We are announcing the SONATINA 10 call. It is designed for researchers at an early stage of their careers and offers an opportunity to gain the experience and skills needed for further academic development.
SONATINA 10 is open to researchers who obtained their PhD degree between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2025. Proposals may also be submitted by candidates who do not yet hold a PhD; however, if such a proposal receives a positive expert evaluation, it may be funded only if the principal investigator is awarded a PhD degree by 15 May 2026. The eligibility period may be extended in the case of career breaks, including those related to childbirth or incapacity for work. Each researcher may receive a SONATINA grant only once.
Projects may be planned for either 24 or 36 months. The grant provides funding for basic and applied research, as well as full-time employment of the principal investigator for the entire project duration at the host institution (where at least one discipline has been assigned a scientific evaluation category) other than the one from which the principal investigator has earned a PhD degree.
A central element of the SONATINA grant is a mandatory fellowship at a foreign research institution for a period of 3 to 6 months. During the fellowship, the principal investigator will receive a guaranteed monthly scholarship of PLN 7,500, along with lump sums to cover subsistence, accommodation, and travel costs, depending on the destination country.
For the first time in the history of the call, the fellowship component will be funded by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange. Under the terms of the agreement in place, proposals will undergo a merit-based evaluation performed by the National Science Centre. NAWA will approve the results of the evaluation and award fellowship funding to SONATINA winners, who will only be required to submit proposals within a dedicated programme launched by NAWA. This cooperation model between the two agencies has been operating successfully for many years, including within the NAWA Polish Returns programme, where NCN finances the research components.
There are no minimum or maximum funding limits for a single SONATINA project; however, all costs included in the budget must be well-justified.
The NCN Council has allocated PLN 50 million for the tenth edition of SONATINA. NAWA has earmarked up to PLN 4.8 million for fellowships, with the final amount to be confirmed in the call text.
Call for proposals and evaluation procedure
The SONATINA 10 call for proposals will be open in the OSF submission system from 16 December to 16 March 2026, until 2 p.m. CET.
Proposals will be evaluated by inter-panel teams consisting of experts from the relevant fields, i.e. the Humanities, Social Sciences and Art Sciences (HS), the Physical Sciences and Engineering (ST), and the Life Sciences (NZ). Experts are selected by the NCN Council from among outstanding Polish and international researchers holding at least a PhD degree.
The merit-based evaluation of the proposal will, as usual, be carried out in two stages. In the first stage, each proposal will receive at least two individual reviews, and the team will evaluate it during the first panel meeting, taking the submitted reviews into account. In the second stage, at least two reviews will be prepared by external reviewers, and the principal investigator will additionally be invited to an interview conducted in English at the NCN headquarters in Kraków in July 2026. The team will make the final decision on the proposal based on the individual reviews and the outcome of the interview. The results will be announced by the end of September 2026.
Across all SONATINA calls to date, 375 proposals have been recommended for funding, with total funding of nearly PLN 279 million. Examples of funded projects, along with abstracts for the general public, are available in the NCN project database.
Research teams from Poland and Belgium-Flanders will receive nearly PLN 3.3 million for their research projects investigating holography, cyclostationary signals and mystery of matter-antimatter asymmetry in the universe. The three proposals have been evaluated by the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO) and the evaluation results were approved by the NCN under the Weave collaboration.
Ultra-High Definition Holography
Prof. Dr hab. inż. Tomasz Kozacki from the Warsaw University of Technology, together with his team, will analyse ultra‐wide‐angle holography and ultra-high definition holography representing groundbreaking technologies. This type holography solves the primary shortcoming of conventional 3D displays that lies in the vergence‐accommodation conflict by providing an extended visual field of view bigger than 100°. Enabled by extremely dense light modulators, colour holography, and advanced processing algorithms, the encoding and display of large 3D objects in ultra-high quality becomes feasible, albeit at the cost of enormous computational demands and the need for novel methods of data acquisition, generation, and compression. The UltraHolo project addresses these challenges by developing a complete system, spanning from hologram generation and management through displays based on a resolution of 16K × 16K and a sub‐wavelength pixel pitch of 250 nm as well as quality assessment toolsets. The overall goal is to enhance achievement of a realistic and immersive 3D visualization systems in education, health, design, architecture and entertainment applications. The project budget of the Polish research team is over PLN 650,000. The Flemish research team from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel will be headed by Peter Schelkens.
