NCN grants for advanced projects and new research teams

Thu, 02/23/2023 - 11:37
Kod CSS i JS

We have now selected the winners of MAESTRO and SONATA BIS. The two calls attracted 472 proposals, 63 of which will receive a total of more than 188 million zlotys in funding. MAESTRO is a call for experienced researchers, while SONATA BIS targets those who want to set up a new research team. Both provide funds for salaries, including scholarships for students and PhD students, research equipment, as well as other necessary project costs.

The 14th edition of MAESTRO attracted 72 proposals, out of which the jury selected five winners. One is Prof. dr hab. Katarzyna Maria Jednoróg from the Marceli Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, who will work on a project entitled Language Breakdown in Child Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Its purpose is to examine the connections between language deficits and disorders such as ADHD and the autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), and test the correlations between language development and the levels of hormones involved in social cognition. The project is expected to set out new directions for research on the relationship between the brain and behaviour in human development. Another grant will go to the winner of the NCN Award 2016,  Prof. dr hab. Mikołaj Bojańczyk  from the University of Warsaw, who works in theoretical computer science, automata theory and logic.

400 proposals were submitted in the 12th edition of SONATA BIS and 58 of these will receive funding: 9 in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, 33 in Physical Sciences and Engineering and 16 in Life Sciences.

Ranking lists

MAESTRO 14 ranking list (.pdf)

SONATA BIS 12 ranking list (.pdf)

Dr hab. Katarzyna Natalia Zawadzka from the Faculty of Psychology and Cognitive Science of the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań will work on a project devoted to the processes of metamemory, e.g. the way in which external clues can affect metamemory, and then memory, at each stage of the process: 1) learning new information; 2) deciding whether a piece of information we need is available in our memory; 3) attempts to retrieve the information. The ultimate goal of the project is to see whether this new knowledge can be used to help eliminate errors in how metamemory regulates memory processes.

In Physical Sciences and Engineering, Dr hab. inż. Artur Maciej Rydosz from the Faculty of Computer Science, Electronics and Telecommunications at the AGH University of Science and Technology will carry out a basic research project that may one day allow us to produce cheap and widely available sensors, e.g. to enable screening tests for lifestyle diseases such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and diabetes.

Dr Milena Anna Damulewicz from the Faculty of Biology of the Jagiellonian University and her team will work on a model of Drosophila melanogaster (an insect more commonly known as the fruit fly) to analyse the molecular mechanism by which light affects the progression of Parkinson’s disease. She will try to show that, in elderly patients, disruptions of the circadian clock caused by light pollution cause a number of changes in eye cell metabolism, which ultimately accelerate neurodegeneration.

Other SONATA BIS 12 winners also include winners of the NCN Award 2022:  Dr hab. Karolina Safarzyńska, who studies behavioural and experimental complexity economics and analyses climate change policies and Dr hab. Piotr Wcisło, a quantum physicist from the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń.

Ranking list

MAESTRO 14 announcement

SONATA BIS 12 announcement

Lectures by NCN Award winners

BTC ENUTC Call 2023

Kod CSS i JS

23 February 2023

The National Science Centre (the “NCN”), in cooperation with the JPI Urban Europe, is launching a call for international research projects in the area of urban development and development of urban areas (Building transformation capacity through arts and design: Unlocking the full potential for urban transitions (BTC ENUTC Call 2023)).

The call is open to proposals covering the following three subjects:

  1. Experimentation and co-creation for a beautiful and sustainable urban future
  2. Transformation to sustainable cities / urban transformation
  3. Designing Inclusive, Liveable and Green Neighbourhoods

Funding proposals may be submitted by international consortia composed of at least two research teams from at least two countries participating in the call. The principal investigator of a Polish research team must be at least a PhD holder.

Pursuant to the terms of the call, cooperation must be initiated during the project with at least one institution operating in the area of culture or related to culture and technology, combining arts and business. The participation of representatives of urban communities is encouraged.

Countries participating in the call: Belgium, Bulgaria, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Sweden.

Call Timeline:

  • International level:

At international level, a joint full proposal is drafted in English, in collaboration with at least one foreign partner. A joint proposal is submitted by the international consortium leader to the international electronic submission system UDiManager (www.uefiscdi-direct.ro) pursuant to the call text by 25 April 2023, 3 p.m. CET.

  • National level

An NCN proposal concerning the Polish part of the project is drafted by the Polish research team and submitted to the NCN via the electronic submission system OSF within 7 days of the joint full proposal submission date at international level, till 2nd of May 2023. The NCN proposal submission procedure in the OSF submission system is available here.

PLEASE NOTE: Information in NCN proposals must be consistent with information in joint proposals. Joint proposals annexed to NCN proposals must be the same as joint proposals submitted at international level.

  • Call results

A list of projects recommended for funding will be published in September 2023.

Under the call (Building transformation capacity through arts and design: Unlocking the full potential for urban transitions), funds can be awarded for salaries of the research team members, salaries and scholarships for students and PhD students, purchase or manufacturing of research equipment and other costs crucial to the research project.

The NCN has allocated a total of 500,000 EUR for research tasks performed by the Polish research teams in the call designated for research projects performed by the Polish research teams in the call (Building transformation capacity through arts and design:  Unlocking the full potential for urban transitions).

The EUR budget of the Polish part of the project in the joint proposal must be calculated according to the following exchange rate: 1 EUR = 4.6976 PLN.

The NCN Council has decided that as a consequence of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, no collaboration with Russian entities is allowed in proposals submitted to NCN calls. If any such collaboration is forecasted, a proposal will be rejected as ineligible.

Please read:

  • call documents available at the JPI Urban Europe (for all applicants in the call)
  • information for applicants below and annexes hereto (only for applicants applying for NCN funding).

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Who may apply for NCN funding?

