M-ERA.NET is a network of 49 organisations from 35 European countries supporting research in the area of material science and engineering. Consortium announces calls for international research projects supported by the European Commission.

The National Science Centre has been a member of M-ERA.NET since 2015.

More information on M-ERA.NET funded projects: https://www.m-era.net/joint-calls.

M-ERA.NET 3 call 2024 (ongoing evaluation)

M-ERA.NET 3 call 2023 (closed)

M-ERA.NET 3 call 2022 (closed)

M-ERA.NET 3 call 2021 (closed)

M-ERA.NET 2020 (closed)

M-ERA.NET 2019 (closed)

M-ERA.NET Call 2019 results

 

Both the National Science Centre (NCN) and the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR) are members of the M-ERA network. This announcement applies solely to entities applying for NCN funding.

The National Science Centre (hereinafter: “NCN”) in cooperation with the M-ERA network announce the M-ERA.NET 2 call for international research projects in the area of material science and material engineering. Funding proposals may be submitted by international consortia composed of a minimum of 3 research teams from at least 2 countries participating in the call. The Principal Investigator of the Polish research team must hold at least a doctoral degree.

Countries participating in the call: Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Spain, Israel, Canada, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Germany, Poland, South Africa, Russia, Romania, Slovakia, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, Hungary, Italy (Calabria).

Application process:

  • international level: an international consortium (the Polish research team with its foreign partners) prepares a joint proposal in English and submits it to the Call Secretariat via the M-ERA.NET Submission System;
  • national level: the Polish research team prepares an NCN proposal covering the Polish part of the project and submits it via the ZSUN/OSF submission system.

Call schedule:

  • Submission deadline for joint pre-proposals: 18 June 2019
  • Invitation to submit joint full proposals: September 2019
  • Submission deadline for joint full proposals: 19 November 2019
  • Submission deadline for NCN proposals in ZSUN/OSF: 26 November 2019
  • Call results: January/February 2020.

In the M-ERA.NET 2 Call 2019 funds may be awarded to cover remuneration for the research team, remuneration and scholarships for under– and post-graduate students, purchase or construction of research equipment and for other costs crucial to the research project.

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

Information for prospective applicants:

  • call documentation available at M.ERA-NET website (applies to all applicants in the call);
  • detailed information for entities applying for NCN funding – please see the tabs and annexes below;
  • entities applying for NCBR funding please see the specific requirements in the call text.

Rozwiń wszystkie pytania»

Zwiń wszystkie pytania«

Who may apply for NCN funding?

Proposals in the call may be submitted by the following entities specified in the Act on the National Science Centre (NCN)(NCN):

1. universities,

2. federations of science and HE institutions,

3. research institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences operating pursuant to the Act on the Polish Academy of Sciences of 30 April 2010 (Journal of Laws of 2018, item 1475),

4. research institutes operating pursuant to the Act on Research Institutes of 30 April 2010 (Journal of Laws of 2018, item 736),

5. international research institutes established pursuant to separate Acts, operating in the Republic of Poland,

5a. the Łukasiewicz Centre,

5b. Institute operating within the Łukasiewicz Research Network,

6. Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences,

7. other institutions involved in research independently on a continuous basis,

8. groups of entities comprising at least two entities mentioned in sections 1-7 or at least one institution as such together with at least one company,

9. scientific and industrial centres as defined in the Act on Research Institutes of 30 April 2010 (Journal of Laws of 2018, item 736),

10. research centres of the Polish Academy of Sciences as defined in the Act on the Polish Academy of Sciences of 30 April 2010,

11. scientific libraries,

12. enterprises established as research and development centres as defined in the Act on Certain Forms of Support for Innovative Activities of 30 May 2008 (Journal of Laws of 2018, item 141),

13. legal entities with registered office in Poland,

14. companies conducting research in another organisational form than laid down in sections 1-13.