Signals Exhibiting Natural Rhythm and Periodicity
Another awarded project will be pursued by Dr hab. inż. Agnieszka Wyłomańska from the Wrocław University of Science and Technology. Together with her research team, she will address the advanced signal processing techniques for cyclostationary modelling. The project focuses on the development of advanced methods for analysing signals exhibiting natural rhythm or periodicity in the presence of strong interference, both typical (Gaussian) noise and more challenging impulsive noise. Researchers aim to better understand the sources of such signals and interference, develop realistic mathematical models and algorithms enabling their detection, description and cleaning, for example by separating overlapping signals, segmentation or classification. The new, noise-robust representations, including generalised frequency- frequency maps, will be analysed for their accuracy and computational complexity. Although universal, those methods will be evaluated on the basis of rotating machinery, where the analysis of cyclostationary signals allows to detect faults in gears and rolling element bearings. The new tools will enable detection of cyclostationary signal sources, but also support further processing, e.g. identification of the frequency band containing the most diagnostically useful information, improving detection of faults in laboratories and under industrial conditions. The Polish research team will receive nearly PLN 1.3 million for the three-year project. Konstantinos Gryllias from the KU Leuven will head the Flemish research team.
Matter-Antimatter Asymmetry
The last project awarded in this round aims to develop Monte Carlo generators for future neutrino oscillation experiments. The Polish research team will be headed by Prof. Dr hab. Jan Sobczyk from the University of Wrocław, while Natalie Jachowicz from the Ghent University will head the Flemish research team. Over PLN 600,00 has been awarded for the Polish part of the project. Researches will address the mystery of matter-antimatter asymmetry in our universe which is currently attempted with, for example, neutrino-oscillation experiments. In Europe, the ESSnuSB+ collaboration is preparing for a contribution to this quest. Leveraging the unique opportunities offered by the intense neutrino beams that can be produced at the European Spallation Source, the collaboration proposes to measure this asymmetry at the second neutrino oscillation maximum with discovery precision, which primarily operates with neutrino energies ranging from 200 to 300 MeV, where conventional tools fall sort. The project aims to extend the neutrino simulation tool NuWro, grounded in microscopic theoretical models developed in Ghent, to fill this caveat and enable investigation of basic neutrino physics.
Weave-UNISONO and Lead Agency Procedure
Weave-UNISONO is a result of multilateral cooperation between the research-funding agencies associated in Science Europe and aims at simplifying the submission and selection procedures in all academic disciplines, involving researchers from two or three European countries.
The winning applicants are selected pursuant to the Lead Agency Procedure according to which one partner institution performs a complete merit-based evaluation of proposals, the results of which are subsequently approved by the other partners.
Under the Weave Programme, partner research teams apply for parallel funding to the Lead Agency and their respective institutions participating in the Programme. Joint research projects must include a coherent research program with the added value of the international cooperation clearly identified.
Weave-UNISONO is carried out on an ongoing basis. Research teams intending to cooperate with partners from Austria, Czechia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium-Flanders are urged to read the call text and apply for funding.
We present a preliminary timeline for calls operated by the National Science Centre in the year 2026.
The call timeline does not include multilateral calls launched by the international networks of research funding agencies, including the NCN, which are announced and pre-announced on the NCN website all year round according to the decisions of the participating agencies.
The European Research Council has just revealed the winners of its Consolidator Grant 2025. 4 out of 349 winners are former NCN grant winners affiliated with Polish research institutes: Dr hab. Wojciech Czerwiński, Dr hab. Maria Nowak and Dr hab. Michał Pilipczuk from the University of Warsaw, as well as Dr hab. Sławomir Porada from the Wrocław University of Science and Technology. Congratulations!
