ERC Advanced grant for a philosopher from the University of Łódź

Mon, 07/18/2022 - 15:37
Kod CSS i JS

Prof. Andrzej Indrzejczak from the University of Łódź and NCN grant winner has been awarded an Advanced Grant by the European Research Council. He is the second AdG winner and fourteenth researcher working at a Polish research institute with an ERC grant awarded this year.

Prof. Andrzej Indrzejczak is a logician and author of numerous papers on proof theory and non-classic logics. He teaches logic, philosophy and fundamentals of computer science. He is the Head of the Department of Logic and Methodology of Science at the Faculty of Philosophy and History of the University of Łódź. The European Research Council will fund his research entitled “Coming to Terms: Proof Theory Extended to Definite Descriptions and other Terms”. His project will be carried out at the Centre for the Philosophy of Nature of the University of Łódź which conducts interdisciplinary research in the area of philosophy, natural science, physics and mathematics.

He is a winner of two NCN grants awarded under the OPUS call for proposals. His current project focuses on the investigation of some important proof systems for nonclassical logics.

In April 2022, an ERC Advanced Grant was awarded to Prof. Wojciech Knap from the Institute of High Pressure Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences, leader of the project entitled “Towards On-Chip Plasmonic Amplifiers of THz Radiation”.

Advanced Grants are dedicated to well-established and outstanding researchers with significant research achievements. In March 2022, the ERC also awarded Consolidator Grants. The winners of the call addressed at researchers with 7-12 years of experience since completion of PhD included two researchers from Poland. At the beginning of the year, the ERC awarded Starting Grants addressed at researchers with 2-7 years of experience since completion of their PhD. It was a record-breaking edition of StG for Poland with 10 grants awarded to researchers from the Polish research institutions. They are all also NCN grant winners.

A list of Polish winners, including winners of the previous editions of ERC calls, is available on the website of the National Contact Point.

fot. M. Kaźmierczak/Uniwersytet Warszawskifot. M. Kaźmierczak/Uniwersytet Warszawski An interactive map of ERC-funded research projects is available on the website of the European Research Council.

This month, the European Research Council awarded the “Public Engagement with Research Award” addressed at ERC grant winners who perform research involving non-research communities. Dr Artur Obłuski, an archaeologist from the University of Warsaw is one of nine winners of the call. He is also a grant winner of two NCN calls. Dr Obłuski carries out his research in Old Dongola in today’s Sudan. In his work he considers the local point of view and traditional knowledge on cultural heritage.

The Work Programme of the future ERC calls 

NCN grant recipients may take part in the ERC Mentoring Initiative aimed to support researchers applying to ERC calls in their preparation of proposals.

NCN initiatives for Ukrainian researchers: a presentation

Wed, 07/06/2022 - 18:53
Kod CSS i JS

fot.  Jan Bielecki dla NCNfot. Jan Bielecki dla NCN “Countries like Poland need to remember that the heroic struggle that Ukrainians are engaged in while fighting for their country is, in its essence, also a struggle for our freedom. It is our historical duty to help them in their plight”, said Professor Zbigniew Błocki, Director of the National Science Centre, during an event held to present the NCN’s initiatives targeted at Ukrainian researchers. The meeting took place on 6 July 2022 at the headquarters of the NCN.

The National Science Centre has been involved in delivering assistance to Ukrainian academics from the very start, launching a number of initiatives that have thus far allowed Polish academic and research centres to hire nearly 100 Ukrainian researchers. During the first days of the war, it drafted a special programme to enable Ukrainian researchers to continue their research in Poland, which is now commissioned by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. We have also made it possible to hire refugee researchers under current NCN projects.

More informations

“The NCN was the first research institution to express its solidarity in the wake of the Russian aggression. We are grateful for the support we’ve already received, but also for the fact that you haven’t stopped helping us. This Polish-Ukrainian research cooperation should be continued even in difficult times, such as the ones we’re facing today”, said Dr Olga Polotska, Head of the National Research Foundation of Ukraine.

dr Olga Polotska, fot. Jan Bielecki dla NCNdr Olga Polotska, fot. Jan Bielecki dla NCN During the meeting in Kraków, we also announced a new programme for young Ukrainian researchers, funded under the EEA and Norway Grants.

In the coming weeks, the NCN is going to announce a scholarship programme for Ukrainian researchers without a PhD degree. These special scholarships will be paid out for 6 to 12 months; their holders can spend at least half of that time in Ukraine and carry out their grants remotely.  The scholarships will allow around 20 Ukrainian researchers to conduct  projects at Polish academic and research centres. The programme is financed from a bilateral fund of more than 250 thousand euro.

dr Olha Kryvosheia-Zakharova i jej mentorka, dr hab. Agata Wojtal, prof. IOP PAN, fot. Jan Bielecki dla NCNdr Olha Kryvosheia-Zakharova i jej mentorka, dr hab. Agata Wojtal, prof. IOP PAN, fot. Jan Bielecki dla NCN The NCN is also planning to continue its special programme for Ukrainian researchers with a PhD degree, commissioned by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. In the next edition, the programme will be funded under the EEA and Norway Grants, and researchers will once again be able to spend at least half of the grant period in Ukraine.

In both programmes, applicants will need to explain how they are planning to integrate with the Polish research community and outline the benefits that their new skills and experience will bring to Ukrainian science.

prof. Halyna Naienko i dr hab. Zofia Brzozowska z Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego, fot. Jan Bielecki dla NCNprof. Halyna Naienko i dr hab. Zofia Brzozowska z Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego, fot. Jan Bielecki dla NCN “We should adopt a broader perspective, look ahead to the future, and think of what will come after the war. Our programmes should support research in Ukraine and not aim to keep Ukrainian researchers in Poland. I really believe we can build a good future together”, said Professor Jacek Kuźnicki, President of the NCN Council, in the closing words of his statement.

