In this episode of our podcast, NCN Coordinators Dr Anna Wieczorek and Dr Magdalena Wyszkowska-Kolatko discuss the role of coordinators, expert panels and workshops for applicants.
Our first podcast was recorded at the beginning of last year. Twelve podcasts have been released so far. The most popular episode featured Dr inż. Ewelina Szymańska-Skolimowska and Dr inż. Tomasz Szumełda, NCN coordinators and Prof. Jacek Młynarski, expert participating in the evaluation of proposals.
In the current episode, we continue to talk on the evaluation of proposals. Our guests today include Dr Anna Wieczorek, coordinator for Physical Sciences and Engineering, Dr Magdalena Wyszkowska-Kolatko, coordinator for Life Sciences and your host, Anna Korzekwa-Józefowicz. At the beginning, our guests talk about coordinators, experts and reviewers evaluating NCN proposals in general and discuss the evaluation procedure. They focus attention on how important it is for the applicants to know the procedure. “If you understand what happens to your proposal once it has been submitted to the NCN, you will be able to move from a great idea to an equally great project. You should put yourself in the shoes of the experts reviewing your proposal before you start working on it and draft your project description in such a way as to make it easier for them to understand your project and make them interested enough to ensure they are willing to invest public money in your project,” says Magdalena Wyszkowska-Kolatko.
Anna Wieczorek adds that it is extremely important to employ the best experts for the evaluation of proposals and eliminate any conflict of interest. In 2023, proposals were evaluated by nearly 10.5 thousand experts and reviewers. Over 90 percent of them were affiliated with foreign research institutions. “Sometimes we face very niche topics and projects involving many researchers. Finding and selecting the right person without any conflict of interest is a challenge but we can overcome it having the whole world accessible,” she explains.
Much of the discussion focuses on the final stage of evaluation, i.e. expert team meetings. The coordinators are asked about the number of experts participating in panel work, number of evaluated proposals, explained how they reach a consensus and compile ranking lists. Our guests also discuss the workshops for applicants, including mock panels during which researchers could assume the role of experts evaluating proposals.
The recording is now available on Spotify, Apple Podcast and on our You Tube channel.
Related information:
If you wish to find out more on the number of researchers applying for NCN grants, number of NCN call winners and experts and reviewers, please go to the Facts and Figures tab.
Expert team members evaluating proposals under NCN calls in 2023.
NCN Podcast 2, 2023. Evaluation of Proposals