QuantERA 2023 call now open

Thu, 01/26/2023 - 14:15
Kod CSS i JS

Polish scientists are welcome to take part in the QuantERA Call 2023 of the National Science Centre and QuantERA II ERA-Net Cofund, for international research projects in quantum technologies covering:

  • Quantum Phenomena and Resources
  • Applied Quantum Science.

Projects must cover at least one of the following topics:

  1. Quantum communication
  2. Quantum simulation
  3. Quantum computation
  4. Quantum information sciences
  5. Quantum metrology sensing and imaging

Research projects must be planned for a period of either 24 or 36 months.

Funding proposals may be submitted by international consortia composed of at least 3 research teams from at least 3 countries participating in the QuantERA Call 2023.

Countries participating in the call::

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia*, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal*, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom*.

*Participation will be confirmed at a later stage.

The call with a budget of approx. 33 mln EUR will consist of one stage only.

Participants must adhere to the domestic call requirements laid down by the respective project funding organisations. 

Project evaluation criteria

  • Excellence,
  • Impact,
  • Quality,
  • Efficiency of the Implementation.

Partner search tool

In order to facilitate the formation of research consortia, applicants can use a partner search tool available here as projects looking for partners or partners looking for projects.

Call timeline

  • Proposal submission end date: 11 May 2023 (5 p.m. CET)
  • Publication of call results: December 2023

Please read the call text and call documents.

On 22 February 2023, we will host a webinar for prospective applicants. More information on registration and participation soon.

Contact

ERC Proof of Concept ERC grant for Prof. Magdalena Król

Wed, 01/25/2023 - 15:11
Kod CSS i JS

Prof. Dr hab. Magdalena Król from the Institute of Biology of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences has won a Proof-of-Concept Grant awarded by the European Research Council (ERC) to pioneering projects that go beyond our current state of knowledge.

Król will analyse the impact of macrophage therapy on changes in the tumour microenvironment. She will rely on the results of her prior research into the TRAIN mechanism (TRAnsfer of Iron-binding proteiN), conducted under an initial ERC Starting Grant.

Prof. Król specializes in immuno-oncology and cancer biology. She heads an Independent Cancer Biology Lab at the Institute of Biology, Warsaw University of Life Sciences. She has won multiple awards and fellowships, founded the Cellis biotechnology start-up, where she works on an innovative solid tumour treatment, and the Cellis Laboratory, responsible for SARS-CoV-2 testing. She is the first Polish woman to make it to the final round of the EU Prize for Women Innovators. Prof. Król served as a PI in three grants funded by the National Science Centre between 2012 and 2022.

Worth 150,000 euro, Proof-of-Concept Grants are available to researchers who have previously finished at least one ERC grant. They allow scientists to apply the tools they have developed in practice and commercialise their research results. The funding is part of the EU programme “Horizon Europe”.

Interview with Katharina Boguslawski

Wed, 01/25/2023 - 13:51
Kod CSS i JS

In 2022, the National Science Centre adopted its Gender Equality Plan for 2022-2025, which contains a diagnosis of the status quo and future measures that the NCN is planning to take to support gender equality. One of the objectives is to increase the importance of gender equality issues in the NCN’s informational and promotional campaigns. We regularly publish researcher profiles on our website, we run a mini-social media campaign devoted to the presence of women in science, and get actively involved in initiatives such as the “Scientific Excellence Has No Gender” conference, organised by the Polish Young Academy of the Polish Academy of Sciences (AMU PAN). We have now also launched a series of talks with researchers of both genders about how to level the playing field for men and women in research and help them reconcile work and family life. Our first interviewee is Prof. Katharina Boguslawski, a quantum chemist from the Nicolaus Copernicus University, winner of the ERC Starting Grant 2022 and the NCN Sonata grant. Katharina Boguslawski, fot. A. Romański/UMKKatharina Boguslawski, fot. A. Romański/UMK

A tricky and delicate challenge

Anna Korzekwa-Józefowicz: You have achieved considerable success in quantum chemistry, a male-dominated field. Do you ever get the impression that gender is an important factor in scientific activities?