If two or more Polish partners of an international consortium apply for NCN funding, they must set up a group of entities (see item 8 above), sign a research project cooperation agreement and choose only one Principal Investigator. The entity employing the Principal Investigator acts as the leader of the group of entities and submits only one joint NCN proposal at the national level on behalf of the group.

If in the light of Article 27 (1) (2) of the NCN Act, Polish partners of an international consortium may not set up groups of entities, they shall not be eligible to apply for NCN funding of a joint research project.

Who may act as the Principal Investigator?

The  Principal Investigator (PI) of the Polish research team must hold at least a doctorate when submitting a proposal. Additional restrictions are detailed in Chapter IV, Articles 12-15 of the Resolution of the NCN Council on specifying the terms and regulations on awarding funding for research tasks funded or co-funded under international calls launched by the National Science Centre and carried out as multilateral collaboration UNISONO.

What is the thematic scope of the call?

The call covers the following subjects in the area of material science and material engineering:

  • Modeling for materials engineering and processing;
  • Innovative surfaces, coatings and interfaces;
  • High performance composites;
  • Functional materials;
  • New strategies for advanced material-based technologies in health applications;
  • Materials for additive manufacturing.

Please note that both the National Science Centre (NCN) and the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR) are members of the M-ERA network. Applicants from Poland whose projects meet basic research criterion (TRL 1-4) can apply for the NCN funding and do not have to involve an industrial partner. Researchers whose projects start from TRL 3-6 and achieve TRL 5-8 should apply for the NCBR funding and must involve an industrial partner.

NCN proposals in which research tasks overlap with research tasks planned in other proposals submitted earlier in any other NCN call may be submitted only after the assessment process or appeal proceedings concerning such earlier proposal has been completed and no funds were granted.

What is the project’s duration?

In the call, research projects may be planned for a period of either 24 or 36 months.

How to plan the project’s budget?

We recommend that Polish applicants should consult the budget table of the Polish part of the project with the NCN prior to its submission in a pre-proposal. To receive NCN feedback in time, please send the completed budget table in .xlsx format to anna.kotarba@ncn.gov.pl by 7 June 2019.

Creating a project budget is one of the most important aspects in project planning, which aims to identify and estimate the resources required to perform the planned research work. The calculations must be realistic and compliant with the guidelines provided in the catalogue of eligible costs for research projects funded by the NCN within the multilateral collaboration UNISONO. The maximum budget of the Polish research team is not pre-determined; however, please remember that the justification for the planned expenses versus the scope of tasks is assessed by an international expert team.

The budget in the joint international proposal should be prepared in EUR, the budget in the NCN proposal should be given in PLN, with the exchange rate of  EUR 1 = PLN 4.3394.

Eligible costs in the project include direct and indirect costs.

Direct costs include:

  1. remuneration:
  • full-time employment: funds for full-time employment of the Principal Investigator or post-doc(s);
  • additional salaries for members of the research team;
  • remuneration and scholarships for under- and post-graduate students;
  1. purchase or construction of research equipment, devices and software;
  2. purchase of materials and small equipment;
  3. outsourcing;
  4. business trips, visits and consultations;
  5. compensation for collective investigators;
  6. other costs crucial to the project.

Indirect costs may not exceed 40 per cent of direct costs excluding costs of research equipment, devices and software. The host institution shall arrange with the project’s Principal Investigator for the distribution of at least 25 per cent of the indirect costs’ value.

Remuneration of administrative staff and costs of conference organisation (rental of rooms, catering) may be financed solely as indirect expenses.

Are there any restrictions on the size of the Polish research team?

The terms of the call do not specify the minimum or maximum number of the research team members. Detailed information on the costs of remuneration and scholarships is provided in the catalogue of eligible costs for research projects funded by the NCN within the multilateral collaboration UNISONO.

