THE CALL IS NOW CLOSED

The National Science Centre, Poland has launched a special assistance measure addressed to researchers who are fleeing war. Under project funding, principal investigators in NCN grants can offer positions in their teams to researchers from Ukraine. Funds for that purpose may come from any item included in the cost estimate attached to the grant agreement signed with the NCN.

Eligible for employment will be researchers who hold at least a PhD degree (known as the Candidate of Sciences under the Ukrainian system) and who worked at Ukrainian universities and in other research centres before the war. Their work and research interests must bear relevance for the thematic scope of the projects. 

The hosting research entities will be required to assign each researcher a supervisor active in their discipline or a related one, and make efforts to help them integrate with the research community.

The option of hiring Ukrainian researchers is available to winners of the MAESTRO, OPUS, SONATA BIS, SONATA, HARMONIA and SYMFONIA calls, as well as international programmes, such as OPUS LAP, SHENG, BEETHOVEN, DAINA, MOZART, ALPHORN DIOSCURI and UNISONO. The decision to hire such researchers should not interfere with the completion of scheduled project tasks.

The maximum budget for Ukrainian team members under a single grant may not exceed PLN 100,000.  Within this limit, grantees may hire one person for a year or more people over a shorter term or with a lower salary.

The above action will be recognised by the NCN as valid performance of the grant agreement provided that the following criteria are met:

1. The employment will not cause failure of performance of the scheduled research tasks;
2. the person hired will be holder of a doctorate or equivalent title (Ukrainian Candidate of Sciences);
3. the hired researcher’s activity and interests will be related to the research project’s thematic scope. The above criterion should be verified based on the researcher’s CV;
4. the person hired worked and did research at a research entity in Ukraine directly before the outbreak of the war, and as result of the hostilities arrived in Poland on 24 February 2022 or later; 
5. the researcher will be hired pursuant to this communication on 30 June 2022 at the latest, for a period of up to 1 year.  Prospects for employment under the grant beyond the expirty of the above mentioned period or for a longer term will be communicated in separate regulations by the NCN.
6. The maximum amount of funds for the hired person may not exceed PLN 100,000 under the project’s direct costs.
7. The maximum amount of funds from a single project assigned for a salary for the hired person(s) may not exceed PLN 100,000 out of direct costs when hiring the person(s) for a period of 1 year. If the period of employment is shorter, the amount of funds under an NCN grant is calculated proportionately. Under the cap of PLN 100,000 for a single project, it is possible to hire more than one person for a shorter period or with lower salaries;
8. funds for the aim in question may be earmarked under any heading of direct costs in the cost estimate annexed to the grant agreement. The funds may be sourced from two or more projects financed by the NCN and carried out by the entity, provided that the hired person meets the criterion specified under item 3 with respect to every research project.
9. From among your employees involved in the implementation of a research project, the entity will select an academic supervisor. An academic supervisor of a hired researcher may not receive NCN funds on that account. In the case referred to in the final sentence of item 8, an academic supervisor should be named, involved only in one of the grants referred to under the above mentioned item;
10. within 7 days of the date of hiring, the NCN shall be informed of hiring a Ukrainian researcher, and provided the following:
    • a. the researcher’s CV including information on their academic supervisor,

b. the number(s) of the project(s) in which the funds for hiring will be used,

c. budget items of the project(s) under which funds will be earmarked, and the amount of the funds,

d. the measures to be taken by the entity to integrate the hired researchers with your research community

11. Within 14 days from the expiry of a period of 6 months from the researcher's employment with the entity, the NCN will receive information describing the course of employment to date and the implementation of the intended activities referred to under item 10 of this document. Such information should also be communicated to the Centre within 30 days of the end date of the hired researcher’s employment.

The NCN will not require annexes to be made for grant agreements.

Detailed information on hiring Ukrainian researchers has been specified in a letter by the Chair of the NCN Council and NCN Director to research entities. 

source: NCN