Katharina Boguslawski: When I started my career as a quantum chemist, I grew up in an environment where equality and equity were a daily occurrence. As a young researcher, I got accustomed to a world where scientific excellence does not have any gender. Thus, in the early stages of my career, I did not see, nor did I experience, quantum chemistry—in a negative way—as a man-dominated field. In the later stages of my career, I did, however, experience a series of adverse events. They gave me the impression that I might have the “wrong” gender, not just in quantum chemistry but in science in general. Incidents ranged from being deliberately ignored in scientific discussions to questions about “where did I leave my kids” to inappropriate comments concerning the abilities of female scientists. Despite demotivating, these experiences were more of an exception than the rule. Nonetheless, I still believe that women, especially those working in STEM, must have thick skin.

AKJ: You participated in the Polish Young Academy PAS (AMU PAN) "Become a Researcher/Zostań badaczką" initiative, which aims to encourage female students to work in science, especially in STEM fields, where there are still far fewer female scientists than male scientists. How can these fields benefit from greater representation of women?

KB: I believe that many young women do not consider themselves competitive compared to their male counterparts. Furthermore, many might consider having a family/children as a disadvantage, which will leave them behind when it comes to acquiring grants or faculty positions. In this respect, the „Zostań badaczką” event organized by AMU PAN is significant. All speakers are successful female scientists across all disciplines, and most of us have children. We demonstrate that women can simultaneously have a successful career in science and a family and that the one does not exclude the other. Furthermore, we tell young women about our experiences and what it takes to be a female scientist. I believe that young female researchers need to be confirmed that they are competitive. On the other hand, there are also many issues that we are not speaking about. A supportive net is desirable that assists female researchers in combining an academic life and family obligations. For instance, if I want to go to an international conference, the first question that comes to mind is what I should do with my kids. Logistically, this is a severe problem (at least in my field of research) as I cannot afford to take my children with me. I do not have grandparents living “next door” either who have no obligations themselves. Improving logistics would allow female scientists to reconcile work and life.

AKJ: You said that female scientists must have a thick skin. How do you motivate female students to do scientific work knowing that they may have a rather difficult task ahead of them?

KB: First, I tell them that being a woman in science may be challenging. If a young woman asks you how it is to be a woman in STEM, you tell her the truth. It is not a place for whitewashing. When I was still a student, I was told the same thing: women need to have sharp elbows. At the time, I did not fully understand that comment, but over the years, it became “crystal clear.” Thus, I try to use my own experience and the experiences of my female colleagues when engaging and motivating female students or young researchers. I have heard several times that female students think they are not good enough or persistent enough to push their way through to the top. I consider this opinion irritating, and I try to convince them they are equally qualified as their male counterparts. Most importantly, what they are not able to do now, they can still learn. It is vital to believe in oneself and continue doing (or even trying) the things they are passionate about or interested in. Finally, I always tell them that there are also benefits to being a scientist and a mother at the same time. I cannot imagine any other “job” where I can define myself a proper work-life-balance tailored to my own needs. Of course, it is hard to combine family obligations and a scientific career, but it is doable—persistence matters. Katharina Boguslawski, fot. A. Romański/UMKKatharina Boguslawski, fot. A. Romański/UMK

AKJ: Do you participate in other such actions to support young female scientists?

KB: I participated in several events that aimed at popularizing natural sciences, in particular to students and pupils (“Festiwal Nauki i Sztuki” in Kutno, Krajowy Fundusz na rzecz Dzieci, “Kobiety IT” organised by Nokia Bydgoszcz, etc.). Unfortunately, most of these events stopped because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our Institute is currently organizing a series of workshops, “Cyfrowa nanonauka”, which is planned as a continuous event throughout 2023. I also aim to participate in this event.

AKJ: A few weeks ago, there was a controversy concerning the Council for Higher Education, Science and Innovation, which is to advise the President of the Republic of Poland and which was composed of men alone. Currently, there are five female researchers on the 24-member board. Does the participation of women in such bodies have an impact on the real situation of women in science?

