“I came from the debate feeling really reassured, because it seemed to me that the NCN had thought through its principles really well”, says Michał Żmihorski. “The fact that the NCN decided to host the meeting at all shows that it is open to voices coming from the scientific community, which is not necessarily an attitude typical of many public institutions in Poland”, adds Wojciech Jasiński.

Researchers from different centres took part in a meeting held on 4 June in the headquarters of the NCN in Kraków, where they were joined by NCN Council members and employees to discuss the role of the NCN and basic research funding. More specifically, the panellists addressed the NCN call portfolio, proposal and peer review procedures, grant spending and billing, open science, and grant-related team employment and remuneration policies. They also touched on the role of the NCN in the broader research and higher education system, its cooperation with other institutions and the need for regular increases in its budget.

We asked five participants for their feedback. Here are some important insights from Wojciech Fendler, Wojciech Jasiński, Magdalena Stobińska, Artur Obłuski, and Michał Żmihorski.

How do you rate the meeting? Which threads of the discussion did you find the most important? Meeting at the NCN headquarters, 4 June 2024

Prof. Magdalena Stobińska, specialised in quantum technologies, quantum optics and quantum information, University of Warsaw

One theme revolved around the fundamental question of NCN policy: whether its grants should be elitist or egalitarian or, in other words, whether we should invest in science done by experienced scientists at top research centres or strive to raise the level of Polish science evenly, as a whole.

Poland has a huge research potential, but it is underfunded. In general, we should follow the example of developed countries and bet on the best of the best, on people who have completed international fellowships, already have large networks of contacts and enjoy community recognition. But there should also be a way to offer a chance to gifted researchers who, for various reasons, have not followed a typical research career path. At every career stage, there should be an option that would allow them to “enter the system”, without any limits as to age or years that have passed since earning a PhD.

The other theme had to do with the need to increase funding for Polish research if we want to be competitive in the world. We need to think, for instance, about how to attract graduates from top European or American universities. We need to be able to offer salaries that would ensure a decent standard of life for them and their families. Researchers from top research centres would arrive here with their contacts and their know-how; this would be an investment in Polish science.

Prof. Michał Żmihorski, specialises in land ecosystem ecology and science-based environmental protection, Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Białowieża

Being able to take part in the debate was already interesting enough. I was positively impressed by how thoroughly the panellists set about analysing different ways to address moot issues. It was evident that the NCN Director and the NCN Council are very knowledgeable about similar grant agencies abroad and they explained clearly and convincingly why the NCN had adopted some solutions and not others. I came from the debate feeling really reassured, because it seemed to me that the NCN had thought through its principles really well.

If I were to name the themes I was particularly interested in, I would probably mention the call for a more liberal assessment of how the grants have been used (for example, how closely the products of a project should be linked to its initial theme) and the issue of Open Access. I’m happy to see a mounting criticism of such high fees for open access publications.

Prof. Wojciech Jasiński, specialises in criminal procedure, law of evidence and human rights in criminal proceedings, University of Wrocław

Generally speaking, the fact that the NCN decided to host the meeting at all shows that it is open to voices coming from the scientific community, which is not necessarily an attitude typical of public institutions in Poland. On the one hand, this culture of openness sensitises the NCN to community voices who, after all, are the voices of those who benefit from its resources but, on the other, also allows the community to understand certain (institutional, financial, etc.) limitations faced by the NCN, which are not normally raised in public discourse, but which mean that even rational requests of reform will occasionally come up against implementation stumbling blocks.

Second, the meeting showed that the problems faced by grant applicants and holders vary across different disciplines (HS, NZ, ST). Accordingly, in its grant policy, the NCN needs to make choices that are always bound to seem unconvincing to some. It is also a good idea to ask whether grant requirements should be the same across the board or perhaps they should vary, and if so, to what extent?

Third, I think that the debate showed that the NCN will not be able to meet all the reasonable expectations of the research community on its own. Disagreements over whether it should fund only calls for proposals targeted at a wide audience of researchers or bet on, e.g. centres of excellence, whether its calls should be elitist or egalitarian, whether it should support basic or applied research (assuming that this distinction should matter at all) or if there is any room for funding high risk high gain projects, clearly showed that Poland needs a sensible research policy vision at the level of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, coupled with an adequate institutional system. We need to think about whether and how we could synchronise the actions of the NCN with those of other institutions (NCBR, ministerial programmes) within the framework of a broader national system, as well as with fund allocation schemes and opportunities for external funding. Even though the NCN has taken some action in this area (e.g. creating joint programmes with other institutions), without institutional support and a sensible research policy, it won’t be able to succeed on its own.

What are your expectations of the NCN? What role should it play in the research system as a whole?

Prof. Wojciech Fendler, Medical University of Łódź, set to take over as the President of the Medical Research Agency in July

The way I see it, the grant system is crucial for motivating researchers to take risks and put forward ambitious hypotheses. It cannot be the sole source of research funding, but neither should it be a marginal addition to subsidies (this model fails to provide incentives for risk-taking and growth). If we were to imagine the research support system in the form of a pyramid, the subsidies should lie at the base. Weaker teams that are just starting out or work in smaller centres should have access to some form of seed grants. Up a notch, there would be the NCN, with its mission to support good and very good projects. And at the top of the pyramid, we would see the sources of funding with a very low success rate, targeted only at the very best research teams and high-risk projects that require well-organised structures and experience (ERC, FNP). I also anticipate an important role for foundations and societies: every year, for instance, the Polish Diabetological Society awards 3-5 grants to young researchers. Many of the winners then go on to secure grants under NCN’s PRELUDIUM and NCBR’s LIDER schemes or more “grown-up” calls. This domain-focused, targeted support allows us to support individuals who already have the potential but still lack the organisational culture or recognisability to break through the 10% success rate at the NCN. Generating preliminary results, gaining project experience and publishing a paper gives them the wherewithal to later join the mainstream of NCN-funded projects.

Michał Żmihorski

My main expectation has to do with priorities: what I find particularly important is that the NCN should never compromise on scientific excellence in its strategy or action; scientific excellence should remain the supreme goal in its work. After the meeting in Kraków, I got the impression that this is what they are doing.

