Thursday, 30 September saw the opening of the RNA-Protein Interaction Laboratory – Dioscuri Centre, headed by Prof. Gracjan Michlewski. It will be established at the International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw.

The centre's German project partner is Juri Rappsilber from the Institute of Biotechnology, Technische Universität Berlin. Researchers will investigate the cellular roles and structural characterisation of novel RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and RNA-protein interactions. The focus of their work will be RNA-protein interactions in the innate immune response to RNA viruses such as influenza.

RNA viruses have already caused several epidemics in the 21st century. The outbreak of a new flu pandemic or a viral bioterrorist attack could have catastrophic consequences for public health and the global economy. Therefore, understanding the interaction between host and virus at the cellular level is crucial to find the best way to inactivate the virus and prevent large disruptions and losses, stressed Prof. Gracjan Michlewski in 2019. In the current pandemic situation, his words, and above all his research, will have an even greater role and importance.

Dioscuri is an initiative of the Max Planck Society (MPG) carried out together with the National Science Centre and funded by the Polish Ministry of Education and Science and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The programme aims to support the development of Centres of Scientific Excellence in Central and Eastern Europe. An important aspect is financial support for outstanding researchers wishing to carry out research in the region. Dioscuri centres are set up where, thanks to the infrastructure that has been created, the conditions and the right environment already exist for conducting top-level research. They will run for five years, with the possibility of extension for a further five years following a positive evaluation by external experts. Past winners and therefore unit managers have also been:

• Dr Aleksandra Pekowska – Centre of Excellence for Evolutionary and Functional Genomics of Astrocytes, i.e. specific cells in nervous tissue,
• Dr Grzegorz Sumara – Centre of Excellence at the Lech Walesa Institute of Experimental Biology M. Nencki PAN,
• Dr Paweł Dłotko – Centre for Dioscuri Topological Data Analysis at the Institute of Mathematics, Polish Academy of Sciences,
• Dr Bartłomiej Wacław – Dioscuri Centre of Excellence for research on physics and chemistry of bacteria at the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

You can read more about the programme HERE.

The National Science Centre (NCN) in collaboration with the European Biodiversity Partnership (BiodivERsA+) is launching a call for international research projects to support the protection of biodiversity and ecosystems across land and sea.

International consortia including at least 3 research teams from at least 3 countries participating in the call are eligible to apply for funding. The NCN budget for all Polish research teams participating in the call is 500,000 EUR. Funds may be used to cover remuneration for the research team members, salaries and scholarships for students and PhD students, purchaser or construction of research equipment and for other costs crucial to the research project.

The call aiming to support the protection of biodiversity and ecosystems across land and sea will be carried out in two steps. During the first step, a joint pre-proposal will be submitted together with the foreign partners. The best research teams will be recommended for the second step during which joint full proposals will be submitted. 

In September or October 2022, lists of projects recommended for funding will be published and the project performance will start at the end of 2022 and beginning of 2023.

On 5 October 2021 (10 a.m.), a webinar will be held for all those interested in acquiring funding for research and innovation in the area of biodiversity. Go here HERE for more information.

The National Science Centre, Poland and the Polish Science Contact Agency of the PAS (PolSCA) in Brussels are pleased to invite you to an information session on the first international call for proposals of the European co-funded Partnership on Biodiversity under Horizon Europe. The event is scheduled for 5 October at 10.00 a.m.

The Partnership will officially start operating in the beginning of October 2021 as the successor to the BiodivERsA network. It is established under the 2nd pillar of the Horizon Europe framework program and is co-financed by the European Commission. It acts as an European platform connecting national and regional research & innovation programmes supporting rescue and protection of biodiversity on Earth. Poland will be among over 30 member states of this network. It will be represented by the National Science Center (NCN), which in the first call serves an important role of the Call Secretariat.

The upcoming call for research proposals, entitled Supporting the protection of biodiversity and ecosystems across land and sea, will be announced in early October 2021 and will cover the following non-exclusive themes:

• Knowledge for identifying priority conservation areas, establishing effective and resilient ecological networks, enhancing species-based protection, and preserving genetic diversity,
• Multiple benefits and costs of biodiversity and ecosystem protection: synergies and trade-offs,
• Effective management and equitable governance to deliver bold conservation outcome.