KB: As I am not an expert nor familiar with professional studies on this topic, I can only provide my opinion on this question. Generally, it is a challenging and tricky task to improve the situation of women in science. Present-day events concerning the appointment of the Council for Higher Education, Science, and Innovation prove that scientific excellence does not necessarily correlate with political clout. Most importantly, this Council should represent scientific excellence in both basic and applied sciences, and its members should feature an outstanding scientific track record and achievements. It is demotivating for the scientific community when a Ph.D. student or a freshly graduated post-doc has more impressive scientific accomplishments than selected members of the recently appointed Council. Furthermore, women are generally underrepresented in many bodies. Thus, almost no one speaks with our voice; hence, the problems we face in academia are not directly heard nor adequately addressed. To raise awareness and improve female scientists' current situation, we require better representation. Most importantly, I am talking about a well-balanced, appropriate representation, not simply including a single (or a few) "quota women." Bodies should represent the diversity of the scientific landscape and promote equality and equity. Diversity is always an advantage, and all bodies would benefit from it. My understanding of diversity relates to the broader context, that is, not just gender but also race and age.

AKJ: You have spent most of your scientific life abroad. On the basis of these experiences, could you indicate solutions supporting equal opportunities for women and men that should be introduced at Polish universities and scientific institutes?

KB: In my opinion, Polish Universities fell back regarding the support of equal opportunities for men and women. They have a lot to catch up on. The important thing is that they have to catch up the right way, acknowledging that we are in the 21st century and supporting both men and women alike. Listening to the needs of young and early-stage career researchers is essential. Otherwise, more and more talented young scientists will flee academia. Many practices are in place to ensure equality and equity and promote work-life balance. Examples include an equality and equity office that actively addresses and solves problems, day-care facilities on campus, teaching hours that agree with the opening hours of day-care and kindergarten facilities, and a stronger representation of early-stage career researches in boards and committees at various levels (Departments, Institutes, Faculties, and University). Katharina Boguslawski, fot. A. Romański/UMKKatharina Boguslawski, fot. A. Romański/UMK

Prof. Katharina Boguslawski is a quantum chemist, whose research combines chemistry, physics, mathematics and applied computer science. She focuses on developing innovative computing methods to model the properties of large chemical molecules without the need for experiments. Prof. Boguslawski graduated from her MSc and PhD programmes from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich, and went on to complete postdoctoral fellowships at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich and McMaster University in Canada. She currently works at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. The second interview in the series will be released in March. Gender equality issues are also addressed by interviews published by the QuantERA network. To find out more about international female researchers with important achievements in quantum technologies, visit the programme’s website.

Polish scientists win EN-UAC China Call

Wed, 01/25/2023 - 09:00
Kod CSS i JS

We know the winners of EN_UAC China Call, organised by the JPI Urban Europe (Joint Programming Initiative Urban Europe) network in cooperation with the NSFC  (National Natural Science Foundation of China) agency. Two international research projects qualified for funding involve Polish research teams.

The JPI Urban Europe network, with which the National Science has cooperated since 2015, supports researchers working on international interdisciplinary projects that address the challenges faced by cities and urban areas. This year, the call was devoted to the issues of sustainable urban logistics in the digital era and ways to enhance mobility with climate-neutral tools.

The EN-UAC China Call was open to submissions from scientists planning to work on international projects together with partners from other participating countries (Belgium, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden) and China.

The call attracted 40 pre-proposals at the first stage and 24 full joint proposals at the second stage, 9 and 5 of which, respectively, involved Polish researchers. Winners include two projects to be carried out in cooperation with Polish teams, with a budget of nearly 2 million zlotys awarded for that purpose by the NCN:

  • E-Laas: Energy-optimal urban logistics as a service

Principal investigator (Polish team): Dr hab. inż. Emilian Szczepański (Warsaw University of Technology). The project will be conducted together with partners from China, Sweden and Spain.

The goal of the project is to develop an innovative platform to minimise energy use in the process of freight distribution from the consolidation centre to the customer, allowing energy to be saved at every stage. In addition, the teams will analyse the reinforcement of social responsibility at different levels: client, service provider,  municipality.

  • IMUMCN: Improved urban mobility toward climate neutrality under new working habits and transport modes

Principal investigator (Polish team): Dr hab. Aleksandra Lis-Plesińska (Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań). The project will be carried out together with partners from China and the Netherlands.

