Research and development activities are performed in Poland by public and private sector institutions. However, most of such activities are carried out in the public sector. Key actors are universities, research institutes, as well as commercial and non-profit companies of different size. Funding for research comes mainly from the state budget in the form of statutory funding and grants. The former is mainly allocated to the institutions by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, depending on the results of the national evaluation carried out every 4 years. Grants are offered through open calls by agencies subordinate to the Minister of Science and by other non-governmental institutions and private sector. R&D units are also largely supported by the European Structural Funds and Framework Programmes for research and development – Horizon 2020.
The structure and basis of operation within the research system in Poland are defined in the Higher Education and Science Act, known as the Constitution for Science, in short Act 2.0 (introduced in October 2018). The Constitution enforces significant changes to the science system, among others it creates better conditions for scientific and didactic excellence, ensures sustainable development of academic centres across the country, introduces doctoral schools and gives universities appropriate tools necessary for effective management. Data on Polish science and higher education is collected by an integrated POL-on System created in 2011 with an objective to exert genuine influence on the effectiveness of public spending on science and education.
Key research infrastructure in Poland
Top laboratories and other state-of-the-art research infrastructure is presented in the "Polish Roadmap for Research Infrastructures" prepared by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education based on highest international standards. Published in January 2020 the brochure includes 70 strategic research infrastructures, divided into six scientific areas (following the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures classification):
- Physical sciences & engineering (23 projects);
- Social sciences & humanities (6 projects);
- Technical sciences & energy (14 projects);
- Earth & environmental sciences (5 projects);
- Medical, biological & agricultural sciences (16 projects);
- Digital infrastructures (6 projects).
40 of 70 infrastructures included in the Roadmap are nationally-based, while 30 have an international dimension.
Polish scientific achievements
Polish Science Day is celebrated on February 19th (the birthday of Nicolas Copernicus) in recognition of the achievements of Polish scientists.
Read more at Science in Poland website.
Supporting bodies
Several institutions located in Poland and abroad support research and development activities and help the government and its agencies to create a research and innovation strategy. Apart from the national bodies, there are organisations that represent interests of their members to the state and local government authorities and to the other organisations operating in research and development sector.
Ministry of Science and Higher Education is responsible for the development and implementation of research policy in Poland, coordination of scientific activities at the national level, financial plan regarding science budget, funding of statutory activities of research units and large research infrastructure and construction investments, as well as promotion and financing of international co-operation in the area of research.
Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP) is involved in the implementation of national and international programmes financed from the EU structural funds, state budget and multiannual programmes of the European Commission. As a key authority responsible for creating a business-friendly environment in Poland, PARP contributes to the creation and effective implementation of the state policy related to enterprise, innovation and staff adaptability.
National Contact Point for Research Programmes of the European Union supports Polish research and innovation leaders: scientists, research organizations and enterprises on their way to grants from the European Research Programmes such as Horizon 2020, Euratom and Innovative Medicines Initiative.
Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland (CRASP) is a representative body of higher education institutions in Poland founded by institutions of higher education which have the right to award doctoral degrees (or equivalent) in at least one scientific discipline. CRASP coordinates cooperation of member institutions, represents common interests of the schools as well as undertakes activities leading to the creation of effective system of national education for the benefit of higher education, science and cultural development. The Higher Schools of Professional Education are united under a separate Conference of Rectors of Public Vocational Schools.
Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS) is not only a network of research institutes but also a corporation of scholars with a president of the Academy as its chair. Its Committees serve as bodies representing various research circles and disciplines. PAS organises and integrates the Polish research community in the country and abroad and draws up position statements and expert studies for the needs of Polish public administration, and assists in resolving specific science-related issues.
Main Council of the Research Institutes (RGIB) represents research institutes which are under supervision of different ministers. It takes action with the intention of solving common problems among groups of institutes, becomes involved in scientific development as well as in improvement of economic innovativeness and effectiveness.