Magdalena Stobińska

Personally, I would expect more flexibility, both at the application stage, e.g. simpler forms, and during the grants phase proper. Following the ERC model, a grant should be tied to the researcher, so that they can change their project location or even transfer an entire team. Also, similar to new European grants, the NCN should introduce a flat fee, a so-called “lump sum”, that could be spent by principal investigators without the need to account for its use in detail.

I would also want the NCN to abolish the cap on the maximum number of grants headed by one researcher. Of course, principal investigators should be held accountable for a diligent performance of each contract. Sometimes, however, they need to follow different paths, e.g. fund a research team or international cooperation and, at the same time, purchase research equipment from another grant. But I understand this is a temporary situation due to insufficient funds.

At many points in the discussion, opinions were clearly divided; there were, for instance, disagreements as to whether the NCN should be more elitist or more egalitarian.

Michał Żmihorski

Opinions will always be divided, because there is no system that can satisfy all actors from all the disciplines of science. These differences of opinion over many issues are not alarming. My takeaway from this diversity of opinion is that we should allow researchers to take various paths to scientific excellence, because they are all different and their disciplines have specific concerns. 

Wojciech Fendler

I don’t understand why we should support average research centres just because they exist and need our assistance. If a research centre has 2 or 3 good teams, rather than stubbornly trying to raise its overall level, it would make more sense to support researcher mobility or consolidate teams into IRAs or other structures. Today, we simply cannot afford to support weak institutions and even if we could, resources for such groundwork should come from subsidies rather than calls for proposals, which should be reserved for the best.

What should the NCN take away from the debate? What changes and improvements should it make?

Prof. Artur Obłuski, archaeologist, interested in Nubian studies and monasticism, University of Warsaw

Improvements? This, of course, depends on priorities. For me, one such priority is to give young researchers the best chance of achieving research independence. Of course, this is why PRELUDIUM grants are crucially important, because they usher young people into the system of independent research. I think that SONATINA and SONATA calls could be reformed. While I think researcher mobility is important, in the current economic situation, with current home rental prices, the NCN will simply not have enough resources to ensure a decent living standard, e.g. for a young PhD holder who needs to relocate to Warsaw. At the same time, we cannot allow a two-year gap in the career of researchers who have just earned their PhD. So it makes sense to move funds from SONATINA to SONATA and extend the duration of the latter by two years; you would be able to apply for a SONATA grant a day after earning your PhD and for up to 7 years after that.

Wojciech Jasiński

On a more detailed level, what I found very valuable was our discussion of how we could optimise the fund allocation system so as to make sure resources would not flow exclusively to researchers who have already acquired a certain renown in the community, but also to those who are still building their international renown. This was the tenor of the debate on the MINIATURA call and how it can be reformed to give a chance to more elaborate projects that could accelerate research careers. Another important theme was NCN’s key policy of funding young researchers. It is worth emphasising that the panellists didn’t just air their subjective intuitions, experiences and expectations, but heavily relied on hard data on the level of NCN funding in various calls, success rates and repeat application rates. This reassures me that the postulates of the research community will be thoroughly analysed and taken into account before any future grant system reforms.

It seems that everyone agreed on only one thing: NCN funding. What actions should the research community take? How can we work together in this context?

Magdalena Stobińska

Poland has a very high intellectual potential and the prosperity of our country can be based on knowledge and innovation. This is especially true of STEM disciplines, e.g. computer science, including artificial intelligence, physics, mathematics, cryptography, where we have a longstanding research tradition and excellent people, and no particularly elaborate infrastructure is required. But we need to prevent a brain drain and create the conditions for ideas to be converted into startups and industrial innovations.

I believe the research community and the NCN should speak in unison, calling for greater state spending on science.

Michał Żmihorski

The research community, including the NCN, could be more present in the media. I see a great potential here for increasing the pressure on politicians and state officials; I am personally active on social media and even though they take a lot of time and mental energy, they are a really effective communication channel where you can really have your voice heard. Another good idea is to try to reach out to students with knowledge about how research funding works, so that, apart from learning factual knowledge, they will also understand how that knowledge is created. This area is still plagued by many harmful myths, and it is important to neutralise them so as to build up social support for basic research funding.

Wojciech Fendler

We should be aiming to ensure that the share of grants increases in the funding system and that it is seen as the main path to individual growth, even if it happens at the expense of basic funding. It would make sense to move some NCBR resources to the NCN. The NCN seems more effective at spending them, and without good basic research, any investment in R&D seems pointless anyway. Cooperation between research-funding agencies should also be improved; the Medical Research Agency is ready for the challenge and we have now resumed the talks around translational projects that were suspended in 2022.

Artur Obłuski

European case studies clearly show that every euro invested in science generates 10 euros more. We should be investing in research infrastructure because it will attract foreign researchers and companies that invest in research and development. The Minister of Science and Higher Education should announce his own strategic investment plan and set aside funds to set up and ensure the stability of research teams and centres in priority disciplines for the next 10-15 years. This ministerial programme could be modelled on NCN’s Dioscuri, but with a better budget.

However, most importantly, the budget of the NCN should be doubled. If we don’t increase research funding, our country is bound to become a mere consumer of knowledge and goods produced by others. By doubling the budget, we will enable our scientists to stay in the vanguard of global research in many disciplines and make sure the Polish people remain competitive. The NCN is a beacon that shines the light of top-quality science and it needs to be allowed to grow. This is what allows the best Polish scientists to develop their careers.

 

Feedback collected by: Anna Korzekwa-Józefowicz

We are now taking in proposals under the SONATA BIS 14 call for researchers planning to set up new research teams and MAESTRO 16 for advanced researchers involved in pioneering research. The total budget of the two calls is PLN 170 million.

The two calls are an opportunity for researchers working or planning to work at Polish centres to acquire funding for the most ambitious project in the field of basic research.

Masterclass projects

It is now the sixteenth time that we have the pleasure of inviting experienced researchers to apply to the MAESTRO call for proposals for research projects that involve pioneering research of great interest to science, often interdisciplinary in nature, which goes beyond our current state of knowledge and is likely to bring important scientific discoveries. A total budget of PLN 20 million is up for grabs for PhD holders who can demonstrate at least five publications released by renowned Polish or international academic publishers/journals in the last 10 years, and have served as principal investigators in at least two research projects selected in international or domestic calls. Applicants also need to meet at least three other research record criteria, such as having published a monograph, sat on a scientific committee of a renowned academic conference or won an international award.

