Announcement

ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE CALL FOR APPLICATIONS TO PARTICIPATE IN PROGRAMME 30/2021 of 15 November 2021

1. SCOPE OF THE CALL

Pursuant to Article 19(1) of the Act of 7 July 2017 on the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange, the Director General of the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange hereby announces a call for applications to participate in the Medyk NAWA Programme (hereinafter referred to as the “Programme”).

1. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAMME

2.1. Programme objective

The objective of the Programme is to strengthen the didactic potential of the HEIs providing education in medical professions on the basis of educational standards referred to in the Regulation of the Minister of Science and Higher Education of 26 July 2019 on educational standards preparing to practise the profession of physician, dentist, pharmacist, nurse, midwife, laboratory diagnostician, physiotherapist and paramedic (consolidated text Dz.U. [Polish Journal of Laws] of 2021, item 755).

The aforementioned objective will be achieved by inviting to these HEIs representatives of medical professions, i.e. physicians, dentists, pharmacists, nurses, midwives, laboratory diagnosticians, physiotherapists and paramedics from abroad (both Poles permanently working abroad and foreigners), hereinafter: “Medics” who are licensed to practise the above professions and who have the necessary competencies to educate students in entities providing medical education (hereinafter: “Employing Institution”). Thus, the activity will help increase international cooperation in the broader field of medical science and share the latest knowledge and best practices used in the above-mentioned professions.

The programme has been commissioned to the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange by Minister of Education and Science under Article 2(5) of the NAWA Act.

2.2. Time limit and other conditions for submitting an application

Application time limit

The call for applications will be carried out in two rounds:

1) from 15 November 2021 until 14 January 2022, 15:00:00 local time (Warsaw),

2) from 1 March until 30 June 2022, 15:00:00 local time (Warsaw)

or until the allocation is exhausted. As soon as the allocation is exhausted, the call will be closed in the Agency’s ICT System, and an announcement will be published on the Agency’s website. On the opening date of the second application round, the Agency will announce via its website the amount of remaining funds in the Programme.

The manner of submitting the application:

Only in electronic form in the Agency’s ICT System

FILL IN THE APPLICATION

Language to be used in the application:

The Application must be completed in Polish: appendices to the Application are an exception; they may be drawn up in Polish or English.

The maximum number of applications that an Applicant may submit:

There is no limit to the number of Applications submitted by the Employing Institution provided that each Application is submitted with a different Medic, i.e. one individual representing one medical profession. If more than one Application is submitted with the same Medic, the Agency will refer the Application that was submitted first for evaluation, leaving the others unprocessed.

2.3. Thematic scope of activities implemented under the Programme:

The Programme makes it possible for a Medic to be employed at a Polish HEI and entrusted with teaching assignments. Employment under the Programme may not be less than ½ working time.

2.4. Eligible Applicants

1. Applications for funding under the Programme may be submitted by HEIs providing education in medical professions on the basis of educational standards referred to in the Regulation of the Minister of Science and Higher Education of 26 July 2019 on educational standards preparing to practise the profession of physician, dentist, pharmacist, nurse, midwife, laboratory diagnostician, physiotherapist and paramedic (consolidated text Dz.U. [Polish Journal of Laws] of 2021, item 755).
2. Requirements for the Medic:

1) the Medic is licensed in the country of current employment to practise as a physician, dentist, pharmacist, nurse, midwife, laboratory diagnostician, physiotherapist and paramedic (an appropriate statement should be attached to the Application);

2) the Medic is currently working in the above-mentioned profession abroad or is teaching in a foreign HEI; confirmation of employment in the profession or in a foreign HEI for a period of minimum 12 months prior to submitting the Application (formal evaluation element; if employment is not documented, the Application will be rejected for formal reasons) will be required;

3) speaks Polish or English fluently in contacts with patients and students (an appropriate declaration should be attached to the Application);

4) within 12 months prior to submitting the Application the Medic did not reside and was not employed in Poland, where employment in Poland is understood as employment in an entity with its registered office in the territory of the Republic of Poland on the basis of an employment contract or a civil law contract.

3. Requirements for the Employing Institution:

1) employment of the Medic under an employment contract for at least ½ working time for the entire duration of the Project;

Please note: the Employing Institution will employ a Medic in a position appropriate to the Medic’s competence and based on the internal regulations of the Employing Institution.