Polish Young Academy promotes research and development activities by outstanding young representatives of science in Poland. Members of the Young Academy cannot exceed 38 years of age. The Academy’s main tasks include: providing opinions to science policy, organizing debates, conferences aimed at discussing significant problems and disseminating their results, preparing opinions and scientific assessments as well as promoting ethical standards among young scientists.
Business & Science Poland (BSP) - the organisation’s mission is supporting Polish business and scientific community in the effective shaping of the European agenda and to advise on the programming and spending of EU funds for science, research and development. The promotion and increase of the Polish participation in the EU framework programme for research and innovation is one of the key objectives of BSP Office which is located in Brussels.
Polish Science Contact Agency (PolSCA) of the Polish Academy of Sciences operates in Brussels supporting participation of all Polish scientific institutions and communities in the European Research Area. The mission of PolSCA is to promote, facilitate and foster participation of the Polish R&D community in European projects and initiatives and in particular to reinforce Poland’s position in the EU framework programs.
In Poland there are various public and private organisations performing research and development activities. The most active among them are universities, institutes of Polish Academy of Sciences, the Łukasiewicz Research Network and other research institutes.
89 of these research institutions have received the European HR Excellence in Research award from the European Commission. This “logo” is granted to European R&D and funding organisations which implement the European Human Resources Strategy for Researchers in order to create more attractive research conditions and open and transparent recruitment processes for their scientific employees.
A complex evaluation of government-funded research organisations is performed by the Committee for the Research Organisations Evaluation (KEJN), an advisory body for the Minister of Science and Higher Education. The evaluation takes place every 4 years according to the following criteria:
- scientific achievements,
- research potential,
- socio-economic impact of research and artistic activity,
- other impact of research and artistic activity.
As a result of the evaluation, research organisations are classified into one of the categories:
- A+ (leading)
- A (very good)
- B (satisfactory)
- C (not satisfactory)
This classification has a direct impact on the level of funding granted by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education for further development of research potential, young research staff and education activities of the organisations.
UNIVERSITIES
There are ca. 400 higher education institutions: about 100 public (state-funded) and 300 private institutions. The majority of the universities are supervised by the Minister of Science and Higher Education but some of them are governed by other relevant ministries (i.e. the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of National Defence). Many universities establish special units called technology transfer centres whose mission is supporting research staff and students in exploitation of their research results and other entrepreneurial and innovation activities. Commercial activities and IPR issues are also supported as the centres act as a link between the university and external organisations.
It is worth underlying that the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education nominated 10 universities most active in research – Research Universities evaluated by a panel of international experts:
University of Warsaw, Gdansk University of Technology, Adam Mickiewicz University, AGH University of Science and Technology, Jagiellonian University, Warsaw University of Technology, Medical University of Gdansk, Silesian University of Technology, Nicolaus Copernicus University and University of Wroclaw.
In the following years the 10 Research Universities will receive increased funding (by 10%) to further develop excellence of their research, education and strengthen their international competitiveness.
Another 10 universities were also awarded for their scientific achievements and will receive an increased budget - by 2%: Lodz University of Technology, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, University of Lodz, University of Gdansk, Medical University of Bialystok, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Medical University of Lodz, Pedagogical University of Krakow, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences and University of Silesia.
University of Bialystok, Physics Department, author: A. Mnich
Warsaw University of Technology, Northern Campus, author: BirdEye
INSTITUTES OF THE POLISH ACADEMY OF SCIENCES (PAS)
There are 69 public research institutes forming the network of PAS together with supporting research establishments such as research stations, botanical gardens archives, libraries, museums, including foreign PAS stations in Brussels, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Vienna, Moscow and Kiev. Most PAS institutes rank as leading institutions in their scientific or R&D activity with 14 of them granted the A+ category. Their mission is to pursue high quality research in key areas, dissemination and exploitation of scientific results, with the biggest share of the budget covering fundamental research. The institutes also run postgraduate programmes and doctoral schools.