The projects may be planned over 36, 48 or 60 months. There is no official cap on the budget of any single project, but all its costs must be well justified and will be carefully assessed during the evaluation procedure. The grant can go toward funding salaries for the research team, including scholarships for students and PhD students, research equipment and other necessary project expenses.

A good start for new teams

SONATA BIS 14 is targeted at researchers planning to set up new teams in order to conduct innovative basic research projects. The principal investigator must have earned their PhD degree 5 to 12 years prior (i.e. between 1 January 2012 and 31 December 2019) and is expected to be able to demonstrate at least one research paper published or pending publication.

SONATA BIS14 projects may also be planned over 36, 48 or 60 months. The terms and conditions of the call do not set a limit on the maximum number of members in the research team, but the grant must employ one or more PhD students for a total period of at least 36 months. Other team members may also be hired, including post-docs or students.

The budget of SONATA BIS 14 is PLN 150 million.

Proposal intake, evaluation procedure, results

Proposals under MAESTRO 16 and SONATA BIS 14 can be submitted via the OSF system until 4pm on 17 September 2024.

All proposals that have passed our eligibility check will go on to undergo a merit-based evaluation by Expert Teams appointed by the NCN Council, which consists of two stages.

At stage one, each proposal is individually reviewed by at least two team members. The team then agrees on a final score, based on these individual expert reviews, and draws up a list of projects passed forward to stage two. At stage two, each proposal is again evaluated by at least two reviewers. Moreover, under MAESTRO and SONATA BIS specifically, the principal investigator is also invited to an interview (held in English) at the main offices of the NCN. The final score is agreed on during the second team meeting, based on all individual reviews and the interview results. The team then draws up the final ranking lists of proposals recommended for funding.

MAESTRO 16 and SONATA BIS 14 interviews will take place in January/February 2025; principal investigators will be notified of the date at least 14 days prior.

The review process at the NCN is based on the following criteria: research excellence and innovation; the impact of the project on the advancement of the discipline; the project’s feasibility, and the research record of the principal investigator, including publications in renowned journals; and the necessity and manner of setting up a new team in SONATA BIS.

The results of the two calls will be published by March 2025.

 

Dr Ludwik Gąsiorowski is the third researcher to receive funding for his research component under Polish Returns NAWA 2023 this year. He will receive PLN 200,000.

Dr Ludwik Gąsiorowski from the Faculty of Biology at the University of Warsaw studies the evolution of invertebrates. The NCN funding will enable him to pursue a research project on the ecological and developmental causes of asexual reproduction and colony formation in flatworms. 

Ranking list

The Polish Returns NAWA 2023 programme enables Polish researchers who have conducted research abroad to continue their scientific work at Polish universities and research institutions.

The National Science Centre conducts a continuous call for proposals to fund research components in the project from the date the funding decision is issued by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) under the Polish Returns NAWA 2023 programme until the last proposal recommended for funding in the call is submitted to the NCN. Proposals submitted to the NCN are only subject to an eligibility check. 

Research components can be carried out by returning scientists or project team identified in a proposal submitted to the Polish Returns NAWA 2023 programme. 

The NCN Council has awarded PLN 2 million for basic research projects carried out under the Polish Returns NAWA 2023 programme.

“Science for Policy – Policy for Science” was the theme of the Fourth Polish-German Science Meeting, held on June 10–11 in Warsaw. The event was organized by the Foundation for Polish Science (FNP) in cooperation with Poland’s National Science Centre (NCN) and the German Research Foundation (DFG).

The meeting gathered heads and representatives of more than a dozen research and grant-giving institutions from Poland, Germany, along with both countries’ embassies. The event’s special guest was Olga Polotska, Ph.D., Executive Director of the National Research Foundation of Ukraine. The conference focused on the role of science diplomacy – primarily in the context of providing support and aid to Ukraine – as well as opportunities and challenges for science and scientists connected to artificial intelligence development.

Photo by Paweł Kula/ FNP The panel discussion on the first day focused on how to best support Ukrainian scientists and the science sector in Ukraine. Panelists foregrounded numerous bilateral initiatives between individual EU countries and Ukraine, highlighting the significant role of coordinated international efforts. From the perspective of the event participants, the most pressing challenges ahead will include the reconstruction of the destroyed Ukrainian research infrastructure and efforts aimed at persuading Ukrainian scientists to return to Ukraine and conduct research in their home country. The panel was moderated by Marta Łazarowicz-Kowalik, Ph.D., Deputy President of the FNP Board.

The second day concentrated on “Science for Policy: The Impact of AI on the Research,” so panelists discussed artificial intelligence and its use in conducting and evaluating research.

Discussions opened with a lecture “Generative AI Horizons: Collaborative Approach” by Professor Aleksandra Przegalińska from Kozminski University and Harvard University, a leading Polish expert in and researcher of AI.

The next item on the meeting’s agenda was the first panel “What AI Means for Conducting Research? Research Performing Organizations’ Perspective.” Panelists emphasized that we undoubtedly partake in a turning point in civilizational development, with AI providing unprecedented opportunities. Nevertheless, we must simultaneously remain mindful of the risks that the world of science faces. The most significant risks are to include deep fake technology, which enables the generation of fake scientific research results and their dissemination in the scientific world and the general public. The panelists highlighted the need to prepare regulations for the use of AI in research. As one of the challenges facing the EU, they mentioned the need to keep abreast of global competition in AI development and the necessity to attract talent. Tomasz Perkowski, Ph.D., Deputy President of the FNP Board, moderated this panel.

Photo by Paweł Kula/ FNP The second panel “What AI Means for Research Assessment? Research Funding Organizations’ Perspective” addressed the opportunities and challenges linked to using AI for the purpose of evaluating research funding applications. Is AI more objective than humans in assessing applications? Could AI make funding decisions instead of fallible humans? If we cannot fully “devolve” our authority to AI in evaluating and selecting applications, should we use this technology at all, and to what extent? These are but some of the questions debated during the panel chaired by Professor Stefan Dziembowski, a cryptographer and member of the National Science Centre Council. While AI is undoubtedly a valuable tool for improving work efficiency, the panel concluded that AI should play only a supporting and auxiliary role for people tasked with decision-making. Nevertheless, the panelists recognized the analytical capabilities of AI while noting the need to regulate matters of intellectual property.