Maria Nowak, photo by Mirosław Kaźmierczak/UWDr hab. Maria Nowak works at the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology, University of Warsaw. Her research focuses on, inter alia, classic Greek papyrology, legal papyrology, legal practice in the Roman Empire, and issues of multi-legal systems in antiquity. She has received ERC funding of EUR 1.9 million for the project “A provincial capital polis at the end of the Roman era. Periphery or a center of power? (PeriPolis)” aimed to present the late Roman Empire as a state struggling with challenges strikingly similar to those faced by modern societies. Dr Nowak will seek to reveal whether crisis is an intrinsic feature of the collapse of empires, or whether the two phenomena may occur independently. She will also try to gain a deeper understanding of everyday life in times of decline – both for ordinary inhabitants and political elites.Maria Nowak is a former winner of NCN’s SONATA 9 and OPUS 18.
Wojciech Czerwiński, photo by Mirosław Kaźmierczak/UWERC Consolidator Grants 2025 will also go to two researchers from the Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Mechanics at the University of Warsaw. They will both receive ERC grants for the second time. Dr hab. Wojciech Czerwiński received nearly EUR 2 million for his project “Reachability in Infinite Systems at High Resolution (POLARIS)”. The researcher works on computational models known as state-based systems, and will seek to solve one of the key dilemmas in computer science, namely the limits of achievability in systems with an infinite number of states. The bulk of his project concerns determining whether it is possible to devise an algorithm faster than existing ones that allows a given programme to move from its initial situation to its final one. Wojciech Czerwiński is a former winner of NCN’s SONATA 11.
Michał Pilipczuk, photo by Mirosław Kaźmierczak/UWDr. hab. Michał Pilipczuk’s research focuses on graphs, which are fundamental mathematical objects used to model all kinds of networks. His project ”Towards a unified structure theory for dense graphs (WYDRA)”, which has been awarded nearly EUR 2 million in funding, will aim to develop a coherent and robust theory describing the structure of dense graphs. The results of his research will pave the way for many new applications – in both combinatorics and algorithm design and will indicate interesting directions for further research at the intersection of graph theory and theoretical computer science. Michał Pilipczuk is a former winner of NCN’s SONATA 6.
Sławomir Porada, photo by Politechnika WrocławskaFor the first time, a CoG ERC was awarded to a researcher affiliated with a Wrocław University. Dr hab. inż. Sławomir Porada from the Faculty of Chemistry, Wrocław University of Science and Technology. He has received nearly EUR 2 million in funding for his project “Small Differences, Big Impact: Achieving Effective Selective Separations from Water by Tuning Ion Transport Processes”. Dr Porada will seek to better understand ion transport mechanisms for ions with very similar properties - especially how ions are adsorbed and desorbed over time in electrode materials. This will form the basis for developing a new class of separation processes that use not only material properties but also smart control of the process operating time and cycle. Sławomir Porada is a beneficiary of NCN’s research component under the NAWA Polish Returns Programme.
The ERC Consolidator Grant is one of the most prestigious international grant programmes. It is open to researchers who are 7 to 13 years after completing their PhD and can demonstrate outstanding scientific achievements. This time, a total funding of EUR 728 million will go to researchers from 44 countries, including 25 from Europe.
Together with the Copernicus Centre, we are pleased to invite you to an online lecture by Łucja Kowalewska (Membrane Labyrinths in the Nanoworld of Cells: From Geometry to Biological Functions) on 10 December, 6pm, as part of the “Science at the Centre” series.
Łucja Kowalewska, photo by Łukasz BeraDr hab. Łucja Kowalewska works at the Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw. Her research focuses on plant cell biology, particularly on the structure and dynamics of plastid membranes. Last October, she was presented with the NCN Award for outstanding scientific achievements.