Proposals may concern terrestrial, freshwater or marine ecosystems.

Meeting participants will have a chance to meet representatives of the Partnership and the National Science Center who will present the Partnership mission and activities, as well as provide all necessary information on the first joint call: thematic areas, requirements and procedures on the international and national levels. Moreover, the general overview on the partnerships landscape within cluster 6 of the Horizon Europe will be presented by a representative of the National Centre for Research and Development – National Contact Point.

The event is opened to everyone interested in securing funds for research and innovation actions in the field of the biodiversity. The webinar will take place on October 5, 2021 at 10.00, i.e. few days after the launch of the expected first call for proposals under the new partnership.

The meeting agenda is available here. Only registered participants will be provided with necessary connection details prior to the event. The registration deadline is October 3, 2021.

The Weave-UNISONO call for proposals is open at the partner agencies. A reminder for Polish research teams of the dates and application procedure for joint and NCN proposals.

1. Please note that under the Weave-UNISONO call, if a joint proposal is submitted to the SNSF as the lead agency by 1 October 2021, an NCN proposal must be submitted electronically via the ZSUN/OSF submission system as soon as possible following the submission of the joint proposal to the SNSF, by 8 October 2021 at the latest.
2. PLEASE NOTE: Once the work on the NCN proposal has started in the ZSUN/OSF submission system, the Polish research team has 45 calendar days to complete the proposal and submit it to the NCN. After that, the proposal can no longer be edited, in which case a Polish research team that has not sent its proposal to the NCN must prepare a new proposal and complete it in the ZSUN/OSF submission system which may impact the budget for research tasks performed by the Polish research teams specified in the NCN proposal (see points 3 and 4 below).
3. PLEASE NOTE: The 45-day period applies only to the period during which NCN proposals may be edited in the ZSUN/OSF submission system. Under WEAVE-UNISONO, NCN proposals must be submitted to the NCN via the ZSUN/OSF submission system as soon as possible following the submission of joint proposals to the lead agency, within 7 calendar days at the latest.

   PLEASE NOTE: NCN proposals processed in the ZSUN/OSF submission system: 

   • by 30 September 2020 (inclusive), may include research projects that will be carried out by the Polish research teams from 2020 onwards.

     The following years will be included in the project budget, depending on the project implementation period:

     • 2022-2023 for two-year projects,
     • 2022-2023-2024 for three-year projects,
     • 2022-2023-2024-2025 for four-year projects;
   • from 1 October 2021 (inclusive), may include research projects that will be carried out by the Polish research teams from 2023 onwards.

     The following years will be included in the project budget, depending on the project implementation period:

     • 2023-2024 for two-year projects,
     • 2023-2024-2025 for three-year projects and
     • 2023-2024-2025-2026 for four-year projects.
4. In the case of joint proposals submitted to the lead agencies covering Polish team budgets from 2022 onwards, make sure that:
   • the work on NCN proposals in the ZSUN/OSF submission system starts before 30 September 2021 and
   • NCN proposals are submitted to the NCN within 45 days of the date that the work on the proposal has started in the ZSUN/OSF submission system.\

   If the work on NCN proposals in the ZSUN/OSF submission system starts before 30 September 2021, with project performance scheduled to begin in 2022, and the NCN proposal is not completed and submitted within 45 days of the date the work on the proposal has started in the ZSUN/OSF submission system, a new proposal must be created. A new NCN proposal (created after 1 October 2021) may cover research projects with a start date in 2023. If a joint proposal has already been submitted to the lead agency for a research project involving 2022 funding, information in the NCN proposal will be inconsistent with information in the joint proposal and may result in the proposal being rejected on the grounds that it does not meet the eligibility criteria.