The idea of holding regular Polish-German meetings emerged in 2017. The events provide a platform for discussion and exchange of experiences on current topics relevant to the scientific community. This year’s event held in Warsaw was already the fourth such initiative. The previous meetings were held in Munich in 2017, Krakow in 2019, and Berlin in 2022.

The next Polish-German Science Meeting will take place in 2026 in Germany.

Photos: Paweł KulaFourth Polish-German Science Meeting

Fot. Paweł Kula/ FNP

Source: FNP

The European Biodiversity Partnership Biodiversa+ will soon launch a new transnational joint research call on Biodiversity and Transformative Change: BiodivTransform. The call is embedded in the Flagship Programme “Supporting societal transformation for the sustainable use and management of biodiversity,” and will help to achieve one of Biodiversa+’s strategic objectives: producing actionable knowledge for transformative change to halt and reverse biodiversity decline.

Main steps of the call

• Launch of the call: 10 September 2024
• Pre-proposal submission date: early November 2024
• Full proposal submission date: early April 2025
• Recommendations for funding: Autumn 2025

Researchers from Bydgoszcz, Gliwice, Lodz, Szczecin, Warsaw and Wroclaw among winning applicants of prestigious IMPRESS-U. Projects will be carried out in international collaboration with US and Ukrainian scientists. NCN will award over 7.3 million zlotys for that purpose. 

IMPRESS-U opens up new opportunities for cooperation between Polish researchers and their colleagues from Ukraine and USA as well as, optionally, Baltic countries: Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. The International Multilateral Partnerships for Resilient Education and Science System in Ukraine (IMPRESS-U) has been initiated by the US National Science Foundation (NSF). The National Science Centre and the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange are the programme partners.

IMPRESS-U aims to support excellence in science and engineering research, education, and innovation through international collaboration, and to promote and catalyse integration of Ukrainian researchers in the global research community.

The NCN is open to proposals for basic research projects covering the subject area of the EAGER call. IMPRESS-U projects must be based on a balanced and complementary contribution from all the research teams involved in the project. The principal investigator of the Polish research team must hold at least a PhD degree. Co-investigators can be involved in the project work, including students, PhD students and post-docs. Projects must be performed over 24 months and the budget must include the cost of salaries and scholarships, research equipment, devices and software. 

Joint proposals are subject to a merit-based evaluation pursuant to the Lead Agency Procedure performed by the National Science Foundation acting as the Lead Agency. furthermore, Polish research teams must submit a funding proposal to the NCN, identifying their research tasks.

How to improve remote sensing – satellite lidars + machine learning 

Remote sensing is a process of measuring objects or areas from a distance, typically from aircraft, space or Earth’s terrestrial area. Apart from radars and sonars, satellite lidars are an important element of remote sensing systems enabling measurement of the topological structure of the Earth's surface (including forests, rivers and water reservoirs, desert, grassy and urbanised areas). The analysis carried out on such data allows us to deepen our understanding of many phenomena taking place on Earth, in particular the processes occurring in the ecosystem that determine the circulation of nutrients, water and carbon on Earth. However, the current measurement capabilities of satellite lidars are limited both in terms of spatial resolution and range.

Prof. Krzysztof Okarma, photo credit: Aurelia Kołodziej Researchers from the West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin under the supervision of Prof. Dr hab. inż. Krzysztof Okarma, in collaboration with their partners from the United States and Ukraine, have received an IMPRESS-U grant for exploratory research on generative compression for compressive lidars. They will receive 400 thousand zlotys for their research from the National Science Centre.  

Krzysztof Okarma studies the field of digital image quality assessment and image similarity, as well as other problems of machine and computer vision, and application of image analysis methods, including interdisciplinary ones. Under IMPRESS-U, he will carry out a research project in tandem with the research team of Prof. Volodymyr Lukin from the National Aerospace University in Kharkiv with whom he has already worked. They will study the image quality assessment under the project funded by the Polish National Agency of Academic Exchange in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.

“During our talks it turned out that these issues can be applied in the generative compression used to measure data from satellite lidars studied by the research team of Prof. Gonzalo Arce from the University of Delaware, USA. We have discussed the requirements of the American team and possible collaboration with the Ukrainian team in the development of the loss function in view of our prior experience and decided to apply for IMPRESS-U funding,” says Krzysztof Okarma.

The aim of the international project is to investigate the possibility of using machine learning methods, in particular for deep neural networks, to reconstruct a three-dimensional image of the terrain based on data from a compression satellite lidar obtained from an altitude of several hundred kilometres with a quality comparable to the results obtained from an altitude of several hundred metres. The Polish team, acting in close cooperation with the team from Ukraine, will develop appropriate loss functions, in particular based on the adaptation and modification of previously proposed combined image quality metrics for various types of images, and will verify them for satellite and aerial measurement data provided by the team from the University of Delaware.

“I hope that the implementation of the IMPRESS-U project will let us strengthen cooperation with the research teams from Kharkiv and the University of Delaware. A few young researchers will be involved in the research work, so hopefully they will get involved in the subject of our research and my team will expand their research interest,” concludes Krzysztof Okarma. 

Reconstruction and environmental sustainability

Dr hab. Eng Maciej Dutkiewicz, prof. PBŚ The war in Ukraine caused by the Russians aggression inflicts damage to infrastructure, public facilities, and residential buildings day after day. Therefore, researchers need to develop construction technologies with the use of readily available materials of sufficient quality and resilience to effectively rebuilt what has been destroyed in a short period of time. 

The research team headed by Dr hab. inż. Maciej Dutkiewicz, prof. PBŚ from the Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology will develop new approaches and structural materials to rebuild damaged Ukrainian infrastructure with environmental sustainability considerations. The researchers will carry out an IMPRESS-U project in collaboration with research teams headed by Prof. Alexander Orlov from the New York University, USA and Prof. Maryna Sukhanevych from the Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture. The NCN will award nearly 1.3 million zlotys for the research tasks of the Polish research team.