Proposals in the call may be submitted by the following entities specified in the Act on the National Science Centre:

  1. universities,
  2. federations of science and HE entities,
  3. research institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences operating pursuant to the Act on the Polish Academy of Sciences of 30 April 2010 (Journal of Laws of 2020, item 1796, as amended),
  4. research institutes operating pursuant to the Act on Research Institutes of 30 April 2010 (Journal of Laws 2022, item 498, as amended),
  5. international research institutes established pursuant to other acts and acting in the Republic of Poland,

5a. Łukasiewicz Centre operating pursuant to the Act on the Łukasiewicz Research Network of 21 February 2019 (Journal of Laws 2020, item 2098, as amended),

5b. institutes operating within the Łukasiewicz Research Network,

  1. Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences,
  2. other entities involved in research independently on a continuous basis,
  3. groups of entities (at least two entities mentioned in sections 1-7 or at least one institution as such together with at least one company),
  4. scientific and industrial centres laid down in the Act on Research Centres of 30 April 2010 (Journal of Laws 2020, item 1383, as amended),
  5. research centres of the Polish Academy of Sciences laid down in the Act on the Polish Academy of Sciences of 30 April 2010 (Journal of Laws 2020, item 1796, as amended),
  6. scientific libraries,
  7. companies operating as R&D centres laid down in the Act on Certain Forms of Support for Innovation Activities of 30 May 2008 (Journal of Laws 2021, item 706, as amended),
  8. legal entities with registered office in Poland,

13a. President of the Central Office of Measures,

  1. natural persons and
  2. companies conducting research in other organisational form than set forth in sections 1-13a.

If research projects are carried out by two or more Polish entities applying for NCN funding, they must set up a group of entities and in that form submit NCN proposals. NCN proposal is submitted by a leader named in the research project cooperation agreement concluded by the group of entities. An institution employing the principal investigator acts as the leader of the group of entities.

Polish entities that cannot set up groups of entities are not eligible to apply for NCN funding of a joint research project pursuant to Article 27 (1) (2) of the Act on the National Science Centre.

If funding is requested by an individual, the project must not be carried out by a group of entities or entity for which project funding constitutes state aid.

Pursuant to the terms of the call, cooperation must be initiated during the project with at least one institution operating in the area of culture or related to culture and technology, combining arts and business. The participation of representatives of urban communities is encouraged.

PLEASE NOTE: Before a proposal is submitted, contact the NCN officers to confirm the applicant is eligible.

Who may act as a principal investigator?

The principal investigator of the Polish research team must hold at least a PhD degree when submitting a proposal. Additional restrictions are laid down in in Chapter IV of the Terms and regulations on awarding funding for research tasks funded or co-funded under international calls launched by the National Science Centre and carried out as multilateral collaboration UNISONO, annexed to NCN Council Resolution No 28/2022 of 2 March 2022.

NCN proposals comprising research tasks overlapping with research tasks to be carried out in another proposal that has been already submitted in any NCN call or with respect to which an appeal has been initiated, may only be submitted once the funding decision has become final.

What are the subjects covered by the call?

The call “Building transformation capacity through arts and design: Unlocking the full potential for urban transitions” covers the following subjects:

  1. Experimentation and co-creation for a beautiful and sustainable urban future
  2. Transformation to sustainable cities / urban transformation
  3. Designing Inclusive, Liveable and Green Neighbourhoods

Polish researchers may apply for NCN funding of their basic research projects for the purposes of Article 2 (1) of the Act on the National Science Centre.

NCN proposals comprising research tasks overlapping with research tasks to be carried out in another proposal that has been already submitted in any NCN call or with respect to which an appeal has been initiated, may only be submitted once the funding decision has become final.

What is the project duration period?

Research projects may be planned under the call lasting up to 24 months.

How should the project budget be planned?

We recommend that Polish applicants should consult the budget table of the Polish part of the project with the NCN. The budget table in .xlsx format should be sent to alicja.dylag@ncn.gov.pl by 14 April 2023.

Creating a project budget is one of the most important aspects in the project planning which aims at identifying the required resources and estimating the costs required to perform the research tasks. The project budget must be based on realistic calculations and must comply with the guidelines provided in the Types of costs in research projects funded by the National Science Centre under multilateral collaboration UNISONO. The maximum budget of the Polish research team is not pre-determined; however, the justification of the expenses versus the scope of tasks is assessed by an international expert team.

Research teams from Poland may receive funds to cover salaries of the research team members, salaries and scholarships for students and PhD students, purchase or manufacturing of research equipment, devices and software as well as other costs crucial to the research project.

The proposal may be rejected as ineligible if an unreasonable budget is planned and/or discrepancies occur between the costs of projects carried out by Polish research teams in the NCN proposal and in the joint proposal.

When developing the budget, it is necessary to remember the following:

  • the budget of the Polish research team in the joint proposal must be consistent with the budget in the NCN proposal in the OSF submission system;
  • the budget in the joint proposal must be provided in EUR and in the NCN proposal in the OSF submission system, in PLN, rounded down to the nearest integer; 
  • the budget of the Polish part of the project in the joint proposal must be calculated at the following exchange rate: 1 EUR = 4. 6976 PLN

Indirect costs must not exceed 20% of direct costs. Additionally, indirect costs of up to 2% of direct costs may be spent on open access to publications and research data. At the project implementation stage, the host institution will arrange with the principal investigator in the project for the distribution of at least 25% of the indirect costs’ value.

Research projects carried out by the Polish research teams will be funded by the NCN as long as the foreign partners receive funding for the same projects.

Are there any restrictions on the maximum size of the Polish research team?

The terms of the call do not specify the maximum number of research team members. To find out more on the costs of salaries and scholarships, please read the Types of costs in research projects funded by the National Science Centre under multilateral collaboration UNISONO.

Post-docs in the project must be recruited in an open call procedure.