5. The budget of the Polish part of the project in the joint proposal should be  calculated according to the following exchange rate:
   • In joint proposals, for which NCN proposals are processed in and submitted via the ZSUN/OSF submission system by 31 December 2021: 1 EUR= 4.4385 PLN;
   • In joint proposals, for which NCN proposals are processed in and submitted via the ZSUN/OSF submission system from 1 January 2022 onwards: 1 EUR= 4.5315 PLN;
6. NCN proposals processed in the ZSUN/OSF submission system in 2021, to which the exchange rate of 1 EUR= 4.4385 PLN applies, must be completed in and submitted via the ZSUN/OSF submission system by 31 December 2021 at 23:59:59. Otherwise, the proposal can no longer be edited, in which case a Polish research team must prepare a new proposal and complete it in the ZSUN/OSF submission system, to which the exchange rate 1 EUR = 4.5315 PLN will apply. If a joint proposal has already been submitted to the lead agency, in which the budget of the Polish part of the project was calculated according to another exchange rate, information in the NCN proposal will be inconsistent with information in the joint proposal and may result in the proposal being rejected on the grounds that it does not meet the eligibility criteria.
7. As of 1 January 2022, the updated Regulations on awarding funding for research tasks funded by the National Science Centre under international calls carried out as multilateral cooperation pursuant to the Lead Agency Procedure shall apply.
8. As of January 2022, the National Science Centre will start cooperation with under the Weave programme with:
   • the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR)
   • the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO)
9. Please consult the updated call documentation, including the Guidelines for Polish research teams (update will be available soon).

The National Science Centre (NCN) and the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR) are pleased to announce the ARTIQ call for research projects aimed at creating three Centres of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence (CE AI).

Artificial intelligence (AI) is set to be one of the crucial technologies of the future. The European Parliament has recognised AI-related actions as one of EU’s priorities. Poland has also adopted its AI Strategy from 2020.The objective of the joint project launched by the NCN and the NCBR is to increase Poland's potential in the area of artificial intelligence. The Centres of Excellence AI managed by internationally renowned leaders will accommodate basic research, industrial research, as well as development and pre-development work.

The NCN will fund basic research while applied research and formation of special purpose vehicles will be funded by the NCBR. The maximum eligible costs of a single project funded by the NCN and the NCBR is 20 million PLN.

The ARTIQ call for proposals will be open between 20 September 2021 and 20 December 2021 (4 pm). Proposals must be submitted electronically via the LSI submission system available at https://lsi.ncbr.gov.pl.

Please go HERE to read more on the call.

OPUS, SONATA, PRELUDIUM BIS and POLONEZ BIS – the National Science Centre is proud to announce four new calls, offering grants to researchers at all levels of seniority and experience, as well as foreigners who wish to conduct their research in Poland.

The National Science Centre supports researchers at all levels, from research centres throughout Poland, and actively promotes mobility and international research cooperation.

The next round of the OPUS, SONATA, PRELUDIUM BIS and POLONEZ BIS calls starts on 15 September; proposals will be accepted until 15 December.

For researchers at all levels

OPUS 22 is targeted at researchers at any level, who are planning to carry out projects with or without foreign partners in bilateral or multilateral cooperation (including within the framework of the LAP – Lead Agency Procedure under the Weave programme), as well as those that require large, international research equipment.

Launched at the beginning of 2021, the Weave programme is based on multilateral partnership between research-funding organizations that belong to the Science Europe association.

Projects carried out under OPUS 22 may take 1, 2, 3 or 4 years to complete. There is no upper funding limit for any single project; the total budget of the call equals 500 million PLN.

Grants for young researchers

SONATA 17 is designed to support those who are just starting out on their research careers, helping young researchers to conduct innovative studies with the aid of state-of-the-art equipment or an original methodology. The call is targeted at PhD holders who earned their degree 2 to 7 years prior to the application year.

Apart from the principal investigator, the project team may include students and PhD candidates, as well as postdoctoral fellows. The projects may take 1, 2 or 3 years. There is no upper funding limit for any single project; the total budget of the call equals 200 million PLN.

Support for PhD candidates

PRELUDIUM BIS 3 is open to entities that operate PhD programmes. The objective of the call is to support the education of PhD candidates in doctoral schools and fund projects conducted by young researchers within the framework of their PhD dissertation. Winners of PRELUDIUM BIS 3 may receive grants of up to 300,000 PLN, a PhD scholarship, and other resources to cover indirect costs. PhD candidates who get scholarships under PRELUDIUM BIS will also complete a 3- to 6-month foreign research fellowship funded by the National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA).

The budget of PRELUDIUM BIS 3 equals 60 million PLN.