The objective of the project is to provide citizens with sustainable and efficient integrated transportation solutions to enhance the efficiency of urban traffic and cut emissions. The teams will study the short-term behavioural effects and long-term implications of these challenges for urban mobility and city structure, as well as the potential of integrated Mobility as a Service (MaaS) solutions and market trade in individual CO2 allowances.

 

The winners of the EN-UAC China Call will get funding, e.g., for the research team, salaries and scholarships for students and PhD candidates, and research equipment.

CHANSE project catalogue

Tue, 01/24/2023 - 10:50
Kod CSS i JS

CHANSE (Collaboration of Humanities and Social Sciences in Europe) is one of two international ERA-NET programmes coordinated by the NCN. It brings together 27 research-funding agencies and non-academic institutions from 24 different countries with a common goal of responding to the social and cultural challenges of our time. In 2021, the CHANSE network announced a new call, entitled “Transformations: Social and Cultural Dynamics in the Digital Age” and awarded funding to 26 projects, 12 of which include Polish research teams..

The selected research consortia focus on studying the impact of digitisation on important aspects of our life, such as public health, work safety, media and religious practices. To learn more about successful projects and the call as such, read the CHANSE Project Catalogue online.

Enjoy!

Selected pages from the catalogue

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Projects selected under the CHANSE call are funded by the EU under the Horizon 2020 programme, as well as by agencies that make up the CHANSE consortium. The NCN funds the work of Polish teams.

The next CHANSE call in the humanities and social sciences will be announced in April/May this year.

Biodiversa+ call announcement

Mon, 01/23/2023 - 12:31
Kod CSS i JS

The Biodiversa+ partnership announces a call for international research projects focused on Nature-based Solutions. Nature-based solutions are understood as measures aimed at the protection, preservation, restoration, sustainable use and management of natural or modified land, freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems, which effectively and adaptively respond to social, economic and environmental challenges, as well as ensure human welfare, ecosystem services, resilience and biodiversity benefits.

The call will be part of the flagship Biodiversa+ programme "Better Knowledge to Develop, Deploy and Assess Nature-based Solutions" and will be co-funded by the European Commission.

Preliminary call schedule

  • spring/summer 2023: official launch of the call, including information about its scope
  • September 2023: submissions accepted under BiodivNBS
  • November 2023: deadline for pre-proposal submission

More information on the Biodiversa+ website 

Scientific Excellence Has No Gender

Fri, 01/20/2023 - 12:35
Kod CSS i JS

The Polish Young Academy PAS (AMU PAN), is organising a conference to draw attention to the problem of gender inequality in science. The event will take place on 10 February in Poznań in partnership with the NCN.

In recent years, AMU PAN has consistently campaigned for women in science, organising a series of meetings entitled “Become a Researcher”. It has also run a long-term programme known as “Scientific Excellence Has No Gender”, which aims to raise awareness within the community of the existing disparities between men and women in science and calls for an effort to close the gap.

The programme will be launched on 10 February, starting with a conference held at the Faculty of Political Science and Journalism of the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, with the participation of Prof. Teresa Zielińska, member of the NCN Council in 2018-2022, and Prof. Zbigniew Błocki, NCN Director. The conference will present Polish reports on the situation of men and women in science, including a paper prepared last year by the NCN’s Analysis and Evaluation Team and the Committee of Research Activity Analysis at the NCN Council. The agenda will also include presentations of Gender Equality Plans drawn up by different research centres and examples of Polish and European promotional campaigns aimed at levelling the playing field for men and women in science, as well as a debate on the situation of both genders.

Alongside the NCN, the conference is also organised in partnership with the Centre of Research on Women’s Participation in Public Space from the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań and the Polish Science Contact Agency of the Polish Academy of Sciences (“PolSCA”) in Brussels.

Detailed agenda and registration:

The NCN has prioritised equal access to research funding for men and women for years. In 2019, we published a position paper on the issue.

Following the example of the European Research Council, we have developed solutions to make it easier for female researchers to reconcile their work and family life. We have extended the deadlines used in research record assessment and prolonged the eligibility periods for application for our young researcher grants and postdoctoral positions by 1.5 year per child for all mothers.