Names of researchers recruited in an open call procedure, including post-docs, must not be disclosed in either joint or NCN proposals. To find out more on the employment of post-docs, please read the “Costs in research projects funded by the National Science Centre in international calls carried out as multilateral collaboration UNISONO”.

Can proposals in this call include application for state aid?

Yes, they can. For more information, please go to the State Aid rules.

What is the proposal evaluation procedure?

  • International Level

The evaluation process consists of a single stage. Joint proposals are subject to an eligibility check performed by the NCN, other members of the JPI Urban Europe network and the Secretariat of the BTC ENUTC call.

Joint proposals that have been found eligible are subject to merit-based evaluation performed by an international expert team according to the rules laid down in the call procedure .

  • National Level

NCN proposals are subject solely to an eligibility check carried out by the scientific coordinators.

The eligibility check of NCN proposals involves verification of proposal for completeness, compliance with all terms set forth in the call documents and Resolution No 28/2022, including compliance of the budget with the Annex “Costs in research projects funded by the National Science Centre in international calls carried out as multilateral collaboration UNISONO”.

PLEASE NOTE: The information provided in NCN proposals and in joint proposals must be consistent and joint proposals annexed to NCN proposals must be the same as joint proposals submitted at international level.

Who performs the merit-based evaluation of proposals?

Only joint proposals that have been found eligible are subject to merit-based evaluation. Merit-based evaluation is performed by an international expert team elected by the research-funding agencies participating in the BTC ENUTC call, according to the rules laid down in the call procedure.

When and how will the results be announced?

The results of the call “Building transformation capacity through arts and design: Unlocking the full potential for urban transitions” will be announced in September 2023. Firstly, the call results shall be communicated to the scientific coordinators. Polish research team will be notified of the results by way of the NCN Director’s decision.

What is the appeal procedure?

In the event of a breach of the call procedure or other formal infringements as regards actions performed by the NCN, applicants may appeal against the decision of the NCN Director with the Committee of Appeals of the NCN Council within 14 days of the effective delivery of the decision.

Open access publication of call results

Together with other European cOAlition S agencies, the National Science Centre has drafted its open access policy. In accordance with its vision of open access to research results and publications, the NCN requires that all research results should be made available in full and immediate open access. In accordance with the principles of Plan S, the National Science Centre recognizes the following publication routes as compliant with its open access policy:

  • publication in open access journals and on open access platforms registered, or with pending registration, in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ);
  • publication in subscription journals (hybrid journals), as long as the Version of Record (VoR2) or the Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM3) is published, by the author or publisher, in an open repository immediately upon the article’s online publication;
  • publication in journals covered by an open access licence within the framework of so-called transformative agreements, inscribed in the Efficiency and Standards for Article Charges registry (ESAC-registry).

Papers must be published using the CC-BY licence (in the case of transformative journals, the CC-BY-SA licence can also be used). Furthermore, the CC-BY-ND licence may be used (regardless of the publication route chosen).

More information on the terms/ guidelines of open access publication can be found here, as amended.

Furthermore, please read the Instructions: Open Access.

Where can additional information be found?

For more information on the call, please go to the website of the JPI Urban Europe network.

The terms and regulations on awarding NCN funding under the call are laid down in Annex to NCN Council Resolution No 28/2022 of 2 March 2022.

Should you have any questions or queries, please contact us by e-mail or by phone:

The National Science Centre:

Call Secretariat:

Formas, Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development, btc_enutc@formas.se

UEFISCDI, Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding (proposal submission system, technical support), elena.simion@uefiscdi.ro

Useful information

If you are intending to submit a proposal to the call: Building transformation capacity through arts and design: Unlocking the full potential for urban transitions, read the call documents, in particular:

  1. the call text (Building transformation capacity through arts and design: Unlocking the full potential for urban transitions) on the website of the JPI Urban Europe network
  2. Terms and regulations on awarding funding for research tasks funded or co-funded under international calls launched by the National Science Centre and carried out as multilateral collaboration UNISONO

Before submitting an NCN proposal to the National Science Centre at national level:

 

  1. make sure that the information in and annexes to the proposal are correct. Checking the proposal for completeness in OSF submission system with the Sprawdź kompletność [Check completeness] button shall not guarantee that information entered is correct and the required annexes have been attached;
  2. disable the final version of the proposal to the NCN;
  3. download the confirmation of proposal submission which must be signed by the principal investigator and authorised representative(s) of the host institution;
  4. upload the signed confirmation of proposal submission.

Once the proposal is completed and all the required annexes attached, use the Wyślij do NCN [Send to NCN] button to submit the proposal to the NCN electronically via the OSF submission system.

Call documents

The JPI Urban Europe network:

The call documents are available here

The National Science Centre:

  1. Terms and regulations on awarding funding for research tasks funded or co-funded under international calls launched by the National Science Centre and carried out as multilateral collaboration UNISONO
  2. Budget table of the Polish research team
  3. NCN proposal form template
  4. Agreement on the formation of a group of entities for the purposes of completion of the research project
  5. State aid rules
  6. NCN proposal submission procedure
  7. Guidelines for applicants to complete UNISONO proposals in the OSF submission system
  8. Guidelines for applicants to complete the data management plan form in the project
  9. Guidelines for applicants to complete the ethics issues form in the project
  10. Code of the National Science Centre on research integrity and applying for research funding
  11. Regulations for awarding scholarships in NCN-funded research projects
  12. NCN’s Open Access Policy, as amended
  13. Instructions: Open Access
  14. Service of decisions of the NCN Director
  15. Guidelines for appealing against the NCN Director’s decisions
  16. Personal data processing at NCN since 25 May 2018 (GDPR)
  17. Order establishing a procedure for conducting audits on host institution’s premises
  18. Guidelines for entities auditing the implementation of research projects funded by the National Science Centre
  19. Evaluation of monographs in research projects funded by the National Science Centre
  20. Resolution No 136/2022 by the NCN Council of 8 December 2022 on collaboration with the Russian Federation within the framework of NCN-funded grants

 

Call for proposals now open under BTC ENUTC Call 2023

Thu, 02/23/2023 - 10:58
Kod CSS i JS

The National Science Centre, in cooperation with the JPI Urban Europe, is launching a call for international research projects in the area of urban development and development of urban areas (Building transformation capacity through arts and design: Unlocking the full potential for urban transitions).