Her work focuses on periodic membranes, whose organisation plays a crucial role in cellular functioning – including plastid biogenesis and photosynthetic efficiency. Dr. Kowalewska’s team investigates how membrane structure influences biological function and which molecular and physicochemical mechanisms govern membrane transformations.
Dr Kowalewska’s research makes a significant contribution to understanding the relationship between membrane geometry and function. The researcher has demonstrated that the spatial organisation of membranes is not merely the result of the self-assembly of their structural components, but also actively regulates cellular processes – marking a shift in the existing paradigm of cell biology.
While her studies are primarily fundamental in nature, understanding the principles of biological membrane self-organisation also holds significant application potential. It provides a foundation for the design of biomimetic nanomaterials that may be used in medicine, pharmacy and food technology – for instance, as drug carriers, materials supporting tissue regeneration or smart coatings.
Footage on Dr Kowalewska’s research
An online lecture organized by the Copernicus Center will be streamed on 10 December, at 6 pm.
In November, a lecture by Maciej Stolarski was delivered. On 17 December, a meeting with Bartosz Szyszko will be held. We encourage you to join it!
The first “Science at the Centre” lectures were delivered by the 2020 NCN Award winners. So far, 16 meetings have been held and we truly appreciate the Copernicus Centre’s support and assistance in their organization.
Dates have been released for interviews in the calls launched on 16 June 2025. The results of the first stage of merit-based evaluation under MAESTRO 17 and SONATA BIS 15 will be published in the second half of December.
MAESTRO 17
NZ – Life Sciences: 27-29 January 2026
HS – Humanities, Social Sciences and Art Sciences: 4-6 February 2026
ST – Physical Sciences and Engineering: 4-5 February 2026
SONATA BIS 15
NZ – Life Sciences: 27-29 January 2026
HS – Humanities, Social Sciences and Art Sciences: 4-6 February 2026
ST – Physical Sciences and Engineering: 3-5 February 2026
Principal investigators will be interviewed in English. Researchers whose proposals will be recommended for the second stage of evaluation will be notified of the interviews 14 days in advance at the latest. Interviews will be held at the premises of the National Science Centre in Krakow and although principal investigators are required to participate in person, in exceptional and well-justified cases interviews may be held via available telecommunication tools. Failure to attend the interview will be regarded as a resignation from applying for funding. The cost of travel to and accommodation in Krakow will not be reimbursed.
713 OPUS and PRELUDIUM grants from the National Science Centre will be received by researchers to carry out basic research at Polish research institutions. The total budget of the projects recommended for funding amounts to nearly PLN 700 million.
The calls concluded are part of the National Science Centre’s flagship funding offer and have been announced regularly for almost 15 years. They are addressed to researchers planning to carry out research projects at Polish host institutions. The thematic scope is unrestricted — we provide funding for all research domains: from the Humanities, Social Sciences and Art Sciences (HS), through the Physical Sciences and Engineering (ST), to the Life Sciences (NZ). All projects must fall within the scope of basic research.
The OPUS funding scheme is addressed to all researchers, regardless of their career stage, age, or level of experience. Grants may be implemented with or without the participation of foreign partners and may involve the use of large international research equipment, such as particle accelerators, research reactors, lasers, telescopes, etc. An OPUS project may be planned for a duration of one, two, three, or four years. There are no budget limits or predefined requirements regarding the composition of the research team. Grants may be used, among other things, for salaries, scholarships, the purchase of research equipment, devices, software and materials, services, trips, visits, consultations, and other costs crucial to the project.
PRELUDIUM is addressed exclusively to researchers who are not PhD holders. Within this call, applicants may apply for grants with fixed durations and budgets of PLN 70,000, 140,000, or 210,000 for projects lasting one, two, or three years, respectively. The involvement of a mentor supporting the principal investigator is mandatory. The subject matter of the project may be related to the subject of the doctoral dissertation. Defending a doctoral dissertation is not a condition for the settlement of the project.
