Please note that the National Science Centre is not planning to change the proposal submission deadline in the ETIUDA 8 and SONATINA 4 calls (16 March 2020, 4 p.m. ). Proposals must be submitted electronically via ZSUN/OSF, available at https://osf.opi.org.pl. Anyone that cannot have their documents signed due to epidemiological risk caused by coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) may append their proposals with a written statement of the applicant undertaking to submit the required documents at a later date.

Any missing documents with required signatures must be submitted electronically by 15 April 2020 to: /ncn/SkrytkaESP with the proposal number stated in the title.

Please note that as of Monday, 16 March 2020, NCN officers can only be contacted by e-mail until further notice.

For any project-related matters, including annual and final reports, please contact the mentors named in the OSF system. For other matters, please contact the Information Staff at informacja@ncn.gov.pl.

Email addresses are available here.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

With reference to the announcements of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chief Sanitary Inspectorate concerning epidemiological risk caused by coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), the National Science Centre recommends to consider rescheduling trips to foreign research centres funded under the calls announced by the National Science Centre.

If research stays can be rescheduled, the National Science Centre must be notified of the new dates in order to annex the funding agreements for doctoral scholarships and funding agreements for fellowships in foreign research teams using ERC grants.

A foreign fellowship carried out in a foreign research centre located in a state at epidemiological risk can be shortened or continued at another time. In such a case, the National Science Centre must be notified about it as soon as possible in order to appropriately amend the agreements implemented under the ETIUDA and UWERTURA calls.

Any travel expenses incurred due to traveling to the states at epidemiological risk to carry out NCN-funded research projects will be deemed eligible costs.

In what follows, the NCN answers some of the frequently asked questions regarding possible modifications to the Data Management Plan and its assessment criteria.

1. Who will evaluate data management plans and how?

In accordance with the terms & conditions of proposal review, e.g. https://www.ncn.gov.pl/sites/default/files/pliki/regulaminy/kryteria_oceny_maestro.pdf, Data Management Plans are subject to descriptive evaluation; they are assessed separately and do not fall under the feasibility assessment under criterion C. The question is formulated thus: Has the data management plan been planned properly: yes, no or not applicable? If  the answer is no, the expert needs to provide a justification.

2.  Will the assessment of the Data Management Plan differ between calls or will it be a fixed element of the feasibility assessment, as indicated here: https://www.ncn.gov.pl/sites/default/files/pliki/kryteria_oceny_OPUS.pdf?

Questions do not differ between calls and for the time being there are no plans to create a separate Plan for each given discipline (NZ, HS, ST). The correctness of the Plan is not an assessment criterion under section C.

3. Can the Data Management Plan be modified? Do changes to the plan need to be reported and if so, how and when?

It is recommended that the Data Management Plan should be updated during the project, but there is no need to notify the NCN of the changes. The final report should outline the actual data management situation as of the end date of the project; it is understood that it may be different than originally planned.

4. Will the second DMP analysis at the end of the project have an impact on its settlement?

Yes, in accordance with the adopted terms & conditions, the Data Management Plan will be evaluated at the final reporting stage. If the plan is incomplete, it will be sent back to be completed/corrected. In theory, in accordance with the provisions of the grant agreement, if the final report is incomplete, sanctions may be imposed.

5. Can I consult changes to the DMP with the NCN on an ongoing basis?

Just like the Merit-based Report, the Data Management Plan included in the final report is not consulted with the NCN as it forms a part of the project subject to merit-based expert review.

6. How will the NCN verify compliance with the plan?

Throughout the duration of the project, the Data Management Plan will undergo the same changes as the Research Plan since it is directly linked to the latter. This means it will be subject to merit-based review by experts at the final reporting stage; the plan outlined in the proposal will be compared with actions actually undertaken to carry it out. If content-related changes to the project are justified, so will be the changes in e.g. data format or size. What matters for the NCN is whether the data are properly archived in accordance with FAIR principles (manual or automated access must be ensured) and whether or not they will be made public, and if so, under what conditions.

