We already know the results of the third edition of the BEETHOVEN CLASSIC call for Polish-German research projects in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and selected disciplines of Physical Sciences and Engineering. Researchers will be awarded a total budget of PLN 30,086,432.

The BEETHOVEN CLASSIC call is organised by the National Science Centre (NCN) in cooperation with the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG). In this edition, researchers have submitted 130 funding proposals, including 63 in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (HS) and 67 in selected disciplines of Physical Sciences and Engineering (ST, such as chemistry, mathematics, physics and material science), of which the experts selected 34 best projects, including 16 in HS and 18 in ST.

The Polish-German joint proposals have been subject to merit-based evaluation performed in two stages: firstly, the projects have been evaluated by the external experts appointed by the NCN and DFG and then, the final verdict has been delivered at the expert team meeting. The winning projects will be carried out jointly by the Polish and German research teams. Research must have been planned for a period of two or three years and the amount requested for the implementation of the Polish part of the project had to be at least PLN 150,000. A principal investigator in the project must be at least a PhD holder.

The German Research Foundation is an organisation that provides funding for basic research in all scientific disciplines. It is an association that brings together German research universities, research institutes and research associations. DFG is a private law organisation funded mainly by the federal states and federal government.

LIST OF FUNDED PROJECTS

Dr. hab. Dawid Pinkowicz, Dr. Roman Szczęsny, and Dr. hab. Michał Wierzchoń each received a prestigious award from the National Science Centre for exceptional scientific achievements in the field of basic research. The laureates will receive financial awards of PLN 50 thousand.

The idea behind the NCN Award is to support the most remarkable scientists conducting basic research in Polish research centres. The distinction, which was first introduced in 2013, is awarded to researchers below the age of 40 in three research areas: Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; Life Sciences; and Physical Sciences and Engineering.

“I am overjoyed that this highly prestigious National Science Centre Award has been handed out today for what is now the seventh time” said Jarosław Gowin, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and Higher Education, who was present at the National Science Centre award ceremony. “Congratulations to the young researchers, who are here with us, for their prominent scientific achievements. It is worth highlighting that the NCN award links the worlds of business and science. Every year the National Science Centre invites companies involved in social and research activities to cooperate and take on the role of award sponsors” added the Deputy Prime Minister, Jarosław Gowin.

This year's financial awards were sponsored by Adamed Pharma S.A., Fundacja KGHM Polska Miedź and ASTOR. The award ceremony is traditionally held in the Gallery of 19^th-Century Polish Art at Sukiennice. The award in Life Sciences was presented to Dr. Roman Szczęsny from the Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences. He was recognized for the discovery of the mechanism of mitochondrial RNA degradation in human cells, indicating the role of mitochondria in regulation of innate immune response. Dr. Szczęsny is scientifically interested in the mechanisms controlling the quality, quantity and processing of RNA produced as a result of transcription of the human mitochondrial and nuclear genome. The ground-breaking research that he was distinguished for widens the range – as known so far – of the influence of mitochondria on the functioning and fate of the cell.

“The National Science Centre Award is an exceptional distinction for me. I see it as an expression of appreciation for my research work as well as all the people who have influenced my growth” says Dr. Szczęsny. “Arriving at this point in my research career would not have been possible, had it not been for the understanding and support of my loved ones. I believe further research in the metabolism of RNA in human mitochondria could lead to numerous other interesting discoveries,” he adds.

The award in Physical Sciences and Engineering was presented to Dr. hab. Dawid Pinkowicz from the Faculty of Chemistry at the Jagiellonian University, who was distinguished for designing an innovative multifunctional molecular magnet and quantum nanomagnets. Dr. Pinkowicz designed and examined an array of complexes of transition metals with strong magnetic coupling between the metal ions and offered a strategy for obtaining systems showing high magnetic anisotropy and spin bistability. The research made it possible to obtain knowledge about the dependencies between magnetic structure and long-range magnetic order as well as resulted in the emergence of new quantum nanomagnets.

“I believe I am dealing with what's best about chemistry – the design and construction of new particles and supramolecular systems. I like to think that I am an architect of the molecular world” says Dr. hab. Pinkowicz. “I am not limited by the traditional distinctions between chemistry and physics, organic or inorganic chemistry. I hope that such an approach will allow me to 'harness' the nano world that is governed by the laws of quantum mechanics and will perhaps lead to a small scientific revolution.”