During the meeting, two Ukrainian women who now work in Poland under NCN-funded grants talked about their research. Dr Olha Kryvosheia-Zakharova and her mentor, Dr hab. Agata Wojtal, professor at the Institute of Nature Conservation, PAS, presented a project on the biodiversity of selected water ecosystems in Poland. Dr hab. Zofia Brzozowska and Prof. Halyna Naienko from the University of Łódź talked about their project entitled “Linguistic differentiation of Slavia Orthodoxa at the dawn of modernity: continuity and change. A Mixed-Methods study”, conducted by an interdisciplinary team of medieval and Paleo-Slavic scholars at the Faculty of Philology in the University of Łódź.

The meeting was attended by the Consul General of Ukraine and the Honorary Consul of the Kingdom of Norway, Ukrainian NCN grant winners and their Polish mentors, representatives of academic and research institutions, as well as members of the NCN Council and NCN staff. The event was held under the auspices of the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda.

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MINIATURA 6 results for proposals submitted in March

Thu, 06/23/2022 - 14:14
Kod CSS i JS

56 researchers from all over Poland will have their research tasks funded within the framework of MINIATURA 6. Thanks to the NCN, they will be able to conduct preliminary and pilot studies or go overseas to complete a research fellowship, library research or a study visit.

The new ranking list of successful research proposals in the field of art, humanities and social sciences features projects that propose a multifaceted analysis of the function of the family. Dr Zofia Jakubów-Rosłan from the University of Warsaw will conduct library research at the State Library in Berlin to study the role of the family in contemporary Chinese literature. Dr hab. Kataszyna Kopecka-Piech from the Maria Skłodowska-Curie University in Lublin will investigate the challenges of a family digital detox in a task entitled Disconnect to reconnect. Rola aktywności fizycznej w rodzinnym detoksie cyfrowym [Disconnect to reconnect. The role of physical activity in a family digital detox]. The importance of technology and the web in the context of human relationships will also be the subject addressed by Dr Monika Franiak from the Silesian University of Katowice in a project entitled  Technologiczno-medialny pomost umacniający korzenie polskie wśród dzieci w rodzinach polsko-chorwackich zrzeszonych wokół placówek edukacji polonijnej w Zagrzebiu i Splicie – perspektywa pre- i postpandemiczna. [A bridge of technology and media to strengthen the Polish roots of children from Polish-Croatian families attending Polish diaspora education facilities in Zagreb and Split. A pre- and post-pandemic perspective.]

Among projects in life sciences, particularly interesting are those related to different types of stress. Dr Justyna Dorf from the Medical University in Białystok will conduct preliminary research on oxidative stress (Czy stres oksydacyjny może być czynnikiem warunkującym ciężki przebieg COVID-19? [Can oxidative stress contribute to severe COVID-19?]), while Dr Patryk Janus from the Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Institute of Oncology will study proteotoxic stress under a task entitled Poszukiwanie transkryptów fuzyjnych powstałych podczas stresu proteotoksycznego [Searching for fusion transcripts generated during proteotoxic stress].

To learn about all the subjects covered by this round’s successful proposals, consult the complete ranking list.

Funding awarded per panel:

  • Art, Humanities and Social Sciences – 331,894 PLN
  • Physical Sciences and Engineering – 866,396 PLN
  • Life Sciences – 834,723 PLN

The total budget of all tasks that made the cut for the second ranking list of MINIATURA 6 exceeds 2.03 million zlotys.

Ranking list (in Polish)

The objective of the MINIATURA call is to finance individual research activities conducted for the purposes of preparing a future research project to be submitted under an NCN call or other domestic and international calls for proposals. The sixth edition offered grants from 5,000 to 50,000 PLN, and the total budget of the call is 20 million.

These resources are assigned proportionally throughout the call period, and a proposal can only be awarded funding as long as its cost falls under the call budget slated for a given month. Because so many proposals are submitted during the last month before the deadline, we would like to encourage you not to postpone your submission until the last moment.

The preliminary research, pilot studies, library research, research fellowship, research or study trip funded under the call may take up to 12 months to complete. The call is open to researchers who earned their PhD no earlier than on 1 January 2010, have never conducted an NCN-funded research project and whose scientific achievements include at least one published paper or at least one artistic achievement or achievement in research in art. Winners of NCN-funded PhD scholarships or research fellowships are barred from applying, as are applicants, principal investigators or fellowship candidates in projects submitted or qualified for funding under other NCN calls.  As of the day of submission, applicants must be legally employed at the institution at which they are planning to carry out their task.

Proposals are accepted on a rolling basis until 4 pm on 31 July 2022.

Decisions

On 23 June 2022, we dispatched positive and negative decisions for calls submitted under MINIATURA 6 in March 2022.

Justifications are available in the OSF system. Please check the status of your proposal in the system.

Please remember that the decisions are sent electronically to the ESP ePUAP address indicated in your proposal. If you have not received a decision, please make sure that the ESP address listed in the proposal is correct. If not, contact the person in charge of the proposal, as indicated in the ZSUN/OSF system.

 

OPUS 22 + LAP/WEAVE ranking lists for bilateral research projects carried out jointly with Slovenian research teams

Wed, 06/22/2022 - 15:57
Kod CSS i JS

We know the first results of the OPUS 22 + LAP/WEAVE call for proposals under which researchers at any stage of their research career could apply for funding of bilateral research projects carried out in international collaboration under the WEAVE Programme.