The call is open to proposals covering the following three subjects:

  1. Experimentation and co-creation for a beautiful and sustainable urban future
  2. Transformation to sustainable cities/urban transformation
  3. Designing Inclusive, Liveable and Green Neighbourhoods

Funding proposals may be submitted by international consortia composed of at least two research teams from at least two countries participating in the call, i.e., Belgium, Bulgaria, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Sweden.

Cooperation must be initiated under the project with at least one institution operating in the area of culture or related to culture and technology, combining arts and business. The participation of representatives of urban communities is encouraged.

Polish researchers may apply for NCN funding of their basic research projects. The principal investigator of the Polish research team must hold at least a PhD degree. Funding may be designated to cover salaries of the research team members, salaries and scholarships for students and PhD students, purchase or manufacturing of research equipment, devices and software as well as other costs crucial to the research project.

Research projects carried out by the Polish research teams will be funded by the NCN as long as the foreign partners receive funding for the same projects.

A joint proposal is submitted by the international consortium leader to the international electronic submission system UDiManager by 25 April 2023, 2 p.m. CET. NCN proposals concerning the Polish part of the project must be submitted to the NCN via the electronic submission system OSF within 7 days of the joint full proposal submission date at international level.

A list of projects recommended for funding will be published in September 2023.

The NCN has allocated 500,000 EUR for research tasks performed by the Polish research teams in the call.

The NCN Council has decided that as a consequence of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, no collaboration with Russian entities is allowed in proposals submitted to NCN calls. If any such collaboration is forecasted, a proposal will be rejected as ineligible.

Weave-UNISONO webinar for Polish research teams

Wed, 02/22/2023 - 08:51
Kod CSS i JS

On Wednesday, 8 March 2023, at noon, a two-hour webinar will be held on the Weave-UNISONO call for proposals. The meeting will include discussions on how to prepare and submit proposals. The webinar addressed to the Polish research teams intending to enter the call will be held in Polish.

To register, please follow the link below.

Launch of a call for research on food and its impact on public health

Tue, 02/21/2023 - 14:18
Kod CSS i JS

The National Science Centre, in cooperation with the JPI HDHL network (EU Joint Programming Initiative ‘A Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life’), has launched a call for international research projects with the aim of better understanding the food-health relationship and subsequently translate this knowledge into programmes, products, tools and services that enable consumers in Europe and beyond to live a healthy life.

The call "New food resources and technologies to improve public health and food security” (FOODRETEC)” intends to fund dedicated, top-class transnational and transdisciplinary research consortia focusing on systems approach to build knowledge to prepare for and succeed with a dietary shift towards a healthier and more sustainable diet where improved use of resources is a driving force.

Funding proposals may be submitted by international consortia composed of 3-6 research teams from at least 3 different countries participating in the call, i.e., Austria, France, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Romania. Research projects may be carried out over a period of 36 months. The principal investigator of the Polish research team must hold at least a PhD degree. Polish researchers must carry out basic research projects.

Under JPI HDHL Call 2023, funds can be awarded for salaries of the research team members, salaries and scholarships for students and PhD students, purchase or manufacturing of research equipment and other costs crucial to the research project.

Joint proposals drafted together with the foreign partners must be submitted via the electronic submission system of the JPI HDHL network by 21 April 2023, 3 p.m. CEST. Polish research teams must submit NCN proposals to the NCN via the OSF submission system by 28 April 2023.

The call uses a single submission procedure of joint proposals, including a rebuttal stage.

The NCN has allocated a total of 500,000 EUR for research tasks performed by the Polish research teams.

More scholarships for entry-level researchers from Ukraine

Tue, 02/21/2023 - 13:48
Kod CSS i JS

18 students and entry-level researchers will soon join the ranks of scholarship recipients within the framework of a programme targeted at the Ukrainian research community. The programme is an NCN initiative funded under the EEA and Norway Grants.

The special scholarship programme for PhD students and researchers was announced in July 2022, and the first winner list followed three months later in October. This group has now grown to include 18 more winners, who will study and work at Polish universities and research institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

Julia Kharlan, private archiveJulia Kharlan, private archive Julia Kharlan studies magnetic materials as a PhD candidate at the Institute of Magnetism of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. She is a winner of the Ukrainian Prime Minister’s scholarship for young researchers and has already participated in international research projects. Her NCN scholarship will put her under the wings of Professor Maciej Krawczyk from the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (UAM). “The group I will work with at UAM is one of the world’s strongest teams in the physics of magnetism, especially magnonics”, says Kharlan. She has already collaborated with the group since 2019 and worked in a project coordinated by Professor Olena Tartakivska, entitled “Statics and Dynamics of 3D Magnetisation Structures – Theory and Simulations (3DMATEX)”, which was funded by the NCN from the EEA and Norway Funds under the POLS scheme. In January 2023, Kharlan was appointed as a contractor under a grant entitled “Low-loss Current- and Flux quanta-controlled Magnonics”, coordinated by Dr hab. Jarosław Kłos, professor at the UAM. “We will be working on a new theme in the field of superconductivity”, Kharlan explains.