Maciej Dutkiewicz’s research focuses on cement-based and cement-free eco-friendly composites, metallic and non-metallic fibre-reinforced concretes and mortars, structural health monitoring using the modal analysis, spectral method as well as machine learning and digital image correlation. He also monitors and reduces structural vibrations and investigates fracture resistance of structural components.

“I have had a long-standing research relationship with the Ukrainian partners. The current situation has already prompted me to get involved in various aid activities, and IMPRESS-U is a great opportunity to take up an important research subject and continue our previous collaboration,” says Maciej Dutkiewicz.

The main research goal is to develop eco-friendly technologies of 3D printed and tradition concrete structures using a combination of highly and moderately processed waste materials. In the project, the researchers will analyse the possibility of using recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) for the concrete production as well as other waste materials, such as fly ash, bricks, glass, and even processed food or agricultural waste. The number of components in a mixture will depend on designation for the construction of individual infrastructure facilities. The utilisation of waste materials in construction will pose unprecedented technological challenges. Due to the inhomogeneous nature of components used to design composites, they will be meticulously examined in terms of durability as well as mechanical and thermal properties and even self-healing properties achieved by using waste with variable particles. The research team will also conduct an innovative Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) analysis for the waste-based aggregates’ preparation as a function of their size and chemical composition.

“The main purpose of our project is to use the research findings to support reconstruction of Ukraine’s damaged infrastructure,” emphasises Maciej Dutkiewicz.

Deep below the surface – groundwater resources in Europe

Dr hab. Tatiana Solovey, Professor at the Polish Geological Institute, National Research Institute is among the winning applicants of the IMPRESS-U call. Her daily work involves satellite gravimetry-based monitoring of groundwater resources. She also pursues the issue of water management in transboundary regions.

Dr hab. Tatiana Solovey, Prof. PIG –PIB “Applying for IMPRESS-U funding was a logical consequence of my earlier research conducted under the “EU-Waterres” project by the consortium of ten partners from five countries.

The project enabled us to create a tool for coordinated management and integrated protection of transboundary groundwater which is closely connected with the subject of IMPRESS-U due to knowledge gaps that I managed to identify”, says Tatiana Solovey.

The NCN funding of nearly PLN 1.42 million will enable Dr hab. Solovey together with Dr Justyna Śliwińska-Bronowicz from the Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences to take part in the international research project GRANDE-U. Researchers from Poland, Ukraine, the United States, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia will join their knowledge and experience to assess groundwater resilience through integrated data exploration for Ukraine. Groundwater is one of the most important natural water resources and a primary source of freshwater on Earth. Compared to surface water, groundwater is generally of higher quality, more resistant to possible contamination, less susceptible to fluctuations and much more evenly distributed. Groundwater can be used for consumption purposes, as well as for agriculture and industry. In response to the observed climate changes, it is crucial to continuously monitor Earth’s groundwater resources and to develop and share acquired data so that it could be used by relevant agencies for decision-making that affects the economy and society.

“I had the pleasure of working with most of the partners before. The consortium coordinator Dr Ilya Zaslavsky from the University of Californian San Diego contacted me last year when she found online information on the EU-Waterres project,” says Tatiana Solovey.

The aim of the GRANDE-U project is to develop a high-resolution database on groundwater resources for the Baltic countries, Poland and Ukraine, with particular emphasis on the border areas of Ukraine. Researchers from six different countries will join their forces in order to integrate the data acquired from many sources using various methods for a detailed analysis of changes in groundwater resources and integrated assessment of water balance and transboundary flows from the Poland-Ukraine border area.

“I hope that my work will result in many scientific publications and development of a new groundwater measurement method that will be frequently used by the world geological authorities. I also look forward to enhancing the position of my Institute as a recognisable and respected establishment in pioneering hydrogeology research,” Dr hab. Solovey concludes.

 

Pioneering solutions vs delicate quantum states – how to improve quantum computers

Quantum computers are cutting-edge devices underpinning the principles of quantum mechanics. Researchers and commercial companies all over the world have been working on quantum computers for years, taking part in the race to achieve the highest possible computational efficiency, far beyond the capabilities of traditional computers. At the heart of this advanced technology is the quantum bit, or qubit, which is the basic unit of quantum information processing. Apart from their tremendous potential, they also face an inherent obstacle: qubit decoherence, a phenomenon causing the loss of delicate quantum states and introducing computational inaccuracies.

The research team headed by Prof. Dr hab. Ryszard Buczko from the Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, will be involved in the international project “Quantum dynamics in novel chalcogenide materials and devices” with funding granted under IMPRESS-U.

In his research work, Ryszard Buczko performs theoretical studies of crystal properties and low-dimensional nanostructures. He has recently shown an interest in narrow-gap IV-VI semiconductors.

“Our project funded under IMPRESS-U aims to explore the potential of lead- and tin-chalcogenide (IV-VI) semiconductors, nanostructures fabricated on their basis and nanostructures coupled with superconductors. So far, they have not been extensively studied in the field of quantum information science. We assume that their unique physical properties, i.e. strong spin-orbit interactions, high electron mobility, and effective electrostatic control, enable the reduction of qubit decoherence. Additionally, they may be used to investigate new quantum phenomena in nanoscale devices,” explains Ryszard Buczko.

“Research teams headed by Prof. Denys Bondar from the Tulane University, USA and Prof. Sergey Frolov from the University of Pittsburgh, USA as well as researchers from Ukraine headed by Andrii Terekhov from the B. Verkin Institute for Low Temperature Physics and Engineering (ILTPE) in Kharkiv will also be involved in the project work.

“I found out about the project from Valentyn Volobuiev with whom I have co-authored a number of publications. In our Institute, Valentyn grows IV-VI nanostructured materials by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). I was keen to explore if they could be used for quantum computing,” says Ryszard Buczko.