In both calls, NCN received a total of 5,044 proposals with a total budget of nearly PLN 4.4 billion.
In OPUS 29, 2,538 proposals were submitted. 736 proposals advanced to the second stage of merit-based evaluation, and NCN experts recommended 344 proposals for funding, with a total value of over PLN 636.1 million. The success rate in the call was 13.55%.
In PRELUDIUM 24, 2,506 proposals were submitted; 758 were evaluated in the second stage, and ultimately 369 proposals were recommended for funding, with a total value exceeding PLN 61.6 million. The success rate was 14.72%.
The OPUS and PRELUDIUM editions concluded today met with record interest from the Polish research community. Compared to the calls announced a year earlier, a clear increase in the number of submitted proposals was recorded — OPUS received 11% more proposals than in the previous year, while PRELUDIUM recorded an increase of 19%. These figures show that researchers working in Poland are active, have excellent research ideas and — importantly — wish to pursue them in Poland.
The budget allocated by the NCN Council to OPUS 29 represents the highest budget in nominal terms for this type of call since the establishment of NCN. However, due to the NCN’s budgetary constraints, this increase remains insufficient and does not meet the demand expressed by the Polish research community. The costs of conducting research continue to rise, which increases the average cost intensity per project and significantly affects success rates in the call.
2025
OPUS 29
2024*
OPUS 27
2025
PRELUDIUM 24
2024
PRELUDIUM 23
submitted proposals
2,538
2,255
2,506
2,104
funded proposals
344
357
369
362
amount of funding
PLN 636.1 mln
PLN 603.6 mln
PLN 61.6 mln
PLN 61.2 mln
cost intensity (average, approximate per project)
PLN 1.85 mln
PLN 1.69 mln
PLN 167,000
PLN 169,000
* The comparison does not include the OPUS 28 call, which additionally included the LAP/Weave pathway and is therefore not directly comparable with the spring editions of the OPUS calls.
How were the proposals evaluated?
Proposals were evaluated in accordance with a two-stage peer-review merit-based evaluation procedure conducted within discipline panels. This evaluation model has been applied by NCN since the first edition of its calls in 2011. At each of the two stages, a proposal receives at least two expert reviews. The final evaluation is not simply an aggregation of these reviews but is discussed and determined by the Expert Team at the meeting. Experts draw up their recommendations based on their knowledge and competence. Experts responsible for the evaluation of proposals at NCN are selected by the NCN Council on the basis of scientific excellence and the absence of conflicts of interest. Currently, 99% of reviews prepared within NCN call procedures are authored by foreign experts.
Webinar for PRELUDIUM winners
Winners of the PRELUDIUM 24 call who will be implementing their first research project funded by NCN are welcome to take part in a pilot training webinar on the implementation of research projects. During the meeting, we will present key information concerning signing of the agreement, the introduction of changes, and project reporting, which may prove helpful during the project implementation phase.
The webinar will take place on 9 December 2025 at 10:00 a.m. on the ClickMeeting platform. Invitations will be sent by email to the address of the principal investigator provided in the proposal.
Under international SHENG 4 call for Polish and Chinese research projects, funding will be awarded to 21 projects with a value of over PLN 38 million.
Under SHENG 4 that has just been concluded, researchers could submit proposals to selected disciplines within three research domains. Out of 337 proposals, 229 were submitted to Physical Sciences and Engineering, 103 to Life Sciences, and only 5 to Humanities, Social Sciences and Art Sciences. Nearly PLN 22.5 million was awarded to 13 projects in Physical Sciences and Engineering and nearly PLN 16 million to 8 projects in Life Sciences. The success rate was 6.23%.