Orysia Vira, private archiveOrysia Vira, private archive Orysia Vira will be hosted by the Institute of Political Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences. “The programme will be an excellent opportunity for me to join the academic life of the Institute and build an international network of contacts I can use in the future”, Vira says. The young researcher is a PhD candidate at the Catholic University of Ukraine and has previously worked as a digital history teacher. She is finishing up her PhD dissertation on the emergence of urban space names in pre-modern Lviv. In 2019, she started a cooperation with Dr Jakub Wysmułek from ISP PAS under his grant entitled “Principles, Patterns and Practices of Everyday Multi-confessional Coexistence in Lviv at the turn of the 16th and 17th Century” . “I am very happy that Orysia Vira won the NCN scholarship for young Ukrainian researchers. Under the current circumstances, it will be of great help to her, and will also provide a formal framework and funding for our further cooperation”, says Dr Wysmułek. Their collaboration will focus on the analysis of historical sources, especially those written in Latin. “My digital humanities skills will also help us present or visualise important data on coexistence within multi-confessional communities in medieval towns”, Vira adds.

Veronika Gladyshko, private archiveVeronika Gladyshko, private archive Veronika Gladyshko studies veterinary medicine at the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine. In 2019, she attended an international student conference at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences and will now join projects run by Dr hab. Lucjan Witkowski, professor at the Independent Department of Epidemiology and Veterinary Economics, which focus on the epidemiology of infectious diseases in horses, with the aim of developing new diagnostic tests and assessing resistance to antimicrobial agents. The young researcher will also be working with other scientists from the same university, who specialise in issues such as ruminant diseases. She will participate in lab analyses, help in fieldwork and collect samples from farms throughout Poland.

The scholarship programme for Ukrainian students and entry-level researchers is funded from the EEA and Norway Grants within the framework of a Bilateral Cooperation Fund. Its terms and conditions have been approved by the donors, i.e. the Research Council of Norway and the Joint Committee for Bilateral Fund (JCBF).

The initial budget was 1.2 million zlotys. More scholarships could be awarded because the donors decided to allocate an additional sum of 215 thousand euro to the programme.

The scholarships will be paid for a period of 6 to 12 months, and the maximum amount applicants could request under the call was 5,000 zlotys per month per each student or researcher.

The largest group will continue their studies and research at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań.

The full list of host institutions.

For more information, go to:

Announcement of the scholarship programme

Call announcement

Call results, part 1

More information on the NCN support for researchers from Ukraine can be found on the NCN website

JPI HDHL Call 2023

Kod CSS i JS

21 February 2023

The National Science Centre (NCN), in cooperation with the JPI HDHL network (Joint Programming Initiative “A Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life”), is pleased to announce a call for international research projects with the aim of better understanding the food-health relationship and subsequently translate this knowledge into programmes, products, tools and services that enable consumers in Europe and beyond to live a healthy life. This call intends to fund dedicated, top-class transnational and transdisciplinary research consortia focusing on systems approach to build knowledge to prepare for and succeed with a dietary shift towards a healthier and more sustainable diet where improved use of resources is a driving force.

The title of the JPI HDHL Call 2023 is: “New food resources and technologies to improve public health and food security” (FOODRETEC)

Funding proposals may be submitted by international consortia composed of at least 3 (and no more than 6) research teams from at least 3 different countries participating in the call. The principal investigator of the Polish research team must hold at least a PhD degree.

Countries participating in the call: Austria, France, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Romania.

Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the NCN Council has decided that proposals submitted to NCN calls must not provide for any collaboration between Polish and Russian entities. Where such collaboration is planned, the proposal may be rejected.

The application procedure:

This call uses a single submission procedure (full proposals), including a rebuttal stage.

Project submission stage:

International level: Joint full proposals must be written in English and must be submitted before April, 21st 2023 at 15:00 CEST to the JCS by the project coordinator through the PT-Outline electronic submitting system exclusively.

National level: an NCN proposal concerning the Polish part of the project drafted by the Polish research team and submitted to the NCN electronically via the OSF electronic submission system within 7 days of the joint full proposal submission date at the international level.

The structure and the content of the proposal should strictly follow the “Guidelines for applicants”.

Call Timeline:

  • Proposal Submission deadline: April, 21st 2023, 15h00 CEST
  • Submission deadline for NCN proposals in OSF: April, 28th 2023
  • Reviews sent to the applicants for rebuttal: June, 26th 2023 CEST
  • Rebuttal Deadline: July, 6th 2023, 15h00 CEST
  • Call results: October 2023

Under JPI HDHL funds can be awarded for salaries of the research team members, salaries and scholarships for students and PhD students, purchase or manufacturing of research equipment and other costs crucial to the research project.

The total funding allocated by the NCN for research tasks to be performed by the Polish research teams under the call is 500,000 EUR

The EUR budget for the Polish part of the research project in the joint proposal must be calculated according to the following exchange rate: 1 EUR = 4,6976 PLN.

Please read:

  • the call documents on the website of the JPI HDHL network (applicable to all applicants in the call);
  • information for applicants below and annexes hereto (applicable only to applicants requesting NCN funding).

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Hide all«

Who may apply for NCN funding?

Proposals in the call may be submitted by entities specified in the Act on the National Science Centre, namely:

  1. universities,
  2. federations of science and HE entities,
  3. research institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences operating pursuant to the Act on the Polish Academy of Sciences of 30 April 2010 (Journal of Laws of 2020, item 1796, as amended),
  4. research institutes operating pursuant to the Act on Research Institutes of 30 April 2010 (Journal of Laws 2020, item 1383, as amended),
  5. international research institutes established pursuant to other acts and acting in the Republic of Poland,

5a. Łukasiewicz Centre operating pursuant to the Act on the Łukasiewicz Research Network of 21 February 2019 (Journal of Laws 2020, item 2098),

