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FAQ

FAQ

11 August, 2023
This is a series of frequently asked questions regarding the POLONEZ BIS fellowship programme. We will update this section regularly. You may browse through the questions below or search for specific keywords. If you haven't found what you are looking for, please ask your question clicking the button on the right.
POLONEZ BIS proposals can be submitted by experienced researchers who hold a PhD degree or at least four years of full-time equivalent research experience, and who are willing to move to Poland from abroad to conduct a research project at a Polish host institution.

Eligible applicants must also comply with the Marie Skłodowska-Curie mobility rule: they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Poland for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before to the call launch i.e. between 15th September 2018 and 14th September 2021.r

Time spent on short stays, such as holidays, compulsory national service and/or obtaining a refugee status under the Geneva Convention, will not count towards the 12-month limit.
No. POLONEZ BIS is open to all researchers, irrespective of their age.
Yes, both extramural and full-time students who study in Poland can apply for the POLONEZ BIS fellowship.
Before applying, please make sure that the period you spent studying in Poland is compatible with the mobility rule described in question 1.
All proposals submitted to the call will be evaluated according to the same criteria, as follows:
• Excellence of the planned research project (25%)
• Applicant's research track (25%)
• Impact of the fellowship on the development of the fellow’s career prospects and the research discipline (20%)
• Excellence of the supervisor and the host institution (20%)
• Dissemination of the fellowship’s results (10%)
Experienced senior researchers can also apply for POLONEZ BIS. Please note that the impact of the POLONEZ BIS fellowship on the fellow’s career is an important criterion in the POLONEZ BIS evaluation process.
Yes, retired researchers can also apply. Please note that the impact of the POLONEZ BIS fellowship on the fellow’s career is an important criterion in the POLONEZ BIS evaluation process.
A sabbatical or unpaid leave from a Polish institution does not suspend or terminate the employment contract and is added to the length of the applicant’s stay in Poland. Before you apply, please make sure that the length of such leave is compatible with the mobility rule described in question 1.
Yes, researchers on a sabbatical or on leave from institutions located outside Poland can apply for POLONEZ BIS. If you spent a part of such leave in Poland, before you apply, please make sure that the length of your stay is compatible with the mobility rule described in question 1.
No, you do not have to be employed in a Host Institution in Poland while applying for the POLONEZ BIS fellowship. If the proposal is recommended for funding, the Host Institution is obliged to employ you on a full-time basis for the duration of the fellowship.
A Polish institution which (has) employed you within the 3 years before the proposal submission deadline (15 December 2021) cannot be your POLONEZ BIS host. You can apply for POLONEZ BIS fellowship at a different host institution if the length of your stay in Poland complies with the mobility rule described in question 1.
No. If the period of your employment in Poland, full-time or part-time, has been more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the call launch, it is not compatible with the mobility rule described in question 1.
No. You can only submit one proposal within the POLONEZ BIS call launched on 15 September 2021.
No, you can not apply for POLONEZ BIS and act a Principal Investigator in any other proposal submitted in answer to other NCN calls launched on 15 September 2021.
If you submitted a proposal to an NCN call launched before 15 September 2021, you can apply for POLONEZ BIS only if your earlier proposal:
• is no longer under evaluation
• is no longer in the redress procedure
• was not recommended for funding.
If a proposal submitted to an earlier call was recommended for funding and you would still like to apply for POLONEZ BIS, you have to submit an official letter of resignation to the NCN.
Please note that your POLONEZ BIS proposal may not rank high enough to be recommended for funding.
While applying for POLONEZ BIS, you may apply for grants under other funding programmes (such as ERC, the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, or other Horizon Europe opportunities). However, you may not apply for other NCN calls for proposals.
Please also note that
• no double funding of similar research tasks is possible,
• the POLONEZ BIS fellow will be employed by the host institution under a full-time employment contract, therefore carrying out more than one grant may not be feasible.
POLONEZ BIS fellowships can be hosted by any organisation registered in Poland:
• Higher Education institutions,
• federations of science and HE institutions,
• research institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences,
• research institutes,
• international research institutes acting in the Republic of Poland

- Łukasiewicz Centre,

- institute operating within the Łukasiewicz Research Network,

• Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences,
• other entities involved in research independently on a continuous basis,
• scientific and industrial centrest,
• research centres of the Polish Academy of Sciences,
• scientific libraries,
• companies operating as R&D centres,
• legal entities with registered office in Poland.

Please note that the appropriate choice of the host institution is an important criterion in the proposal evaluation process.
The NCN does not directly participate in finding a Host Institution for the researcher. A reliable description of Polish research landscape and R&D institutions is published on EURAXESS POLAND website.
To help you find an appropriate host institution we will launch an online Partner Search Tool on POLONEZ BIS website at a later date.
Yes, there is no limit as to the number of POLONEZ BIS fellows one institution can host.
It can be any enterprise, either with the status of a research and development centre or other where you can develop your future professional and scientific career and which guarantees the successful completion of your project.
Please note that the hosting and supervision arrangements provided by the enterprise you select will also be evaluated by international experts.
No. The fellow’s supervisor/mentor must hold an employment contract with the host institution.
No. The supervisor/mentor cannot be employed in an institution abroad. The fellow’s supervisor/mentor must hold an employment contract with the Polish host institution at the application stage.