The laureate in the field of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences is Dr. hab. Michał Wierzchoń from the Faculty of Philosophy at the Jagiellonian University. He was distinguished by the Jury of the NCN Award for interdisciplinary research in consciousness, which has been under way for many years and creatively combines approaches derived from philosophy, cognitive psychology, cognitive science and neuroscience. He proposed an original author's theoretical model of consciousness and within its framework he believes that access to consciousness is gradable and the subjective character of information results from the integration of perceptual and non-perceptual information. Dr. hab. Wierzchoń’s research is concerned with measurement of consciousness as well as the role of attention in gaining conscious experiences, implicit memory, sensory substitution and body consciousness. Over a short period of time, the Consciousness Research Laboratory (c-lab), which he established and runs, has become one of the leading research centres of this type in Europe, and Dr. Wierzchoń himself has been cooperating with prominent consciousness researchers from all over the world.

“Research into consciousness allows us to gain a better understanding of how we experience the world. Among numerous theories, there are those that advocate that previous experience, a personal story, is crucial for consciousness. In my work, I generally try to demonstrate that it is not the most important thing for consciousness”, Dr. hab. Wierzchoń explains. “However, today when I look back on my research career, I find this theory to be well-suited to describe the experience of being awarded. I feel honoured but I also reflect upon my research career and remember the people I have encountered on the way. I think about my masters and co-workers that I have been conducting research with, yet I also argue, discussing the nature of consciousness. Such discussions help me better understand what we are researching. They also make me realize that there are further fascinating challenges ahead of us. This is our shared award,” the researcher adds.

The NCN Award candidates are nominated by researchers: among others, former NCN Council members; former chairpersons of NCN Expert Teams; Award laureates from previous years as well as other prominent representatives of the world of science indicated by the NCN Council and Director. In this edition, 530 people were authorized to nominate candidates. There were 51 researchers nominated for the Award and six finalists were singled out in the second stage – two in each of the three research areas. The ultimate selection of the laureates was based on the decision of the Jury of the NCN composed of the representatives of the Centre and sponsors of the Award.

The National Science Centre (NCN) and the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR) jointly announce the fourth edition of the TANGO call, designed to support the development of technologies based on basic research results. The total budget of the call equals 30 million PLN. Proposals will be accepted from 29 November 2019 until 30 June 2020.

The main objective of the joint initiative is to boost the commercialisation of technologies based on basic research results obtained in initial projects and, in particular, to draw up a plan for the development of technologies based on basic research results and increase the involvement of enterprises in the process.

Cooperation between science and business is an absolute must, but for it to grow, appropriate conditions must first be ensured. Contrary to what the name of the call may suggest, it takes more than two to TANGO; alongside business and science, administration also has an important role to play. This is why we don't just talk the talk but also walk the walk, as best evidenced by the Constitution for Science, R&D tax breaks for enterprises, and modified support programmes, such as TANGO, carried out by the NCBR. I hope that projects conducted within the framework of the new edition of TANGO will help start a good cooperation between research centres and Polish companies, says Jarosław Gowin, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Science and Higher Education.

Three tracks of submitting proposals, increased budgets – changes to TANGO

Funding in TANGO4 may be requested under one of three tracks, depending on the research stage of the initial project:

• Track A is open to projects aimed at exploring the practical application of basic research results and finding an industrial partner for further project implementation. Funding will cover concept and R&D work. Project proposals can only be submitted by academic or research organisations.
• Track B is open to applicants who have terminated TANGO 1 or TANGO 2 projects at the concept phase (Phase K) due to the lack of an industrial partner. Funding will also be available to those who have previously won grants within the framework of TANGO 3 or TANGO 4 (Track A). Funding will cover industrial research and development work designed to continue the project previously implemented within the framework of TANGO. Proposals can only be submitted by consortia made up of academic or research organisations and enterprises. The projects must be headed by an academic or research organisation.
• Track C is targeted at academic or research organisations that have not carried out any projects in previous editions of the TANGO call but have already established cooperation with enterprises. Funding will cover industrial research, development and selected concept work. Proposals can only be submitted by consortia made up of academic or research organisations and enterprises. The project must be headed by an academic or research organisation.

Maximum grants have been increased to 250 thousand PLN in track A and 3 million PLN in tracks B and C.

