CEUS-UNISONO is organized within the framework of the CEUS programme, in multilateral cooperation with foreign partner agencies from Austria (Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung, FWF), the Czech Republic (Grantová agentura České Republiky, GAČR), and Slovenia (Javna agencija za raziskovalno dejavnost Republike Slovenije, ARRS). Proposals must meet the criterion of basic research and be carried out in bi- or trilateral cooperation between research teams from the countries participating in CEUS. Submitted in any discipline, the projects may last 24, 36 or, only in the case of an Austrian partner, 48 months. The first will start at the beginning of 2021.
"We believe that there is a lot of potential in regional Central European cooperation. Of course, it is essential for Polish scientists to have the best possible relations with the global leaders in science, such as the US, Great Britain, France or Germany, but it is also worthwhile strengthening our ties with the countries of the region, which boast many important research centres as well. We hope that the partnership will soon expand to include more countries, especially Hungary", says Professor Zbigniew Błocki, the NCN Director.
The call is organized under the Lead Agency Procedure (LAP). The role of the lead agency, responsible for the merit-based review of submitted proposals within the framework of each national call, will be played by FWF, GAČR or ARRS and, from September 2020 onward, by the NCN under the OPUS call. The procedure will make it possible to submit an international grant proposal and carry out a merit-based review of it as part of a standard national call in one agency and then secure its funding by the other partner agencies.
The role of the lead agency can be played by the partner agencies that funds at least 40% of the total budget for research projects carried out by teams from two countries, and at least 25% of the total budget for those conducted by teams from three countries.
"Research consortia will decide to which agency they wish to submit their proposal. Projects that require the funding of research teams from two or three countries will compete on a level playing field and academic excellence will serve as the key criterion in their assessment", adds Professor Małgorzata Kossowska, President of the NCN Council.
The research team affiliated in the home country of the lead agency will be the one responsible for submitting the joint proposal to that agency. The proposal must be prepared together by all the teams involved in the project and meet the lead agency's requirements. In addition, if required to do so by the agency in question, each of the research teams must submit a complete set of documents, including the joint proposal, to the appropriate partner agency, other than the lead agency. The deadlines for the submission of joint proposals are specified in the call announcement (available in English soon).
Proposals submitted under the CEUS-UNISONO call to the NCN must conform to the requirements specified in the relevant NCN call documents. NCN proposals must be submitted via the OSF electronic submission system (https://osf.opi.org.pl) as soon as possible following submission of the joint proposal to the lead agency, within 7 calendar days at the latest. The joint proposal drafted jointly with the foreign partner teams and submitted to the lead agency must also be attached to the NCN proposal.
Proposals submitted under the CEUS-UNISONO call are subject to an eligibility check performed at the NCN and the foreign partner agencies appropriate for the research teams involved in the project and merit-based evaluation at the lead agency in accordance with its terms. The funding for Polish research teams will be awarded to research projects that rank among the 20% top proposals in a given lead agency's domestic call and those in which partner agencies also award grants to foreign research teams. The first results of the proposal review will be announced in the second half of 2020.