at least one paper published or accepted for publication. In the case of arts, the principal investigator must have at least one artistic achievement or achievement in research in arts.
Grants awarded under SONATA BIS are a great opportunity for early-stage researchers intending to create their first research teams. The NCN funding will provide them with financial stability allowing them to employ talented co-investigators and work on any research topics, even the most complex ones, says Prof. Jacek Kuźnicki.
Funds in the two calls may be designated for salaries and scholarships for research team members (including students and PhD students), purchase or manufacturing of research equipment and costs crucial to the research project. SONATA BIS 12 and MAESTRO 14 have no cap on project funding, and research must be planned for a period of 36, 48 or 60 months.
Proposals submitted to MAESTRO and SONATA BIS are evaluated in two stages. In stage I, a decision is taken by the expert team based on the individual reviews. In stage II, proposals are evaluated by the external reviewers who also interview the principal investigator. The following proposal evaluation criteria apply: quality and innovative nature of research, project impact on the advancement of the scientific discipline and scientific achievements of the principal investigator.
MAESTRO and SONATA BIS are launched in June and are major calls covered by our call portfolio. Over the last 11 years of our operation, the NCN has awarded 272 MAESTRO grants for a total amount of nearly 738 million PLN and 822 SONATA BIS grants for a total amount of over 1.4 billion PLN.
Proposals may submitted to the electronic submission system OSF until 15 September 2022, 4 p.m. For more information, please read the MAESTRO 14 and SONATA BIS 12 Call Texts.
