The National Science Centre invites researchers to submit proposals under POLONEZ 1 funding opportunity addressed to incoming researchers  who would like to carry out basic research in host institutions in Poland. Proposals must be submitted in English via OSF submission system. Access to the system will be available on the 15^th of September 2015.

Call announcement: 15^th September 2015 

Deadline: 15^th of December 2015

For more information please see POLONEZ 1 Guidelines for Applicants.

Call documentation:

• POLONEZ 1 Call Text
  • Attachment 1: Application Form
  • Attachment 2: Evaluation Sheet
  • Attachment 3: Eligible Costs
  • Attachment 4: Declarations of the Host
  • Attachment 5: State Aid

Contact:

polonez@ncn.gov.pl

tel: 00 48 12 341 9017 or 00 48 12 341 9139\

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 665778.

In the recently concluded SYMFONIA 3 call for cross-domain research projects, six winners were named, with an aggregate funding of almost € 7.7 million.

There were 62 submissions sent in response to the SYMFONIA 3 call for proposals, of which the six best were selected by the Centre’s Expert Team. Under the SYMFONIA scheme it is a prerequisite that projects stand out for their excellence and boldness in pushing beyond the boundaries of disciplines, in other words to pursue research that is genuinely transdisciplinary and contributes to the creation of new values in science.

Three projects were given funding in excess of € 1.5 million each. The one with top financing, Air Pollution versus Autoimmunity: The Role of Multiphase Aqueous Inorganic Chemistry (APARIC), is led by professor Rudi van Eldik. The project will be carried out by a research consortium of Jagiellonian University’s Faculty of Chemistry, the Faculty of Medicine at Jagiellonian University Medical College and the Institute of Pharmacology of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Only a slightly smaller grant was given to professor Stefan Chłopicki. The Principal Investigator and his team of researchers from Jagiellonian University, in search of organ specific mechanisms of liver steatosis and heart failure, will investigate pharmacotherapeutic mechanisms, stereoscopic signatures and nanomechanics of dysfunctional endothelium in both conditions. The third highest funding awarded will support the project titled: An Atlas of Brain Regulatory Regions and Regulatory Networks ­– a Novel Systems Biology Approach to the Pathogenesis of Selected Neurological Disorders, submitted by doctor Bartosz Wilczyński and his team of researchers from the University of Warsaw, the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, and the Institute of Computer Science of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

Funding in excess of € 1.3 million was awarded to researchers from the University of Silesia and Jagiellonian University. They will study the effect of physical processes and excipients on the properties of poorly water-soluble active pharmaceutical ingredients. The Principal Investigator of the project is professor Marian Paluch. Prof. Ewa Zuba-Surma and her team will receive almost € 1.18 million for their research project dealing with the optimization of biocompatible scaffolds combining graphen and defined stem cell populations for tissue regeneration. The research team comprises scholars from the Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology of Jagiellonian University and the Institute of Electronic Materials Technology. Funding worth ca. € 0.8 million will be granted to the team of professor Zbigniew Leśnikowski. Researchers from the Institute of Medical Biology of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Institute-Centre for Molecular and Macromolecular Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences will work on the project Composites of Nucleic Acids and Oligofunctionalized Boron Clusters as New Material for Bionanotechnology.

The call was open to research projects which involved the creation of new full-time jobs for researchers with a doctorate, and the employment of at least four PhD candidates. The projects may last between 3 and 5 years, and the total sum applied for must be between € 470,000 and € 1,650,000.

The National Science Centre has published the results of the ETIUDA 3 and FUGA 4 calls. Thanks to funding from the Centre as many as 93 PhD candidates will benefit from year-long scholarships, as well as  54 researchers – from post-doc internships. The aggregate sum of funding given to young researchers is  around the EUR 8 million mark.

The ETIUDA call is there to help PhD candidates work on their dissertations. In the third edition of the call, applicants were required to have started the registration and conferment procedure for a doctoral degree in a Polish research institution or to commit to start the procedure by 30^th June 2015. The young researchers whose projects were approved for funding will receive a monthly grant of EUR 710 for 12 months in addition to a research stay of between 3-6 months in a research centre of their choice, in order to enhance their research. The ETIUDA 3 call saw 280 submissions, with nearly half of them qualified to the second stage of evaluation. 132 PhD candidates were invited to interviews. The scholarships were granted to 33 per cent of applicants.

Our scholarships [ETIUDA] and internships [FUGA] are intended to support young people in their difficult beginnings as researchers. Awardees of the ETIUDA and FUGA calls are offered relatively substantial resources, of which they can make flexible use. In the calls of both types so far concluded, there have been around 500 awardees, said professor Zbigniew Błocki, director of the National Science Centre.

