The MINIATURA 9 call for proposals is addressed to researchers whose PhD degree was awarded after 1 January 2013, who are not former winners of NCN calls and whose scientific achievements include at least one paper published or at least one artistic achievement or achievement in research in art. Basic research activities of up to 12 months may be carried out in the form of preliminary studies, library and archive searches or research visits.
The grants under the MINIATURA call for proposals are intended to provide an initial funding source for the preparation of full-scale research projects. Within this year's call, we have launched a mentoring programme through which participants can benefit from the support of an experienced mentor or mentee in developing a concept for further research. We encourage principal investigators of ongoing and completed projects funded through MAESTRO, OPUS, SONATA BIS and SONATA, international calls offered by the National Science Centre (NCN), as well as calls offered by the European Research Council (ERC), to sign up to the database. We also encourage those planning to file a proposal through MINIATURA to take advantage of the almost 600 mentoring support offers already available.
Research Topics in the Second Ranking List of the MINIATURA 9 Call for Proposals
A total of 19 research activities received funding in Humanities, Social Sciences and Art Sciences (HS). The winners include Dr Julia Szołtysek from the University of Silesia in Katowice. She will analyse the concept of post-industrial girlhood on the basis on a comparative analysis of fiction by youngest-generation women authors from “post-coal” backgrounds in the Tyne-and-Wear and Upper Silesia regions. Dr Adrian Trzoss of the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań will carry out a comparative analysis of the efficiency of Large Language Models (LLM) in generating historical knowledge.
A total of 21 research activities in Life Sciences (NZ) were shortlisted, with a total value of more than PLN 1 million. Dr inż. Henryk Kozłowski of the Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz, Poland, will focus on the problem of body temperature as a pivotal factor in the antiviral response, conducting in vitro studies of the macrophages’ signalling pathways in response to hCoV-OC43 infection. Dr Ewelina Tomiak from the University of Agriculture in Krakow, will work on the identification and determination of compounds with therapeutic potential in Opuntia ficus-indica during preliminary research and a research trip.
26 research activities were recommended for funding in Physical Sciences and Engineering (ST), including research into plasma-assisted catalytic ammonia decomposition as an efficient pathway towards clean hydrogen production. The latter will be carried out by Dr inż. Hubert Ronduda from the Warsaw University of Technology. Dr inż. Maria Tunkiewicz from the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn will carry out an assessment of 3D printed concrete resistance to water load in the case of civil protection facilities.
List of research activities recommended for funding under MINIATURA 9 Second Ranking List .
MINIATURA 9 Ranking List No 2 (.pdf)
Funding by discipline:
- Humanities, Social Sciences and Art Sciences (HS): 19 research activities with a value of PLN 539,214
- Physical Sciences and Engineering (ST): 26 research activities with a value of PLN 1,046,050
- Life Sciences: 21 research activities with a value of PLN 1,006,830
Total funding: PLN 2,592,094
Evaluation of Proposals
MINIATURA proposals are evaluated by the Expert Team appointed by the NCN Council. The evaluation focuses on the scientific achievements of investigators performing research activities, scientific quality, feasibility and potential impact of the research activity on the development of the discipline, justification of the research activity, justification of the project costs with regard to the subject and scope of the research activity, development of proposals, etc.
The MINIATURA 9 budget of PLN 20 million is divided in proportion to the number of months of the call for proposals, from February to July. Funding can only be awarded to proposals that fit into the pool allotted for the month. In the past, many proposals submitted to MINIATURA towards the end of the call were refused funding due to the lack of sufficient resources. Therefore, please apply well in advance.
Proposals will be accepted until 31 July 2025, 4.00 pm.