In the era of rapid global changes – also in matters related to education and science – it is particularly important to exchange experiences, thoughts and good practices that make it possible to broaden research perspectives. With this in mind, the Ulam NAWA programme was created to help internationalize Polish science. This year’s call for applications has just been announced.
Ulam NAWA allows researchers with at least a doctoral degree to come to Poland to strengthen the potential of Polish HEIs and join in their scientific activities, especially research projects and teaching.
Within the programme, it is possible to invite researchers from abroad, regardless of their age, the discipline represented by them or the country of origin – including Polish scientists working permanently abroad (they may constitute up to 10% of scholarship beneficiaries in the call). HEIs and scientific and research institutes may invite to Poland specialists in their priority fields who will significantly develop the institution’s research, strengthen the teaching process or assist the institution in preparing applications for prestigious grants.
Visits are possible under the Ulam NAWA programme with the purpose of:
- conducting scientific research
- post-doctoral internship
- obtaining materials for research or scientific publication.
In addition to the above activities, the visit may also include teaching.
Stays of foreign scientists in Poland can last from 6 to 24 months, and the beneficiary will receive a monthly scholarship of PLN 10,000 and a mobility allowance to cover travel costs.
Notably, in each of the calls so far the programme has enjoyed considerable interest, which is best evidenced by the fact that several times more applications were submitted than permitted by the planned funding. The 2019 and 2020 calls were allocated PLN 15 million, and the 2021 call – PLN 9 million; the amount was increased to PLN 12 million. Until now, thanks to the Ulam NAWA programme, 197 scientists from India (32 people), Iran (17 people), Italy (15 people), Germany (14 people), Ukraine (12), the UK (9 people), the USA (5 people) or China (3 people) have visited Polish HEIs. Six of the persons invited so far are Poles employed in foreign scientific and research institutions.
The call for applications for the programme will run from 10 February to 10 May 2022, until 3 p.m. local time (Warsaw).
The total amount allocated for this year’s programme call is PLN 15 million, with NAWA reserving the possibility of increasing the available budget.
This is also the second time that a researcher may apply to the programme, with at least a doctoral degree or an equivalent degree obtained abroad, who together with an institution of the Polish system of higher education and science obtained a Seal of Excellence certificate within the framework of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Individual Fellowships programme (2021 edition). NAWA recognizes the MSCA Seal of Excellence as a binding verification of the quality of the call.
The patron of this NAWA programme is Stanisław Marcin Ulam (1909–1984). He was an outstanding Polish mathematician. He successfully submitted his PhD dissertation 1933 at the Lviv Polytechnic National University. Professor Stanisław Marcin Ulam was a member of the world-renowned Lviv School of Mathematics and co-author of the Scottish Book. Just before the outbreak of the Second World War, he travelled to the United States to join the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University. He served as a professor at many American universities, including the Ivy League University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Wisconsin and Florida State University.
Detailed information and documents are available here.