Category

POLONEZ BIS proposals can be submitted by experienced researchers who hold a PhD degree or at least four years of full-time equivalent research experience, and who are willing to move to Poland from abroad to conduct a research project at a Polish host institution.

Eligible applicants must also comply with the Marie Skłodowska-Curie mobility rule: they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Poland for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before to the call launch i.e. between 15th September 2018 and 14th September 2021.r

Time spent on short stays, such as holidays, compulsory national service and/or obtaining a refugee status under the Geneva Convention, will not count towards the 12-month limit.
No. POLONEZ BIS is open to all researchers, irrespective of their age.
Yes, both extramural and full-time students who study in Poland can apply for the POLONEZ BIS fellowship.
Before applying, please make sure that the period you spent studying in Poland is compatible with the mobility rule described in question 1.
All proposals submitted to the call will be evaluated according to the same criteria, as follows:
• Excellence of the planned research project (25%)
• Applicant's research track (25%)
• Impact of the fellowship on the development of the fellow’s career prospects and the research discipline (20%)
• Excellence of the supervisor and the host institution (20%)
• Dissemination of the fellowship’s results (10%)
Experienced senior researchers can also apply for POLONEZ BIS. Please note that the impact of the POLONEZ BIS fellowship on the fellow’s career is an important criterion in the POLONEZ BIS evaluation process.
Yes, retired researchers can also apply. Please note that the impact of the POLONEZ BIS fellowship on the fellow’s career is an important criterion in the POLONEZ BIS evaluation process.
A sabbatical or unpaid leave from a Polish institution does not suspend or terminate the employment contract and is added to the length of the applicant’s stay in Poland. Before you apply, please make sure that the length of such leave is compatible with the mobility rule described in question 1.
Yes, researchers on a sabbatical or on leave from institutions located outside Poland can apply for POLONEZ BIS. If you spent a part of such leave in Poland, before you apply, please make sure that the length of your stay is compatible with the mobility rule described in question 1.
No, you do not have to be employed in a Host Institution in Poland while applying for the POLONEZ BIS fellowship. If the proposal is recommended for funding, the Host Institution is obliged to employ you on a full-time basis for the duration of the fellowship.
A Polish institution which (has) employed you within the 3 years before the proposal submission deadline (15 December 2021) cannot be your POLONEZ BIS host. You can apply for POLONEZ BIS fellowship at a different host institution if the length of your stay in Poland complies with the mobility rule described in question 1.
No. If the period of your employment in Poland, full-time or part-time, has been more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the call launch, it is not compatible with the mobility rule described in question 1.
No. You can only submit one proposal within the POLONEZ BIS call launched on 15 September 2021.
No, you can not apply for POLONEZ BIS and act a Principal Investigator in any other proposal submitted in answer to other NCN calls launched on 15 September 2021.
If you submitted a proposal to an NCN call launched before 15 September 2021, you can apply for POLONEZ BIS only if your earlier proposal:
• is no longer under evaluation
• is no longer in the redress procedure
• was not recommended for funding.
If a proposal submitted to an earlier call was recommended for funding and you would still like to apply for POLONEZ BIS, you have to submit an official letter of resignation to the NCN.
Please note that your POLONEZ BIS proposal may not rank high enough to be recommended for funding.
While applying for POLONEZ BIS, you may apply for grants under other funding programmes (such as ERC, the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, or other Horizon Europe opportunities). However, you may not apply for other NCN calls for proposals.
Please also note that
• no double funding of similar research tasks is possible,
• the POLONEZ BIS fellow will be employed by the host institution under a full-time employment contract, therefore carrying out more than one grant may not be feasible.
POLONEZ BIS fellowships can be hosted by any organisation registered in Poland:
• Higher Education institutions,
• federations of science and HE institutions,
• research institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences,
• research institutes,
• international research institutes acting in the Republic of Poland

- Łukasiewicz Centre,

- institute operating within the Łukasiewicz Research Network,

• Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences,
• other entities involved in research independently on a continuous basis,
• scientific and industrial centrest,
• research centres of the Polish Academy of Sciences,
• scientific libraries,
• companies operating as R&D centres,
• legal entities with registered office in Poland.

Please note that the appropriate choice of the host institution is an important criterion in the proposal evaluation process.
The NCN does not directly participate in finding a Host Institution for the researcher. A reliable description of Polish research landscape and R&D institutions is published on EURAXESS POLAND website.
To help you find an appropriate host institution we will launch an online Partner Search Tool on POLONEZ BIS website at a later date.
Yes, there is no limit as to the number of POLONEZ BIS fellows one institution can host.
It can be any enterprise, either with the status of a research and development centre or other where you can develop your future professional and scientific career and which guarantees the successful completion of your project.
Please note that the hosting and supervision arrangements provided by the enterprise you select will also be evaluated by international experts.
No. The fellow’s supervisor/mentor must hold an employment contract with the host institution.
No. The supervisor/mentor cannot be employed in an institution abroad. The fellow’s supervisor/mentor must hold an employment contract with the Polish host institution at the application stage.