Please note that recipients of NCN scholarships or persons employed as post-doc(s) in the project must be recruited in an open call. That is why prospective scholarship recipients and persons employed as post-docs cannot be named in proposals at international or national level.

Can proposals in this call include application for state aid?

Yes. Detailed information can be found in the Rules governing application for state aid.

What is the proposal evaluation procedure?

Joint proposals are subject to an eligibility check performed by the NCN, other members of M-ERA network and the Secretariat of the M-ERA.NET Call 2019.

Joint proposals successfully evaluated during the eligibility check are subject to merit-based evaluation carried out by an international expert team in line with the principles specified in the M-ERA.NET Call 2019 Guide for Proposers.

NCN proposals shall be subject solely to eligibility check carried out by the NCN Scientific Coordinators.

The eligibility check of NCN proposals shall comprise verification of proposal for completeness, compliance with all terms set forth in the call documentation and Resolution No 33/19, including compliance of the planned budget with the annex “Costs in research projects funded by the National Science Centre in international calls carried out as multilateral collaboration Unisono”. The information provided in NCN proposals and in joint proposals must be consistent.

Who performs the merit-based evaluation of proposals?

Only joint proposals submitted at the international level shall be subject to merit-based evaluation. Merit-based evaluation shall be performed  by an expert team appointed by M-ERA network. More information on the evaluation of proposals is available at “M-ERA.NET Call 2019 Guide for Proposers”.

When and how will the results be announced?

The M-ERA.NET Call 2019 shall be concluded by the time specified in the call documentation (Q1 2020). Firstly, project coordinators shall be informed about the outcome. Polish research teams shall be notified by way of NCN Director’s decisions.

In the event of a breach of the call procedure or other formal infringements related to actions performed by the NCN, the applicant may lodge an appeal against the decision of the NCN Director with the Committee of Appeals of the NCN Council.

Where can additional information be found?

For more information on the call please go to the M-ERA.NET 2 website. For detailed terms and regulations on awarding NCN funding in the call please refer to the Resolution by the NCN Council (33/19 – UNISONO).

Should you have additional questions, please contact us by e-mail or by phone:

Before submitting an NCN proposal in the ZSUN/OSF system

  1. make sure that all information and annexes to the proposal are correct. Please note that the Sprawdź kompletność [Check completeness] button in ZSUN/OSF indicates whether or not all sections of the proposal have been completed. It does not, however, guarantee that all information entered is correct and that the required annexes have been attached;
  2. printed in the NCN version;
  3. download the confirmation of proposal submission - to be signed by the Principal Investigator and authorised representative(s) of the host institution;
  4. upload the signed confirmation of proposal submission in the ZSUN/OSF system.

Once the proposal is completed and all the required annexes attached, use the Wyślij do NCN [Send to NCN] button to submit the proposal to the NCN electronically via the ZSUN/OSF platform. No printed copies are required.

Call documentation

Sieć M-era.net:

  1. Call announcement
  2. Guide for Proposers
  3. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
  4. Mandatory pre-proposal form
  5. M-era.net Submission System.

National Science Centre:

  1. Terms and regulations on awarding funding for research tasks funded or co-funded under international calls launched by the National Science Centre and carried out as multilateral collaboration UNISONO
  2. Budget table of the Polish research team
  3. Regulations for awarding scholarships for NCN-funded research projects
  4. Research project cooperation agreement – template (for groups of entities only)
  5. Rules governing application for state aid
  6. Guidelines for completing the ethics issues section of the proposal
  7. The Code of the National Science Centre on Research Integrity and Applying for Research Funding
  8. Rules for delivering the NCN Director’s decisions
  9. Guidelines for lodging appeals against the NCN Director’s decisions
  10. Regulations on the implementation of research projects, fellowships and scholarships
  11. Regulation on the implementation of inspection procedure at the registered office of the host institution
  12. Guidelines for entities auditing the implementation of research projects funded by the National Science Centre
  13. NCN Council’s statement on the criteria of employing researchers at the post-doc posts in projects funded by the National Science Centre attached hereto as Resolution No 102/2018.
  14. Information on the processing of personal data by the NCN since 25 May 2018 (GDPR)
  15. NCN proposal template – to be published at the full proposal invitation stage – September 2019
  16. Funding agreement template – to be published at the full proposal invitation stage – September 2019