In recent months:

– we have published the results of a poll focused on the situation of men and women in science,

we have passed a new NCN Gender Equality Plan 2022-2025, which includes a diagnosis of the status quo and outlines further measures the NCN intends to take to support gender equality,

– The NCN Council has prepared changes to the terms and conditions of the NCN Award to account for the different career trajectories of men and women (the document is pending approval by the Ministry of Education and Science).

Weave-UNISONO – 2023 proposal submission dates

Wed, 01/18/2023 - 09:56
Kod CSS i JS

The calls for proposals in the Weave-UNISONO call are ongoing at the partner agencies. We request Polish research teams to be aware of the deadlines for joint applications to the lead agencies and national applications to the NCN.

Under the Weave-UNISONO Programme, NCN proposals must be submitted electronically via the OSF submission system, as soon as possible following submission of the joint proposal to the lead agency, within 7 calendar days.

JPIAMR DISTOMOS

Kod CSS i JS

Announcement of 16th JPIAMR transnational call for research projects within the ERA-NET JPIAMR-ACTION: “Development of innovative strategies, tools, technologies, and methods for diagnostics and surveillance of antimicrobial resistance” (DISTOMOS)

16 January 2023

The National Science Centre, together with the JPIAMR, is launching a call for international research projects on antimicrobial resistance. Proposals may be submitted by international research consortia composed of at least 3 research teams from at least 3 different countries participating in the call, with at least 2 from the EU member states or associated countries. The principal investigator of the Polish research team must hold at least a PhD degree.

The primary aim of the call is to combine the resources, infrastructures, and strengths of multiple countries in order to facilitate research projects supporting the development or improvement of existing strategies, tools, technologies, and methods to support the prudent and rational use of antimicrobials. This can be achieved by focusing on diagnosis of infections caused by resistant microorganisms, on detection of resistant microorganisms, and/or collection, analysis and use of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and antimicrobial use (AMU) data.

25 organisations from 18 countries will participate in the call: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Estonia, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, Moldova, Netherlands, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom. The participation of the partners from least developed countries (LDC) will be financed by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).

Updated 31.01.2023: Hungary joined the countries participating in the call. The Call text and pre-proposal form have been updated accordingly.

Due to the Russian invasion against Ukraine, the NCN Council has decided that proposals involving any cooperation between Polish and Russian institutions will be deemed ineligible (including cooperation with non-funded partners from the Russian Federation)

The estimated call budget is around 18.8 million EUR. The Polish research teams participating in the call will be funded by the National Science Centre (NCN), which has allocated 1,000,000 EUR for that purpose.

Call timeline:

  • International level (two stages)

A joint proposal is drafted by the Polish research teams in cooperation with foreign partners (in English) at the first and second stage of the international call and submitted electronically to the international submission system by the leader of the international consortium.

  • Stage 1: 7 March 2023, 2:00 pm CET – submission deadline for pre-proposals. Please note: Polish applicants must consult the project budget with the NCN (by e-mail) but must not submit any official documents to the NCN at pre-proposal submission stage;
  • Stage 2: 4 July 2023 – submission deadline for full proposals.
  • National level (single stage)

An NCN proposal concerning the Polish part of the project is drafted by the Polish research team at the national level and submitted to the NCN electronically via the OSF electronic submission system. The budget of the Polish part of the project in the joint proposal must be calculated at the following exchange rate: 1 EUR = 4.7244 PLN.

NCN proposals (NCN UNISONO) must be submitted by the Polish research teams within 7 days of submitting full proposals at the international level by 11 July 2023, 4 pm CEST.

  • Call results:

November 2023: publishing the list of projects recommended for funding

January – March 2024: project start date

Researchers interested in the call may:

  • participate in the webinar on 24 January 2023, 12.00-13.30 CET. Please use Invajo link to register;
  • use the Partner Search Tool to find project partners.

Please read:

  • the call documents available on the JPIAMR network’s website (applicable to all applicants);
  • information for applicants applying for NCN funding specified below and annexes hereto.