Research projects carried out jointly with jointly by the Polish and Slovenian research teams were evaluated pursuant to the Lead Agency Procedure (LAP). The NCN acted as the lead agency which means that submitted proposals were evaluated together with domestic proposals under the OPUS call and they were recommended for funding on this basis. The Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS) approved the results of evaluation of OPUS LAP proposals performed by the National Science Centre and carried out in bilateral collaboration. 

8 Polish and Slovenian research projects for a total of nearly 13 million PLN were recommended for funding: three projects in Life Sciences, four in Physical Sciences and Engineering and one in Arts and Humanities. Research tasks carried out by the Polish research teams will be funded by the National Science Centre, while the ARRS will fund the tasks carried out by the Slovenian research teams. 

OPUS 22 + LAP/WEAVE Ranking Lists

In the second round of the OPUS call for proposals concluded on 23 May 2022, the NCN received  1,866 proposals for a total of nearly 2.3 billion PLN. Funding was awarded to 358 domestic proposals carried out by Polish and Slovenian research teams with a total value of nearly 513 million PLN. The winning proposals will soon include the OPUS LAP proposals that are now approved by the partner agencies from Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany and Switzerland. The OPUS 22 + LAP ranking lists will be successively completed. The OPUS LAP call timeline:

  • call with the participation of foreign research teams from Austria, the Czech Republic and Switzerland: by the end of July 2022,
  • call with the participation of research teams from Germany: by the end of October 2022.

Lead Agency Procedure 

The Lead Agency Procedure (LAP) is a new proposal review standard adopted by European research-funding agencies, designed to make it easier for international research teams to seek funding for joint research projects, as well as to streamline the process of proposal review by research-funding agencies. Projects that involve research teams from different countries are reviewed only at one institution, known as the lead agency, relevant to one of the teams participating in the call, under a scheme from its regular call portfolio. The results of merit-based evaluation performed by the lead agency are approved by all the other institutions, which then award funding to research projects recommended for funding in the course of such evaluation.

Including LAP in the OPUS 22 call enabled Polish researchers to apply for:

  • research projects carried out in cooperation pursuant to the Lead Agency Procedure (“LAP cooperation”) under the Weave programme, i.e. in cooperation with foreign research teams from Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Germany or Switzerland that apply for funding to their respective research-funding institutions under the Weave programme, i.e. FWF, GAČR, ARRS, DFG or SNSF;
  • research projects within the framework of LAP cooperation under the Weave programme, with the participation of foreign partners that do not apply for funding for that purpose under the Weave programme or with the additional use of large international research equipment.

POLONEZ BIS 2 overview

Wed, 06/22/2022 - 12:50
Kod CSS i JS

Thank you to all 153 applicants in the POLONEZ BIS 2 call.

153 scientists from 37 countries applied in the POLONEZ BIS 2 call to conduct their research projects in host institutions across Poland. The call attracted 42 (27%) proposals in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, 78 (51%) in Physical Sciences and Engineering, and 33 (22%) in Life Sciences.

The proposals will now undergo an eligibility check, after which they will be evaluated by independent international experts and reviewers. The results of the call will be known at the beginning of December 2022.

We may be contacting the Applicants during the eligibility check and at the end of each evaluation stage, so please check your mailboxes for messages from the NCN.

If you have missed the call, we encourage you to apply for POLONEZ BIS 3, scheduled to open on 15 September 2022.

The POLONEZ BIS Coordination Team is at your disposal for any questions: do not hesitate to contact us at polonez@ncn.gov.pl.

About POLONEZ BIS

POLONEZ BIS is a fellowship programme co-funded by the European Commission and the National Science centre under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie COFUND grant addressed at foreign researchers who intend to pursue their research career at the Polish research institutions. POLONEZ BIS, unlike any other grant programme, combines research, fellowship in non-academic institutions and soft skill development programmes.

50 researchers from all over the world were recruited in the first round of POLONEZ BIS. The final (third) round will start on 15 September 2022 and end on 15 December 2022. The winners will move to Poland for 24 months to conduct their basic research projects in public or private institutions of their choice. The programme will ensure full-time employment for researchers and additional funds for their research projects.

Programme funding may be pursued by any researcher, regardless of nationality, research subject or discipline. Funding proposals may be submitted by researchers with a PhD degree or at least four years of full-time research experience who have lived and worked outside of Poland for at least two years before the launch of the call. The applicants submitting funding proposals together with the Polish host institutions (i.e. their future employers) are free to choose the research subject and discipline. 120 researchers will move to Poland under POLONEZ BIS.

Five Polish-Swiss projects selected under OPUS 22

Wed, 06/22/2022 - 12:04
Kod CSS i JS

We now know the new winners of the OPUS 22 LAP, a call for researchers at any stage of their research career, organised within the framework of international cooperation under the WEAVE programme

A total of nearly 8 million PLN in funding was awarded to five Polish-Swiss projects. These include four projects in Physical Sciences and Engineering, which analyse the properties of various materials (polymers, composites and metals) and test the lifetime and degradation mechanisms of perovskite devices. The fifth project belongs to Life Sciences and examines the long-term impact of a large starch intake in early life on later rumen function.

Research tasks carried out by Polish teams will be funded by the National Science Centre, while those of Swiss teams will receive funding from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF).

Polish-Swiss projects were evaluated pursuant to the Lead Agency Procedure (LAP), with the NCN acting as the lead agency. This means that all projects had to undergo a review process together with other domestic proposals under the OPUS call and it was the results of that review that determined whether or not they were recommended for funding.

