The National Science Centre has announced the SONATINA and UWERTURA calls for the third time and ETUIDA call for the seventh time. Polish scientists can apply for funding of their research projects, doctoral scholarships and foreign fellowships. The total call budget is PLN 56,000,000.
The SONATINA 3 call for proposals is aimed at persons who have been awarded a doctorate within 3 years before submitting the proposal or will be awarded a doctorate by the end of June 2019. The objective of the call is to provide young researchers with employment opportunities and possibility to carry out research in Polish research institutions and to allow them to gain experience during fellowships in foreign research institutions. Research projects will be carried out over the period 24 or 36 months, whilst foreign fellowships will last between 3 and 6 months. The amount designated to cover the cost of foreign stay under SONATINA 3 has been increased from PLN 9,000 to 12,000. The call budget is PLN 35,000,000.
UWERTURA 3 is a call for proposals intended for experienced researchers, preparing them to apply for prestigious grants of the European Research Council (ERC). Researchers wishing to apply for fellowships in foreign research teams using ERC grants must be holders of at least a doctorate degree. Work in international research teams is a great opportunity to gain valuable experience. A researcher must apply for an ERC grant within 18 months of completing the fellowship. Such grant must be used at a Polish research institution with the researcher acting as a principal investigator. The fellowship will last at least 3 and no more than 6 months. This year, the call has been allocated PLN 1,000,000.
ETIUDA 7 is a call aimed at researchers on the threshold of their careers in research, i.e. applicants who have embarked on a doctorate or will embark on a doctorate at a Polish research institution by 30 April 2019. Young researches may be awarded a scholarship of PLN 4,500 per month, for a period of 6 to 12 months. Doctoral scholarships will be funded as of 1 October 2019. Furthermore, the grant may be allocated for fellowships at a foreign research institution lasting between 3 and 6 months. Under ETIUDA 7, the amount to cover the cost of foreign stay has been increased from PLN 9,000 to 12,000. The call budget is PLN 20,000,000, i.e. PLN 5,000,000 more than last year.
“The purpose of the calls we have just announced is to increase the mobility of Polish researchers, in particular young researchers. We know how important it is for researchers to exchange experience in international research teams, on which the contemporary science relies. We wish to create the best conditions possible for Polish researchers to work abroad and have therefore decided to increase the amount allocated for scholarships to PLN 12,000” says Zbigniew Błocki, NCN Director.
By 15 March 2019, proposals under the calls announced by the National Science Centre will be submitted via the ZSUN/OSF system. They will undergo a two-stage evaluation by the NCN Expert Teams comprising outstanding researchers specialising in their particular fields, supported by external reviewers, including foreign experts.
The results of the SONATINA 3, UWERTURA 3 and ETIUDA 7 calls will be known in autumn of 2019 .
The call announcements are available on the NCN’s website.