RESEARCH INSTITUTES
There are 102 research institutes and laboratories which focus their activities on conducting applied research and development activities in 4 main areas: technical (1), medical (2), environmental and agricultural (3) as well as economics and humanities (4). They are state-funded institutions operating as separate entities in terms of their legal basis, organisational arrangements and funding mechanisms. They are supervised by various sector ministries and conduct R&D activity in line with the national economy and social needs.
Research institutes listed by category
In 2019, 35 research institutes were transformed into the Łukasiewicz Research Network to strengthen the Polish commercial potential. The network has become Europe's 3rd largest research network which aims at promoting business and supporting the development of Polish companies. With 8,000 staff and 35 research institutes located in 11 cities across Poland the Network is an integrated market player providing attractive, comprehensive and competitive business solutions in the fields of automation, chemicals, biomedicine, ICT, materials, and advanced manufacturing. The Network collaborates with such business partners as: IKEA, Airbus, Boeing, Siemens, ABB.
OTHER INSTITUTIONS
In Poland, the number of institutions active in research and development is still growing. Among them you may find not only big companies, but also small and medium enterprises (SME), which are more and more competitive within Europe and worldwide, as well as an increasing number of start-ups. Moreover, there are almost 100 technology parks and 30 technology platforms located across the country.
Industrial and technology parks are organizations where private companies active in a given area can cooperate with R&D units supporting them. Thanks to this collaboration both sides strengthen their potential, development and competitiveness. What’s more, those facilities are addressed to both Polish and foreign entrepreneurs. The technology park is a set of separated buildings together with technical infrastructure, created to combine knowledge and technology competences between scientific units and companies. The parks differ from one to another in terms of regional and cultural background and economic conditions.
Technology platforms are a joint initiative of the European Commission, industry, scientific and financial institutions as well as decision-making groups in order to develop strategies for the development of those economy sectors and future technologies that are important for Europe.
They are designed to commercialize research in the field of innovation and enable transfer of pioneering technologies. Platforms’ aim is to guarantee the conversion of knowledge generated by the research sector into specific technologies and processes, and in the end - into services and products suitable for the market.
Following setting up of the European technology platforms, ca. 30 Polish platforms have been established in Poland since 2004. The activities of the Polish platforms in individual industrial sectors are supported by the ministries for science and economy.
The participants of the Polish platforms are key industrial partners, enterprises, chambers of commerce and economic agencies, scientific institutes and universities. The National Contact Point for Research Programs of the European Union is a partner to all the platforms created so far.
Start-ups are young innovative companies looking for a business model that would ensure profitable growth. The Polish startup ecosystem is developing very dynamically and is increasingly more visible at the international arena. Most Polish startups deal with analytics, the Internet of Things and big data analysis. Every second Polish start-up decides to sell services or products abroad.
Almost half of Polish start-ups hire researchers or cooperate with R&D sector. That’s why start-ups are often present in technology parks.
Another research and innovation supporting organisation is a hub. Hubs help enterprises, especially start-ups, to increase their market competitiveness through the use of innovative solutions. Hubs usually offer companies in their region comprehensive access to the latest data, knowledge and technology, enabling testing and implementation of innovative solutions relevant to their products, processes and business model. The Startup Hub Poland – a non-profit foundation runs a hub where international and Polish startups can meet together in order to become world class players on the R+D+I market.
A spin-off is an enterprise founded in order to commercialize innovative ideas and technologies. The founder of the spin-off has to be an employee of a scientific unit (e.g. a university), a student or a graduate. Spin-offs are usually personally and financially independent from the scientific units but they do often collaborate based on market principles. They can apply for funding from many sources, such as e.g. the Horizon 2020 European research funding programme. A lot of Polish universities can boast about many successful spin-offs, that’s why it is worth visiting their websites to check their activities.
One of the most noted spin-off is Warsaw Genomics. Its staff are scientists and doctors from the University of Warsaw. Their goal is to develop and deliver highly sensitive and accurate evidence-based genetic tests.