OPUS 22 + LAP/WEAVE ranking lists

OPUS 22 + LAP/Weave list for bilateral Polish-Swiss projects (pdf)

The results of OPUS 22 were announced on 23 May 2022; the call had attracted 1866 submissions, out of which 350 domestic proposals were selected for funding. In June, we learned the names of eight more OPUS winners, working with Slovenian partners, and now the group has grown to include 5 researchers cooperating with Swiss teams. The list is expected to grow even further, as it is supplemented by OPUS LAP projects that are now under review for approval by partner agencies in Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic. OPUS 22 + LAP ranking lists will be successively expanded.

The OPUS LAP funding decision schedule is as follows:

• for projects carried out in cooperation with foreign research teams from Austria and the Czech Republic – by the end of July 2022.

• for projects carried out in cooperation with foreign research teams from Germany – by the end of October 2022.

Lead Agency Procedure – LAP

The LAP procedure is a new proposal evaluation standard adopted by European research-funding institutions, designed to facilitate the funding application process for international research teams and streamline proposal review. Projects that involve research teams from two or three countries are only assessed at one partner institution, known as the lead agency, appropriate for one of the teams, within the framework of a domestic call from its portfolio. The other partner institutions agree to accept the results of this merit-based review and award funding for projects approved by the lead agency.

The LAP path under OPUS 22 allowed researchers to request funding:

• for projects carried out in cooperation with foreign teams from Austria, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Germany or Switzerland, which apply in parallel to their domestic research-funding agencies (FWF, GAČR, ARRS, DFG or SNSF) within the framework of the Weave programme, and

• in LAP cooperation under the Weave programme, with the participation of foreign partners who are not applying for funds under the Weave programme or for projects that use large research equipment.

Decision delivery

All the positive and negative decisions for OPUS 22 LAP proposals submitted in bilateral cooperation with Swiss partners were sent out on 1 July 2022. Please remember that the decisions of the NCN Director are delivered to the applicant electronically, to the address indicated in the proposal.

If the applicant is an entity mentioned in Article 27 (1)-(7) and (9) of the Act on the National Science, the decision will only be delivered to the Electronic Delivery Box (ESP ePUAP) provided in the proposal. If the applicant is a natural person and has listed an ePUAP address in the proposal, the decision will be sent to that address. Otherwise, a message will be sent to the applicant’s indicated e-mail account, containing a link from which the decision of the NCN Director can be downloaded.

The funding decisions of the Director of the National Science Centre are also communicated to the principal investigator and, if the applicant is a natural person, to the host institution indicated in the proposal.

If you do not receive a decision, please make sure that the address (ESP, ePUAP, e-mail) listed in your proposal is correct. If not, contact the person in charge of the proposal, as indicated in the ZSUN/OSF system.

OPUS 24: announcing the upcoming call for proposals under the LAP (Weave) scheme

Mon, 06/20/2022 - 16:17
Kod CSS i JS

On 15 September 2022, we will announce the OPUS 24 call for research proposals, including projects submitted under the Lead Agency Procedure (LAP) within the framework of the Weave programme.

Read on to get the most important information on this year’s edition of the call.

The OPUS 24 call is addressed at researchers at all stages of their academic careers, who are planning:

  • research projects without the participation of foreign partners,
  • research projects implemented by Polish research teams with the use of large international research equipment,
  • research projects with the participation of foreign partners that are not applying for funding for that purpose within the framework of the Weave programmes (however, the foreign teams may apply for funding under other research-funding programmes that are not co-organised by the NCN pursuant to the LAP),
  • research projects carried out in cooperation pursuant to the Lead Agency Procedure (“LAP cooperation”) under the Weave programme, i.e. in cooperation with foreign research teams that apply for funding to their respective research-funding institutions under the Weave programme,
  • research projects within the framework of LAP cooperation under the Weave programme, with the participation of foreign partners that do not apply for funding for that purpose under the Weave programme or with the additional use of large international research equipment.

What is the Weave programme?

Launched in early 2021, the Weave programme relies on multilateral cooperation between the research-funding institutions that make up the Science Europe association. It is designed to simplify the submission and selection procedures for research proposals in all disciplines of science that involve researchers from two or three European countries. The selection process is based on the Lead Agency Procedure (LAP), under which projects that involve research teams from two or three countries are only assessed at one partner institution, known as the lead agency, appropriate for one of the teams, within the framework of a domestic call from its portfolio. The other partner institutions agree to accept the results of this merit-based review and award funding for projects approved by the lead agency. Thanks to this simplified procedure, Weave allows researchers to cooperate internationally in any way or form they believe best matches the research project at hand.

As of 2022, the National Science Centre is cooperating with partner institutions from:

  • Austria (FWF – Austrian Science Fund),
  • Czech Republic (GAČR – Czech Science Foundation),
  • Slovenia (ARRS – Slovenian Research Agency),
  • Switzerland (SNSF – Swiss National Science Foundation),
  • Germany (DFG – German Research Foundation),
  • Luxembourg (FNR – Luxembourg National Research Fund),
  • Belgium – Flanders (FWO – Research Foundation – Flanders).

The NCN accepts proposals under:

  • the current Weave-UNISONO call – for domestic proposals, where joint proposals will be submitted to and reviewed at one of the foreign partner institutions as the lead agency;
  • the regular OPUS call announced every September – for domestic proposals submitted within the framework of the LAP cooperation, which will be reviewed at the NCN as the lead agency

The Weave programme replaced NCN’s bilateral cooperation programmes with Germany (BEETHOVEN), Austria (MOZART) and Switzerland (ALPHORN), as well as the multilateral cooperation scheme known as CEUS.

For more information, visit the website of the programme: Weave.