Applications for funding in the FUGA 4 call were open to individuals with a doctoral degree held for up to 5 years. In response to the call, researchers submitted as many as 214 applications, of which one quarter were approved for funding. Over the course of their internships young researchers will be paid monthly salaries of up to EUR 2 600, totalling over EUR 6 million.

The idea of the FUGA calls is that research internships take place in research institutions in a region of Poland other than that of the applicant’s alma mater. Thus the Centre contributes to supporting the mobility of researchers in Poland as well as helping upgrade candidates' skills by means of their involvement with research teams from different parts of the country. New ETIUDA and FUGA calls will be announced in December 2015.

Young researchers may receive salaries from the National Science Centre’s resources not only as applicants in distinct calls dedicated to them, but also as co-investigators in projects carried out by senior researchers. Our successful applicants are often explicitly required to create new positions for post-docs and PhD candidates. A few dozen new job offers are published on our webpage every month, said professor Michał Karoński, chair of the Council of the National Science Centre.

Advanced researchers, scholars carrying out international research projects as well as those considering forming a new research team may apply for funding under new calls by the National Science Centre. Proposals should be submitted by 15^th September 2015.

This is for the seventh time that the NCN has announced its prestigious MAESTRO call. It is addressed to eminent researchers who plan to do pioneering research, including interdisciplinary enterprises conducive to the advancement of science which may lead to discoveries. The total sum of funding earmarked for successful MAESTRO 7 candidates exceeds € 14 million.

In MAESTRO 7 projects the Principal Investigator may be a researcher with a doctoral degree who over the course of the last 10 years has had their papers published in quality journals, has acted as Principal Investigators in at least 2 completed research projects, and who can claim additional research activity, e.g. participation in international conferences. In MAESTRO 7, the projects must provide for employment of at least one post-doc and at least one doctoral student, each for a minimum of 36 months.

HARMONIA 7 is an opportunity for researchers to carry out projects in collaboration with partners from abroad or use large international research facilities. Its budget is nearly € 12 million. The cap on funding available to an individual project has been set at € 355,000 (paid to the beneficiary over the course of 3 years). Note that the funding received under HARMONIA 7 may serve to cover only the costs incurred by the Polish contribution. Additionally, the purchase, construction or upgrading of research equipment does not qualify for funding.

SONATA BIS 5 is a funding scheme where the resources serve the purpose of building a new research team. Applicants may be individuals who earned their PhD or equivalent in the years 2003-2012. The research team may include only one researcher with habilitation (as Principal Investigator); arrangements must be made for hiring at least one doctoral candidate for a period of at least 36 months. The funding available under the SONATA BIS 5 scheme totals € 16.5 million.

The calls we have now announced are an important element of the system of distributing resources that the NCN has developed: it is an efficient tool for selecting the best researchers and equipping them with necessary resources. Unfortunately, our budget is disproportionately low when compared to individual needs and this is one reason for the limitations we have introduced in the call regulations. A success rate of 16 per cent means that receiving a grant from the NCN is not only a matter of writing a good proposal, said professor Zbigniew Błocki, director of the NCN. We have been appealing for an increase in the budget for basic research in domestic finances; otherwise the system is perceived as daunting. In Poland we have many excellent researchers with very good ideas and they deserve support in developing those concepts.

The new MAESTRO, HARMONIA and SONATA BIS calls are also instrumental in introducing modifications to the catalogue of costs eligible for funding in the projects. This is a policy which the Council of the NCN has been implementing since the last edition of the OPUS, PRELUDIUM and SONATA calls. The modifications apply for the most part to salaries in grants.

The National Science Centre and BiodivERsA consortium invites researchers to the call for international research projects.

The following themes are covered (equal in relevance):

1. Understanding and managing the biodiversity dynamics of soils and sediments to improve ecosystem functioning and delivery of ecosystem services.
2. Understanding and managing biodiversity dynamics in land-, river- and sea-scapes (habitat connectivity, green and blue infrastructures, and naturing cities) to improve ecosystem functioning and delivery of ecosystem services.

The indicative global budget for this call is ca. 30 million euro.

The deadline for submitting pre-proposals is 20^th of July 2015.

Scientific teams will be invited to form transnational research consortia with teams from minimum 3 countries participating in the call, except for proposals including research groups from outermost regions and overseas countries and territories for which it suffices if the research groups come from two different countries and the proposal concerns three different funding organisations.