5b. institutes operating within the Łukasiewicz Research Network,

  1. Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences,
  2. other entities involved in research independently on a continuous basis,
  3. groups of entities (at least two entities mentioned in sections 1-7 or at least one institution as such together with at least one company),
  4. scientific and industrial centres laid down in the Act on Research Centres of 30 April 2010 (Journal of Laws 2020, item 1383, as amended),
  5. research centres of the Polish Academy of Sciences laid down in the Act on the Polish Academy of Sciences of 30 April 2010 (Journal of Laws 2020, item 1796),
  6. scientific libraries,
  7. companies operating as R&D centres laid down in the Act on Certain Forms of Support for Innovation Activities of 30 May 2008 (Journal of Laws 2021, item 706),
  8. legal entities with registered office in Poland,

13a. President of the Central Office of Measures,

  1. natural persons and
  2. companies conducting research in other organisational form than set forth in sections 1-

If research projects are carried out by two or more Polish partners applying for NCN funding, they must set up a group of entities (see item 8 above) and as such submit NCN proposals. An NCN proposal is submitted by a leader specified in the research project cooperation agreement concluded by the group of entities. An institution employing the principal investigator acts as the leader of the group of entities.

Please note: If, pursuant to Article 27 (1) (2) of the NCN Act, Polish entities cannot set up groups of entities, they are not eligible to apply for NCN funding of a joint research project.

A template research project cooperation agreement

Who may act as a principal investigator?

The principal investigator of the Polish research team must hold at least a PhD degree when submitting a proposal. Restrictions on submitting NCN proposals are described in detail in Chapter IV of the Terms and regulations on awarding funding for research tasks funded or co-funded under international calls launched by the National Science Centre and carried out as multilateral collaboration UNISONO, annexed to NCN Council Resolution No 28/2022 of 2 March 2022.

What are the subjects covered by the call?

Proposals submitted to the call (New food resources and technologies to improve public health and food security) shall included research on:

  • Ensuring consumer acceptance of new products and more sustainable technologies, i.e., addressing knowledge barriers, enhancing sensory properties of food from new sustainable (protein) sources or functional ingredients (e.g. foods containing bio-actives), 
  • Investigating new components (e.g. plant-based, marine ingredients, insects, side stream valorisation, biomass, cell cultures etc.) as a source of nutrients and functional food ingredients (e.g. protein, fibre, bio-active compounds etc.),
  • Ensuring food safety in the entire food chain focussing on residues, degradation products and (process) contaminants including aspects of sustainable food processing and side-stream valorisation,
  • Improving nutritional quality aspects of using new ingredients or new food processing technologies as well as their impact on health.

Proposals should focus on one or more of the following approaches and methodologies:

  • exploratory research where consumer insight is included (social labs, living labs, etc.)
  • systemic reviews to map and organize current research on the area
  • building more research and knowledge on the food science aspects

Beyond the research topics the following points should be taken into account:

  • Proposals should show a strong collaboration between partners from different disciplines e.g. food technologists, nutrition scientists, social scientists,
  • Proposals should clearly demonstrate the benefit of working together and the unique contribution of each partner,
  • Proposals should be consumer oriented, e.g.: by handling consumer perception, acceptance,
  • Proposals are encouraged to engage end-users (e.g. consumers, industry) in the research process from conception of the study to dissemination and implementation. The engagement with end-users increases the impact of research and facilitate its later use in public health practice, contributing to the sustainability of the funded initiative,
  • Proposals should consider potential moderators of effects such as age, sex, gender, ethnic or other demographic factors/variables in the respective research approaches,
  • Proposals should be complementary to the Knowledge-Hub SYSTEMIC  co-funded under JPI HDHL, FACCE JPI and JPI OCEANS.

More information on the subject of the call can be found in the JPI HDHL announcement.

Please note: Polish researchers may apply for NCN funding of their basic research projects for the purposes of Article 2 (1) of the NCN Act.

NCN proposals comprising research tasks overlapping with research tasks to be carried out in another proposal that has been already submitted in any NCN call or with respect to which an appeal has been initiated, may only be submitted once the funding decision has become final.

What is the project duration period?

Research projects may be planned in the call for a period of 36 months.

What are the positions for members of the research team?

Apart from the principal investigator, research tasks may be performed by co-investigators, including students, PhD students and post-docs.

A post-doc type postition is a full-time postition, scheduled by the project’s principal investigator for a person who has been conferred a PhD degree within 7 years prior to the year of employment in the project. This period may be extended pursuant to the Types of costs in research projects funded by the National Science Centre under international calls carried out as multilateral collaboration UNISONO.

Please note: Persons employed as post-docs must have their PhD degree awarded by another institution than the one employing them at this post or must have completed a continuous and evidenced post-doctoral fellowship of at least 10 months in another institution than the host institution for the project and in another country than the one in which they have been conferred a PhD degree. Persons employed as post-docs in the project must be recruited in an open call procedure.

PhD students who are NCN-scholarship grantees must be recruited in an open call procedure.

An international expert team will review the relevance of involvement of particular members of the research team in the project. The competences and tasks to be performed by particular members of the research team must be described in the proposal. For more information on the budget for salaries and scholarships, please read the Types of costs in research projects funded by the National Science Centre under international calls carried out as multilateral collaboration UNISONO.  

The terms of the call do not specify the maximum number of research team members.

Scholarship grantees and post-docs must not be named in either joint or NCN proposals.

How should the project budget be planned?

The project budget must be justified as regards the subject and scope of research and based on realistic calculations. The budget must include expenditures eligible for funding from NCN resources (the so-called eligible costs).

The terms of the call do not specify the minimum or maximum (total) funds that may be requested.

The budget in the NCN proposal must be quoted in PLN, while the budget in the joint proposal, in EUR.

The EUR budget for the Polish part of the research project in the joint proposal must be calculated according to the following exchange rate: 1 EUR = 4,6976 PLN.

The project budget (eligible costs) include direct and indirect costs.