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Who may apply for NCN funding?

Please note: The call documents available on the JPIAMR webpage contain information on the composition and number of international consortia.

NCN proposals may be submitted to the NCN by the following entities specified in Article 27 (1) of the NCN Act, hereinafter: the “applicants”:

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

If research projects are to be carried out by two or more Polish entities applying for NCN funding, they must set up a group of entities and as such submit NCN proposals. NCN proposals are submitted by a leader specified in the research project cooperation agreement concluded by the group of entities. An entity employing the principal investigator acts as the leader of the group of entities. 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.

If the applicant is a natural person, the host institution must not be a group of entities or entity for which project funding constitutes state aid.

Who may act as a principal investigator?

The principal investigator of the Polish research team must hold at least a PhD degree. Additional restrictions are described in detail in Chapter IV (§13-18) 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.

The principal investigator must be a person employed by the host institution for the project for the entire project duration period pursuant to at least a part-time employment contract. The principal investigator must reside in Poland for at least 50% of the project duration period. This period includes business trips necessary for the project, in particular involving fieldwork, participation in scientific conferences and/or library and archive research.

What are the topics covered by the call?

Detailed information on the subject of the call can be found in the JPI AMR Call Text.

NCN funding proposals must concern basic research for the purposes of Article 2 (1) of the NCN Act.

NCN basic research proposals comprising research tasks overlapping with research tasks covered by 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 either 24 or 36 months.

How should the Polish 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 jolanta.palowska@ncn.gov.pl by 1 March 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 laid down in the Types of costs in research projects funded by the National Science Centre under within the 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.

Polish research teams may be awarded funds to cover salaries for members of the Polish research team, salaries and scholarships for students and/or PhD students, purchase or construction of research equipment, devices and software and other costs crucial to the research project.

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

When developing the budget, the following must be taken into account:

  • the budget of the Polish research team in the joint proposal should be consistent with the budget in the NCN proposal in the OSF;
  • the budget in the joint proposal must be quoted in EUR, while the budget in the NCN proposal in the OSF, in PLN, rounded down to total values;
  • 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 = 4.7244 PLN.

Indirect costs may 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. The host institution must arrange with the principal investigator in the project for the distribution of at least 25% of the indirect costs’ value.

NCN funding will be awarded for research projects carried out by the Polish research in the case of which foreign partners receive parallel funding.

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

The terms of the call do not specify the maximum number of the research team members. To find out more about the costs of salaries and scholarships, please read the Annex (Costs in research projects funded by the National Science Centre under international calls carried out as multilateral collaboration UNISONO). Please note that persons employed as post-docs in the project must be recruited in an open call procedure. Persons to be selected in an open call procedure, including post-docs, must not be named in joint proposals or NCN proposals. To find out more about the post-doc employment criteria, please read the Annex (Costs in research projects funded by the National Science Centre under international calls carried out as multilateral collaboration UNISONO).

Can proposals in this call include application for state aid?

Yes. To find out more, 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 members of the JPIAMR network and the Secretariat of the JPIAMR-ACTION call.

NCN proposals are subject solely to an NCN eligibility check performed by the scientific coordinators, which involves verification of NCN proposals for completeness, compliance with all terms set forth in the call documents and Resolution No 28/2022 of the NCN Council, including compliance of the budget with the Annex (“Costs in research projects funded by the National Science Centre under international calls carried out as multilateral collaboration UNISONO ”). Information in the NCN proposals must comply with information in the joint proposals and the joint proposals annexed to the NCN proposals must comply with the full proposals.

Joint proposals approved as eligible are subject to merit-based evaluation of the international expert team pursuant to the call procedure.

Who performs the merit-based evaluation of proposals?

Only joint proposals approved as eligible are subject to merit-based evaluation performed by the international expert team appointed by the Secretariat of the JPIAMR-ACTION call pursuant to the call procedure. Proposals recommended for funding will be verified for compliance with the ethics standards pursuant to the guidelines included in the call documents.

When and how will the results be announced?

The JPIAMR-ACTION call will be concluded on the date specified in the call documents (November 2023). Firstly, project coordinators will be informed about the outcome. Polish research teams will be notified by way of decisions of the NCN Director.

