On 15-16 May 2024, Bydgoszcz will host the 10th jubilee NCN Days, during which students, PhD candidates and scientists working at Polish institutions can learn about funding opportunities.
NCN Days are held once per year, always in a different academic town in Poland. The event consists of two full days of meetings, workshops, panels and lectures, providing scientists and research project administration professionals from all over the region with a rare opportunity to talk to NCN representatives in person and ask everything they want to know about the way in which research projects are funded, carried out and billed at the NCN. This year, the event will be hosted by the Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology on the Fordon campus.
Bydgoszcz, fot. Ryszard Wszołek
“We are going to Bydgoszcz to encourage researchers from the region to apply for research funding and to explain which call provides funding for which purposes. We can also help them prepare an efficient and correct grant proposal. We want to make sure that researchers from the region join our calls and acquire funding for their research more and more often,” says Prof. Krzysztof Jóźwiak, NCN Director.
The opening session will feature presentations by three researchers from different universities in Bydgoszcz. Researchers with outstanding research achievements, representing Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (HS), Physical Sciences and Engineering (NZ) and Life Sciences (ST), will talk about their careers and research.
“I am glad to know that the Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology will be the venue for the academic community to discuss research development measures. We are honoured to host the tenth edition of the NCN Days in Bydgoszcz. The event is in line with many activities we have undertaken to strengthen the academic potential of our city and region,” says Prof. Marek Adamski, Rector of the Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology.
On the first day, an open meeting with NCN Council members will be held, during which they will answer frequently asked questions on NCN calls and will dispel any doubts and queries. Participants will find out about research funded by the NCN, its call portfolio, points that should be focused on when preparing a proposal, researchers responsible for the evaluation of proposals and allocation of grant money, etc. The panel discussion „NCN grants: application, evaluation, implementation - is it worth it?” will be held with researchers from Bydgoszcz, during which participants will be allowed to ask questions. The first day will wrap up with a quiz about the National Science Centre, the winner of which will be invited to the NCN Award ceremony, which will take place in Krakow in October.
Bydgoszcz, fot. Ryszard Wszołek
The NCN Days provide a great opportunity for researchers from the region to join our workshops and improve their skills in grant writing. Bydgoszcz will host NCN coordinators in charge of the proposal evaluation procedure who, inter alia, work directly with the experts at the panel meetings. On 16 May, a mock peer review workshop will be held, during which researchers will take on the role of experts evaluating proposals.
“At the workshop, we will use the authentic project documents submitted to the NCN whose authors allowed us to use them for training purposes. Participants will assume the role of experts, view well written proposals and learn about errors that should be avoided,” says Dr inż. Anna Koteja, NCN coordinator. “We know from experience that this is a unique opportunity to gain a new perspective on the proposal writing and evaluation,” she adds.
At the NCN Days in Bydgoszcz, a new interactive workshop on the Data Management Plan will be held, to teach participants how to efficiently plan, collect and share data in line with the best practice and standards of FAIR.
The agenda also included the usual workshop for research support professionals who work in research or administration departments. NCN professionals in charge of proposals explained the ins and outs of funding agreements, project implementation, annual and final reporting, project review, grant settlement, etc..
This year’s event will be hosted by the Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology together with the Mayor of Bydgoszcz, Kazimierz Wielki University, the Ludwik Rydygier Collegium Medicum (an extension of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń), the Feliks Nowowiejski Academy of Music, the Kujawy and Pomorze University in Bydgoszcz, the University of Bydgoszcz, the University of Economy of Bydgoszcz, the College of Health Sciences in Bydgoszcz, the WSB Merito University, and the Rother’s Mills Centre for Science and Culture.
Free admission on the first day and prior registration (starting on 3 April) required for the workshops.
Kampus Politechniki Bydgoskiej, fot. PBŚ
The NCN Days have been held since 2013. In the past, NCN Days were hosted by, inter alia, Katowice, Lublin, Olsztyn, Gdańsk and Białystok. The latest 2023 Days were held in Wrocław.
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