Goals

The aim of the FIRST TEAM programme is to improve the human potential of the R&D sector, support first research teams supervised by PhDs at the early stage of their careers (regardless of their nationality), and encourage the return of outstanding scientists of Polish origin to Poland or the return of persons who have had a break in their research careers to the R&D sector. Support under the programme will be provided to teams conducting research at research units or companies in Poland, working in the most innovative areas and having a scientific partner, i.e. local or foreign research partner.

Addressees

Eligible applicants are those researchers (regardless of nationality) who have had a doctoral degree for not longer than 5 years, where the start of this period is defined by the year of obtaining the degree and the end – by the year preceding the deadline for submitting applications in the competition. The 5-year period may be extended to a maximum of 9 years from obtaining the degree if the applicant fulfils the conditions set down in the competition documentation.

As part of the project?s implementation, the project manager (principal investigator; PI) should include young researchers ? students, PhD students or young doctors (postdocs) ? in his or her team.

For the duration of the project, the project manager (PI) shall be be employed at the unit, with a commitment of at least 50% of a full-time employment for the purposes of project realisation.

Offer

Projects lasting up to 36 months will be financed under the programme.

The Foundation does not determine in any way the maximum amount of the project budget that can be claimed with the competition application, however, for the purpose of estimation, the average budget of the First Team project is approximately PLN 2,000,000 for the project lasting 36 months. The project budget submitted with the competition application should be planned accordingly by the Project Manager, i.e. reflecting appropriately all the costs necessary to carry out the project, as for the day of submission of the application.

Under the programme, the Foundation plans internal competitions for grantees to extend the project duration by a maximum of 12 months, where the extension of the project implementation time is connected with expanding the scope of the work and includes a possibility to increase funding for the project. In subsequent editions of the programme, the final deadline for project completion and any project extensions is 31 December 2023.

Financing under the FIRST TEAM programme will be provided to projects whose subject matter is listed on the National Smart Specialization (NSS; PL – KIS) list. In exceptional cases, while giving preference to NSS areas, the Foundation may agree to finance projects involving topics not on the NSS list if they show significant application potential or importance for solving a major socioeconomic problem.

Projects under the programme can be implemented in one of three options:

• by research units to the extent to which they do not conduct economic activity (without granting state aid),
• by enterprises (pursuant to the principles of granting state aid for R&D activity),
• by scientific-industrial consortia consisting of one research unit and one enterprise (for the research unit: without state aid, to the extent, to which it does not conduct economic activity; for the enterprise, pursuant to the principles of granting state aid for R&D activities).

In the FIRST TEAM programme, the participation of at least one scientific partner from Poland or another country is mandatory.

In the First TEAM programme, the Foundation will later hold internal competitions for grantees for the purchase of specialist equipment (over the limit of 5% of a project?s eligible costs), where the review of such an application will take into account, among other things, an analysis of the availability of this type of equipment in Poland and information on investments in similar equipment at the unit carrying out the project.

FIRST TEAM Leaflet

Procedure

Applications submitted in the competition will be subject to a formal and merit-based evaluation. After receiving a positive formal evaluation, applications will undergo a three-stage merit-based evaluation:

In stage one, the merits of the applications will be evaluated by a group of experts (a scientific and economic panel, or SEP) having proper scientific achievements or experience in implementing innovative solutions in the R&D sector.

In stage two, the applications will be evaluated by at least two third-party reviewers.

In stage three, the applicants who qualify will be invited to an interview with an interdisciplinary panel of experts (IPE).

The panel of experts will compare the applications and draw up a ranking list as well as evaluating them on the basis of the criteria set down in the competition documentation.

The terms of participation are the same for all applicants and are described in detail in the programme?s competition documentation.

Additional information: Transmission from informational meeting held on 15 September 2016

CALL CLOSING DATE

There are no future calls planned as part of this program.
For further information about possibilities for conducting research in Poland please check the job openings in our recipients? projects.

Contact

• 
  

  Anna Wajler, PhD

  Project Officer

  22 845 95 17; 604 129 836wajler@fnp.org.pl

Additional info

Projects to be carried out under the FIRST TEAM programme should involve research that will contribute to solving current or arising scientific problems that are relevant for the developing global market or will make a significant contribution to solving important challenges faced by society today.

A project may also involve R&D work on a new product or production process (technological or manufacturing) of significant importance for the economy, based on an identified product, technology or buyers? market for the given product or technology.

Support under the programme should enable researchers at the start of their scientific careers, namely students, PhD students and young doctors (postdocs), to gain experience in conducting R&D work of significant importance for the economy and society.

The project leader is obligated to organize an open competition to choose the team members. Following such recruitment, the team conducting R&D work in the project should have, beside the project leader, a minimum of 2 members (students, PhD students or postdocs).

Rates of remuneration to be utilized within funded projects shall be competitive on an European scale, therefore, similar rates applicable in the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) were used for benchmarking.

As regards remuneration (based on an employment contract), the total costs of remuneration together with non-payroll labour costs are eligible costs. The eligible remuneration costs under the programme for working full-time on the project are as follows:

• Project leader ? PLN 20,000/month
• Consortium partner representative ? PLN 15,000/month
• Young postdoc ? PLN 15,000/month
• PhD student ? PLN 8,000/month
• Student ? PLN 4,000/month

Students and PhD students may become team members based on an employment contract or a stipend. The stipend amounts should be within the following ranges:

• for PhD students PLN 3,500?4,500/month
• for students PLN 1,500?2,500/month

The project manager (PI) is obligated to ensure any PhD students taking part in the project adequate scientific supervision and to guarantee them mentoring from a second scientific supervisor. As far as possible, the mentor should be an employee of a foreign partner institution, a domestic partner institution or a unit other than the applicant?s place of employment – a research unit or a company conducting R&D work.