2) providing administrative and organizational support to the Medic, including but not limited to the scope of recognition of qualifications, obtaining the license to practise the profession, and in the case of a physician or dentist who does not have the license to practice the profession in the territory of the Republic of Poland, but who has this license in another country, the Employing Institution is responsible for completing the formalities related to the invitation of the aforementioned person;[1]

3) entrusting the Medic with assignments, i.e. teaching classes and providing the necessary conditions (place, infrastructure, tools) for their implementation;

4) verification of the Medic’s compliance with the requirements referred to in section 2.4(2);

5) submission of a partial/final report on the performance of the agreement;

6) participation in the evaluation of the Programme.

[1] In the case of EU citizens and qualifications acquired in EU member states, it may be sufficient to submit to the competent authority a declaration of intention to provide services on a temporary and occasional basis; in the case of EU citizens holding the qualifications of pharmacist, physician, dentist, nurse and midwife, attested by the documents listed in Annex V to Directive 2005/36/EC, automatic recognition of professional qualifications is possible.

Physicians and dentists who have the license to practise abroad may be invited to teach without applying for the license to practise in Poland. In order to have qualifications acquired outside the EU recognized and to obtain the license to practise, it may be necessary to have the diploma officially recognized (pharmacist, laboratory diagnostician, physiotherapist) or to take the Pharmaceutical Verification Examination (pharmacist).

In the case of nurses, midwives and paramedics with non-EU diplomas, it is possible to obtain the license to practise the profession in a simplified manner (without official recognition) – on its basis it is possible to practise the profession in one entity designated in the decision of the Minister of Health.

2.5. Project implementation timeframe

Start date and duration of the Project

The Project may last between 10 and 24 months.

The Project can begin:

1) for applications submitted in the first round – no earlier than on 1 March 2022 and no later than on 1 October 2022.

2) for applications submitted in the second round – no earlier than on 1 October 2022 and no later than on 31 December 2022.

2.6. The procedure for evaluation and selection of Applications for funding

General assumptions:

Applications are subject to formal and content-related evaluation.

Formal evaluation:

The purpose of formal evaluation is to verify the applications to ensure that they meet the formal criteria specified in this Announcement and in the Regulations of NAWA Programmes for Institutions.

An application may be rejected for formal reasons also at a later stage of the evaluation process, after the completion of the formal evaluation.

Content-related evaluation:

The purpose of content-related evaluation is to verify the applications to ensure that they meet the qualitative criteria specified in this Announcement.

The content-related evaluation is performed by an Evaluation Panel appointed by the Agency Director based on the following criteria:

1) the Medic’s professional or academic experience, including:

• length of service in the medical profession, including in EU member states, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) or the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) – parties to the Agreement on the European Economic Area (Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein) or the Swiss Confederation;
• completed education;
• teaching experience;
• other accomplishments related to work in the medical profession or teaching;

2) a rationale for the need to employ a Medic at the Employing Institution, including the practical importance of the activities in strengthening the capacity of the entity with consideration of:

• the need for additional teaching capacity of the HEI, including the identification of staffing gaps in the area in which the Medic is to be employed;
• the planned use of the Medic’s experience to meet the HEI’s teaching goals (the application should indicate in which field(s) of medicine the Medic will be employed, which subjects and how much time the Medic will teach);

An application may score a maximum of 10 points, with 0 to 5 points for each criterion. Applications which jointly score no less than 6 points in both criteria may be referred to funding; however, the Evaluation Panel may indicate a higher number of points for applications recommended for funding.

If the Applicant is found to have violated the ethical principles or to have been dishonest in the preparation of the Application at any stage of the evaluation, the Evaluation Panel may award the Application a score of 0 (zero), justifying such decision in the appropriate field of the Application Evaluation Sheet.

After evaluating each round separately, the Panel submits to the Agency’s Director a ranking list of applications recommended and not recommended for funding, on the basis of which the Director decides on the allocation of funds within the given round. In the event of a large number of applications, the Evaluation Panel may also carry out the evaluation during particular rounds, taking into account formally correct applications submitted no later than 7 days before the scheduled meeting of the Panel.

2.7. Budget

The total costs of the Project are only direct eligible costs, indicated by the Applicant in the detailed budget proposal. The expenses incurred must be directly related to Project implementation. Costs directly related to Project implementation are those which are associated with content-related tasks (i.e. eligible costs of particular tasks implemented by the Beneficiary under the Project, which are directly associated with these tasks), are necessary for the implementation of Project objectives and will be incurred in connection with Project implementation. The Project will not fund so-called indirect costs, i.e. administrative costs not directly related to the main object of the Agreement (e.g. costs of the coordinator, project management, evaluation, etc.).