Direct costs include:

  1. remuneration for the principal investigator;
  2. remuneration for co-investigators in the project:
  • full-time remuneration for post-docs,
  • salaries and scholarships for students and PhD students,
  • the so-called additional remuneration for members of the research team. If the principal investigator is not to be employed full-time in the project, his/her remuneration is paid from the pool allocated for additional remuneration;
  1. purchase or construction of research equipment, devices and software;
  2. purchase of material and small equipment;
  3. outsourced services;
  4. business trips, visits and consultations;
  5. compensation for collective investigators and
  6. other costs crucial to the project according to the Types of costs in research projects funded by the National Science Centre under international calls carried out as multilateral collaboration UNISONO.

Please note: The costs of publication of monographs (as defined in §10 of the Regulation on Evaluation of the Quality of Research Activity passed by the Minister of Science and Higher Education on 22 February 2019 (Journal of Laws 2019, item 392) resulting from research projects may only be incurred following a positive review by the NCN.

Indirect costs include:

  • indirect cost of Open Access (up to 2% of direct costs) that may be designated only for the cost of open access to publications or research data;
  • other indirect costs (up to 20% of direct costs) that may be spent on costs that are related indirectly to the research project, including the cost of open access to publications and research data.

Please note: The costs of open access to publications may only be incurred as indirect costs. The cost of open access planned as direct costs will be regarded as a formal error.

Where unjustified costs are planned, the proposal may be rejected.

More information on the costs in research projects funded by the National Science Centre in international calls carried out as multilateral collaboration UNISONO.

Please note: We recommend that Polish applicants should consult the budget table of the Polish part of the project with the NCN. The budget table in .xlsx format should be sent to alicja.dylag@ncn.gov.pl by 7 April 2023.

Open Access publication of research results

Together with other European research-funding institutions, the National Science Centre is a member cOAlition S. Therefore, the NCN has adopted an “Open access policy” pursuant to which all research results stemming from NCN-funded research projects must be made available in immediate open access.

In accordance with the principles of Plan S, the National Science Centre recognises the following publication routes as compliant with its open access policy:

  1. Publication in open access journals and on open access platforms registered, or with pending registration, in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ);
  2. Publication in subscription journals (hybrid journals), as long as the Version of Record (VoR) or the Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM) is published, by the author or publisher, in an open repository immediately upon the article’s online publication;
  3. Publication in journals covered by an open access licence within the framework of so-called transformative agreements, inscribed in the Efficiency and Standards for Article Charges registry (ESAC-registry).

More information on Open Access publication can be found here.

Can proposals in this call include application for state aid?

Yes. For more information, please read the State aid rules.

What is the proposal evaluation procedure

Joint proposals are subject to an eligibility check performed by the NCN, other funding agencies participating in the call and the Secretariat of the JPI HDHL Call 2023 (JCS).

Joint proposals that have passed the eligibility check are subject to merit-based evaluation carried out by an international expert team according to the terms of the call announcement.

NCN proposals are subject solely to an NCN eligibility check carried out by the scientific coordinators.

The eligibility check of NCN proposals involves verification of proposal for completeness, compliance with all terms set forth in the call documents and Resolution No 28/2022 of the NCN Council of 2 March 2022, including compliance of the budget with the Annex thereto, i.e. “Costs in research projects funded by the National Science Centre in international calls carried out as multilateral collaboration Unisono”.

The information provided in NCN proposals and in joint proposals must be consistent and identical.

Eligible proposals are reviewed independently by members of international Review Panel created by the funding agencies participating in the Call.

Each project coordinator will have the opportunity to answer the comments of the reviewers. Issues that are not related with reviewers’ comments cannot be addressed and the work plan cannot be modified at this stage.

The applicants will have up to 10 days (between June 26th and July 6th 2023) for this optional answer to the reviewers’ comments.

 At the last stage of a merit-based evaluation, the Review Panel choses the proposals recommended for funding on the basis of full proposals, reviews and applicants’ responses. The final list of awarded projects is selected by the Funding Organisations involved in the call.

Who performs the merit-based evaluation of proposals?

Only joint proposals are subject to merit-based evaluation performed by an international expert team created by the funding agencies participating in the call. For more information on the evaluation of proposals, please go to the call announcement available at the website of the JPI HDHL network.

When and how will the results be announced?

The JPI HDHL Call 2023 will be concluded in October 2023. Firstly, project coordinators will be notified of the outcome. Polish research teams will be notified of the results by way of a decision of the NCN Director.

In the event of a breach of the call procedure or other formal infringements related to actions performed by the NCN, the applicants may lodge an appeal against the decision of the NCN Director with the Committee of Appeals of the NCN Council.

Where can additional information be found?

For more information on the call, please go to the website of the JPI HDHL network. The terms and regulations on awarding NCN funding in the call are laid down in the Annex to NCN Council Resolution No 28/2022.

Should you have any questions or queries, please contact us by e-mail or by phone:

  • Alicja Dyląg, tel. 12 341 90 69, +48 532 086 494 (between 9 a.m. and 12 noon)
  • Anna Fiust (before calling, make an e-mail appointment)

Useful information

If you are intending to submit a proposal in the JPI HDHL Call 2023, please read:

  1. all call documents, in particular:

National level: before an NCN proposal is submitted to the NCN:

  1. obtain data from the applicant required to complete the proposal and find out about the internal procedures that may affect the proposal and performance of the research project (project costs, procedure for acquiring signature(s) of authorised representative(s) of the institution to confirm submission of the proposal); if a group of Polish entities applies for funding, draft a research project cooperation agreement;
  2. make sure that the information in and annexes to the proposal are correct. Checking the proposal for completeness in OSF with the Sprawdź kompletność [Check completeness] button does not guarantee that all information entered is correct and the required annexes have been attached;
  3. make sure that respective tabs are completed in the correct language;
  4. disable the final version of the proposal to the NCN and
  5. download the confirmation of proposal submission which must be signed by the principal investigator and authorised representative(s) of the host institution.