Looking at the everyday work and high performance of NBCR beneficiaries, many of them business people, I would like to draw special attention to the changes introduced in this edition of the call, which allow enterprises to apply for funding as part of a consortium with academic or research organisations. This is yet another platform for the cooperation of science and business; it is the potential of these two sectors that the National Centre for Research and Development wishes to tap the most. The transfer of knowledge from science to business translates to greater innovation in the economy at large, says dr inż. Wojciech Kamieniecki, Director of the National Centre for Research and Development.

What projects are eligible for funding?

The call is designed to fund concept and R&D work. The role of principal investigator may be taken on by a person who has coordinated the initial project or obtained written consent from the principal investigator of the initial project to serve as the principal investigator under the TANGO 4 call. Only one proposal can be submitted under the TANGO Joint Initiative for each initial project.

The initial project is a basic research project funded under one of the national or international calls organized by the National Science Centre (except: ETIUDA, FUGA, UWERTURA and MINIATURA), the results of which provide the basis for the project submitted within the framework of TANGO 4 (Track A and Track C). The end date of the initial project must not be earlier than 15 March 2016.

The TANGO call was created for grantees who have already completed their basic research project and whose results have a great potential for practical application. Thanks to our cooperation with the NCBR, we are able to shorten the evaluation procedure for those applicants whose research work and results have already been highly assessed, says Professor Zbigniew Błocki, NCN Director.

Funding can be applied for provided that, on the day the proposal under the TANGO 4 call is submitted:

• the final report from the initial project has received a positive formal review from the NCN, or
• at least one annual project report from the initial project has received a positive review from the NCN.

Proposals will be accepted and reviewed on an ongoing basis in several rounds from 29 November 2019 until 30 June 2020. There are no restrictions as to the subject matter.

We announce the results of the call for Polish-German research projects in Life Sciences. Polish teams cooperating with German researchers will receive nearly 11.5 million PLN for research.

The BEETHOVEN LIFE 1 call that has been recently announced is launched by the National Science Centre in cooperation with the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG) and is a supplement to the BEETHOVEN CLASSIC call, which excludes proposals in the field of Life Sciences. In the first edition of the call, funding has been granted to 10 out of 70 submitted proposals. Polish research teams will be awarded a budget of 11,448,523 PLN.

“With the BEETHOVEN LIFE call, the offer for Polish researchers cooperating with German research teams has become complete. In the first edition, researchers have submitted as many as 70 proposals, which confirms that extending this formula of Polish-German cooperation to include Life Sciences projects has been a good decision” says Prof. Zbigniew Błocki, NCN Director.

BEETHOVEN LIFE 1 has been the first call carried out by the National Science Centre pursuant to the Lead Agency Procedure. In the recent edition, DFG has acted as the Lead Agency, which means that the proposals have been subject to merit-based evaluation performed by the German agency alone, whilst proposals for funding of a Polish part of the research project have been submitted to the NCN.

The largest number of proposals were awarded funding under NZ1 (Life Sciences) covering molecular biology, structural biology and biotechnology and under the NZ 2, genetics and genomics. The highest funding of over 1.6 million PLN has been awarded to a project that will be carried out at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. Under BEETHOVEN LIFE, researchers can plan their research projects to last either 24 or 36 months, and the principal investigator in an NCN proposal must be at least a PhD holder.

RANKING LIST

They studied biology in Poland, conducted research at top institutions abroad for many years, and came out on top in the new funding scheme developed by the Max Planck Society (MPG). Now they are setting up their own research groups at the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology in Warsaw: Aleksandra Pekowska and Grzegorz Sumara are overseeing the first two Dioscuri Centres.

The ceremonial opening took place on September 17. Anja Karliczek, German Federal Minister of Education and Research, Jarosław Gowin, Polish Minister of Science and Higher Education, Martin Stratmann, President of the Max Planck Society, and Zbigniew Błocki, Director of the National Science Centre (NCN) attended the opening ceremony.

– With Aleksandra Pekowska and Grzegorz Sumara, we have gained two cutting-edge molecular biologists for Poland. This is an important building block in our efforts to internationalize the scientific community in Poland, says Jarosław Gowin, Polish Minister of Science and Higher Education. The Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research are equally responsible for financing the Dioscuri Centres, which are supported by scientific partners from Germany. – Dioscuri is a big step, we all want to close those research and innovation gaps that still exist within the EU. Our long-term goal must be to ensure that conditions in all European countries are appealing enough to attract young scientists equally, says Anja Karliczek, German Federal Minister of Education and Research. Up to ten centres of excellence will be established in Poland over the next few years, each will be financed with up to € 1.5 million for an initial period of five years. Thus, the funding volume corresponds to one of the highly coveted ERC Grants, the Excellence Funding within the framework of the EU Programme for Research and Innovation.