Eligible costs

The following costs are eligible under the Project within the funding allocated to the Employing Institution:

1) the Medic’s salary in the amount of (choose one of the following options):

1. a) PLN 12,500 gross gross per month if the Medic holds a doctoral degree or higher;
2. b) PLN 12,500 gross gross per month if the Medic is a physician or a dentist with at least two years’ experience of working in the medical profession, in EU member states, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) or the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) – parties to the Agreement on the European Economic Area (Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein) or the Swiss Confederation;
3. c) PLN 10,000 gross gross per month if the Medic is a physician or a dentist and does not have at least two years’ experience of working in the medical profession in the states listed in letter b;

1. d) PLN 8,500 gross gross per month if the Medic is a representative of a different medical profession with at least two years’ experience of working in the medical profession in the states listed in letter b;
2. e) PLN 6,000 gross gross per month if the Medic is a representative of a different medical profession and does not have at least two years’ experience of working in the medical profession in the states listed in letter b.

Please note: If the Medic is employed for less than 1 FTE, the salary will be paid on a pro-rata basis.

2) A one-off mobility allowance of PLN 10,000 (lump sum) to be paid by the Beneficiary to the Medic’s account, to cover the costs of resettlement of the Medic and persons sharing the household with the Medic;

3) A one-off task allowance for the Medic’s supervisor, who is a person employed by the Employing Institution in the gross gross amount of PLN 8,000 – to be distributed by the Employing Institution to the supervisor(s) or other persons supporting the Project;

4) Training allowance for financing education costs (e.g. Polish language course for foreigners, vocational training courses) – in the maximum amount of PLN 3,000 for each full six months of project implementation, settled on the basis of incurred costs.

Please note: The Polish language should be taught in a NAWA accredited entity. A list of accredited entities is available at https://nawa.gov.pl/jezyk-polski/akredytacja-nawa. If there is no accredited entity in the institution or in the town/city where the Project is implemented, the Polish language course should be completed within the framework of university courses.

Please note: the allowances referred to in sections 2, 3, 4 are paid in accordance with the internal regulations of the Employing Institution. These allowances can only be accounted for if the project lasts for a minimum of 6 months (if the project is withdrawn after it has begun and before the lapse of 6 months, the above-mentioned allowances must be returned).

2.8. Beneficiary’s reports

The Beneficiary is required to submit reports on Project implementation through the Agency’s ICT System and to submit the employment contract signed with the Medic:

1. a) the employment contract between the Employing Institution and the Medic must be submitted through the Agency’s ICT System no later than 30 days after the start of the Project.

Submission of this contract via the system is a prerequisite for the payment of partial payment I for projects of less than 12 months;

1. b) a partial report is submitted only for projects lasting 12 months or longer (for the period indicated in the agreement) within 30 days of the end of the reporting period according to the report form. Acceptance of the report is a prerequisite for the payment of partial payment I;
2. c) the final report is submitted within 30 days of Project completion in accordance with the report form. Acceptance of the report is a prerequisite for correct clearance of the Project.

2.9. Amount of funds available in the Call

The total amount of funds allocated for the Call is PLN 5 million. The Agency reserves the right to increase the amount of funds allocated for the Call or to use the amount partially.

2.10. Additional information

Payment Scheme C – 50% upon signing the agreement with NAWA, no earlier than 3 months prior to the start of the project; 40% upon submission of the Employing Institution’s contract with the Medic/acceptance of the partial report; 10% final payment, upon clearance of the final report, in accordance with the Regulations of NAWA Programmes for Institutions.

2.11. The planned date of announcement of the results of the Call

The results of the Call will be announced:

1) by 28 February 2022 – for the first round

2) by 31 August 2022 – for the second round.

2.12. Programme funding source

National resources.

III. APPENDICES

Model Application form

1. Model Power of Attorney;
2. A declaration from the HEI that it has verified the candidate’s educational background and qualifications to practise the profession
3. The Medic’s declaration on a fluent command of Polish and/or English in contacts with patients

    Declaration on language skills

1. The Medic’s declaration that they did not live or work in Poland during the 12 months prior to submitting the application

    Declaration on eligibility

1. Model Letter of Intent;
2. Declaration on no public aid

Regulamin-Programow-Narodowej-Agencji-Wymiany-Akademickiej-dla-Instytucji.pdf

1. Model agreement – institutions

Report templates

Model evaluation questionnaire

1. CONTACT WITH THE AGENCY

If you need more information, feel free to contact us (working days from 10 am to 4 pm):

The Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange

1. Polna 40

00-635 Warszawa

phone +48/22 390 35 55

fax +48/22 826 28 23

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

http://www.nawa.gov.pl/

In matters related to the recognition of qualifications to practise the profession, please contact the Polish support centre for the recognition of professional qualifications: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.