What is the appeal procedure?

In the event of a breach of the call procedure or other formal infringements related to actions performed by the NCN, the applicant may appeal against the decision of the NCN Director with the Committee of Appeals of the NCN Council within 14 days of the date the decision has been served.

Open Access Policy

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 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 (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;
  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).

Personal data protection

When submitting a proposal to the JPIAMR call, all partners of the consortium specified in the proposal must grant their consent for personal data processing by the JPIAMR pursuant to the EU Directive on the General Data Protection (UE 2016/679), including transfer of persona data to third countries (outside the EU/EEA).

Where can additional information be found?

To find out more about the call, please go to the JPIAMR network’s website. To find out more about the terms and regulations on awarding NCN funding in the call, please read Resolution No 28/2022 of the NCN Council.

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

Dr Monika Pobiega

monika.pobiega@ncn.gov.pl

(before calling, make an e-mail appointment)

Jolanta Palowska

jolanta.palowska@ncn.gov.pl

Show number

Joint Call Secretariat (JCS)

National Science Centre Poland, JPI.AMR@ncn.gov.pl

Call documents

The JPIAMR 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 (to be published at the full proposal submission stage when full proposals are submitted).
  4. Agreement on the formation of a group of entities for the purposes of completion of the research project
  5. State aid rules
  6. Proposal submission procedure in the calls launched by the National Science Centre
  7. Guidelines for applicants to complete the data management plan form in the proposal
  8. Guidelines for applicants to complete the ethics issues form in the proposal
  9. Code of the National Science Centre on research integrity and applying for research funding
  10. Regulations for awarding scholarships in NCN-funded research projects
  11. Open access policy at the NCN
  12. Guidelines: Open Access
  13. Service of decisions of the NCN Director under international calls launched by the National Science Centre and carried out in multilateral cooperation
  14. Guidelines for appealing against the NCN Director’s decisions
  15. Personal data processing at NCN since 25 May 2018 (GDPR)
  16. Order establishing a procedure for conducting audits on Host Institution’s premises
  17. Guidelines for entities auditing the implementation of research projects funded by the National Science Centre
  18. Evaluation of monographs in research projects funded by the National Science Centre

Webinars for applicants

Tue, 01/17/2023 - 12:00
Kod CSS i JS

Check out our calendar of online information meetings for research faculty and PhD students, facilitated by NCN Coordinators.

In 2023, our online information meetings will be divided into modules: each webinar will be devoted to one of the following subjects: our call portfolio, proposal evaluation or final report evaluation.

MODULES:

1. NCN call portfolio. Domestic and international calls

Dates: 21 March, 27 March, 28 March, 5 June, 6 June, 7 June, 4 October, 5 October, 6 October.

  • Domestic calls
  • International calls
  • Proposal submission restrictions
  • Call schedule
  • Call documents: where to look for information and how to read it?

Duration: 30 min.

2. Proposal structure

Dates: 16 May, 16 November.

  • Research outline, methodology
  • Principal investigator and team members: profile and skills
  • Budget
  • Ethical issues and data management plans

Duration: 30 min.

3. Proposal evaluation

Dates: 19 May, 14 November.

  • Eligibility check
  • Merit-based evaluation: who performs the evaluation? What do experts focus on?
    • Evaluation form – merit-based evaluation
    • Evaluation of the research record
    • Evaluation of the budget 
    • Other evaluation criteria (ethics, data management plan)
    • Individual opinions and final decisions

Duration: 30 min.

4. Project billing. Final reports

Dates: 18 May, 10 October.

  • Information to include in the report
  • Final report evaluation (eligibility checks, merit-based evaluation)
  • Most common mistakes

Duration: 30 min.

Research centres wishing to organise an online meeting for their staff are kindly requested to choose a module and a date, and send an application form to this e-mail address.

We will make every effort to accept as many applications as possible. However, due to system constraints, we cannot guarantee that every centre will be able to access the webinar. The decision will depend on the number of participants and the order of submission of applications.

To get more information, contact our coordinator, Dr Katarzyna Jarecka-Stępień. Call her at

or write her an e-mail.