 

M-ERA.NET 2018 (closed)

We would like to invite researchers to submit proposals under M-ERA.NET 2 call for proposals. The call targets research in the following topics:

  • Multiscale modeling for materials engineering and processing (M3EP)
  • Innovative surfaces, coatings and interfaces
  • High performance composites
  • Functional materials
  • New strategies for advanced material-based technologies in health applications
  • Materials for additive manufacturing

The timetable for applications is:

  • Pre-proposals to be submitted: 12th of June 2018, 12:00 Central European Time,
  • Shortlisted applicants to submit full proposals 8th of November 2018, 12:00 Central European Time.

Applications must be submitted by at least 3 partners from at least 2 different countries participating in the call.

Countries participating in the call

Both the National Science Centre (NCN) and the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR) are members of the M-ERA network. Applicants whose projects meet basic research criterion (TRL 1-4) can apply to the NCN, and they do not have to involve an industrial partner. Researchers whose project start from TRL 3-6 and achieve TRL 5-8 can apply to the NCBR and the involvement of an industrial partner is mandatory.

Call documents

Detailed information about M-ERA.NET 2 Call

Additional information for NCN applicants

  1. According to UNISONO (please see pp. 2-3), the budget of the project is subject to evaluation at the pre-proposal stage. Therefore, the leaders of Polish research teams are requested to send the budget table of the Polish part of the project to: anna.kotarba@ncn.gov.pl, no later than June 12, 2018.
  2. On the full proposal stage Polish applicants must register their applications in the ZSUN/OSF submission system (UNISONO application). The application includes the following budget table.
  3. We strongly encourage all applicants to read information on eligible costs included in the Annex to NCN Council’s Resolution on funding granted within calls for proposals for international research projects (UNISONO, s. 5-12).
  4. If one international project includes partners from two different Polish Host Institutions, these institutions must apply as a consortium. Each Host Institution comprising the consortium has a separate budget, but the limit on the remuneration, referred to in paragraph 2.1.2 of the above mentioned document, applies to the consortium as a whole [please see UNISONO, p. 8-9: 2.1.2 a) i b)]. Please note that Polish consortia have higher limits on the remuneration.
  5. Budget of the Polish part of the research project in the ZSUN/OSF system should be given in PLN (1 EUR= 4,2024 PLN).
  6. We invite all researchers who plan to submit applications within M-ERA.NET 2 call to contact the NCN.

Polish projects awarded within the call:

  1. NanoTENDO: Nanoparticle Transfer Through Endothelial Barrier
    • Polish Principal Investigator: prof. Maria Bryszewska (project leader), University of Łódź. Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection.
    • Partners: Prof. Francisco Javier de la Mata, University of Alcala, Spain;  Prof. Ilze Štrumfa, Riga Stradiņš University, Latvia; Dr. Juris Jansons, Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Latvia.
  2. FunKeyCat: Functional Grading by Key doping in Catalytic electrodes for Proton Ceramic Cells
    • Polish Principal Investigator: dr Sebastian Wachowski, Gdańsk University of Technology; Faculty of Technical Physics and Applied Mathematics.
    • Partners: Prof. Truls Norby, University of Oslo, Norway (project leader); Dr. Einar Vøllestad, SINTEF AS, Norway; Prof. José M. Serra, Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC), Spain.
  3. NOEL: Innovative nanostructured electrodes for energy storage concepts
    • Polish Principal Investigator: prof. dr hab. czł. koresp. PAN Elżbieta Frąckowiak, Poznań University of Technology; Faculty of Chemical Technology.
    • Partners: Dr. Maria Bernechea, University of Zaragoza, Spain (project leader); Prof. dr. Robert Dominko, National Institute of Chemistry, Slovenia.
  4. HOTselflub: Self-lubricating systems for high temperature tribo-applications
    • Polish Principal Investigator: dr Agnieszka Tomala, Institute for Sustainable Technologies - National Research Institute.
    • Partners: Dr. Manel Rodriguez Ripoll, Austrian Centre of Competence for Tribology, Austria (project leader); Prof. Irina Hussainova, Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia; Dr. Martin Kirchgaßner, Castolin GmbH, Austria.