7. Are any changes in this respect to be expected, e.g. will more space be provided on the form?

Yes, the character limit in some editable fields will be increased as of the March edition of the calls.

8. The letter of 3 April 2019 by the NCN Director mentions a "shortened Data Management Plan" – should a full plan also be drafted?

Only a shortened version is available in the proposal form. The NCN does not expect to receive very detailed plans, which is why the initial character limit was set at 400. Upon the request of applicants, it has already been doubled. The NCN does not require another version of the plan. If it did, the requirement would be mentioned in the terms & conditions of the call or the grant agreement.

9. The guidelines include a provision stating that data should be made public as soon as possible – will the requirement be made more specific in the planned open-access policy?

In particular, the issue at play is which data should be made public, to what extent and under what conditions? Are any licences recommended or preferred? Can data be made available in a limited way only to other researchers or based on licences that restrict the right to reuse the data, without an additional justification for such solutions?

The choice of data to be made public is up to the individual researcher. It seems clear that open access should be ensured to those that provide the very basis for published results so that other researchers are able to verify them. The data should be made available at the same time that the results are published. Other than that, it is up to the researcher to decide to what extent the data should be shared, based on formal and legal constraints or other circumstances indicated in the justification.

10. Is the NCN planning to modify the Guidelines to make the terminology more precise, in particular as concerns legal and technical matters and the required data storage period?

Some changes will be introduced to the Guidelines in the upcoming edition of our calls (16 March this year). The recommended data storage period (10 years) is directly derived from the Code of Research Integrity and the provisions of the grant agreement, which provides for a possibility of audits in the host institution for up to 5 years after the end of the project. It is up to the subjective assessment of the researcher to decide how long the data will retain their scientific value.

DAINA 2 is a funding opportunity for joint Polish-Lithuanian research teams to be launched by the Research Council of Lithuania (Lietuvos mokslo taryba, LMT) and the National Science Centre (NCN). The programme aims to support research projects in all fields of science.

Within the DAINA 2 scheme, the NCN and LMT fund only projects involving basic research.

Call announcement: 15 June 2020

Call deadline at the NCN: 15 September 2020

Call deadline at the RCL:  22 September 2020

Results: April 2021

Start of joint research projects: mid – 2021

ELIGIBILITY:

• All projects must focus on substantive research and feature an integrated work programme. Scientific infrastructure or networking activities can only be funded within projects with a substantive research focus. As stand-alone projects, infrastructure or networking projects will not be eligible.
• Joint proposals, including all budget items, must conform to the national rules relevant for each applicant. Applicants must note that the NCN and RCL retain the right to reject proposals which fail to comply with the procedures set out in the respective guidelines. If a proposal is deemed ineligible by one national agency, the complete project will be rejected by both agencies. No changes will be accepted after the deadline for submission.
• Grants that are considered state aid will not be offered.

• If an application has been submitted to any other call or funding line of the NCN, RCL or any other funding agency, this must be clearly stated in the proposal. Please also check the respective national agency’s rules regarding submission of a project to more than one scheme.
• A PI may submit only one proposal under the same call.
• Joint proposals (consisting of Joint Project Description and CVs of the Principal Investigators together with publication lists) must be written in English (except for sections specified explicitly in the call documentation^[1]).
• Joint Polish-Lithuanian research projects may be funded for a period of either 24 or 36 months.
• Eligible Host institutions in Poland: NCN proposals may be submitted by the entities specified in Article 27 (1) (1) – (2), (1) (4) – (5) and (1) (7) of the  Act on the National Science Centre of 30 April 2010 (Journal of Laws of 2019, item 1384).
• Eligible implementing institutions in Lithuania: Lithuanian research and higher education institutions included in the Register of Education and Research institutions (to be found at https://www.aikos.smm.lt/en/Pages/Default.aspx  under “Registers” and the section ”Education providers” category).