One of the awarded projects in Life Sciences, titled “Synthesis and Functionalization of Hyperbranched Polypeptides for Osteoarthritis Treatment”, will be headed by Dr hab. Monika Gosecka from the Centre of Molecular and Macromolecular Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences.Osteoarthritis is a disease mainly affecting the elderly that involves pain, stiffness and restricted movement. Currently, treatment usually involves anti-inflammatory drugs or joint replacement, which are known for their side effects and inability to regenerate joint cartilage. In healthy joints, cartilage is well hydrated, which results in an extremely low coefficient of friction, but is degenerated and damaged as the disease progresses. Hyaluronic acid injections, which are widely used today, have limited efficacy and require frequent injections. The aim of the project is to develop new formulations for delivery injections using hyperbranched polypeptides, the structure of which will make them durable and will provide excellent lubrication of the joint, easy application and drug delivery. To this end, a library of polypeptides with different structures will be synthesised and studied, and knowledge gained in this project will show the relationship between the structural features of these molecules and their biological activity, leading to a development of more effective methods in the treatment of osteoarthritis.
From Natural Grasslands to Agricultural Sustainability
One of the projects awarded in Life Science will be carried out by Dr inż. Piotr Niezgoda from the West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin, who will study biodiversity and functionality of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. In the face of continuous population growth and climate change, sustainable agriculture is becoming increasingly important, with its limited use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides that are replaced by microorganisms. Such microorganisms include arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, which live in symbiosis with most terrestrial plants. They improve plant productivity and nutrition, and alleviate the effects of stress. Despite their importance for the ecosystems and agricultural potential, little is known of the diversity of AM fungi in the world, their activity, response to climate change and the possibilities of using them in practice. The project “Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Biodiversity and Functionality” aims to fill the void by comprehensive studies of AM fungal communities in croplands and grasslands located in China and Poland that differ greatly in terms of climate and soil properties. Modern techniques will be used, such as amplicon sequencing, phylogenies, reconstruction, isolation of single spores, and mycorrhizal functional tests, to characterize the structure and function of AM fungal communities, reveal the mechanisms underlying agricultural impacts on AM fungal symbiotic functions, and explore their response to environmental factors. The results will enhance our understanding of AMF ecology and evolution, support biodiversity conservation, facilitate their agricultural application, and contribute to the classification of new species, e.g. under transcontinental AM fungal resource bank. The project continues former joint research that resulted in the description of new AMF species in 2022.
SHENG 4 is theinternational bilateral Polish-Chinese Funding Initiative organised by the National Science Centre in cooperation with the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) pursuant to the parallel evaluation procedure, which means that both agencies perform a parallel eligibility check and merit-based evaluation and funding is awarded to projects recommended by both agencies. SHENG 4 was open to basic research proposals submitted to one of the following panes: HS6_01-HS6_08, HS6_14-HS6_15, ST4, ST5, ST8 and ST11, or NZ1-NZ9.
The winning projects will be performed in Poland and China, and each project will be supervised by two principal investigators, one for the Chinese research team and one for the Polish team. The Polish research team may use the awarded funds for research, remuneration of the research team, scholarships for students and PhD students, purchase or manufacturing of research equipment or other cost crucial to the Polish part of the project.
In the latest episode of our NCN podcast “Science in a Frontline Country”, hosted by Anna Korzekwa-Józefowicz, Prof. Justyna Chodkowska-Miszczuk, NCN Council Member and expert in social and spatial aspects of energy transition and Dr hab. Michał Parniak, physician and leader of a research group at the Centre of Quantum Optical Technologies, University of Warsaw, explain how research becomes a true foundation for a resilient state.
In this podcast, we aim to explain how research findings can enhance a state’s resilience in the face of crises. Justyna Chodkowska-Miszczuk emphasises that ‘science-based, reliable knowledge is essential when addressing developmental challenges, including those related to a state’s security’. Basic research - whether in the physical sciences and engineering, social sciences, humanities or arts - provides this knowledge and enables a systemic perspective on security issues, without which nothing can be planned’. She adds that ‘basic research is not a mere luxury but a key foundation of a modern and resilience state’.
