Proposal forms for OPUS 18, PRELUDIUM 18, SONATA 15, PRELUDIUM BIS 1 and IdeaLab „Managing threats” calls are now available in the ZSUN/OSF system.
The deadline for submitting proposals is 16 December.
Call announcements:
International law, political economy, transport and mobility, urban studies, psychology, neurobiology, chemistry, public health, future studies are just some of the disciplines represented by the participants of the workshop organised by the National Science Centre between 21 and 25 October 2019 under the IdeaLab call funded from the EEA grants.
Over 30 scientists from Poland and Norway participated in the workshop held in Jaroszowice near Krakow. They worked in interdisciplinary teams aimed at developing the research projects ideas addressing the widely understood topic “Managing threats”. During the five days of the workshop, 8 projects ideas were developed addressing, inter alia, climate change, migration flows, disinformation in the globalised and networked world and smart cities focused on the needs of their citizens.
The workshop was carried out according to the “sandpit” method which makes IdeaLab different from a standard call for proposals mainly due to an unusual formation of the teams and procedure of developing proposal ideas. The participants did not know each other before. During the workshop they created ad hoc teams and developed project ideas to form the basis for future funding proposals submitted with the National Science Centre.
More on the IdeaLab call: https://www.ncn.gov.pl/eeanorwaygrants/calls/idealab?language=en.
IdeaLab Workshop, photo credits: Daria Wójcik/NCN
The CHIST-ERA Network has defined topics for the Call for proposals that will be announced in December 2019: Explainable Machine Learning-based Artificial Intelligence (XAI), Novel Computational Approaches for Environmental Sustainability (CES).
Researchers are encouraged to start discussing possible projects with prospective partners. The call will require that projects are submitted by international consortia with partners in at least three countries (the list of countries which have shown preliminary interest in participating in the Call is provided in the pre-announcement). The national/regional eligibility criteria will be defined by each participating funding agency.
The anticipated deadline for proposals is 14th February 2019. The projects will be selected in the second half of 2020.
For details please see the attached document (CHIST-ERA Pre-announcement of Call 2019) and CHIST-ERA website, where a Partner Search Tool is available.
Please note that this pre-announcement is for information purposes only. It does not create any obligation for the CHIST-ERA consortium nor for any of the participating funding organisations. The official call announcement, to be published later, shall prevail.
Contact:
We would like to invite all researchers to participate in new international funding opportunities in urban studies JPI Urban Europe.
In December 2019 JPI Urban Europe network plans to open a new funding opportunity on the following theme: Urban accessibility and connectivity. For more information please follow the promotion flyer and the webpage.
Contact:
BiodivERsA Consortium is pleased to announce the results of the Biodiversity and its influence on animal, human and plant health call. Thanks to the funding provided by the BiodivERsA member organisations, the list of projects recommended for funding includes 10 excellent international proposals in the field of biodiversity research for over EUR 11,9 M.
The BiodivERsA Call 2018, launched in October 2018 by 15 funding organisations from 11 countries, attracted 49 international research consortia. Polish researchers will be involved in 6 of 10 awarded projects.
List of the projects with participation of Polish research teams:
Full list of the projects recommended for funding. More information and the full list of the projects recommended for funding are available on the BiodivERsA web page.
On 17 October 2019, the Regulation exempting income (revenues) from certain scholarships and other financial resources awarded by the National Science Centre from personal income tax of 14 October 2019 was published in the Journal of Laws (Journal of Laws of 2019, item 1982). The Regulation signed by the Minister of Finance, Investment and Development has been in force since 18 October 2019 and applies to income (revenues) generated between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2020.
Pursuant to the Regulation, tax is waived for:
According to the National Science Centre, pursuant to the Regulation scholarship grantees may recover any advance payments made on scholarships between 1 January 2019 and the date the Regulation entered into effect. However, scholarship grantees should contact the competent tax authorities for more information on how to proceed with the recovery of advance payments. The National Science Centre will not provide any information on this issue.
Following the entry into force of the Act on Higher Education and Science of 20 July 2019 entering into effect on 1 October 2018 (Journal of Laws, item 1668, as amended) (hereinafter referred to as “Act 2.0.”) along with other legal acts reforming the system of higher education, the tax regulations concerning scientific scholarships awarded under NCN-funded research projects have, inter alia, been amended.
Pursuant to Article 21 (1) (39) of the Act on Personal Income Tax of 26 July 1991, in force before 1 October 2018, the following scholarships were exempt from tax: scientific scholarships and merit-based scholarships awarded according to the rules approved by the Minister of Higher Education, having consulted the General Council for Science and Higher Education, or by the Minister of Education.
The above category included scientific scholarships awarded under NCN-funded research projects carried out under, inter alia, OPUS, MAESTRO and SONATA BIS calls.
However, as of the effective date of Act 2.0, in particular the Act enacting the same (i.e. the Act of 3 July 2018 - Provisions Enacting the Act on Higher Education and Science (Journal of Laws of 2018, item 1669, as amended)), new Article 21 (1) (39) of the Act on Personal Income Tax became effective which, in the opinion of the National Science Centre, does not give grounds for exemption of scholarships granted under NCN-funded projects from income tax.
However, pursuant to Article 339 of the above Act of 3 July 2018 enacting Act 2.0., scholarships awarded according to the rules approved by the Minister of Higher Education received after the effective date of Act 2.0 (i.e. after 1 October 2018), are exempt from personal income tax pursuant to Article 21 (1) (39), (40) and (61) of the Act on Personal Income Tax in effect before 1 October 2018.
This means that pursuant to the applicable regulations of awarding scientific scholarships, all scientific scholarships awarded before 1 October 2018 in NCN-funded projects will be exempt from tax pursuant to the foregoing provision, regardless of being paid after the effective date of Act 2.0.
The National Science Centre has already announced that as a consequence of Article 21 (1) (39) of the Act on Personal Income Tax being amended, certain measures have been taken to bring into force the regulations exempting the said scholarships from income tax. Following many months of work by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Investment and Development and the National Science Centre, on 14 October 2019, the Minister of Finance, Investments and Development signed the Regulation exempting income (revenues) from certain scholarships and other financial resources awarded by the National Science Centre from personal income tax.
The National Science Centre continues its endeavours to resolve this issue in a systemic manner through appropriate amendments to the current Act on Personal Income Tax.
The National Science Centre has presented its preliminary timeline for 2020 calls.
| TYPE OF CALL | CALL ANNOUNCEMENT | CALL DEADLINE | CALL RESULTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| CEUS-UNISONO | continuos call, to be announced in February | first results: second half of 2020 | |
| 16 March | 16 June | December 2020 | |
| DAINA 2 | 15 June | 15 September |
March 2021 May 2021 (DAINA 2) |
| 15 September | 15 December |
June 2021 LAP – depend on the time of accepting evaluation results by partner agencies October 2021 (BEETHOVEN CLASSIC 4) |
|
| 15 December | 15 March 2021 |
September 2021 (SONATINA 5) October 2021 (SHENG 2) |
|
| DIOSCURI 4 | December | March 2021 | October 2021 |
| continuous call, open from 4 May to 30 September 2020 | |||
* calls schedule might be changed in the course of the year
Specific information on the terms and start dates for individual calls will be published on the NCN’s website once they have been approved by the relevant resolutions of the Council of the NCN.
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.
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 19th-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:
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:
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.