• The budget of the Polish part of the project must be at least 150 000 PLN;
• The budget of the Lithuanian part of the project must not exceed 80 000 EUR (in the case of a 24 month project) or 120 000 EUR (in the case of a 36 month project);
• The Polish Principal Investigator (PI) must have at least a PhD degree when submitting a proposal. The Lithuanian PI must be a scientist.

APPLICATION PROCESS:

The joint proposals (consisting of the Joint Project Descriptions and the CVs together with publication lists) must be submitted online to both agencies’ respective submission systems, together with all necessary documents conforming to the formal requirements of the respective funding organisation set out in the call documentation:

1. first, by the Polish applicant to NCN via ZSUN/OSF system, by 15 September 2020, 16:00 CEST. The PDF version of the complete DAINA 2 proposal shall be generated in the ZSUN/OSF system after the completion of the submission process in ZSUN/OSF system.
2. second, by the Lithuanian applicant to RCL via JUNKIS system, by 22 September 2020, 16:00 EEST. The Lithuanian applicant must submit the above-mentioned PDF version of the complete DAINA 2 proposal generated in the ZSUN/OSF system into the JUNKIS system.

PROPOSAL REVIEW AND EVALUATION PROCEDURE:

1. The applicants’ and projects’ eligibility will be checked by both the NCN and RCL for the Polish and Lithuanian sides, respectively. The merit-based evaluation is open only to proposals approved as eligible by both agencies
2. All proposals will be reviewed by NCN and RCL separately.
3. At NCN, each eligible proposal will be evaluated by expert panels as well as by at least two external referees. The panels will consist of recognised researchers from the relevant disciplines who are familiar with the NCN decision-making procedures.
4. At RCL, each eligible proposal will be evaluated by two or three independent experts, followed by the consensus report with the scores of the panel assessment on the basis of which the ranking list is drafted.
5. Funding will be granted to those proposals where both NCN and RCL recommend funding.

All project proposals will be assessed against three sets of criteria:

1. qualification of Principal Investigators (PIs),
2. academic merits of the research project,
3. feasibility of the project and budget.

ALLOCATION OF FUNDS

Funds for Polish research teams within the joint project are allocated on the basis of the decisions issued by the Director of the NCN. Funds for Lithuanian research teams within the joint project are allocated on the basis of decisions issued by the Chairman of the LMT.

CONTACT

POLAND, NCN:

Dr Eng. Ewelina Szymańska-Skolimowska, e-mail: ewelina.szymanska-skolimowska@ncn.gov.pl, tel.: +48 12 341 9155

Magdalena Dobrzańska-Bzowska, email: Magdalena.Dobrzanska-Bzowska@ncn.gov.pl , tel.: +48 12 341 9094

Dr Magdalena Godowska, e-mail: Magdalena.Godowska@ncn.gov.pl, tel.: +48 12 341 9016

LITHUANIA, LMT:

Asta Aleksandraviciene, e-mail: asta.aleksandraviciene@lmt.lt, tel.: +370 676 18 297

At the February session of the Council of the National Science Centre, upon the motion of the NCN Director, members of the Council expressed their approval for a new open access policy to publications created as a result of research projects funded entirely or in part from NCN resources. The obligation to ensure open access to published research findings will apply to all projects recommended for funding under calls announced on 16 June 2020.

Together with open access to research data, open access to published research findings represents a coherent policy of the National Science Centre as part of a broader framework of Open Science, aimed at transparency in the dissemination of research findings by researchers funded from public funds.

In September 2018, the NCN Director, together with 10 leaders of European research-funding agencies established what is now known as the cOAlition S, which prioritises a shift toward full and instant (no temporary embargo) access to publications presenting the results of studies carried out as part of research projects funded or co-funded from public sources. cOAlition S has laid down its priorities in a document known as Plan S. More information about Plan S can be found on the cOAlition S website and in a file entitled Publication routes in accordance with Plan S.