Our project partners include theoreticians, experimentalists, and crystal growers representing various fields and disciplines. Our common mission involves fabricating and characterising new nanostructures, as well as constructing and studying prototypes of quantum devices. Researchers from the Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences will support theoretical work to design appropriate nanostructures, fabricate them and characterise them in situ. Coupled with the structures fabricated by the researchers from Kharkiv, they will be used for samples to investigate quantum dynamics of spin qubits in quantum dots and Joseph junction transmons.

The National Science Centre will allocate over 1.34 million zlotys for research conducted at the Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences.

Epidemics in military conflicts under international scrutiny

Military conflicts provide a fertile ground for infectious diseases to spread. In times of war, the mechanisms allowing a stable epidemiological situation of a country to be maintained in peacetime are disrupted, e.g. access to health infrastructure is hindered, epidemiological and sanitary situation is worsened. Relocation and migration are among the reasons why people are crowded in temporary shelters and refugee camps, which is why they have less access to food and water, drugs and healthcare. Furthermore, migration facilitates dissemination of new pathogen mutations and weak immune system caused by conflict-related stress makes people more susceptible to diseases. Not only conflict zones but also other areas are at risk of epidemics, for example due to mass migration. In this situation, forecasting epidemics spread holds paramount significance.

Doc. Dr hab. Sergiy Yakovlev The research team headed by Dr hab. Sergiy Yakovlev will carry out the following IMPRESS-U project: “Modelling and forecasting of infection spread in war and post war settings using epidemiological, behavioural and genomic surveillance data”. The researchers from the Institute of Mathematics, Lodz University of Technology will cooperate with the scientists from the Łukasiewicz Research Network – PORT Polish Centre for Technology Development headed by Heng-Chang Chen, partner research teams from the Georgia State University, USA headed by Alexander Kirpich and University of Connecticut, USA headed by Pavel Skums, and research team from the Kharkiv National Medical University headed by Tetyana Chumachenko and Lyubov Makhota from the Kharkiv Regional Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Ministry of Health of Ukraine.

Sergiy Yakovlev’s research interest includes modelling and development as well as AI implementation in healthcare and related areas.

“Researchers from the Universities of Connecticut and Georgia State University approached me and suggested that I should take part in the IMPRESS-U call. They learnt about my achievements from the papers I had published in prestigious academic journals. I have never met them before. I got very interested in their idea. I was also familiar with the research focus of the Ukrainian research team and knew that they had a large amount of statistical data on the transmission of infectious diseases in the Kharkiv Region and throughout Ukraine. I have contacted the Kharkiv National Medical University, and we organised an online meeting with the American research team. This is how our team was created,” says Sergiy Yakovlev.

The primary objective of this project is to create epidemiological models and optimisation algorithms for analysing epidemiological dynamics under conflict and post-conflict scenarios. The project findings will support public health decision-making during conflicts, reducing the overall health impact.

Our international research team applies an interdisciplinary approach that integrates current advances in computational biology, mathematical epidemiology, machine learning, and operations research. The Polish team includes experts in mathematical modelling in epidemiology, dynamical systems and nonlinear analysis, machine learning and fractal analysis, optimisation and operations research. US scientists specialise in mathematical epidemiology, genomic epidemiology and computational biology projects, while our Ukrainian colleagues have contextual knowledge and will provide statistical data, which will be complemented by information from publicly available sources.

Polish researchers from the Lodz University of Technology and Łukasiewicz Research Network – PORT Polish Centre for Technology Development will receive nearly 1.67 million zlotys from the National Science Centre for their research conducted under IMPRESS-U. 

Resilience in volatile times

Recent years have seen many events, such as COVID pandemic, supply chain interruptions, geopolitical conflicts, and military conflicts. They have significantly impacted the infrastructure of individual countries as well as entire regions. Therefore, it is paramount to analyse the capability of systems to recover from disruption. The research team under the leadership of Dr hab. inż. Krzysztof Grochla from the Institute of Theoretical and Applied Informatics, Polish Academy of Science will participate in a research project “Infrastructure Recovery through Resilience Stress Testing in Ukraine”. The project will be funded under IMPRESS-U. Krzysztof Grochla will carry out his research in collaboration with the research teams of Dr Rafael Munoz-Carpena from the University of Florida, USA, Dr Volodymyr Artemchuk from the G.E. Pukkov Institute for Modelling in Energy Engineering NAS in Ukraine, Prof. Marius Laurinaitis from the Mykolas Romeris University, Lithuania and Dr Andrii Chuba from the Tallin University of Technology.

Under his daily work, Krzysztof Grochla studies performance evaluation of wireless networks, protocol design and development of communication methods in such networks.

“IMPRESS-U appeared to me as a great opportunity to expand our research and find new applications thanks to the international collaboration. We have cooperated with Ukrainian researchers in the past and they helped us liaise with scientists from the United States and develop a project for which other partners were acquired”, says Krzysztof Grochla.

The goal of the project is to validate the hypothesis that the recovery and resilience of systems can be quantified via stress-testing of interconnected networks representing their systemic functions. Researchers will apply the Resilience-Recovery Under Attack (RRUA) method to quantitatively explore distinct system response stages to attacks and serious failures. They will employ a multi-faceted methodology combining network science, resilience analytics, explainable AI (xAI), and digital twin technologies. The team from the Institute of Theoretical and Applied Informatics, Polish Academy of Science will focus on creating mathematical models and computer simulations to show how various systems, such as communication and power networks, recover after major failures or disasters.

“We hope to use research methodology developed for wireless network modelling to analyse the reliability of energy grid and other complex systems. International collaboration will hopefully enable us to generalise our models to capture the recovery of complex systems after a collapse and verify them based on airport and power grid data,” emphasises Krzysztof Grochla.

Under IMPRESS-U, the Polish research team will receive over 1.23 million zlotys from the National Science Centre for their research conducted in cooperation with foreign partners from the United States of America, Ukraine, Lithuania and Estonia.

The chemical formula of the studied liquid crystal compound and the scheme of the structure of the discovered twist-bend ferroelectric nematic phase (NTBF). Credit: D. Pociecha/UW The findings of recent research into a new nematic phase of liquid crystals, discovered by scientists from the Military University of Technology (WAT) and the University of Warsaw, were just published by “Science”. The research was conducted within the framework of an NCN-funded project and is expected to find many important applications.

