Competition for scientific projects implemented by young scientists, 2024 call

I hereby announce the internal competition for research projects carried out by young scientists (PhD students or young scientists not more than 3 years after PhD). The competition will be held in accordance with the attached regulations. The total amount allocated to financing of the projects is 40 000 PLN.

Official announcement of the competition: link to PDF (English version / Polish version) 

Rules of the competition: link to PDF (English version / Polish version) 

The detailed rules of this year’s competition are laid out in the Announcement and the Rules of the Competition. We have also prepared a short FAQ.

Results 2023 [PL / EN]

FAQ:

Who is eligible to take part in the Competition for scientific projects implemented by young scientists?

• PhD students at CTP PAS, together with their supervisors,
• Young researchers (post-docs) up to 3 years from obtaining their PhD, working at CTP PAS. In case of career breaks due to important life circumstances, such as parental leaves, this period may be extended.

See the Announcement and the Rules for details.

What should my application look like?

The application, in the form of PDF file(s), should contain: 

1. A short description of the project (maximum two A4 pages, bibliography does not count to this limit). The proposed research project should not be used to finance research tasks that are already financed from other sources.
2. Planned budget (maximum 10 000 PLN), with a preliminary plan of spending.
3. CV including a list of publications.

Your project should be planned as a 10- to 11- month research project. It may be related to your main field of work, but the research you propose should not be a part of your main PhD project or any other grant you are involved in. It should also be approved by the supervisor, preferably by signing the proposal together with you. See the Announcement and the Rules for details.

How do I submit my proposal?

You need to submit it via email to Mikołaj Korzyński (korzynski@cft.edu.pl), with a copy sent to the Administration (administration@cft.edu.pl). The subject of the email should be of the form of „Competition for Young Scientists: Name + Surname”. The deadline is January 30th, 2024.

See the Announcement and the Rules for details.

How long should the project take and until what time should the grant be spent?

It should be concluded by a final report or a manuscript/published paper until the end of 2024, including all travels and purchases. Please make sure that you request all purchases in advance, taking into account the duration of administrative procedures. 

How should I submit my final report?

Please send your final report (1 page A4) or a manuscript/published paper you prepared during the project to Mikołaj Korzyński korzynski@cft.edu.pl

Can I change my project after submission?

The Committee cannot allow changes in the project after the deadline. If the project is approved, changes in the budget are possible, but require an approval from the Directors. 

I am a young researcher before or shortly after my PhD and my list of publications is rather short. Do I have a chance competing with my older/more senior colleagues?

The Competition Committee takes into account the stage of your career when evaluating your CV and list of publications, so don’t worry. Besides, as a PhD student you will be evaluated in the category of PhD students, so you do not compete directly with more experienced researchers.

How many projects do you plan to fund?

The total budget assigned for this year is 40 000 PLN. However, it may happen (and it did happen in the past) that because of the high level of the submitted projects the Competition Committee recommends financing projects whose total amount exceeds this limit. In this case the director may increase the budget accordingly.

What is the success rate in this competition?

Here is the table of success rates for the last 4 years:

As you can see, it exceeded 50% every year.

How do you evaluate the projects?

In the first stage the Committee reads and evaluates all projects during  a closed session. Selected  (or all) participants may be later invited for the second stage, i.e. the interview with a panel. During the interview you will be asked to give a short talk introducing your project (approximately 10 min) and answer questions from the panel members.

From 2024 on the projects of the PhD students will be evaluated separately from the projects of the post-docs.

What are the benefits of obtaining a grant in this competition?

• Training your soft skills related to applying for funds for your research (including an interview, budget planning etc.)
• Funds for your personal research project in the early stage of your carrier, for your own use
• Additional remuneration is also possible
• You can include this information in your CV

Budget planning: what can be financed from the grant?

Participants of the previous calls used their allocated funds to cover:

1. Travel and conference costs
2. Scientific exchange, including research stays
3. Electronic equipment and computers. However:
4. All equipment you purchase remains the property of CTP PAS. You can use it until the end of your employment at CTP PAS.
5. Moreover, you need to notify the administration about the purchase as early as possible, possibly as soon as your project is approved. Electronic equipment is always purchased in a public tender, which requires an appropriate administrative procedure. Please contact the Administration for details.
6. Books (also remaining the property of CTP PAS)
7. Courses, including online courses
8. Remuneration in the form of a mandate contract, i.e. a separate contract for the project paid upon its completion. The contract should also be signed as soon as the project is approved, please contact the Administration for details.
9. Organizing invited talks or lectures at the Institute.

Please contact Grzegorz Major from the Research Projects Management Division (gmajor@cft.edu.pl) if you have questions regarding the budget.

Contact persons:

• competition: Mikołaj Korzyński, korzynski@cft.edu.pl
• budget matters: Grzegorz Major, gmajor@cft.edu.pl