The first signatories of cOAlition S also include the Research Council of Norway, which means that, due to the cOAlition S's requirements and the national open access policy introduced by Norway in 2017, the obligation to ensure full access to published research findings will already apply to projects funded under the GRIEG call.

CEUS-UNISONO is organized within the framework of the CEUS programme, in multilateral cooperation with foreign partner agencies from Austria (Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung, FWF), the Czech Republic (Grantová agentura České Republiky, GAČR), and Slovenia (Javna agencija za raziskovalno dejavnost Republike Slovenije, ARRS). Proposals must meet the criterion of basic research and be carried out in bi- or trilateral cooperation between research teams from the countries participating in CEUS. Submitted in any discipline, the projects may last 24, 36 or, only in the case of an Austrian partner, 48 months. The first will start at the beginning of 2021.

"We believe that there is a lot of potential in regional Central European cooperation. Of course, it is essential for Polish scientists to have the best possible relations with the global leaders in science, such as the US, Great Britain, France or Germany, but it is also worthwhile strengthening our ties with the countries of the region, which boast many important research centres as well. We hope that the partnership will soon expand to include more countries, especially Hungary", says Professor Zbigniew Błocki, the NCN Director.

The call is organized under the Lead Agency Procedure (LAP). The role of the lead agency, responsible for the merit-based review of submitted proposals within the framework of each national call, will be played by FWF, GAČR or ARRS and, from September 2020 onward, by the NCN under the OPUS call. The procedure will make it possible to submit an international grant proposal and carry out a merit-based review of it as part of a standard national call in one agency and then secure its funding by the other partner agencies.

The role of the lead agency can be played by the partner agencies that funds at least 40% of the total budget for research projects carried out by teams from two countries, and at least 25% of the total budget for those conducted by teams from three countries.

"Research consortia will decide to which agency they wish to submit their proposal. Projects that require the funding of research teams from two or three countries will compete on a level playing field and academic excellence will serve as the key criterion in their assessment", adds Professor Małgorzata Kossowska, President of the NCN Council.

The research team affiliated in the home country of the lead agency will be the one responsible for submitting the joint proposal to that agency. The proposal must be prepared together by all the teams involved in the project and meet the lead agency's requirements. In addition, if required to do so by the agency in question, each of the research teams must submit a complete set of documents, including the joint proposal, to the appropriate partner agency, other than the lead agency. The deadlines for the submission of joint proposals are specified in the call announcement (available in English soon).

Proposals submitted under the CEUS-UNISONO call to the NCN must conform to the requirements specified in the relevant NCN call documents. NCN proposals must be submitted via the OSF electronic submission system (https://osf.opi.org.pl) as soon as possible following submission of the joint proposal to the lead agency, within 7 calendar days at the latest. The joint proposal drafted jointly with the foreign partner teams and submitted to the lead agency must also be attached to the NCN proposal.

Proposals submitted under the CEUS-UNISONO call are subject to an eligibility check performed at the NCN and the foreign partner agencies appropriate for the research teams involved in the project and merit-based evaluation at the lead agency in accordance with its terms. The funding for Polish research teams will be awarded to research projects that rank among the 20% top proposals in a given lead agency's domestic call and those in which partner agencies also award grants to foreign research teams. The first results of the proposal review will be announced in the second half of 2020.

M-ERA.NET Network will shortly launch a new multinational call for proposals on material science and engineering. The M-ERA.NET 2 Call 2020 is expected to be launched in March 2020, with a likely pre-proposal submission deadline in June 2020.

Further details will be provided with the launch of the call.

More information can be found at the programme website.

Contact:

• Klaudyna Śpiewak-Wojtyła, tel. +48 12 341 9172
• Anna Kotarba, tel. +48 12 341 9091

The National Science Centre has just awarded basic research grants to scholars and researchers planning to build a new research team or wishing to complete a research fellowship at a foreign centre that carries out ERC grants.