Dioscuri was initiated the by MPG to purse exactly the same goal with a regional focus – We see it as our responsibility to strengthen scientific excellence in Central and Eastern Europe. We would like to support the transformation taking place in the region and promote the European research area as a whole, says Max Planck President Martin Stratmann. The aim of the Dioscuri Programme is to attract researchers such as Pekowska and Sumara – whose scientific careers include internationally renowned institutions in Germany, France, Switzerland and the US – and support them in establishing research groups at suitable research facilities in Poland. – In the first Dioscuri call, we received 45 proposals from all over the world. It was not easy to choose the best ones but our experts did a great job. The establishment of the two new Dioscuri Centres in Poland conveys an important message to all of us, scientists: that we should always aim at scientific excellence in our everyday research work, says Zbigniew Błocki, Director of the Polish National Science Centre.

Aleksandra Pekowska comes to Warsaw from one of the US American National Institutes of Health. In the coming years, she will investigate the evolutionary and functional genomics of astrocytes – a sub-type of cells in nervous tissue. Martin Vingron from the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin will support her as partner from Germany. In his centre, Grzegorz Sumara will focus on elucidating signalling pathways involved in metabolic diseases. Up to now, he has researched these at the Rudolf Virchow Centre for Experimental Biomedicine at the University of Würzburg, where he already collaborated with his future partner, Martin Eilers. In addition to scientific collaboration, the German partners will facilitate the integration of the centres into international networks and provide advice on their structural development. Both Dioscuri Centres are being established at the Nencki-Institute, which offers state-of-the-art scientific equipment, suitable facilities, and administrative support and thereby provides an optimal prerequisite for establishing internationally competitive research groups.

From left: Martin Stratmann, President of the Max Planck Society; Jarosław Gowin, Minister of Science and Higher Education, Poland; Anja Karliczek, Federal Minister of Education and Research, Germany; Aleksandra Pekowska, Leader of the Dioscuri Centre for Chromatin Biology and Epigenomics; Grzegorz Sumara, Leader of the Dioscuri Centre for Metabolic Diseases; Agnieszka Dobrzyń, Director of the Nencki Institute; Zbigniew Błocki, Director of the National Science Centre; Joachim Sauer, Chair of the Dioscuri Committee.

Photo credit: Agnieszka Ziobro

Dioscuri was initiated by the Max Planck Society to support the development of centres of scientific excellence in Central and Eastern Europe. The programme seeks to support outstanding scientists who would like to conduct their research in this region. Dioscuri Centres are established at research institutions that are capable of providing adequate infrastructure and that offer an environment for cutting-edge research. Centres are funded for an initial five years and can be extended for a further five years after successful evaluation by external experts. For this period, € 300,000 per annum will be available for each research group. Funding is provided equally by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the government of the respective country. The program is firstly being implemented in Poland, where it is jointly managed by the Max Planck Society and the National Science Centre.

The NCN announces three well-known calls for basic research proposals, i.e. OPUS, SONATA and PRELUDIUM, and a new scheme, PRELUDIUM BIS, for projects conducted by PhD students, organized in cooperation with the National Agency for Academic Exchange (the “NAWA”). The calls have a total budget of PLN 690,000,000.

PRELUDIUM BIS is the first joint call of the NCN and the NAWA, targeted at institutions operating doctoral schools. The objective of the call is to support PhD student education by funding scholarships and research projects conducted by young researchers as part of their doctoral dissertation, as well as financing foreign fellowships of 3 to 6 months to support researcher mobility.

"PRELUDIUM BIS is an elite track for doctoral schools that will allow funding for research projects, foreign fellowships and scholarships for as many as 300 young researchers", says Professor Zbigniew Błocki, NCN Director, "We hope that offering the best students a guarantee of stable funding throughout the four-year period of PhD study will be an attractive offer for anyone who considers enrolling in a doctoral school abroad or working in business."

Successful projects will be conducted by PhD students under the supervision of their PhD supervisors, who will act as the principal investigators. The research team may only consist of the principal investigator and the PhD student, and the project may be planned for either 36 or 48 months, depending on the length of PhD student education at a doctoral school. Under the scheme, NCN resources can be used to fund scholarships, project costs and indirect costs. The total research costs cannot exceed PLN 180,000, only PLN 40,000 of which can go to the principal investigator. In addition, the NAWA will finance the costs of foreign fellowships. Project resources cannot be used to purchase or construct research equipment. The total budget of PRELUDIUM BIS equals PLN 160,000,000; the results of the call will be announced at the beginning of 2020 and funding will start in October 2020.

