FAQ
1. Should I submit a promise of employment from my potential employer together with the application form or is it possible that this document is delivered some time after the application submission?An application form submitted to the competition must be signed by the researcher (the project leader) and the person authorized to make decisions binding for the research unit where the project will be carried out. Additionally, one of the obligatory enclosures to the application is the promise of employment or the employment statement issued by the authorized person. The promise of employment might be of conditional nature (ex. if Ms/Mr. X receives funding within the programme WELCOME, the unit will employ the laureate).
2. Is it possible to indicate more than one potential employer (research unit). If yes, does that mean, that all of the potential employers have to issue a letter confirming the future employment of the laureate?
An important element of peer-review evaluation of the applications submitted for the competition remains “research and implementation achievements of the host unit”, which basically means that indicating more than one institution as potential employer is meaningless.
3. Is there any possibility to change the host institution after having received the grant, i.e. do the Foundation’s regulations allow transfer of the grant to another institution?
The institution together with the project leader (foreign researcher) submits an application, thus “research and implementation achievements of the host unit” becomes a most important criterion of the evaluation. Therefore, the possibility of the grant transfer is excluded.
4. In the years 1999 - 2001 (24 months) and 2007-2008 (12 months), I worked at a foreign research institution. Since my return, I have been working in Poland. Does my candidature fulfil the eligibility criteria?
No. The programme is addressed to: foreign researchers with at least PhD degree who either plan to work in Poland, or have already established their research teams in our country, however not earlier than 5 years prior to the cut-off date; Polish researchers with at least PhD degree, who either have stayed abroad for at least 2 years and intend to come back to Poland or have already returned to Poland (however not earlier than 2 years prior to the cut-off date).Example: if the call closing date is on Sept 30, 2010, the eligible researchers would be those Polish citizens who had come back to Poland not earlier than Oct 2008, after having spent at least 24 months at a foreign institution. Applications from researchers with shorter periods of foreign stay than requested will not be eligible.
5. Does a foreign researcher have to come from the EU country?
There are no preferences as to the nationality or country the researcher comes from.
6. Is a foreign researcher obligated to stay permanently in Poland? Do the regulations allow for short visits to the country of origin (ex. for family reasons)?
The researcher is obligated to stay at the host institution at least 10 months in each year of project realization.
7. What are the main evaluation criteria?
The main evaluation criteria are the following:
• scientific value of the project,
• team leader’s scientific record as well as her/his experience in implementing projects, including research independence and experience in technology transfer,
• scientific quality of the 5 most important publications or patents (from the past 4 years),
• research and implementation achievements of the host unit,
• quality of selection procedures of young researchers for the team,
• the scope of the team’s international cooperation in the project,
• legitimacy and effectiveness of the project budget,
• product and result indicators (if they are objectively verified, if they reflect the assumed project’s objectives and are adequate in relation to the given type of project),
• whether or not the applicant ensures the durability of the project results for the period of min. 5 years from the project completion date.
8. Why is the host unit (carrying out the project) obligated to secure employment of post-docs (who are members of the team) on a full-time basis?
The Foundation, in its programmes, strives to ensure a compience to the standards binding in the science sector in Europe. In the European Charter for Researchers it is indicated that granters and/or employers should try to improve of the stability of employment conditions of the researchers. As a part of good practices introduction and aiming at ensuring young researchers stability of employment, the Foundation has brought forward and obligation of employing Post-docs on a full-time basis. The law on social insurance system does not guarantee Post-docs the right to voluntary pension insurance. Thus, in this particular case, obligation of employment of Post-docs on a full-time basis is justified, since it finally enables them to benefit from the social insurance (ex. public health care) .
9. Could you specify the personal costs of the WELCOME project?
Personal costs include: costs of employment and personal stipends. Costs of employment concern researchers and technical personnel involved in the project. Employment of management personnel is also eligible under the general costs category. (Employment of the project leader and Post-docs is ineligible and covered by the host institution);
Stipends: personal stipend of the project leader, Post-docs, PhD students and Master students; stipends for PhD students can be supplemented with the insurance premium.
Students, PhD students and Post-docs are recruited only by means of an open competition procedure.