 LAP cooperation under OPUS 24

In its capacity as the lead agency, the National Science Centre will perform a merit-based review of OPUS LAP proposals submitted under OPUS 24 within the framework of the Weave programme, which involves research teams from Poland and countries such as Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Belgium-Flanders. The NCN will award funding to the Polish team; the foreign teams will receive their grants from relevant partner institutions.

International cooperation is not a prerequisite in OPUS 24 and proposals that involve foreign partners will not be given preferential treatment over those that do not.

OPUS 24 will accept OPUS LAP proposals:

  • prepared by Polish research teams in cooperation with foreign teams within the framework of the Weave programme and in accordance with the requirements specified in the call announcement, which will be published on the NCN website on 15 September 2022;
  • in any discipline included under an NCN panel;
  • for basic research projects that have never been funded from the NCN’s or any other resources;
  • with a balanced and complementary contribution of all research teams that simultaneously apply for funding to their relevant research-funding institutions under the Weave programme. This means that the contribution of each team involved in the project must be considerable and necessary, and their respective research tasks should complement one another to form a coherent joint research project. OPUS LAP projects that are judged not to meet this criterion by the expert team cannot qualify for funding.

Polish research teams can submit OPUS LAP proposals electronically via the OSF system (available online at https://osf.opi.org.pl) until 4 pm on 15 December 2022.

In addition, all foreign research teams involved in a given project must submit a funding application to their relevant institution, in accordance with its specific principles and deadlines under the Weave programme.

If a partner institution requires a copy of the OPUS LAP project, you may generate a complete English-language copy of the OPUS LAP proposal submitted to the OSF system in PDF format and submit it to the foreign research team.

PLEASE NOTE: the English-language versions of OPUS LAP proposals submitted to the NCN and the partner institution must be identical.

Contact

Coordinator

General contact

Get ready for the upcoming Biodiversa+ Call

Fri, 06/17/2022 - 09:37
Kod CSS i JS

Biodiversa+, the European Biodiversity Partnership under Horizon Europe is pleased to announce that it will soon launch a new transnational joint research call on the following topic: Improved transnational monitoring of biodiversity and ecosystem change for science and society.

This call will cover the following three non-exclusive research themes:

  • Innovation and harmonisation of methods and tools for collection and management of biodiversity monitoring data
  • Addressing knowledge gaps on biodiversity status, dynamics, and trends to reverse biodiversity loss
  • Making use of available biodiversity monitoring data

All environments (i.e. terrestrial, inland freshwater including wetlands, and marine) will be eligible. 

The call is planned to be officially launched on 8 September 2022. A two-step application procedure will be used with a closing date for pre-proposals early November 2022. A first evaluation of pre-proposals will be organised and the deadline to submit full proposals will be early April 2023.

For details please see the programme website, where a Partner Search Tool is available.

SAVE THE DATE: an information webinar for potential applicants will be organized on September 20th, 2022, from 3PM to 4:30PM CEST. To participate in this workshop, you can register here.

Millions of PLN for the best research projects and research teams in NCN calls for proposals

Wed, 06/15/2022 - 16:57
Kod CSS i JS

The new rounds of MAESTRO and SONATA BIS calls have just been launched and are open to proposals for funding of innovative basic research projects as well as projects aiming to establish a new research team. Researchers may be awarded a total amount of 140 million PLN for their research projects. SONATA BIS has a budget of 120 million PLN and MAESTRO 14, 20 million PLN.

MAESTRO is addressed at well-established and outstanding researchers aiming to conduct pioneering research, including interdisciplinary research, that goes beyond the current state of the art, and may result in scientific discoveries. The principal investigator must be at least a PhD holder who has acted as the principal investigator in at least two research projects funded in national or international calls for proposals over the last 10 years. They must have at least five papers published in renowned Polis or international academic press/ journals.

A new requirement has been introduced to MAESTRO 14 for applicants who are grant winners of another MAESTRO call. They may submit another funding proposal only if they are former ERC grant winners or have submitted a grant proposal to the ERC over the past 5 years which has been evaluated at least in stage I of the call.

MAESTRO is addressed at experienced researchers with significant academic and research track record. We reward outstanding research projects that involve cutting-edge research resulting in innovative results, says Prof. Jacek Kuźnicki from the International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw, President of the NCN Council.

MAESTRO 14 Call Text

SONATA BIS 12 is a call for research projects aiming to create a new research team to conduct basic research projects. The principal investigator must be a researcher with a PhD degree conferred within 5 to 12 years before the proposal submission year. This period may be extended if the principal investigator has had any career breaks. Principal investigator’s scientific achievements must include at least one paper published or accepted for publication. In the case of arts, the principal investigator must have at least one artistic achievement or achievement in research in arts.

SONATA 12 Call Text

Grants awarded under SONATA BIS are a great opportunity for early-stage researchers intending to create their first research teams. The NCN funding will provide them with financial stability allowing them to employ talented co-investigators and work on any research topics, even the most complex ones, says Prof. Jacek Kuźnicki.

Funds in the two calls may be designated for salaries and scholarships for research team members (including students and PhD students), purchase or manufacturing of research equipment and costs crucial to the research project. SONATA BIS 12 and MAESTRO 14 have no cap on project funding, and research must be planned for a period of 36, 48 or 60 months.

Proposals submitted to MAESTRO and SONATA BIS are evaluated in two stages. In stage I, a decision is taken by the expert team based on the individual reviews. In stage II, proposals are evaluated by the external reviewers who also interview the principal investigator. The following proposal evaluation criteria apply: quality and innovative nature of research, project impact on the advancement of the scientific discipline and scientific achievements of the principal investigator.

MAESTRO and SONATA BIS are launched in June and are major calls covered by our call portfolio. Over the last 11 years of our operation, the NCN has awarded 272 MAESTRO grants for a total amount of nearly 738 million PLN and 822 SONATA BIS grants for a total amount of over 1.4 billion PLN.