As many as 476 proposals, with a total estimated cost of 1 billion PLN, were submitted to the calls in question; out of these, 90 qualified for funding. The total worth of grants awarded under the three schemes exceeds 210.5 million PLN. The success rate in the UWERTURA call was 50%, as compared to just 18% and nearly 19% in the SONATA BIS and the prestigious MAESTRO calls, respectively.

MAESTRO 11 was open to advanced researchers who wish to conduct pioneering research that goes beyond the current state of our knowledge. To qualify as a principal investigator in a MAESTRO project, applicants are expected to have published in reputable Polish and/or foreign scientific journals, supervised other research projects selected within domestic or international calls for proposals, and played an active part in the life of the research community, e.g. sat on the scientific boards of international conferences or belonged to international associations. 12 out of 64 proposals submitted to the eleventh edition of the call will receive a total of more than 44 million PLN in funding.

SONATA BIS is targeted at researchers with a doctoral degree earned 5 to 12 years prior to the submission of the proposal. The objective of the call is to support the establishment of new research teams; apart from the principal investigator, the teams in question must not include any researchers with a doctorate (habilitation title) [in Polish: Doktor habilitowany] or the title of professor [in Polish: Profesor doktor habilitowany].

Applicants to the SONATA BIS 9 call are expected to have published between 1 and 10 research publications in the previous 10 years; the first to third most important of these should be attached to the proposal. Projects conducted under the scheme can last 36, 48 or 60 months. A total funding of more than 166 million PLN was awarded to 74 out of the 404 submitted proposals.

UWERTURA 4 is a funding opportunity for researchers who have already carried out a grant and wish to complete a fellowship within foreign research teams carrying out projects funded by the European Research Council (ERC). The objective of the scheme is to support researchers in their successful future application for European funds. Thanks to an excellent opportunity to collaborate with outstanding scientists, Polish researchers’ chances of success in ERC-funded calls are boosted. UWERTURA 4 was open to doctoral researchers who have carried out or are carrying out, as Principal Investigators, different research projects funded by the NCN. In this edition of the call, 4 out 8 submitted proposals were awarded funding to the total amount of 290 thousand PLN. Once they return from their research fellowships, the researchers will have 18 months to draw up and submit their own ERC grant proposal.

Overall, the NCN received 90 proposals in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, out of which 14 were awarded total funding of nearly 27 million PLN. 152 proposals were submitted in the Life Sciences, out of which experts selected 26 to receive nearly 82.5 million PLN in total. Last but not least, in Physical Sciences and Engineering, 50 out of 234 proposals qualified for a total amount of more than 101 million in funding. The ranking lists of all successful projects submitted to SONATA BIS 9, MAESTRO 11 and UWERTURA 4 can be found on the official website of the National Science Centre

SEE FULL RANKING LISTS

We are pleased to announce that for the second time the National Science Centre in Krakow has received the prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie COFUND grant. Over 8.8 million euro from the European Commission will fund the continuation of the POLONEZ programme initiated in 2015.

Under POLONEZ BIS, the NCN will recruit 120 experienced scientists to relocate to Poland for 24 months in order to carry out basic research projects at Polish institutions of their choice. In addition to full-time salary, covered mostly from EU funds, researchers will receive money for implementing their own research projects and employing a project team. The research grant will be complemented by an attractive training programme to boost various competences of the Fellows.

In order to better exploit the potential of POLONEZ BIS programme, the NCN will cooperate with four institutional partners:

• CRAC / Vitae Ltd., based in Cambridge, UK, which will help Fellows to properly plan further development of their scientific careers,
• Foundation Women Scientists – Polish Women Scientists Network, which will share expert knowledge in the field of Responsible Research and Innovation and will ensure the dissemination of the programme and individual Fellows’ achievements,
• Startup HUB Poland Foundation, which will ensure the development of cooperation between academia and business,
• Interdisciplinary Centre for Mathematical and Computational Modelling, University of Warsaw, which will provide Fellows with practical advice on how to implement Open Access policy.

The total budget of the POLONEZ BIS programme is EUR 33.6 million. The first call for proposals will be launched in March 2021.