We are pleased to announce the OPUS 26 + LAP/Weave call for research projects, including international cooperation under the Weave programme, and SONATA 19 for PhD holders. The total budget of the two calls is PLN 400 million.
Both calls are designed to fund basic research projects conducted at Polish research institutions. The calls do not have any specific theme; proposals may come from any scientific discipline. Projects will be evaluated by experts in the field and their budgets may include salaries, scholarships, research trips, research equipment and other necessary materials.
Researchers may apply either as representatives of their home institution or as natural persons. For calls that open on the same day, one can act as a principal investigator in only one proposal submitted to OPUS or OPUS LAP or SONATA.
September edition of the OPUS call: the NCN as the lead agency under the Weave programme
OPUS is traditionally open to all researchers, regardless of how far ahead they are in their careers. It pits experienced researchers against early-stage researchers. OPUS projects can be carried out with or without foreign partners or with the use of large international research equipment. In the September round, we will additionally open up the possibility of securing grants for international bilateral or trilateral projects under LAP/Weave, which means the call will also be open to projects that include teams from Austria, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Belgium-Flanders, who will apply for funding in parallel to their respective research-funding agencies.
Alongside the PI, OPUS teams may include other members, such as students and PhD students, as well as post-docs and researchers (senior researcher, not applicable in OPUS LAP projects). The terms and conditions of the call do not specify the maximum size of the team, but team composition and qualifications will be analysed by experts in the course of proposal assessment.
OPUS projects may take 12, 24, 36 or 48 months. Projects conducted in cooperation with partners from Austria, Switzerland, Slovenia, Luxembourg and Belgium-Flanders may last 24, 36 or 48, while those with German and Czech teams: 24 or 36 months. There is no lower or upper limit of funding available to a single OPUS project, but all project costs must be well justified and cost eligibility will be carefully evaluated by NCN experts.
The budget of the call is PLN 300 million.
SONATA for PhD holders
SONATA 19 is designed to support early-stage researchers who have earned their PhD 2 to 7 years prior and allow them to conduct innovative research. To qualify as a PI under this round, the applicant must have earned their degree between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2021 – or earlier, in certain cases specified in the terms and conditions. Their scientific achievements must include at least one paper published or accepted for publication, and in the field of art, at least one artistic achievement or achievement in research in art.
Projects may take 12, 24 or 36 months. The team may include additional members, such as students, PhD students and post-docs selected through an open call. There is no lower or upper budget limit. A SONATA grant can only be won once.
The budget of the call is PLN 100 million.
Proposal submission procedure
Proposals under OPUS 26 + LAP/Weave and SONATA 19 can be submitted via the OSF submission system until 4 pm on 15 December 2023. For OPUS LAP projects, each foreign team involved in the project must also submit a funding proposal its respective partner institution.
Merit-based review
At Stage I, proposals are evaluated by a team of experts appointed by the NCN Council for the purpose of assessing proposals under a given panel. They are recruited from among the best Polish and international researchers with at least a PhD degree. The exact composition of the Expert Team depends on the number of submitted proposals and their subject matter. Each proposal is reviewed by at least two experts. Based on individual reviews and a subsequent discussion, the team decides which proposals should be recommended for stage II.
At stage II, proposals are reviewed by at least two external reviewers (i.e., reviewers who are not part of the expert team). The expert team draws up a ranking list of proposals recommended for funding based on peer reviews and discussions at the second meeting.
At both stages, experts look at criteria such as scientific excellence and innovation, the impact of the project on the development of the discipline, project feasibility and the scientific record of the PI, including publications in prestigious academic press/ journals. Under OPUS LAP, they will also determine whether all teams have a balanced and complementary role to play in the project, as well as assess the research record of foreign team PIs and their previous research projects.
The National Science Centre is the lead agency under OPUS LAP, which means that OPUS LAP proposals follow the same procedure of merit-based evaluation at the NCN together with all other proposals submitted under OPUS 26+LAP/Weave. Their assessment then needs to be formally approved by appropriate foreign partner agencies.
Results
Call results will be announced in parts, because of the LAP element, which requires a formal approval by foreign partners. Results for proposals submitted under OPUS and SONATA will be available within 6 months, while OPUS LAP results will be published successively as the relevant foreign agencies issue their approvals, but no later than by the end of November 2024.