Proposals may submitted to the electronic submission system OSF  until 15 September 2022, 4 p.m. For more information, please read the MAESTRO 14 and SONATA BIS 12 Call Texts.

 

MAESTRO 14

Kod CSS i JS

15 June 2022

The National Science Centre (NCN) hereby launches the MAESTRO 14 call for research projects for well-established and outstanding researchers aiming to conduct pioneering research, including interdisciplinary research, which is significant for the development of science, goes beyond the current state of the art and that may result in scientific discoveries.

Researchers may be awarded funds to cover remuneration for the research team, including scholarships for students and PhD students, purchase or manufacturing of research equipment and for other costs crucial to the research project.

The MAESTRO 14 call budget is 20,000,000 PLN.

Proposals must be submitted electronically via the OSF submission system available at https://osf.opi.org.pl, in compliance with the proposal submission procedure. The proposal submission procedure is explained in the Guidelines for applicants to complete MAESTRO 14 proposals in the OSF submission system (available in English soon).

The proposal submission deadline in the OSF submission system is 15 September 2022, 4 p.m.

Please read the call documents included in this call text.

Please note: There is a new requirement for principal investigators who have managed a MAESTRO project and are intending to submit another proposal to the current call for proposals.

It has been already mentioned that under MAESTRO 14 principal investigators who have managed a research project funded under MAESTRO may submit a funding proposal for another research project under MAESTRO in so far as they meet at least one of the following conditions:

  • they are ERC grant winners,
  • they have submitted a grant proposal to the ERC over the past 5 years which has been evaluated at least in stage I of the call.

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Who may submit eligible proposals?

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

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 of 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 of 2020, item 2098);

5b. institutes operating within the Łukasiewicz Research Network;

6. Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences;

7. other entities involved in research independently on a continuous basis;

8. groups of entities (at least two entities mentioned in sections 1-9 or at least one institution as such together with at least one company);

9. scientific and industrial centres laid down in the Act on Research Institutes of 30 April 2010 (Journal of Laws of 2020, item 1383);

10. 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 of 2020, item 1796);

11. scientific libraries;

12. companies operating as R&D centres within the meaning of the Act on Certain Forms of Support for Innovative Activity of 30 May 2008 (Journal of Laws of 2021, item 706);

13. legal entities with registered office in Poland;

13a. President of the Central Office of Measures;

16. natural persons and;

17. companies conducting research in another organisational form than laid down in sections 1-13a.

Who may act as the principal investigator?

The principal investigator must be at least a PhD holder who, in the proposal submission year or over the period of 10 years (between 01.01.2012 and 15.09.2022; this period may not be extended by career breaks referred to in the proposal form) prior the proposal submission year:

  1. had at least five papers published in renowned Polish or international academic press/journals,
  2. acted as the principal investigator in at least two research projects funded under national or international calls for proposals (acting as a principal investigator shall also mean managing/ coordinating the work of a research group in international research projects or programmes);

    Please note: MINIATURA, UWERTURA, ETIUDA and FUGA are not calls for research projects.

  3. meets at least three of the following criteria:
    • has been a member of a scientific committee of at least one renowned international conference,
    • has published at least one monograph,
    • has delivered lectures at renowned international conferences, 
    • has received an international award or prize, 
    • is or was a member of renowned associations, international scientific organisations or academia,
    • has other significant scientific achievements,

and in the case of research in the field of arts, a person who is an author of works of art of international significance or works significant for the Polish culture and has actively participated in international exhibitions, festivals, artistic events in fine arts, music, theatre and film.

Scientific achievements should cover the period of the last 10 years prior to the proposal submission year (as of 2012). In specific cases, the period can be extended (§ 9 (6) (a) of the Resolution on the terms of the MAESTRO call).

Please note: A narrative CV is available from this edition of the call. We recommend to use the annexed (optional) template of the principal investigator’s academic and research track record.

Please note: Principal investigators who have managed a research project funded under MAESTRO may submit a funding proposal for another research project under MAESTRO in so far as they meet at least one of the following conditions:

  1. they are ERC grant winners,
  2. they have submitted a grant proposal to the ERC over the past 5 years which has been evaluated at least in stage I of the call.

Please note: At least five papers listed in the principal investigator’s scientific achievements section should have been published in the proposal submission year or over the period of 10 years prior to the proposal submission year (as of 2012).

Are there any restrictions on submitting proposals for research projects under the NCN calls?

Yes. Restrictions on submitting proposals are detailed in Chapter III of the Regulations on awarding funding for research tasks funded by the National Science Centre as regards research projects.

One must not act as the principal investigator in more than one research project financed under the MAESTRO call at the same time. Acting as a principal investigator applies to the period from the date of signing the funding agreement to the date of submitting the final report on the project.

The principal investigator must reside in Poland for at least 50% of the project duration period and be available to the participating entity for the project. The foregoing does not apply to documented project-related business trips as well as any holiday, time off work and other excused absences governed by applicable laws.

The principal investigator must be a person employed by the host institution for the research project under an employment contract at least on a half-time basis for the entire project duration period. The employment requirement does not apply to recipients of Social Security pension.

Please note: Principal investigators who have managed a research project funded under MAESTRO may submit a funding proposal for another research project under MAESTRO in so far as they meet at least one of the following conditions:

  1. they are ERC grant winners,
  2. they have submitted a grant proposal to the ERC over the past 5 years which has been evaluated at least in stage I of the call.

What is the subject-matter of the call?