POLONEZ BIS – a comprehensive programme for foreign researchers

POLONEZ BIS is a comprehensive programme that combines research, secondments in non-academic institutions and soft skills training courses. In three successive rounds, the NCN will recruit 120 experienced researchers, who will then move to Poland for 24 months to carry out their research at various public and private institutions. The programme will be supplemented by a series of attractive training courses and cooperation with start-ups and NGOs. Successful applicants can expect attractive financial terms and conditions, including an annual salary of more than 65K € and a research grant of up to 100,000 €. “If you have an excellent research idea, we encourage you to take part in the call and carry out your research in Poland. It is an opportunity for professional advancement and financial independence, as well as a great chance to create your own team”, says Jolanta Palowska from the NCN’s Department of International Cooperation.

POLONEZ BIS is open to applicants who hold a PhD degree or have at least 4 years of full-time research experience, and who have lived and worked outside Poland for at least 2 years within the last three years prior to the call announcement. The choice of the subject matter and discipline is up to the applicants, who must submit their proposals in tandem with their host institutions in Poland, i.e. their future employers.

The first round of applications is scheduled to last until mid-December. Two more will follow next year.

For the last 10 years, we have supported Polish science by providing assistance to researchers working in Poland. Our celebration included a gala event that was followed by discussions on science in times of pandemic and open science to research.

First day of celebrations – 9 September

“Since the beginning, our main goal has been to focus on the quality of research based on the best standards in world science. We consistently strive to increase the importance of Polish science in the world”, stated Professor Zbigniew Błocki, Director of the National Science Centre, summarising its activities at a gala event at the Julius Słowacki Theatre in Krakow.

In our 10 years of operation, we have announced over 200 calls and awarded over 23,000 grants. We created a fair and transparent system for evaluating proposals from scratch, with foreign experts playing a central role. We finance research for leading Polish scientists, based on the assumption that the most important factor in the development of Polish science is support for highly qualified research staff.

“It is worth emphasising the fact that the NCN’s activities for scientists are organised and run by scientists and have measurable effects”, said Prof. Jacek Kuźnicki, President of the NCN Council during the gala. “In the opinion of many people from Poland and abroad, the quality of grant proposals has significantly improved over the 10 years of the NCN's operations. The projects implemented are at an increasingly high level, which can be seen, among other things, in the increasing number of publications in the world’s best journals”, he added.

The National Science Centre’s budget for funding projects has grown over the years from less than PLN 300 million in 2011 to PLN 1.3 billion in 2021.

“I believe that the way a country treats such far-reaching investments as research funding is one of the markers of modern patriotism, and future generations will hold us accountable for such investments. In this context, I would like to note with great satisfaction the recent information that, after three years of stagnation in financing NCN, the Ministry of Education and Science decided to significantly increase the National Science Centre’s targeted subsidy by PLN 150 million, i.e. by over 12% in the budget for 2022”, the NCN Director emphasised during his speech.

The number of projects financed by foreign funds, including those of the European Commission, is also increasing. The NCN is one of the largest Polish recipients of funds from the Framework Programmes and these funds are allocated to scientists working in Poland.

During the gala ceremony, congratulations and words of appreciation were given by Przemysław Czarnek, Minister of Education and Science, Wojciech Murdzek, Secretary of State in the Ministry of Education and Science, Marc Schiltz, President of Science Europe, and Katja Becker, Chairwoman of the Governing Board of the Global Research Council (GRC). The assembled guests also had the opportunity to listen to a lecture by the philosopher and member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Åsa Wikforss, on “Science Denial in the Post-Truth Era”. The ceremony ended with a concert by the Sinfonietta Cracovia Orchestra of the Royal Capital City of Krakow under the baton of Edmon Levon.

Second day of celebrations – 10 September

On the second day of the 10th anniversary of the NCN, representatives of Polish and European research funding institutions and scientists representing various fields of science gathered at the International Cultural Centre to discuss science in times of pandemic and open access.

Invited guests reflected on the impact of the pandemic on the conduct of scientific research, the challenges it poses to scientists and how science can support countries and societies in functioning in a pandemic reality. The second panel discussion focused on open access to scientific content, primarily in the context of the cOAllition S initiative, whereby European research funding agencies have adopted Plan S to strive for full and immediate (no time embargo) access to publications containing research results resulting from publicly funded or co-funded research projects.