Michał Parniak, the first Polish scientist to develop and demonstrate multiplex quantum memory and a quantum processor, says that majority of key technologies have been created within the so-called Pasteur’s quadrant, which refers to basic research of a fundamental nature, but with future applications in mind. He explains that this approach allows one to take a step back to the fundamental laws of physics and develop innovations from scratch, unbound by the limitations of existing technologies. Thereby, his team could develop Rydberg atom-based quantum sensors that can be applied in radar technology and secure communication systems.
Michał Parniak recalled the story of Robert Wilson, Fermilab’s Director, who, when asked by the US Congress how the new accelerator might impact the nation’s security, replied that laboratory’s developments and inventions make the country ‘worth defending’. Dr Parniak emphasised how accurately the sentence captures the essence of basic research, which may not have a specific application in mind but instead generates knowledge, skills and technologies over time, ultimately contributing to the country’s safety, security and sovereignty.
The interview included perspectives of humanities, social sciences and arts. Justyna Chodkowska-Miszczuk recalled that according to the researchers from the Johns Hopkins University ‘the human brain is the current battlefield’. Social disintegration is largely driven by information bubbles, in which algorithms trap us. Therefore, social innovations, public acceptance and conscious communication are essential for building a secure state, alongside research on local communities, critical infrastructure, and the energy transition.
Civil and Military Cooperation
Experts agree that civil and military sectors must cooperate to ensure that the army benefits from the latest research and expertise. Justyna Chodkowska-Miszczuk says that such cooperation is essential not only to respond to current threats, but primarily to anticipate them. By focusing on immediate, ‘here and now’ solutions, we fall behind other countries, while true security requires anticipating future events and the ability to predict them in advance.
She also points out that the NCN Council takes measures to ensure that the National Science Centre can pursue research for the safety and security of the state and launch calls funded with resources secured by the Polish Ministry of National Defence. According to Michał Parniak, partial funding of basic research with army resources would strengthen technological competencies and long-term resilience of the state.
The NCN budget is ca. PLN 1.7 billion, while the 2026 budget of the Polish Ministry of National Defence is expected to reach ca. PLN 125 billion.
Sovereignty and resilience — selected statements:
Prof. Justyna Chodkowska-Miszczuk on the role of the Social Sciences and Humanities in state security:
As researchers from Johns Hopkins University aptly put it in one of the Nature Review reports, the battlefield today is the human mind. We do not even need to fall victim to fake news when discussing disinformation. It is enough, for example, that we close ourselves within our own information bubbles defined by algorithms on our digital devices — and we already have the disintegration of the local community.
Activities related to social innovation are extremely important, because every change, every initiative, every developmental challenge — including those connected with building national security — requires social change, acceptance, approval, and the cultivation of awareness. This is precisely where there is enormous scope for research, whether social or humanistic. I would even venture to say that the arts also have a role to play.
On bio-waste and local energy autonomy:
Discussions on energy security still tend to revolve around the same triad: solar, wind, and hydro power. Meanwhile, one of the most underestimated resources we have literally at hand is bio-waste. As a consumer society, we produce it in enormous quantities and will continue to do so. Such waste requires management, but is available locally, continuously, and regardless of weather conditions. Bio-waste can serve as the basis for producing biofuels, biogas, and energy that can power local, autonomous energy hubs.
This solution supports the bioeconomy and helps to address environmental challenges. At the same time, it strengthens energy resilience for both local communities and the military. These are systems that can be scaled, adapted to a specific municipality or region, and that do not require importing raw materials from outside. Bio-waste has the potential to become one of the pillars of crisis-resistant energy, both in civil and defence terms.
Michał Parniak on quantum sensors and defence applications:
I am developing my own technology — highly precise microwave radiation detectors based on atomic systems, representing an entirely new method of receiving microwave signals — and it quickly becomes apparent to anyone working in this field that there are potential applications in radar technology alone. It is worth noting that when I began working on this, the Americans were the first to contact me, long before any talks with the Polish Ministry of Defence had taken place – which I will mention in a moment. It turns out that the US operates very broad support programmes for research related to defence. Agencies such as the Office of Naval Research, Army Research Laboratory, and DARPA frequently announce calls in which Polish laboratories can also participate, as we have done in the past. They organise so-called “challenge” calls, where several laboratories compete to solve a fundamental technical or engineering-physics problem. Those who solve it best receive further funding. We would certainly be capable of implementing something similar in Poland as well.