24 national/regional funding organisations from 15 countries are joining this call:

Belgium, Bulgaria, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey

Polish applicants should also submit a short application via OSF system (UNISONO application) by the 27^th of July 2015. Budget of the Polish part of the research project in the OSF system should be given in PLN. The Euro exchange rate should be calculated according to the NCN Council’s Resolutions no 7/2013 and 22/2014 (1 EUR= 4,2277 PLN). 

For more information please click here: http://www.biodiversa.org/741.

Contact:

marcin.liana@ncn.gov.pl, +48 123419161

The National Science Centre has announced the results of the OPUS 8, PRELUDIUM 8 and SONATA 8 calls. Researchers from Polish research units will receive more than € 86.5 million for their projects in basic research.

There were 5,200 proposals describing projects in all fields of research. The average funding requested by a single proposal totalled € 92,783. Thus another record has been set: both the number of submissions and the average budget have steadily increased.

The proposals were reviewed by panels of Experts, supported by evaluation reports written by independent External Reviewers. Funding was awarded to 861 projects.

The largest aggregate financing was secured by researchers who submitted their proposals in response to the OPUS 8 call: over € 66 million. The money can be used to finance diverse research activities, from the creation of a research team to the purchase of specialist equipment, to covering travel expenses. The OPUS call is open to all categories of researchers, regardless of their experience or degrees held. In the eighth edition of OPUS, 444 projects qualified for funding in all three research domains (Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; Life Sciences, Physical Sciences and Engineering).

In Poland in recent years there has been enormous spending on scientific infrastructure, while for us the priority is to directly reach the individuals who carry out the research. We want to provide the best Polish researchers with optimal conditions, conducive to the most innovative endeavours, as well as to support really high-quality research teams. The best ones are selected by our Experts who are representatives of Polish and global scientific communities, said professor Zbigniew Błocki, director of the NCN.

PRELUDIUM, another of the recently concluded calls, is addressed to researchers at the beginning of their career path. Individuals submitting projects under this scheme do not have to be holders of a doctoral degree. In the PRELUDIUM 8 call, the NCN’s Expert Reviewers approved funding for 287 projects, worth over € 7 million.

The resources earmarked for SONATA 8 will be distributed among 130 researchers with a doctoral degree obtained within 5 years of submission of the proposal. The National Science Centre will transfer over € 13 million to them, to be used, among others, for  the purchase of state-of-the-art research equipment, which will enable them to carry out innovative research, using advanced equipment and facilities and/or an original methodology.

We are at the point of receiving submissions for a new edition of the OPUS, PRELUDIUM and SONATA calls; we have introduced significant changes to them, in particular to the component of eligible costs. We want to support the growth of new jobs in research and stimulate the development of basic research in Poland, said professor Michał Karoński, chair of the Council of the NCN.

The researchers active in the domain of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences will be granted ca. € 11.5 million, those representing Life Sciences – over € 37 million, and those working in Physical Sciences and Engineering – almost € 38 million.

The largest funding in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences will be given to the project titled Control deprivation, (inter)group relations, and political cognition, led by professor Mirosław Kofta from the University of Warsaw. Supported with nearly € 308,000, the project  will be carried out under the OPUS 8 call.

Among the projects funded in the domain of Life Sciences, the research by dr hab. Joanna Kargul, concerned with the structural and functional characterisation of the photosynthetic apparatus of an extremophilic red microalga Cyanidoschyzon merolae (OPUS 8) stands out for the grant of ca. € 402,000 it was awarded. The project will be carried out at the University of Warsaw.

In Physical Sciences and Engineering a record funding in excess of € 426,000 was awarded to the project New methods for precise control of a robotic astronomical 0,5-m telescope mount. The Principal Investigator of the project is professor Krzysztof Kozłowski from the Poznań University of Technology.

The National Science Centre and the JPI-HDHL consortium invite researchers to a call for international research projects: “Nutrition and Cognitive Function” Proposals have to follow a multidisciplinary approach and should cover multiple areas, such as:

1. Mechanistic / experimental research (in vitro, animal and/or human studies) focusing on how dietary factors interrelate with cognitive functions and processes.
2. Translational research (animal and/or human studies) delivering the physiological basis for the development of effective strategies to influence dietary behavior and/or to improve cognitive function and performance.
3. Epidemiological research elucidating the relationship between diet and cognitive function across the life course, exclusively based on existing cohorts or other ongoing epidemiological studies.
4. Pilot and/or proof of principle studies for interventions in humans, to develop new strategies for the maintenance and promotion of cognitive function and/or healthy dietary habits during the lifespan.

The deadline for submitting proposals is 8^th of June, 2015, 23:59 (CET).

It is also required that Polish applicants provide basic administrative data via the OSF electronic submission system (type of proposal: UNISION) no later than within 7 days since the abovementioned deadline for pre-proposals.