Another example of a spin-off is Byotta. The company was established as a result of the activities of three Gdańsk University of Technology graduates as a part of the National Centre for Research and Development’s e-Pionier programme using the potential of universities to increase innovativeness of ICT solutions in the public sector. Byotta deals with the design of cooling structures for complex systems, in particular for electric vehicle traction batteries.
In 2018 the first spin-off appeared in the University of Wrocław. Its name is SARUAV (eng. Search and Rescue Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) and it has developed a system to locate missing persons in open areas. The goal of this company is to save human lives during search operations with the use of their technology.
Business incubators support entrepreneurship and innovation by providing services that help companies enter the market and function on it, both at the initial and advanced level of project development. Young companies (especially start-ups) can count on their help in many crucial areas of the business. Entrepreneurs involved in new projects can receive such services as: IT support, marketing, mentoring, etc. In addition, incubators offer consulting services, legal and accounting assistance.
Incubators can function as private enterprises or in the form of units operating at academic centers to help students, PhD candidates and employees in setting up a business activity. Some universities in Poland have their own business incubators, information on which can be found at their websites.
According to the Central Statistics Office of Poland more and more entrepreneurs implement innovations and the number of researchers employed in business has increased significantly. This is an evidence that the Polish economy is becoming more and more innovative and that companies do see the need to invest in R&D. Some of those companies are located in technology parks, some of them cooperate with universities or build their own R&D centers or laboratories.
Moreover, there are enterprises that reach out to researchers by establishing foundations, sponsoring grants and internships.
According to the Polish Central Statistical Office, in 2019 there were ca 120 000 researchers, including 35% women and 1.5% foreigners.
In the academic year 2018/19 there were 39 300 doctoral students, of whom 54.8% were females. Vast majority (94%) were enrolled at public institutions and 88.4% at full-time PhD programmes. The number of foreign doctoral students amounted to 1 849 (139 more than in the previous year).
Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences
Warsaw University of Life Sciences - SGGW
CAREER PATH IN POLAND
PhD (dr) is usually obtained within a doctoral school (normally 3 to 4 years which consist of 6 to 8 semesters), accessible for graduates of Master’s programmes, Master’s in engineering or equivalent programmes. Admission to the doctoral school takes place through an open competition on the principles set out by the University Senate or the Scientific Council.
In principle, doctoral education is free-of-charge, except for an extramural mode which is a paid option to obtain PhD. The degree is awarded to candidates who submit and successfully pass a doctoral examination and defend their doctoral dissertation.
Each PhD candidate in the doctoral school receives a scholarship of around PLN 2370 (~560 €) – before the mid-term assessment, and PLN 3652 (~840 €) after the positive mid-term assessment. In addition, all doctoral candidates are covered by social insurance (pension and accident) and are entitled to eight weeks of paid leave per year.
According to the law, it is not possible to attend more than one doctoral school. According to a national database, there are currently 360 doctoral schools with programmes in various scientific disciplines offered by 232 research institutions in Poland. An increasing number of doctoral programmes in Poland are run in English, however, still most higher education programmes in Poland are taught in Polish.
Doctoral programmes in Poland are organised in accordance with the Bologna Process and are equivalent to majority of other international PhDs. The Polish universities also implement the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) to facilitate international exchange and qualification recognition.
In case of diplomas issued in the member countries of the European Union, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) or the European Free Trade Agreement (EFTA), if a given diploma authorizes to apply for a doctoral degree in this country, it also authorizes to apply for a PhD in Poland.
The degree of a habilitated doctor (dr hab.) is the highest scientific degree in Poland which can only be followed by the title of professor. Dr hab. can be awarded to PhD degree holders by universities, Polish Academy of Sciences and research institutes. The application for habilitation should be submitted to the Council of the Scientific Excellence, according to the requirements set by the Act on Science and Higher Education, and it should include in short:
- the description of a candidate’s career path,
- the list of candidate’s achievements, at least: 1 research monography, a series of scientific articles published in a journal or conference proceedings, or one original work (i.e. a project, or in the field of technology, construction or art);
- the institution, chosen to award the habilitated doctor degree.