Proposals may be submitted to the call covering basic research in any of 25 NCN panels comprising three groups:

  • HS – Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences;
  • ST – Physical Sciences and Engineering;
  • NZ – Life Sciences.

What is the project duration?

Under the call, research projects may be planned for a period of 36, 48 or 60 months.

What are the positions for members of the research team?

Pursuant to the Regulations, the tasks to be performed under the project include:

  1. creation of a new full-time post-doc type post(s) for the total period of at least 36 months pursuant to the Types of costs in research projects funded by the National Science Centre;
  2. engagement of a PhD student(s), for the total period of at least 36 months pursuant to the Types of costs in research projects funded by the National Science Centre;

A post-doc type post is a full-time post designated by the principal investigator for a person who has been awarded a PhD degree within 7 years before joining the project. This period may be extended pursuant to the Types of costs in research projects funded by the National Science Centre.

Please note: A post-doc type post can be occupied by a person who has been conferred a PhD degree by another entity than the one planning to employ him/her at this post or has completed a continuous and evidenced post-doctoral fellowship of at least 10 months in another entity than the participating entity and in another country than the one in which he/she have been conferred a PhD degree. A prospective post-doc must be selected in an open call. 

A PhD student who will receive an NCN scholarship for research must be selected in an open call.

Apart from the principal investigator and above-mentioned persons, research tasks in the project funded under the MAESTRO call may be performed by additional investigators, including:

  • senior researchers,
  • persons occupying a specialist supporting position,
  • students.

A senior researcher position is a full-time employment position co-financed by the participating entity employing the senior researcher and scheduled by the principal investigator for a person who has been conferred a PhD degree at least 7 years before the proposal submission date and has the expertise, unique competencies and experience necessary to perform the tasks in the project.

A specialist supporting position is a full-time employment position planned by the principal investigator for a person involved in solving project-related research problems, with specialist knowledge and experience, such as lab-managers, senior technicians, statistical analysts, etc.

Senior researchers and persons occupying specialist supporting positions must meet the requirements laid down in the Regulations.

However, the rationale for involvement of individual members of the research team in the project shall be evaluated by the expert team. The project must include the description of competencies and tasks to be performed by individual members of the research team. For more information on the budget for remuneration and scholarships, go to the Types of costs in research projects funded by the National Science Centre.

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

How can the project budget be planned?

The project budget must be well-justified as regards the subject and scope of research, based on realistic calculations and must specify the expenditures to be covered by the NCN (eligible costs).

The terms of the call do not specify the total minimum or maximum amount of funding that can be requested.

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

Direct costs include funds for:

  1. remuneration for the principal investigator: 220,000 PLN per annum if the principal investigator is employed full-time and up to 10,000 PLN per month if the principal investigator is employed otherwise;
  2. remuneration for co-investigators:
    • senior researcher position: 70,000 PLN per annum. PLEASE NOTE: The senior researcher position must be co-financed by the participating entity in the amount of at least 70,000 PLN per annum;
    • full-time remuneration for post-docs: 140,000 PLN per annum (which may be increased in well justified cases);
    • salaries and scholarships for students and PhD students (a total of 15,000 PLN per each month of project implementation);
    • 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;
  3. purchase or manufacturing of research equipment, devices and software;
  4. purchase of materials and small equipment;
  5. outsourced services;
  6. business trips, visits and consultations;
  7. compensation for collective investigators and
  8. other costs crucial to the research project which comply with the Types of costs in research projects funded by the National Science Centre.

Please note: The costs of publication of monographs resulting from research projects, as defined in §10 of the Regulation on evaluation of the quality of research activity issued by the Minister of Science and Higher Education on 22 February 2019 (Journal of Laws of 2019, item 392) are not eligible until positively reviewed by the NCN.

Indirect costs include:

If unjustified costs are planned, a proposal may be rejected.

More on costs in NCN-funded research projects.

Open access publication of research results

Together with other European research-funding institutions, the National Science Centre is a member of cOAlition S. Therefore, the NCN has adopted its 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 recognizes 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 in order No. 38/2020 + amendment.

Can proposals in this call include application for state aid?

Yes, unless funds are applied for by a natural person. For more information, go to the State aid section.

If a project is carried out in an entity, for which funding constitutes state aid, funds for students and PhD students may only be planned as remuneration for students and PhD students specified in the Types of costs in research projects funded by the National Science Centre.

Please note: All documents concerning proposals for state aid must be signed with a qualified electronic signature in the PAdES format.

What is the proposal evaluation procedure?

Proposals are subject to an eligibility check and merit based-evaluation.

Eligibility check is carried out by the scientific coordinators. Only complete proposals that meet all requirements of the call text are recommended for merit-based evaluation. A proposal may also be rejected as ineligible at the later stage of evaluation.

Eligible proposals are subject to merit-based evaluation performed in two stages:

Stage I: 

  • individual reviews are drafted by two members of the Team and presented at the first session. In the case of a proposal which is assigned an auxiliary NCN review panel specifying disciplines covered by NCN review panels other than the one to which the proposal was submitted, the chair of the team may decide to seek another review from a member of another team;
  • the team decides on the evaluation of the proposal based on the individual reviews;
  • a list of proposals recommended for stage II is agreed upon; and
  • justifications for the final decision on proposals not recommended for stage II of evaluation are drafted.

The data included in the proposal and annexes thereto (with the exception of the full project description) are evaluated throughout stage I.

Please note: Proposals which are assigned at least one auxiliary review panel from another panel than the one to which they are submitted and identified by the chair as requiring an additional individual review are deemed interdisciplinary proposals. In well-justified cases, interdisciplinary proposals are subject to an additional expert review at the stage I of evaluation.

