Attractive scholarships for the best PhD candidates in doctoral schools, research funding and foreign internships are the key pillars of the new PRELUDIUM BIS competition organised jointly by the National Science Centre (NCN) and the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA). The two agencies have signed a cooperation agreement today.
Cooperation between the NCN and NAWA aims to launch joint forms of research funding to ensure continuity and coherence of research as well as to increase mobility, which is an essential element to achieve scientific excellence and establish international cooperation. The result of joint activities of these two institutions will be a complementary competitive offer ensuring greater effectiveness of the grant system. The agreement on behalf of the NCN was signed by NCN’s Director, Professor Zbigniew Błocki, and on behalf of NAWA – by Director Łukasz Wojdyga. The ceremony was attended by Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Science and Higher Education Jarosław Gowin.
PRELUDIUM BIS is the first outcome of cooperation between agencies subordinate to the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. The competition for financing research projects carried out by PhD candidates within the framework of their dissertations will be announced by the NCN on 16 September. The programme is addressed to entities running doctoral schools; NAWA will finance foreign internships for doctoral candidates carrying out research projects.
The first edition of the PRELUDIUM BIS competition will provide support for 300 students of doctoral schools. The funding model developed jointly by the NCN and NAWA will contribute to the successful development of their research careers based on scientific excellence. Discussions are also underway on the possibility of cooperation in other initiatives and support by the NCN for the research part in such programmes of the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange as the planned Napoleon Cybulski programme for recognized scientists from abroad for long-term visits, or the Polish Returns programme. The programme makes it possible for outstanding Polish scientists to return to Poland and take up employment at Polish universities and scientific or research institutes.
Applications in the first edition of the PRELUDIUM BIS competition will be available until 16 December 2019.
The signing of the agreement was accompanied by a press conference attended by Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Gowin, Minister of Science and Higher Education, and the chairs of the councils of both agencies, professor Małgorzata Kossowska and professor Sebastian Kołodziejczyk.