An important element of the conference was the presentations by three winners of National Science Centre competitions who, thanks to funding from the NCN, were able to build internationalised scientific teams, conduct ground-breaking research and achieve world-class results. Their research was presented by Prof. Grzegorz Pietrzyński (Astronomical Centre im. Mikołaj Kopernik PAN), Dr Katarzyna Cantarero (SWPS University of Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty of Psychology in Wrocław) and Dr Sebastian Glatt (Małopolska Center of Biotechnology of the Jagiellonian University).

Photos

We are pleased to announce that three projects involving Polish research teams have been awarded funding in the call launched by the CHIST-ERA network - European Coordinated Research on Long-term Challenges in Information and Communication Sciences & Technologies.

The CHIST-ERA Call 2020 covered the following topics:

• Advanced Brain-Computer Interfaces for Novel Interactions (BCI);
• Towards Sustainable ICT (S-ICT).

Within the call applicants submitted 53 joint proposals. 10 research projects have been selected for funding for a total budget of 10 mln EUR.

Projects with Polish researchers awarded within the CHIST-ERA Call 2020:

TESLA: Transient Electronics for Sustainable ICT in Digital Agriculture. Polish Principal Investigator: dr inż. Beata Kinga Synkiewicz-Musialska, ŁUKASIEWICZ Research Network. The project will involve research teams from the United Kingdom, Finland, Canada, and Switzerland.

BANANA: Brainsourcing for Affective Attention Estimation. Polish Principal Investigator: dr inż. Aleksandra Dagmara Kawala-Sterniuk, Opole University of Technology. The project will involve research teams from Finland, Spain and Luxembourg.

BITSCOPE: Brain Integrated Tagging for Socially Curated Online Personalised Experiences. Polish Principal Investigator: dr hab. Veslava Osińska,  Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. The project will involve research teams from France, Ireland and Spain.

The implementation of research projects funded within the Call will start still this year.

More information and the full list of the projects recommended for funding are available on the CHIST-ERA website.

Congratulations to all the laureates!

On 9 and 10 September 2021, the National Science Centre will celebrate 10 years of its existence. In over a decade, we have launched more than 200 calls in which over 23 thousand grants have been awarded. Our anniversary is a celebration of science and researchers all around Poland.

The anniversary celebration will be held two days and will include a gala event at the Juliusz Słowacki Theatre in Krakow on 9 September 2021, at 6 p.m. and a conference at the International Cultural Centre in Kraków on 10 September 2021, at 10 a.m. during which the participants will discuss research during the COVID-19 pandemic and Open Access. In addition, our three winners will talk about their research.

The agenda of the event is available here: 10 years NCN.

Do join us in our celebration! 

Live streaming of our the event will be available at 10latncn.wydarzeniaonline.pl, our Facebook and YouTube. A Q&A platform will be available. We will also provide regular updates in our social media (Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram).

We are hoping that researchers, universities, as well as research institutes and organisations will join us in our celebration. Join us online and read the publications and posts where you can find out about the success of our winning researchers (#10latNCN, #10yearsNCN).

On 10 September (Friday) at 9:00 a.m. (CEST), an Information Webinar will be held for institutions interested in hosting researcher researchers under POLONEZ BIS. The POLONEZ BIS call is addressed at experienced foreign researchers intending to move to Poland for 24 months.  

120 people will be recruited under three calls for proposals. Researchers recommended for funding will be provided with attractive terms of employment, such as annual remuneration of 53.5 thousand EUR and research grant of up to 100 thousand EUR. During their time in Poland, researchers will also have a chance to attend a number of interesting training courses and cooperate with Polish start-ups and NGOs.   

The call will be launched on 15 September 2021 and will last until 15 December 2021. The Webinar will be a great chance to find answer to (inter alia) the following questions: What institutions can host the POLONEZ BIS fellows? Can an institution host a researcher whom it granted a PhD? What are the criteria of evaluating the hosting arrangements? The Webinar will be held in Polish on the Clickmeeting platform. In order to optimize the Q&A session, submit your questions in advance via the registration form. 

Register for our Webinar.

Learn more about the POLONEZ BIS programme.