Stage II:

  • individual reviews are made by at least two reviewers based on the data included in the proposal and annexes thereto, with the exception of the short project description. In specific cases, derogations are allowed from the number of individual reviews. The coordinator must justify the reasons for the derogation to the Director;
  • the reviews drafted by the reviewers are presented by the experts at the second session;
  • an interview with the principal investigator is held by the experts, of which the principal investigator must be notified 14 days in advance;
  • the Coordinator must provide the principal investigator, within 7 days before the interview, with the reviews of the proposal drafted by the experts and reviewers;
  • the principal investigator must participate in the interview held in Polish or in English at the NCN’s offices. The language of the interview depends on the terms of the call and composition of the committee. In MAESTRO, interviews are held in English;
  • in exceptional and well-justified cases, the NCN will allow for an interview to be held via available telecommunications tools;
  • failure to attend the interview is regarded as withdrawal from applying for funding in the call;
  • the final decision on the proposal is agreed upon by the team based on the reviews drafted by the reviewers and results of the interview;
  • a ranking list of proposals is compiled, specifying proposals recommended for funding; and
  • justifications for the final decisions are drafted for proposals not recommended for funding. 

An interview with the principal investigator at stage II of the merit-based evaluation will be held in English in January/ February 2023.

Additional information on the proposal evaluation procedure can be found in the Detailed procedure for evaluating proposals by the expert teams.

Please note: The short and full project descriptions must only be drafted in English.

What is reviewed in the evaluation of proposals?

The evaluation of proposals focuses in particular on:

  1. compliance with the criteria of basic research,
  2. principal investigator’s compliance with the criteria of well-established and outstanding researcher laid down in §6 of the Resolution on the terms and conditions of the MAESTRO call,
  3. quality and innovative nature of research or tasks to be performed,
  4. impact of the research project on the advancement of the scientific discipline,
  5. assessment of the feasibility of the research,
  6. scientific achievements of the principal investigator, including publications in renowned academic press/ journals,
  7. assessment of the results of research projects conducted by the principal investigator and funded by the NCN or from other sources,
  8. relevance of the costs with regards to the subject and scope of the research, and
  9. preparation of the proposal and compliance with other requirements set forth in the call text.

Please note: Proposals with a zero score or “no” decision agreed by the expert team in any reviewed criterion must not be recommended for funding. The foregoing does not apply to the data management evaluation criteria and evaluation criteria of ethics issues in research.

Who performs the merit-based evaluation of proposals?

Proposals are evaluated by inter-panel teams (consisting of experts from respective panels, i.e. HZ, ST or NZ).

In the case of a proposal which is assigned an auxiliary review panel specifying disciplines covered by other NCN panels than the one to which the proposal is submitted, the chair of the expert team may decide to seek a second opinion from a member of another expert team.

Experts are selected by the NCN Council from among eminent Polish and foreign researchers who are at least PhD holders. Expert teams are established for each call edition. The composition of the expert team is subject to the number and subjects of proposals submitted to each panel.

When and how will the results be announced?

Where can additional information be found?

Useful information

If you are intending to submit a proposal to MAESTRO 14:

  1. read all call documents included in the call text, in particular:
  1. collect data from the applicant that is required to complete the proposal and find out about the internal procedures that may affect the proposal and project performance (project costs, procedure for acquiring signature(s) of authorised representative(s) of the institution to confirm submission of the proposal); if the proposal is submitted by a group of Polish entities, draw up a Research project cooperation agreement, and
  2. prepare letters of acceptance from publishers confirming that the paper has been accepted for publication (when the scientific achievements section includes papers accepted for publication but not published yet).

Before the proposal is submitted to NCN:

  1. check if all information in and annexes to the proposal are correct. Verification of the proposal for completeness in the OSF submission system by pressing the Sprawdź kompletność [Check completeness] button does not guarantee that information has been entered correctly and that the required annexes have been attached;
  2. make sure that all tabs are completed in the correct language;
  3. disable editing of the final version of the proposal to NCN; and
  4. download the confirmation of proposal submission that needs to be signed by the principal investigator and authorised representative(s) of the host institution.

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

Upon the end of the call for proposals:

  1. evaluation of proposals will be carried out,
  2. after each stage of evaluation, the funding decision of the NCN Director will be announced,  
  3. if the proposal is recommended for funding, a funding agreement will be entered into and
  4. the project will be carried out pursuant to the funding agreement and Regulations on the implementation of research projects, fellowships and scholarships.  

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

  1. Terms and conditions of the MAESTRO call
  2. Regulations on awarding funding for research tasks funded by the National Science Centre as regards research projects
  3. NCN panels
  4. Regulations on awarding scholarships in the NCN-funded research projects
  5. Costs in research projects funded by the National Science Centre
  6. MAESTRO proposal form template
  7. Guidelines for applicants to complete MAESTRO 13 proposals
  8. Research project cooperation agreement
  9. State aid
  10. Guidelines for applicants to complete the Data Management Plan form in the proposal
  11. Guidelines for applicants to complete the Ethics Issues form in the research project
  12. NCN's Open Access Policy + amendment
  13. Guidelines: NCN's Open Access Policy
  14. Code of the National Science Centre on research integrity and applying for research funding
  15. Proposal submission procedure

Documents applicable to the evaluation of proposals:

  1. Proposal evaluation criteria
  2. Expert Teams of the National Science Centre – formation and appointing
  3. Detailed procedure of evaluating proposals by expert teams
  4. Service of decisions of the NCN Director
  5. Guidelines for applicants to appeal against the NCN Director’s decisions

Documents to be read before starting an NCN project:

  1. MAESTRO agreement template
  2. Order establishing a procedure for conducting audits on host institution’s 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