Funding:

Within this call the NCN Council has allocated € 500,000 (max. € 250,000 per project)

Call documentation:

1. JPI-HDHL Call 2015 Call Text
2. JPI-HDHL Call 2015 NCN Eligibility Requirements

For detailed information please see: http://www.healthydietforhealthylife.eu/index.php/joint-actions/nutricog

Contact:

Dr. Laura Bandura-Morgan, laura.bandura-morgan@ncn.gov.pl, tel. +48 12 341 9163

The National Science Centre and the JPI-HDHL consortium invite researchers to a call for international research projects: “Intestinal Microbiomics.” Topics of proposals should fall within one of the following areas:

1. The short-term and long-term functional effects of diet, dietary patterns and dietary constituents on human intestinal microbiota.
2. The functional impact of diet-related variations in the intestinal microbiota on human health and/or the development of non-communicable chronic diseases.

The deadline for submitting pre-proposals is 28^th of April, 2015, 16:00 (CET).

The deadline for submitting full proposals is 1^st of September, 2015, 16:00 (CET).

It is also required that Polish applicants provide basic administrative data via the OSF electronic submission system (type of proposal: UNISONO) no later than within 7 days since the abovementioned deadline for pre-proposals.

Funding:

Within this call the NCN Council has allocated € 500,000 (max. € 250,000 per project)

Call documentation:

1. JPI-HDHL Call 2015 Announcement
2. JPI-HDHL Call 2015 NCN Eligibility Requirements

For detailed information please see: http://www.healthydietforhealthylife.eu/index.php/joint-actions/microbiomics

Contact:

Dr. Laura Bandura-Morgan, laura.bandura-morgan@ncn.gov.pl, tel. +48 12 341 9163

The National Science Centre has published its OPUS 9, PRELUDIUM 9 and SONATA 9 calls for projects in basic research. Funds allocated exceed € 63 million.

The calls for proposals, whose new edition has just been published, are the most popular ones among programmes operated by the NCN. This is primarily due to their comprehensive profile and relatively high budget. They are published twice a year.

OPUS is a call addressed to all researchers. There are no preliminary conditions with regard to required years of experience, academic degree or the composition of the research team. The sum allocated for research projects is approaching € 48.5 million.

PRELUDIUM is intended for individuals who make their first steps in the scientific milieu and do not hold a PhD (or equivalent). The National Science Centre will distribute € 7.3 million among successful applicants.

SONATA is a call extended to researchers who have held a doctoral degree for no longer than 5 years. Its goal is to support Principal Investigators who do research using innovative equipment or methodology. The sum of funding available in SONATA equals that in PRELUDIUM.

On the 4th of March 2015, the Minister of Science and Higher Education Lena Kolarska-Bobińska appointed prof. dr hab. Zbigniew Błocki as the new director of the National Science Centre.

Prof. dr hab. Zbigniew Błocki’s bio

Since 1990 he has been affiliated with the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science of Jagiellonian University, where he took his doctoral degree in 1995. In 1999, as a recipient of the Fulbright senior grant, he worked at Indiana University Bloomington and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. In 2001 he resided at the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in Bonn, and in 2002 he carried out research for three months at the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig. In the years 2006 and 2013 he was a visiting professor at Indiana University. He gave a number of lectures at such locations as Princeton, Harvard, Columbia University, University of Hong Kong, Peking University, Fudan University, Nagoya, Tel Aviv, Grenoble, The Indian Institute of Science – Bangalore, Uppsala, Tor Vergata, Vienna, Purdue University, Australian National University, Institut de Mathématiques de Jussieu – Paris.

In the years 2010 through 2015 he was a member of the Council of the National Science Centre, and between 2010 and 2013 – of the Board of the Polish Mathematical Society.  Currently, he is a member of the scientific board of the Institute of Mathematics of the Polish Academy of Sciences and of the Committee of Ethics of the European Mathematical Society. In the years 2011-2012 he held the office of director of the Institute of Mathematics, Jagiellonian University; he also served as deputy to the president of the Organising Committee of the 6^th European Congress of Mathematics in Krakow, in 2012. For a number of years he has been a member of the scientific committee and the main coordinator of the series of lectures in memoriam Stanisław Łojasiewicz, at Jagiellonian University. In the period between 2010 and 2015 he coordinated the research project Geometry and Topology in Physical Models, as part of the International PhD Projects Programme operated by the Foundation for Polish Science. He is involved, as Principal Investigator, in the project Pluripotential Theory and dbar under the Ideas Plus Programme.

He has received numerous prestigious state and academic awards from such bodies and institutions as the Polish Mathematical Society or Jagiellonian University.