A team of scientists from the Military University of Technology (WAT) and the University of Warsaw discovered a new heliconial arrangement of electric dipoles in ferroelectric fluid. The discovery may find applications in, e.g. fluid physics, liquid crystal materials, organic electronics, photonics and molecular biology.

The article, entitled “Spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking in polar fluid – heliconical ferroelectric nematic phase”, was published in “Science” on 7 June and was hailed as one of the most promising in this issue of the journal.

It was authored by Jakub Karcz, Jakub Herman, Natan Rychłowicz and Przemysław Kula from the Faculty of New Technologies and Chemistry of the Military University of Technology in Warsaw, and Ewa Górecka, Jadwiga Szydłowska, Paweł W. Majewski and Damian Pociecha from the Faculty of Chemistry of the University of Warsaw.

The research behind the paper was funded by the NCN and the WAT. The article was written within the framework of a grant headed by Damian Pociecha, funded under the OPUS scheme.

The project focuses on, inter alia, research into new materials for new liquid crystal phases with polar (ferroelectric) order and non-trivial spatial (e.g. chiral) organisation of the molecules. We have discovered a new heliconical ferroelectric nematic phase and described it in the “Science” magazine. NCN funding was used for the purchase of new equipment and major upgrade of the old one, as well as the purchase laboratory materials crucial to our research,” says the scientist.

All 323 proposals that were put on waiting lists under OPUS 25, PRELUDIUM 22, MAESTRO 15 and SONATA BIS 13 will now be funded, swelling the ranks of winners from 452 to 774.

Additional research projects under OPUS 25, PRELUDIUM 22, MAESTRO 15 and SONATA BIS 13 can be funded thanks to the decision of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education to increase the budget of the National Science Centre by 200 million zlotys in 2024.

• OPUS 25 and PRELUDIUM 22 ranking lists, .pdf: OPUS 25, PRELUDIUM 22
• Listy rankingowe MAESTRO 15 and SONATA BIS 13 ranking lists, .pdf: MAESTRO 15, SONATA BIS 13

OPUS offers research funding for researchers working on basic research projects. The call has a broad formula, open to everyone, regardless of age and research seniority. In PRELUDIUM, grants are available to researchers without a PhD degree, who are just starting out on their research careers. SONATA BIS funds projects that aim at establishing new research teams, while MAESTRO targets experienced researchers who work on pioneering research projects, often interdisciplinary in nature, which go beyond our current state of knowledge and are likely to bring about important scientific discoveries

In total, OPUS 25, PRELUDIUM 22, MAESTRO 15 and SONATA BIS 13 attracted more than 4.8 thousand proposals from all over Poland. Initially, a total of 4644.5 million zlotys in funding was awarded to 452 projects. Thanks to the waiting lists drawn up by expert teams in these four calls, funding will now go to a further 323 projects with a total budget of nearly 401.7 million zlotys. The final success rates rose to c. 13.5% for OPUS 25, 16.8% for PRELUDIUM 22, 33.93% for MAESTRO 15 and 24.05% for SONATA BIS 13.

	OPUS 25	PRELUDIUM 22	MAESTRO 15	SONATA BIS 13	Total
Proposals received	2,184	2153	56	420	4,813
Basic ranking lists: funded projects	176	231	7	38	452
Waiting lists: funded projects	118	130	12	62	322
Funded projects total	294	361	19	100	774
Basic ranking lists: funds awarded	301,644,985	36,459,553	21,190,300	105,219,046	464,513,884
Waiting lists: funds awarded	171,092,859	20,007,461	47,834,719	161,444,657	400,379,696
Funds awarded total	472,737,844	56,467,014	69,025,019	266,663,703	864,893,580

First results, NCN budget and waiting lists

The first results of OPUS 25 and PRELUDIUM 22 were announced in November 2023. Only 176 out of 2184 proposals submitted under OPUS made it to the final ranking lists; the corresponding figure for PRELUDIUM was just 231 out of 2153. The total budget of successful projects was a little over 338 million zlotys. These were the lowest numbers in calls of this kind ever since the dawn of the NCN. Success rates plummeted to the record low of 8.06% for OPUS and 10.73% for PRELUDIUM. Since the NCN had already been actively campaigning for a budget increase, the NCN Council, upon consultation with the Director, passed a resolution that allowed expert teams to draw up waiting lists, which were to include proposals that had undergone a full assessment procedure, got high peer review ratings, and only failed to secure funding because the NCN did not have enough resources in its budget.

Waiting lists were also drawn up for SONATA BIS 13 and MAESTRO 15. The results of these two calls were announced in February 2024. In MAESTRO, only 7 out of 56 proposals won grants, for a success rate of just 12.5%. In SONATA BIS, 38 out of 420 proposals made the cut, meaning that the success rate, at just 9%, was the lowest in the history of the call.

All applicants whose projects were put on waiting lists were notified of the fact – they all received decisions issued by the NCN Director with a relevant annotation.

The Ministry of Science and Higher Education first signalled its intent to increase the budget of the NCN in February; In May, the decision was confirmed when the Minister accepted a modified 2024 financial plan for the National Science Centre. Subsequently, the NCN Council passed resolutions designed to increase the budgets of the calls for which NCN experts had drawn up waiting lists in previous months, which allowed the NCN to fund all the waiting list projects.

Thanks to the Council’s prompt decision, as the National Science Centre announced the results of OPUS 26 and SONATA 19  a little over a week later (24 May), it could immediately issue positive funding decisions not just for proposals included in the so-called basic lists, but also for those put on waiting lists in both these calls. And now, the remaining waiting lists proposals will receive positive funding decisions.

The extra 200 million zlotys added to the budget of the National Science Centre in 2024 were used to cover the costs planned for this budget year in the waiting list projects under OPUS 25 and 26, PRELUDIUM 22, SONATA 19, MAESTRO 15, and SONATA BIS 13. Project costs planned for subsequent years will be delivered to grant holders in annual instalments, in accordance with their official cost estimates.

Prof. Anetta Undas Prof. Anetta Undas, researcher from the Institute of Medicine of the Jagiellonian University Medical College, was elected as the new President of the NCN Council at the Council’s session of 6 June.