M-ERA.NET 2017 (closed)

We would like to invite researchers to submit proposals under M-ERA.NET call for proposals.  The call targets research in the following topics:

  • Integrated computational materials engineering (ICME)
  • Innovative surfaces, coatings and interfaces
  • High performance composites
  • Multifunctional materials
  • New strategies for advanced material-based technologies in health applications
  • Materials for additive manufacturing

The timetable for applications is:

  • Pre-proposals to be submitted: 13th of June 2017, 12:00 Central European Time,
  • Shortlisted applicants to submit full proposals 9th of November 2017, 12:00 Central European Time.

Applications must be submitted by at least 3 partners from at least 2 different countries participating in the call.

Countries participating in the call: https://m-era.net/joint-calls/joint-call-2017/participating-countries-regions-call-2017.

Both the National Science Centre (NCN) and the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR) are members of the M-ERA network. Applicants whose projects meet basic research criterion (TRL 1-4) can apply to the NCN, and they do not have to involve an industrial partner. Researchers whose project start from TRL 3-6 and achieve TRL 5-8 can apply to the NCBR and the involvement of  an industrial partner is mandatory.

Call documents:

Detailed information about M-ERA.NET Call: https://m-era.net/joint-calls/joint-call-2017

 

Additional information for NCN applicants:

  1. On the full proposal stage Polish applicants must register their applications in the OSF submission system (UNISONO application). The application includes the following budget table: http://ncn.gov.pl/sites/default/files/pliki/UNISONO_budget_table.xlsx.
  2. We strongly encourage all applicants to read information on eligible costs included in the Annex to NCN Council’s Resolution on funding granted within calls for proposals for international research projects (UNISONO, s. 5-12).
  3. If one international project includes partners from two different Polish Host Institutions, these institutions must apply as a consortium.  Each Host Institution comprising the consortium has a separate budget, but the limit on the remuneration, referred to in paragraph 2.1.2 of the above mentioned document, applies to the consortium as a whole (please see UNISONO, p. 8-9: 2.1.2 a) i b)). Please note that Polish consortia have higher limits on the remuneration.  
  4. Budget of the Polish part of the research project in the OSF system should be given in PLN (1 EUR= 4,3295 PLN).
  5. We invite all researchers who plan to submit applications within M-ERA.NET call to contact the NCN.

POLISH PROJECTS FUNDED WITHIN THE CALL:

  1. NADEA: Nano-scale duplex high entropy alloys produced by additive manufacturing

    Polish Principal Investigator: prof. dr hab. inż. Elżbieta Maria Godlewska

  2. Boron-Basalt fibers: Development of boron-infused basalt fiber reinforced concrete for nuclear and radioactive waste management application

    Polish Principal Investigator: dr inż. Łukasz Skarżyński

M-ERA.NET (closed)

We would like to invite researchers to submit proposals under M-ERA.NET call for proposals.  The call targets research in the following topics:

  • Integrated computational materials engineering (ICME),
  • Innovative surfaces, coatings and interfaces,
  • High performance synthetic and biobased composites,
  • Functional materials,
  • Interfaces between materials and biological hosts for health applications,
  • Materials for additive manufacturing.

