On 15 September 2026, we will launch the OPUS 32 call, which will accept proposals for research projects carried out in international cooperation under the Lead Agency Procedure (LAP) within the Weave programme. For the first time, we will open this route to Polish-Spanish projects.
LAP cooperation in the OPUS 32 call under the Weave programme
In 2026, the National Science Centre continues its cooperation with partner institutions from:
- Austria (FWF – Austrian Science Fund),
- Czech Republic (GAČR – Czech Science Foundation),
- Slovenia (ARIS – Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency),
- Switzerland (SNSF – Swiss National Science Foundation),
- Germany (DFG – German Research Foundation),
- Luxembourg (FNR – Luxembourg National Research Fund),
- Belgium – Flanders (FWO – Research Foundation – Flanders).
In addition, under an agreement concluded between NCN and the Spanish agency Agencia Estatal de Investigación del Reino de España (AEI), proposals for projects carried out in Polish-Spanish cooperation may be submitted in the OPUS 32+LAP/Weave call.
As the lead agency, NCN will carry out, within the OPUS 32 call, the merit-based evaluation of OPUS LAP proposals covering the implementation of bilateral or trilateral research projects involving research teams from Poland and from Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Belgium-Flanders under the Weave programme, as well as proposals for the funding of bilateral Polish-Spanish research projects. If a proposal is recommended for funding, NCN awards funds to the Polish research teams, while the relevant partner institutions award funds to the foreign teams.
The OPUS 32 call will accept the following OPUS LAP proposals:
- prepared by Polish research teams in cooperation with foreign teams, in accordance with the requirements set out in the OPUS 32 call announcement, which will be published on the NCN website on 15 September 2026,
- in any scientific discipline within the NCN panels,
- for the implementation of basic research that has not been and is not being funded by NCN or from other sources,
- that provide for scientific cooperation based on the balanced and complementary contribution of the research teams applying in parallel for project funding to their respective research funding institutions under the Weave programme and under bilateral Polish-Spanish cooperation. This means that the contribution of each of the teams involved in the project is significant and indispensable, and that the tasks planned for each team complement one another and form a coherent, joint research project. An OPUS LAP proposal which, in the assessment of the Expert Team, does not meet this criterion cannot qualify for funding.
OPUS LAP proposals must be submitted to NCN by the Polish research team via the OSF system by 2 pm on 15 December 2026. In addition, each of the foreign research teams involved in a given project must submit a funding proposal to the relevant partner institution under the Weave programme or, in the case of bilateral Polish-Spanish proposals, to the AEI. In order to submit the proposal correctly, a complete set of the documents required by the relevant partner institution must also be provided to that institution, in accordance with its applicable deadlines and rules. If the partner institution requires a copy of the OPUS LAP proposal to be submitted in its own system, after submitting the proposal in the OSF system, a complete English-language version of the proposal should be generated in PDF format and provided to the foreign research team. The versions of the OPUS LAP proposal submitted to NCN and to the partner institution must be identical.
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