Habilitation gives its holders scientific autonomy to conduct their own research and lead a team.
Apart from Poland the habilitated doctor degree is awarded also in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Portugal and Russia. The Anglo-Saxon model does not use this degree.
The title of professor (prof.) is awarded by the President of the Republic of Poland to a person who holds the habilitated doctor degree (in specific cases a PhD), according to the assessment by a Commission appointed by the Council of the Scientific Excellence. The application should be submitted to the Council, according to the rules set by the Act on Science and Higher Education, including the description of:
- exceptional scientific achievements,
- participation in scientific projects granted under open calls (national or international),
- participation in international fellowships or research conducted in higher education institutions or research centres in Poland or abroad.
Scientific positions at Polish research institutions:
- Assistant, minimum requirements: Master’s or engineer degree;
- Adjunct, minimum requirement: PhD,
- Associate professor, minimum requirements: PhD and exceptional scientific, professional or didactic achievements;
- Professor, minimum requirements: professorship. A person holding the title of professor has to be employed at this position.
Universities in Poland enable three career modes with academics employed at the abovementioned positions belonging to one of the following groups of employees:
- Didactic positions – only with teaching duties.
- Research & didactic positions – with research obligations and teaching duties. The detailed division between research and didactic obligations is decided by the university.
- Research positions with an obligation to perform research and involvement in education of doctoral candidates.
Depending on the above positions, the numbers of teaching hours (45 minutes) per annum range from: 180 (for the research-didactic Professor position), 240 (other research-didactic positions), 360 for didactic positions to 540 teaching hours in case of lectors and instructors.
Additional requirements can be defined by individual employers. Each university may also determine its own positions, in addition to the ones listed above. Recruitment to each position should be carried out under an open competition. All job offers for a period longer than 3 months have to be published on the website of the employer, website of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, ministry in charge of the institution and the EURAXESS portal of the European Commission. Each employee should undergo a periodic assessment, at least every 4 years, or more frequently, depending on internal rules of the university or institute.
Research financing in Poland comes in major part from the state budget (statutory funding, grants etc.) as well as from the European programmes (such as Horizon 2020 and EU structural funds) and private sector. The expenditure for R&D is still growing and in 2019 it amounted to 1.32% of GDP.
The statutory funding is provided by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education based on the evaluation of Polish research institutions performance during a 4-year period. The level of funding depends on the category awarded to the institution, i.e. from A+ (highest funds) to C category, which results from the assessment of four evaluation criteria by an independent body.
The research units and individual scientists can apply for additional funding through open calls. The calls have different objectives and rules and are announced by funding organisations, including three national agencies supervised by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, non-government Foundation for Polish Science as well as by different local authorities, private organisations and companies and international programmes.
Information on the latest grants and fellowships are collected by the Polish EURAXESS network and published at the beginning of every month at the JOBS & FUNDING.
The budget for the above calls consists of national, regional and European Union funding. Poland is the largest beneficiary of the EU’s financial support provided within the cohesion policy in the period 2014-2020. Research, development and innovation activities are funded within different operational programmes. However, the largest amount was allocated to the Smart Growth programme. Another one, Knowledge Education Development programme, aims at supporting higher education, international mobility and cross-border cooperation, among many others. Poland also uses the Union funds to ensure the development of the so-called smart specialisations by individual regions focused on selected priorities of the innovation policy.
The following bodies provide funds based on regular programmes and calls:
National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR) was established in July 2007 with an aim of managing and implementing scientific and innovative state policy. NCBiR’s tasks relate most of all to financing applied research and development projects as well as to supporting research commercialization and other forms of transferring scientific research results to economy. The Centre’s initiates and executes strategic programmes in the area of scientific research and development. In addition, in order to further strengthen the cooperation between research and business sectors, NCBiR co-finances actions conducted by private sector units and other entities, thus encouraging entrepreneurs to invest in research and development activity.