On purchasing quantum computers and technological sovereignty:
Quantum computers are currently surrounded by a thick fog of media coverage. We often hear that they are “much faster than classical computers”, which is simply not true. They solve different kinds of problems, and we are only just learning which ones they can actually solve better. This is still an area of basic research that requires patience and a deep understanding of physical foundations. Against this backdrop, the question of purchasing ready-made quantum computers arises. If we buy such equipment from a large corporation, there is a real risk that by the time it arrives, it will already be obsolete.
When purchasing a ready-made quantum computer, our involvement is limited to naming it – for example, “Piast” Any modification of its operation, however, requires contact with the manufacturer in Austria. This is not the path towards technological sovereignty. A far better approach would be to set specific challenges for Polish research groups: to build different types of quantum computers in Poland. Such a programme would be a huge boost for science and the economy. It would enable the development of real competences, the creation of proprietary solutions, and, most importantly, true technological independence.
Maciej Stolarski, Łucja Kowalewska and Bartosz Szyszko will deliver open lectures organised by the Copernicus Centre on 26 November, 10 December and 17 December 2025. Lectures will be available on the YouTube channel of the Copernicus Centre and on the ‘Science at the Centre’ playlist.
Maciej Stolarski, photo by Łukasz Bera/NCNProfessor Maciej Stolarski from the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Warsaw studies the phenomenon of mental time travel. He has provided empirical evidence for the crucial role of thinking beyond the present moment in shaping the quality and effectiveness of human life. Dr hab.Łucja Kowalewska works at the Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw. Her research focuses on plant cell biology, particularly on the structure and dynamics of plastid membranes. The research carried out by Dr hab. Bartosz Szyszko, Professor at the University of Wroclaw who specialises in supramolecular chemistry, focuses on the synthesis and investigation of rotaxanes, catenanes and molecular knots – mechanically interlocked molecules that resemble the links of a chain.
Last October, they all received the 2025 NCN Award, the most prestigious award in Poland recognising early-career researchers working in Poland. They will soon discuss their research in a series of online lectures organised by the Copernicus Centre.
Lecture by Maciej Stolarski
26 November 2025, 6 p.m.: Psychological Time as Meta-Dimension of Personality: A Theory of Temporal Navigator
The ability for mental time travel allows us to relive the past and anticipate the future. Hence, we can plan and understand our life much better.
‘My lecture will include examples of research and theoretical considerations that enabled me to form the theory of temporal metacognition, develop a model of temporal regulation of emotions and design a new conceptual model – temporal navigator – understanding personality as a cognitive and affective system whose ultimate purpose is to reach (future) goals through mindful or involved presence here and now (the present) using the experience, knowledge and inspirations gathered over a lifetime (past). The model combines knowledge of episodic memory, prospection, emotion regulation and goal-directed motivation, demonstrating that it is not individual contents, but dynamic actions over time that organise human subjectivity and enable effective self-regulation. I will also try to explain how the temporal navigator integrates the concepts of leading personality theories and will talk about how findings from temporal psychology can shed light on the core of psychopathology (the p factor), and whether temporal models might offer a framework for integrating key concepts from positive psychology. Furthermore, I will look into the gaps in existing temporal theories that have kept them from achieving recognition as the psychological ‘theory of everything’, says Maciej Stolarski.
Maciej Stolarski also appeared as a guest in our podcast ‘NextGen Science. The Future is Now’.
The first ‘Science at the Centre’ lectures were delivered by the 2020 NCN Award winners. 15 meetings have been organised so far, together with the Copernicus Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies.
