We are pleased to present the results of the OPUS 26+LAP/Weave call for researchers at any stage of their research career who may request funding for their bilateral and trilateral research projects carried out in international collaboration under the Weave programme. The project was approved by the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR), having been evaluated and recommended for funding by the NCN experts. Nearly PLN 1.4 million will be awarded to Polish scientists for their project performed in bilateral cooperation with researchers from Luxembourg.
The team headed by Dr Andrzej Mizera from the research and development centre IDEAS NCBR, in collaboration with the team from Luxembourg, will develop a computational framework for the identification of effective and efficacious strategies for cellular reprogramming, which is a process in which one mature, specialised cell type is changed into another. It has a therapeutic potential for the most complex diseases by providing means of creating new cells to replace those whose death or damage causes disease symptoms, or by guiding cells from ‘unhealthy’ to the desired ‘healthy’ states. The research will advance the state-of-the-art in the field of cellular reprogramming. The project has been awarded funding in Physical Sciences and Engineering.
OPUS and OPUS LAP results
The National Science Centre received 1,737 proposals for a total of nearly PLN 2.6 billion under OPUS 26+LAP/Weave. In the first round, funding was awarded to 267 researchers whose projects, with a total budget of PLN 441 million, excluded international collaboration under the Weave programme. In July, funding under the Weave programme was awarded to another 29 international research projects with a total value of over PLN 42.34 million, of which 28 were performed in bilateral cooperation with researchers from Austria, Belgium (Flanders), Czechia and Switzerland and 1 in trilateral cooperation with researchers from Poland, Belgium (Flanders) and Switzerland. Today, the project recommended for funding by the research agency from Luxemburg was announced. LAP proposals performed in collaboration with Slovenian and German partners and recommended for funding by the NCN experts under OPUS 26+LAP/Weave, are yet to be approved.
Lead Agency Procedure
The Lead Agency Procedure (LAP) is a new proposal review standard adopted by European research-funding institutions, designed to make it easier for international research teams to seek funding for joint research projects, as well as to streamline the process of proposal review by research-funding institutions. LAP proposals submitted to the NCN undergo a comprehensive merit-based evaluation pursuant to the terms and criteria of the OPUS call. The academic and research career of principal investigators and completion of other research projects by the principal investigators are also reviewed, as well as balanced and complementary contribution in the research project by all research teams.
Foreign research teams apply for parallel funding of their projects to their relevant research-funding agencies under the Weave programme, however, according to the Lead Agency Procedure they no longer need to undergo a merit-based evaluation, but the result of review performed by the NCN experts must be approved by all partner agencies.
The winning project will be funded by the National Science Centre as regards research performed by the Polish researchers and by the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) in the part performed by the research team from Luxemburg.