In the second round of the international call for Polish-Chinese research proposals, funding was awarded to 18 projects. Applicants had vied for grants in the Life Sciences and selected disciplines of Physical Sciences and Engineering, as well as Social Sciences. The total budget slated for the Polish part of the research projects amounted to nearly 28 million PLN.
Cardiovascular disease is the main cause of death around the world. A large proportion of people who suffer heart attacks also develop heart failure due to other causes, such as atherosclerosis, hypertension, or various infections. At just 50%, the five-year survival rate of patients with heart failure is lower than for many cancers. These problems will be addressed by Professor Józef Dulak from the Jagiellonian University in a project entitled “Wzmocnienie naprawy serca po zawale za pomocą genetycznie ulepszonych kardiomiocytów i komórek śródbłonka uzyskanych z indukowanych pluripotencjalnych komórek macierzystych” [“Genetically-enhanced HiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes and endothelial cells for post-myocardial infarction cardiac repair”]. The findings of the project will pave the way for new, safe and effective heart failure treatments. The project was awarded nearly 2 million PLN in funding.
Food wastage and the accumulation of food waste have now become a global problem. At present, the world’s population (more than 7 billion people) produces c. 1.3 billion tons of food waste per year. The annual household waste generated within the EU is estimated to be as high as 76 kg per person; the corresponding figure for China is much lower and stands at 16 kg. The main goal of Professor Jacek Mąkinia from the Gdańsk University of Technology is to study the fermentation of food waste aimed at high-added value products (carboxylic acids). The REVAMP project will allow the valorisation of different kinds of waste to be compared and contribute to a greater understanding of the food waste fermentation process targeted at the recovery of valuable products. Entitled “Odzysk wartościowych produktów z fermentacji odpadów spożywczych poprzez sonokawitację i intensyfikację hydrotermalną: porównanie efektywności, mechanizm regulacyjny i modelowanie (REVAMP)” [“Recovering valuable food waste fermentation products by sonic cavitation and hydrothermal intensification: a comparison of efficacy, regulation mechanism and modelling (REVAMP)”], the project received nearly 1 million PLN in funding.
Substance abuse and behavioural addictions, such as gaming addictions, are a growing problem today, not least in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr hab. Mateusz Gola from the Institute of Psychology of the Polish Academy of Sciences will work in Poland and China to study the discrepancy between behavioural expectations and outcomes (PE – prediction error) in subjects with different forms of addiction. Dr hab. Gola received a grant of 2.2 million PLN for a project entitled “W stronę zintegrowanego modelu błędów predykcji nagrody w uzależnieniach od substancji i zachowań. Badanie EEG metodą potencjałów wywołanych” [“Toward an integrated model of reward prediction errors in substance and behavioural addictions. An ERP/EEG study]. The team designed a sequence of 6 studies with more than 800 subjects in Poland and China, including individuals with a diagnosed alcohol, methamphetamine or gambling addiction. By carrying out measurements in two different countries, they will be able to analyse several theories on how people with addictions learn and predict future events or behaviours and, finally, assess the extent to which any potential discoveries may be generalised.
The international bilateral call for Polish-Chinese research projects, SHENG 2, organized by the National Science Centre in tandem with the National Natural Science Foundation of China relied on a parallel review procedure. This means that both agencies carried out parallel formal eligibility checks and merit-based assessments and funding was granted only to projects recommended both by the NCN and the NSFC. Because of the very high quality of submitted proposals, the ranking list only includes the projects selected as the best by both agencies.
The successful projects will be carried out in Poland and China and each will have two principal investigators, one in either country. The grant may go toward funding research team salaries, scholarships for students or PhD students, purchasing or manufacturing research equipment, and other necessary costs necessary to complete the Polish part of the research project.
To find out more about the call, go HERE.
We will shortly send out the decisions for all successful and unsuccessful projects under SHENG 2. Please remember that the decisions of the NCN Director are delivered to the applicant in electronic form to the electronic address indicated in the proposal.
If the applicant is an entity described in Article 27 (1)-(7) and (9) or the Act on the National Science Centre, the decision will only be delivered to the Electronic Inbox (ESP ePUAP) provided in the proposal.
The funding decisions of the NCN Director are also communicated to the principal investigator. If you do not receive a decision, please make sure that the address (ESP, ePUAP, e-mail) listed in your proposal is correct. If it is not, contact the person in charge of the proposal, as indicated in the ZSUN/OSF system.