For researchers, it is an opportunity to develop their careers, for host institutions - to strengthen and internationalise their teams. This is the third invitation for scientists living abroad to carry out 24-month long research projects in Polish host institutions under the POLONEZ BIS programme.
Co-funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie COFUND grant, the POLONEZ BIS programme is addressed to foreign researchers, regardless of their nationality, topic or research discipline. The call is addressed to researchers who hold a PhD degree or have at least 4 years of full-time equivalent research experience and who have not lived, studied or been employed in Poland for an uninterrupted period of over 12 months within 3 years prior to the call launch. - Attracting talented scientists to come to Poland is one of the main goals of the programme - says Jolanta Palowska from the NCN International Cooperation Department.
The programme guarantees successful Fellows full time employment and social security funding with the monthly salary of € 4,465 (before payroll deductions) as well as an additional research grant up to € 100 000. – POLONEZ BIS is not an ordinary grant – emphasises Jolanta Palowska. – It is a comprehensive programme that integrates research, short-term secondments in non-academic institutions and soft skills training.
Proposals are submitted jointly by the applicants and selected host institution - their prospective employers in Poland. All legal entities with a registered office in Poland are eligible as fellowship host institutions. This includes: research centres, universities, scientific libraries, museums, NGOs, hospitals and enterprises. In addition to strengthening their teams, host institutions also receive a 20% lump sum to cover indirect project management costs.
303 researchers from all continents applied in the first two calls of the POLONEZ BIS programme. The first call boasted the success rate of 33% and funded 50 research projects. The evaluation of proposals submitted in the second call is currently under way.
The first POLONEZ BIS Fellows have already arrived in Poland. Their projects will range from the use of microfibers for supervised bone regeneration, through the role of metaphors in shaping language and communication, to the study of “Alien rule” i.e. the mechanisms used by ants to adapt to environmental conditions. The full list of all projects awarded in the POLONEZ BIS Call 1 can be found on the National Science Centre website.
The deadline to submit proposals in the third and last POLONEZ BIS call is 15 December 2022. If you would like to learn more about the POLONEZ BIS offer, register for dedicated webinars: for host institutions on 11 October (in Polish) and for applicants on 18 October (in English).
For more information on the POLONEZ BIS programme, visit the official website and social media profile.