Professor Anetta Undas is an internal medicine physician, specialising in the diagnostics and treatment of thromboembolic disorders. Her research interests, on the boundary between basic and clinical research, centre on the genetic and environmental regulation of blood coagulation and atherosclerosis. She has identified a new risk factor for arterial and venous thromboembolic events, i.e. the pro-clotting properties of fibrin, and created a unique centre for fibrin research in Poland, where she focuses on rare thrombophilia occurring in our country.

Anetta Undas heads the Department of Thromboembolic Diseases at the Institute of Cardiology at Jagiellonian University Medical College in Kraków. She is a corresponding member of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences (PAU) and the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN), as well as Academia Europaea. She has sat on expert teams at the NCN and the European Research Council and has been a member of the NCN Council since 2016.

The NCN Council sets out basic research priorities, making sure they are well-aligned with Poland’s development strategy, lays down the terms and conditions of NCN’s calls for proposals and their budgets, and announces competitions for doctoral and post-doctoral fellowships. It also appoints expert teams in charge of peer review and announces competitions for the role of NCN Director.

The NCN Council consists of 24 researchers appointed by the Minister of Science and Higher Education. Council members are elected for a four-year term and half of the Council is replaced every two years. A fresh intake of candidates for the 2024-2028 term will be announced in the coming weeks. More information will be published in the Public Information Bulletin of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

The term of the President of the NCN Council lasts (at most) two years and cannot be extended beyond the deadline for the replacement of half of the members. The members elect their President from among themselves. Prof. Robert Hasterok from the University of Silesia in Katowice, who headed the Council since December 2022, decided to step down from office. Prof. Anetta Undas will now take over and head the body until December 2024.

Since the establishment of the NCN, its Council has been headed by, in chronological order, Professors Michał Karoński from the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Janusz Janeczek from the University of Silesia in Katowice, Małgorzata Kossowska from the Jagiellonian University, and Jacek Kuźnicki from the International Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw.

Researchers from various research centres, NCN Council members and other NCN representatives gathered in Kraków to discuss the need to support basic research, increase the NCN budget and work out solutions to allow the agency to better respond to the needs of the academic community. The meeting was held on 4 June.

The NCN Director, as well as NCN Council members, participate in regular debates organised by research communities throughout Poland. This time, the NCN was the one to host a debate in its main offices. We invited 20 researchers from various centres and disciplines, who were joined by representatives of the NCN and the NCN Council, including discipline coordinators and office staff. “The NCN approaches social consultations with great openness”, comments Prof. Artur Obłuski, an archaeologist from the University of Warsaw, winner of NCN and ERC grants.

The debate brought together researchers from disciplines that rely on different methodologies and require different kinds of equipment. “A historian working with medieval manuscripts will have different needs and expectations than, say, a physicist heading a large research group. Another thing that differs from one discipline to the next is how we understand and approach the processes of proposal submission, grant assessment, and billing”, continues Prof. Obłuski, adding that meetings of this kind allow the NCN and the research community to get a more accurate picture of the grant system in Poland, along with its advantages and those elements that might still require some tweaking.

Meeting at the NCN headquarters, 4 June 2024 Our guests were individuals who had previously put forward various postulates concerning the operation of the NCN, as well as NCN, ERC and Dioscuri grant winners, researchers with an active interest in the agency, including those who had actively supported the NCN in its struggle to get its budget increased.

Among other things, panellists discussed the regulations of the MINIATURA call, a possible resumption of the recently suspended PRELUDIUM BIS, and the idea that PRELUDIUM should be organised twice a year. The conversation also touched on issues concerning grant use and billing, including aspects such as the internationalisation of research, the need for greater flexibility in how grant resources can be used, open science and grant-related employment and remuneration policies.

“The realities of research are changing and good communication with researchers is essential for us to be able to create the best call portfolio possible. The ideas and postulates put forward by the research community during the debate will continue to be discussed in the Council”, emphasises Prof. Alicja Kazek-Kęsik, NCN Council member.

Prof. Kinga Kamieniarz-Gdula from the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań says that she would expect the NCN, like the ERC, to show more flexibility vis-a-vis principal investigators, especially when it comes to issues such as hiring research team members. “A decision to model the NCN on the top European grant agency was, to my mind, the key to its resounding success”, Kamieniarz-Gdula, who has won grants from both agencies, explains.

In the part of the debate that focused on funding, the participants expressed their concern that only the best experts and reviewers should be invited to assess proposals. Prof. Tomasz Dietl, NCN Council member, encouraged attendees to help the agency create a database of reviewers. He pointed out that they can contact the Council to submit information about outstanding researchers who could be hired for peer review at any time.

The last part of the meeting was devoted to general issues, such as the cooperation between the NCN and other institutions, including the National Centre for Research and Development and the Medical Research Agency, as well as the support of the research community in the struggle for regular increases in NCN subsidies. Prof. Krzysztof Jóźwiak, NCN Director, pointed out that the engagement of the academic community played a key role in securing a 200 million increase in this year’s budget for the agency.  “NCN grant winners are a large group of more than 20 thousand people from centres all over Poland, with great lobbying potential”, he said. He mentioned the #NCNtotlen campaign on X earlier this year as an example of an important initiative that swayed the decision of the ministry

“I was particularly happy to see a broad consensus on the most essential issues. First, we all really appreciate what the NCN does. Second, we all agree that it should remain an elite agency but also ensure the mechanisms to allow new talented and hard-working individuals to enter the system. Third, we know that the level of funding for the NCN and for Polish science at large is glaringly at odds with our current economic standing in the world and without greater investment in research, we will be facing an imminent collapse”, comments Prof. Kamieniarz-Gdula, who initiated the #NCNtotlen campaign together with Prof. Artur Obłuski.

“If the budget of the NCN is not doubled, our country is bound to become a mere consumer of knowledge and goods produced by others. This would constitute an important breach of state security in many aspects. The NCN is a beacon that shines the light of top-quality science and it needs to be allowed to grow”, concludes Prof. Obłuski. The scientists underscore that what is needed is an increase not just in the specific subsidy for research funding, but also the earmarked subsidy for the daily functioning of the institution.

We will be publishing longer statements by our panellists, as well as a full report from the event, in the near future.