Beginning from this edition, indirect costs in all NCN-funded calls will be set at 20%. In contrast to previous regulations, however, they will also be calculated for the cost of research equipment, devices and software. An important change has also been introduced in the conditions of the OPUS call, where the maximum project duration was extended to 4 years. Another major change is the expansion of the call to include an international track. Irrespective of their research experience, researchers will now be able to plan their projects jointly with a partner or partners from foreign research institutions, contacted independently or as part of international programmes and initiatives announced within the framework of bilateral or multilateral cooperation. They may also design projects conducted with the use of large international research equipment.

"The expanded scope of the OPUS call will now make it possible to fund projects previously funded under the HARMONIA scheme", explains Professor Małgorzata Kossowska, Chairwoman of the NCN Council, "The advantage of OPUS is that it allows the purchase of research equipment with the value of up to PLN 500,000 per unit, which was not possible under the HARMONIA call. OPUS also gives researchers greater leeway to build their research teams."

Within the framework of OPUS 18, principal investigators can fund research team salaries, scholarships for students and PhD students, and purchase or construction of research equipment. The call is targeted at candidates with at least one research paper published or accepted for publication or at least one artistic achievement or achievement in research in art. In this edition, researchers will compete for a total budget of PLN 400,000,000.

PRELUDIUM 18 is targeted at young researchers who do not hold a PhD degree. Funding will depend on the length of the project, with PLN 70,000 for projects to be carried out over the period of 12 months, PLN 140,000 for projects to be carried out over the period of 24 and PLN 210,000 for projects to be carried out over the period of 36 months. The research team may comprise up to three members, including the principal investigator and the mentor. The call has a budget of PLN 30,000,000.

Last, but not least, SONATA 15 is addressed to individuals who have been awarded a PhD degree within 2 to 7 years before submitting the proposal. The scheme is aimed at creating a unique methodology and conducting innovative research projects using modern research facilities and original methodology. PLN 100,000,000 is up for grabs.

Proposals in the calls announced by the National Science Centre should be submitted electronically via the ZSUN/OSF (https://osf.opi.org.pl) system. The deadline is 16 December 2019 and the results will be announced no later than in June 2020. Proposals will be subject to a two-stage evaluation procedure carried out by NCN Expert Teams made up of outstanding researchers specialized in the discipline and supported by external experts, some invited from foreign institutions.

A scholarship for the best PhD students at doctoral schools, funding of research and an opportunity to do a foreign fellowship– these are the underlying assumptions of the new PRELUDIUM BIS call launched by the National Science Centre (NCN) and the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA). The two agencies signed a cooperation agreement today.

The objective of the NCN and NAWA cooperation is to create common forms of research funding to ensure continuity and coherence of research as well as to increase mobility, which is essential for achieving scientific excellence and establishing international cooperation. The result of these two institutions’ joint activities will be a complementary call offer, ensuring greater effectiveness of the grant system. The cooperation agreement was signed on behalf of the NCN by Director Zbigniew Błocki and on behalf of the NAWA by Director Łukasz Wojdyga. The ceremony was attended by the Deputy Prime Minister, Polish Minister of Science and Higher Education Jarosław Gowin.

“Since the NCN’s inception, our priority has been to create a call offer that meets the needs of scientists and to simplify the procedure of applying for funding as much as possible” said Professor Błocki. “Cooperation with the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange will allow even more effective actions in this area.”

“As part of the new model of education for PhD students, i.e. doctoral schools, we are today inaugurating an extremely elite pathway addressed to 300 young students and at the same time to their outstanding supervisors” said the Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Gowin. “I would like to thank the National Science Centre and the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange for an example of how one can work together rather than compete”.

PRELUDIUM BIS is the first result of the cooperation between the agencies under the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education. The call for research projects carried out by PhD students as part of their doctoral dissertations will be announced by the NCN on 16 September. The programme is addressed at institutions running operating doctoral schools, and NAWA will fund a foreign fellowship for a PhD students carrying out a research project.