The timetable for applications is:

  • Pre-proposals to be submitted: 14th of June 2016, 12:00 Central European Time,
  • Shortlisted applicants to submit Full Proposals 10th of November 2016, 12:00 Central European Time.

Applications must be submitted by at least 3 partners from at least 2 different countries participating in the call: http://www.m-era.net/joint-call-2016/participating-countries-regions-call-2016.

Both the National Science Centre (NCN) and the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR) are members of the M-ERA network. Applicants whose projects meet basic research criterion (TRL 1-4) can apply to the NCN, and they do not have to involve an industrial partner. Researchers whose project start from TRL 3-6 and achieve TRL 5-8 can apply to the NCBR and the involvement of  an industrial partner is mandatory.

Budget of the Polish part of the research project should be calculated according to NCN eligible costs (p. 5-12). On the full proposal stage Polish applicants will be obliged to complete the budget table.

Call documentation

Please see also NCN Eligibility Requirements.

We invite all researchers who plan to apply for basic research projects to contact the NCN.

POLISH PROJECTS FUNDED WITHIN THE CALL:

  1. ALD4MAX: Atomic Layer Deposition for tailored bottom-top growth of MAX and MXene films

Polish Principal Investigator: dr Łukasz Kołodziejczyk, Lodz University of Technology

Partners: dr Diego Martínez, University of Minho (project coordinator); dr Mercedes Vila Juárez, Ctech Nano; prof. Mato KNEZ, CIC Nanogune; dr. Ir. V. Ocelik, University of Groningen

  1. BIOMEMBRANE: Bioengineered in vitro model of retinal pigmented epithelium of human eye

Polish Principal Investigator: dr hab. Wojciech Święszkowski, Warsaw University of Technology

Partners: prof. Giovanni Vozzi, University of Pisa – Research Center “E.Piaggio” (project coordinator), prof. Miguel Seabra, NOVA Medical School); dr Eugene Smit, Stellenbosch Nanofiber Company; dr Miguel Vega, Allinky Biopharma

  1. GoPHy MiCO: Governing Principles in Hydration of Mixed Conducting Oxides

Polish Principal Investigator: dr Aleksandra Mielewczyk-Gryń, Politechnika Gdańska

Partners: prof. Truls Norby, University of Oslo (project coordinator); dr Magnus H. Sørby, Institute for Energy Technology; prof. José M. Serra, Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas

  1. MuMo4PEC: Multiscale Modelind and Design of Photo-Electrochemical Interfaces

Polish Principal Investigator: dr Bartłomiej Szyja, Wrocław University of Science and Technology

Partners: dr A. Bieberle-Hütter, Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research (project coordinator); prof. Sofia Calero, Universidad Pablo de Olavide; prof. Thijs Vlugt, Delft University of Technology

  1. PELARGODONT: Engineering and functionalization of delivery systems with Pelargonium sidoides biologically active substance on inflamed periodental suface area

Polish Team: prof. Marek Kowalczuk, Centre of Polymer and Carbon Materials Polish Academy of Sciences (Polish Principal Investigator); prof. Stanisław Kistryn, Jagiellonian University

Partners: prof. Nijole Savickiene, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (project coordinator), prof. Maija Dambrova, Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis; prof. Andrejs Skesters, Riga Stradins University, Laboratory of Biochemistry; prof. Lia Rimondini, Università Piemonte Orientale; dr Vygandas Juras, UAB Ferentis

  1. PNANO4BONE:  Nanovectors engineered for plasma enhanced theranostics in regenerative medicine 

Polish Team: prof. Grażyna Ginalska, Medical University of Lublin (Polish Principal Investigator); prof. Joann Pawłat, Lublin University of Technology

Partners: Dr David , Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (project coordinator); prof. Sophie Hermans, Université Catholique de Louvain; dr Cristina Canal, Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña; dr Richard Fry, CELLON SA

Contact:

M-ERA.NET 2 has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 685451.

M-ERA.NET 2 has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 685451.