National Science Centre (NCN) started to operate in 2011. The Centre offers several types of grants for individual scientists and research teams carrying out basic research in all disciplines. One of Centre’s flagship tasks includes initiatives focused on the development of scientific early-stage careers with 20% of the Centre’s budget devoted to this objective. The structure and procedures of this executive agency are based on standards established by the European Research Council. Its mission is to further decentralise the system of financing science in Poland as well as to transfer the following competences to scientific community: decisions regarding directions of basic research development, priorities of scientific disciplines specification, announcement and arrangement of calls for proposals and decisions made as to financing particular activities.
The Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) is a research funding agency operating since October 2017. The Agency supports academic exchange and international collaboration leading to increased internationalization of Polish scientific community. NAWA finances study scholarships and research fellowships for individual students and scientists from Poland and abroad, as well as return programmes for Polish academics and Polish language courses for those who wish to study in Poland. The Agency also offers several institutional programmes: for doctoral fellowships, academic exchange, science promotion or establishing mechanisms to increase institutional capacity to welcome foreign students and researchers.
Foundation for Polish Science (FNP) established in 1991 as an independent, self-financing, non-profit, non-governmental organization. The Foundation provides support to individual researchers and research teams and finances investment projects which foster Polish science development. FNP also undertakes activities facilitating the transfer of research results to industry. Among others, it awards grants, scholarships and prizes, including the FNP Prize which is considered the most prestigious research award in Poland. FNP also has programmes for foreign researchers who want to conduct research in Poland. In recent years, the Foundation has also been significantly involved in supporting international research co-operation, and in activities facilitating exchange of ideas between scholars and helping young scientists to become more independent in their research work.
The beneficiaries of the Foundation’s grants established an Association of the Foundation for Polish Science Scholars which enables networking among the FNP beneficiaries, promotes their scientific achievements and supports science promoting activities in Poland.
Polpharma Scientific Foundation was established in 2001 by a private company Polpharma SA which is currently the largest Polish manufacturer of generic drugs and pharmaceutical substances. In accordance with the founders’ intention, the Foundation supports pharmaceutical and medical science development by financing and initiating scientific research and practical solutions, providing scholarships and awards and promoting knowledge among representatives of scientific, social and business environments. From the beginning, NFP has been organising an annual competition for the Polish research society with an aim of financing original ideas which contribute to the development of medicine and pharmacy.
See also:
JOBS & FUNDING for latest grant and fellowship offers
International cooperation is an essential part of research activity in Poland. It plays an important role in the evaluation process of scientific institutions – participation in international projects as well as international recognition of scientific publications is highly rated in this evaluation. According to the Minister of Science and Higher Education internationalisation of Polish science is a key challenge to be faced in the following years. Many universities and research institutes consider international collaboration as a priority in their internal strategies.
The Ministry of Science and Higher Education supports Polish participation in international and bilateral programmes by signing special agreements. Up to date 96 agreements are in force.
International collaboration can be financed from the national budget, international programmes or within international cooperation schemes with national funding. Horizon 2020, the European research and development programme run by the European Commission is the biggest source of research and innovation funding in Europe. However, several other programmes are open to scientists conducting their research in Poland.
Poland officially joined the European Framework Programmes (FP) for Research and Technological Development in 1999. Under FP5 (1998-2002) 1,323 Polish teams received funding amounting to 152 million euro, in FP6 (2002-2006) 1,876 around 217,000 million euro, and in FP7 (2007-2013) 427,9 million euro. In the Horizon 2020 programme (2014-2020) so far Polish institutions have received ca. 575,5 million euro (until 1 March 2020).
In Poland, implementation of the EU Framework Programmes is supported by the National Contact Point for Research Programmes of the EU (since November 2020 affiliated to the National Centre for Research and Development) and the Regional Contact Points located at Polish universities, institutes and technology transfer centres. Polish research institutions, companies and individual researchers that are most active in the European framework programmes are awarded with the "Crystal Brussels" award.