“PRELUDIUM BIS guarantees financial stability for PhD students” emphasized Professor Błocki. “The attractive remuneration that young researchers will receive for four years is intended to give them the opportunity to choose a research career path and to compete for a job in business.

“The Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange has been operating for less than 2 years, so it is a great satisfaction for me that we were invited to cooperate with the NCN – an institution of great competence and many years of experience in creating tools supporting Polish scientists,” said Director Wojdyga. “NAWA’s contribution is clear: it concerns support for the mobility of PhD students selected in the PRELUDIUM BIS call. There is no doubt that in today’s globalised world it is impossible to create science outside the international circulation of thought.”

The first edition of the PRELUDIUM BIS call will provide support for 300 participants of doctoral schools. The funding model jointly developed by the NCN and NAWA will contribute to effectively shape their further research careers on the basis of scientific excellence. Discussions are also underway on the possibility of cooperation in subsequent initiatives and support by the NCN for the research part in such programmes of the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange as the Napoleon Cybulski programme, which grants scholarships to recognised foreign researchers for long-term visits, or the Polish Returns programme, which enables outstanding Polish researchers to return to Poland and take up employment in Polish universities, research institutes or organisations.

Proposals in the first edition of the PRELUDIUM BIS call can be submitted until 16 December 2019.

Signing of the NCN-NAWA cooperation agreement, 12 September 2019

The official website of the Research Council of Norway (RCN) operates a search engine dedicated to researchers from beneficiary countries supported within the framework of the 3^rd edition of the Norwegian Financial Mechanism and the EEA Financial Mechanism (the EEA and Norway Grants). The search engine is designed to facilitate cooperation between potential research project partners. Individual researchers, administrative representatives of research centres, other public institutions, and NGOs, as well as enterprises are invited to register on the website of the RCN.

The Research Council of Norway is a partner that represents the donors of the 3^rd edition of the EEA and Norway Grants. As an operator of the Research Programme, the NCN collaborates with the RCN on a draft programme document, known as the Concept Note.

The first calls will be announced around the first quarter of 2019.

On 18 September, NCN staff will be available to answer questions concerning the GRIEG call during an information chat. You can submit your queries between 10am and 12pm. The chat will be held in English and open to researchers from Poland and Norway. In order to log in, you need only provide your name or nickname and e-mail address. The answers to the questions asked during the chat will be published on our website in the section: EEA and Norway Grants.

GRIEG is the call for research projects carried out jointly by Polish and Norwegian research teams, consisting of at least one Polish partner acting as the partnership leader and at least one Norwegian partner. A scientist with at least a doctorate degree employed by a Polish research institution will act as the principal investigator in a project implemented under the GRIEG call. The Norwegian part of the research team will be led by a research organisation. Partnerships may include research institutions, enterprises, and NGOs. GRIEG covers all areas science, in particular polar research and social science research. More information can be found on our website in the GRIEG call section.

Link to chat

The BiodivClim Biodiversity and Climate Change call for international research projects in the area of biodiversity and climate change is hereby announced by the National Science Centre (hereinafter: “NCN”), acting in cooperation with the BiodivERsA network. Funding proposals may be submitted by international consortia composed of at least 3 research teams from at least 3 countries participating in the call. The principal investigator of the Polish research team must hold at least a PhD degree.

Countries participating in the call: Austria, Belgium, Brazil (Sao Paulo state), Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Spain, Ireland, Israel, Lithuania, Latvia, Germany, Norway, Poland, Portugal, South Africa, Romania, Slovakia, Switzerland, Sweden, Tunisia and Turkey.

Application process:

• international level: the Polish research team, acting in cooperation with a foreign partner, shall prepare a joint proposal in English and submit it via the EPSS submission system;
• national level: the Polish research team shall prepare an NCN proposal covering the Polish part of the project and submit it to the NCN in an electronic format via the ZSUN/OSF submission system.

Call schedule:

• Submission deadline for joint pre-proposals: 5 November 2019
• Invitation to submit joint full proposals: February 2020
• Submission deadline for joint full proposals: 10 April 2020
• Submission deadline for NCN proposals in ZSUN/OSF: 17 April 2020
• Call results: autumn 2020

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

The total amount of funds allocated by the NCN for the tasks to be performed by Polish research teams in the call is EUR 500,000.

Information for prospective applicants:

• call documents available at the BiodivERsA network website (applies to all applicants in the call);
• detailed information for applicants and set of annexes hereto (applies only to entities applying for NCN funding);

Use the Partner Search Tool.

Announcement text