Once the proposal is completed and all the required annexes attached, use the Wyślij do NCN [Send to NCN] button to submit the proposal to the NCN electronically via the OSF system.

Once the call for proposals has been closed:

  1. evaluation of proposals will be carried out;
  2. if the proposal is recommended for funding, a funding agreement will be entered into;
  3. the project will be performed pursuant to the funding agreement and Regulations on awarding funding for research tasks funded or co-funded under international calls launched by the National Science Centre and carried out as multilateral collaboration UNISONO;

In the event of a breach of the call procedure or other formal infringements, the applicant may appeal against the decision of the NCN Director with the Committee of Appeals of the NCN Council. The appeal must be lodged within 14 days of the effective delivery of the decision.

Call documents

The JPI HDHL network:

The call documents applicable to all applicants are available at the website of the JPI HDHL network.

The National Science Centre:

  1. Terms and regulations on awarding funding for research tasks funded or co-funded under international calls launched by the National Science Centre and carried out as multilateral collaboration UNISONO
  2. Budget table of the Polish research team
  3. NCN proposal form template
  4. Guidelines for applicants to complete NCN proposals in OSF
  5. Procedure for submitting NCN proposals to OSF
  6. Regulations for awarding scholarships in NCN-funded research projects
  7. Research project cooperation agreement
  8. State aid
  9. Guidelines for applicants to complete the ethics issues form in the proposal
  10. Guidelines for applicants to complete the data management plan form in the proposal
  11. NCN’s Open Access Policy, as amended
  12. Guidelines: Open Access Policy
  13. Code of the National Science Centre on research integrity and applying for research funding
  14. NCN statement on cooperation with the Russian Federation under grants funded by the National Science Centre

Documents concerning submission of proposals:

  1. Service of decisions of the NCN Director
  2. Guidelines for appealing against the NCN Director’s decisions

Documents to be read before starting an NCN project:

  1. Agreement template (Agreement template for winners of the previous Era-Net call launched by the NCN – draft version that may be amended when the agreement is signed with the NCN)
  2. Procedure of conducting audits on host institution premises  
  3. Guidelines for entities auditing the implementation of research projects funded by the National Science Centre
  4. Evaluation of monographs in research projects funded by the National Science Centre

This is not a certified translation and has been prepared for your convenience only. In the case of any discrepancies between the language versions, the Polish version shall prevail.

Weave-UNISONO call for proposals: closure of the call for proposals with the Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS) acting as the lead agency

Mon, 02/20/2023 - 09:53
Kod CSS i JS

Please note that the call for proposals at the Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS) acting as lead agency ends on 28 February 2023.

If a joint proposal is submitted to ARRS as the lead agency, an NCN proposal must be submitted electronically via the OSF submission system as soon as possible following the submission of the joint proposal to ARRS, i.e. by 7 March 2023, 23:59 p.m. at the latest.

Once the work on the NCN proposal has started in the OSF submission system, the Polish research team has 45 calendar days to complete the proposal and submit it to the NCN. After that, the proposal can no longer be edited, in which case a Polish research team that has not sent its proposal to the NCN must prepare a new proposal and complete it in the OSF submission system.

PRELUDIUM BIS 5 to be launched in June

Fri, 02/17/2023 - 12:26
Kod CSS i JS

In response to the demands of the scientific community, PRELUDIUM BIS will start and end earlier than before.

PRELUDIUM BIS is addressed at institutions operating doctoral schools. The objective of the call is to support PhD student education and fund their research projects. The National Science Centre’s cooperation with the National Agency for Academic Exchange enables support of international mobility of early-stage researchers.

Four rounds of PRELUDIUM BIS calls have been held as yet. The NCN Council has decided to announce this year’s round on 15 June instead of mid-September, as was the case in the past. Thus, the results will be announced three months earlier, before February 2024 (proposals will be evaluated within five months).

This change should facilitate PhD students’ recruitment for projects and doctoral schools.

PRELUDIUM BIS was first launched in 2019. Over 300 projects have been funded in the previous PRELUDIUM BIS calls as yet.

Candidate for NCN Director

Fri, 02/17/2023 - 11:54
Kod CSS i JS

Prof. Krzysztof Jóźwiak from the Medical University of Lublin is a candidate for NCN Director. The NCN Council has adopted a resolution to present his nomination to the Minister of Education and Science.

prof. Krzysztof Jóźwiak during the NCN 2021 Award ceremonyprof. Krzysztof Jóźwiak during the NCN 2021 Award ceremony Krzysztof Jóźwiak is a professor of pharmaceutical sciences involved in research on molecular pharmacology and medicinal chemistry. He is the Head of the Department of Biopharmacy and Chair of Chemistry at the Medical University of Lublin. He is also the President of the University Grant Proposal Support Team and member of the Board Supervising the Transfer of Knowledge Centre at the Medical University of Lublin.

Between 2012 and 2020, prof. Jóźwiak was a member of the NCN Council and between 2018 and 2022, a member of the Scientific Council of the Maj Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences in Krakow.

NCN Director is appointed pursuant to the Act on the National Science Centre and Regulation by the Minister on Open Calls for Director or Deputy Director of the National Science Centre.

The NCN Director is appointed by the Minister in charge of Science following an open call.

The call was launched by the NCN Council in mid-November 2022 and continued until the end of 2022.

The call procedure was carried out by a committee formed by the NCN Council  comprising its members and representatives appointed by the Minister of Education and Science.

Following the committee’s report, at the meeting of 16 February 2023, the NCN Council decided to present the nomination of Prof. Krzysztof Jóźwiak who was identified as the best evaluated candidate, to the Minister.

The current Director’s term of office ends on 3 March 2023. Prof. Zbigniew Błocki was in office for two consecutive four-year terms, i.e. the maximum time set by law.