The new research and innovation programme called Horizon Europe (2021-2027), which will officially be launched in March 2021, will continue to offer support to individual researchers, research teams as well as organisations, companies and institutions from both academic and non-academic sectors.
Since 1995 Poland has participated in the EUREKA initiative which aims at increasing innovativeness, productivity and competitiveness of European industry to maintain its position in the key areas on the world’s markets. The EUROSTARS programme was established as a common initiative of EUREKA and the European Union and its objective is to develop innovation through supporting small and medium-size companies significantly involved in research activity. In Poland the institution responsible for the programme is the National Centre for Research and Development.
Poland joined the COST Programme, the European Programme of Cooperation in the field of Scientific and Technological Research, in 1991. COST is an institutional structure maintained jointly by 34 European countries and Israel (as a co-operating country) which aims primarily at supporting multilateral collaboration in the area of research and technology between its member states. The implementation of the programme in Poland is the responsibility of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.
The Science for Peace and Security Programme offers grants to scientists in NATO, Partner and Mediterranean Dialogue countries to collaborate on priority research topics, which include NATO priorities and additional partner country priorities. Grants are also offered to assist academic community in partner countries to set up computer networking infrastructure and to optimize their use of electronic communication. The implementation of the programme in Poland is the responsibility of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.
The International Visegrad Fund is an international donor organization, established in 2000 by the governments of the Visegrad Group countries (V4): the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia to promote regional cooperation in the Visegrad region as well as between the V4 region and other countries, especially in the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership regions. The Fund awards grants, scholarships and artist residencies amounting to 8 million euro each year.
EMBO is an organization of more than 1800 leading researchers that promotes excellence in life sciences research in Europe and beyond. It supports researchers at all stages of their scientific careers. In addition to organising conferences, workshops and training courses, EMBO provides funding and awards within 9 different programmes.
FEMS is a pan-European federation of learned microbiology societies that represents over 50 member societies and supports hundreds of grantees. FEMS offers different types of grants (such as Research and Training Grants, Meeting Attendance Grants and Meeting Organizer Grants) and awards.
HERA is a partnership between 26 Humanities Research Councils across Europe and the European Commission, with the objective of firmly establishing the humanities field in the European Research Area and in the EU Framework Programmes. In 2017 HERA launched a new funding call HERA Public Spaces (2019-2022). The call is co-funded by humanities funding agencies in 24 participating countries and the European Commission with a total budget of up to €20 million. In Poland the projects within HERA are supported by the National Science Centre (NCN).
SHENG is an initiative launched by the National Science Centre (NCN) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). SHENG supports research projects in all fields of natural, engineering, life and management sciences. The upcoming second call is supposed to be announced in December 2020 and will focus on the following research fields: Chemical Sciences, Engineering and Materials Sciences, Life Sciences and Health Sciences. The third call (scheduled for December 2022) will focus on: Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Information Sciences, Life Sciences, Earth Sciences and Management Sciences.
CEUS is a programme launched by the National Science Centre (NCN) in cooperation with funding agencies from Austria (FWF), Czech Republic (GAČR) and Slovenia (ARRS). CEUS funds basic research projects in all areas, carried out jointly by research teams from the two or three countries involved in the programme. A new call (CEUS – UNISONO) is currently open until December 31st, 2020.
Erasmus+ is a European programme (administered by the European Commission) supporting education, training, youth and sport. The programme is mainly addressed to European higher education institutions (HEIs), and sometimes other collaborating organisations such as enterprises, which can participate in international educational and training projects. Within the projects students can go to partner organisations abroad to study or participate in professional training and internships. HEI employees can go abroad to teach or take up training or participate in other activities related to the Erasmus+ projects carried out by their universities.
The organisation responsible for the programme in Poland is the Foundation for the Development of the Education System. To find out more about the participation opportunities, please contact the Erasmus+ office at your institution.
See also:
- more information on research funding in Poland can be found in the RESEARCH FUNDING tab
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