On Saturday, 13 June 2026, a ceremonial gala took place at the Royal Castle on Wawel Hill in Kraków, during which diplomas were presented to the recipients of this year’s START programme.
The ceremony was attended by the scholarship recipients, as well as their families and academic collaborators. Representatives of the academic community and research institutions were also present.
In this year’s edition, 100 laureates were selected from 807 applicants. The selection process was multi-stage and based on the evaluation of candidates’ scientific achievements to date.
Among the awardees, the largest group represented the life sciences, medicine, and Earth sciences (32 individuals). Another large group consisted of representatives of chemical and materials sciences (24 individuals), as well as engineering, physical, and mathematical sciences (23 individuals). The humanities and social sciences were represented by 21 scholarship recipients.
The largest number of laureates is affiliated with the University of Warsaw (20 individuals). It is followed by the Jagiellonian University and institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences (13 individuals each). Other well-represented institutions include Wrocław University of Science and Technology (5 individuals), Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, and the Gdańsk, Silesian, and Warsaw Universities of Technology (4 individuals each).
We warmly congratulate all laureates!
The scholarships in the 2026 edition are funded from the Foundation’s own resources, as well as through the support of private and institutional donors, including the TVN Foundation, and contributions made through the allocation of 1.5% of personal income tax.