The programme is co-financed with the support of the Smart Growth Operational Programme (PO IR).

Changes in projects

The Foundation for Polish Science invites the beneficiaries of the First TEAM, TEAM HOMING, POWROTY/REINTEGRATION, TEAM-TECH (including the core-facility type competitions) and TEAM-NET programmes to apply for  project modifications for the employment of R&D personnel from Ukraine.

Who can apply

Applications can be submitted by beneficiaries and project managers of the First TEAM, TEAM, TEAM-TECH, HOMING, POWROTY and beneficiaries and leaders in TEAM-NET projects.

Applications from beneficiaries carrying out their projects (or part of them) under a state aid scheme will not be considered. In case of scientific-industrial consortia the financing can be granted only to a research unit.

The current call offers:

• the possibility of employing in the project R&D personnel with competences related to the projects already ongoing within the Measure 4.4 who are (or were on the day of the aggression against Ukraine) employees or students of a research organization in Ukraine and who are in or outside Ukraine
• the possibility of increasing the co-financing of the project by costs in the amount not exceeding PLN 250,000 PLN for one person from Ukraine to whom the application relates. (excluding situations where the total budget of one TEAM-NET team would exceed PLN 3.5 million per team for 3 years)
• possible extension of the project, but no longer than the end of June 2023.

If the application is accepted, a new project budget will be adopted, taking into account the costs necessary to perform the tasks presented in the application.

The thematic scope

The subject of the application for changes in the projects is the employment in the project of a person from Ukraine and the use of at least one of the following:

a) the performance of technical works that have not yet been undertaken,

b) the introduction of a new research task,

c) the introduction of a new research method,

d) the introduction of a Proof of Concept-type task in order to elaborate the hitherto project results and verify them in terms of possibilities of practical application, implementation or commercialization,

e) the enhancement of product indicators or project results,

f) the establishment of a partnership with a new foreign institution.

The budget

The estimated budget for the call for proposals in the scope covered by this announcement is up to 5 mln PLN.

Application deadline

Applications for changes in projects will be accepted on a continuous basis from the date of publication of the Supplement to the Competition Documentation /Competition Regulations for Measure 4.4 of the Smart Growth Operational Programme Involving Project Modifications for the Employment of R&D Personnel from Ukraine until the end of the budget for this purpose. A correct application must be submitted no later than 30 days before the deadline for the completion of the project in the Foundation?s SG OP programmes.

How to submit an application

Submission of the applications takes place on the terms of the document Supplement to the Competition Documentation /Competition Regulations for Measure 4.4 of the Smart Growth Operational Programme Involving Project Modifications for the Employment of R&D Personnel from Ukraine. Applications for project modifications should be submitted via the SL2014 electronic system. The application template is attached to the above mentioned Supplement.

Documentation

Detailed information on the rules for submitting applications and the application evaluation system can be found in the Supplement to Competition Documentation/Competition Regulations for Measure 4.4 of the Smart Growth Operational Programme involving Project Modifications for the Employment of R&D Personnel from Ukraine.

Contact

• TEAM: Dr Maria Mosor; tel.: 513 018 425 ;e-mail: mosor@fnp.org.pl
• First TEAM: Dr Anna Wajler; tel.: 604 129 836; e-mail: wajler@fnp.org.pl
• TEAM TECH, POWROTY, HOMING: Dr Aleksandra Kuźmińska; tel.691 601 881; e-mail: kuzminska@fnp.org.pl
• TEAM-NET: Anna Szynka; tel: 691 601 572; e-mail: szynka@fnp.org.pl; dr Ilona Łojszczyk, tel. 502 648 327, e-mail:lojszczyk@fnp.org.pl

File to download

• Supplement to Competition Documentation/Competition Regulations for Measure 4.4 of the Smart Growth Operational Programme involving Project Modifications for the Employment of R&D Personnel from Ukraine.

 

The Foundation for Polish Science invites the beneficiaries of the First TEAM, HOMING, POWROTY/REINTEGRATION, TEAM-NET, TEAM, TEAM TECH (including the core-facility type competitions) programmes to apply for financing of new research tasks within the ongoing projects of the Measure 4.4 SG OP.

Who can apply

Applications can be submitted by First TEAM, HOMING, POWROTY/REINTEGRATION project managers and junior research team leaders in TEAM-NET projects who on the day of submitting an application have been employed at least for 3 months in order to carry out the project.

Other project managers in TEAM, TEAM-TECH (including core-facility type competitions) projects and TEAM-NET research team leaders may submit an application only if they introduce a new research task in cooperation with one First TEAM, HOMING, POWROTY/REINTEGRATION project manager or with a junior research team leader in other TEAM-NET project.

Applications from beneficiaries carrying out their projects (or part of them) under a state aid scheme will not be considered. In case of scientific-industrial consortia the financing can be granted only to a research unit.

The offer

The current call offers:

• increase in project funding for projects already ongoing within the Measure 4.4 and
• potential extension of the project implementation period.

If the application is accepted, a new project budget will be adopted, taking into account the costs necessary to perform the tasks presented in the application.

The thematic scope

A research task should be related to applying the project results in practice (through implementation, commercialization, services or new research methods). Applications can be related to any scientific field or can be interdisciplinary.

The budget

To finance the new research tasks the Foundation will spend a total of up to 20 mln PLN.

Application deadline

Applications for project modifications can be submitted from September 1st to October 16th, 2020 until 4:00 pm (local time).

An application may be submitted no later than 3 months before the project closing date indicated in the funding agreement (taking into account the extension period granted by the Act of April 3, 2020 on special solutions supporting the implementation of operational programs in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020).

NOTE: According to the above-mentioned Act the projects have been extended by 90 days (DU poz. 694).

How to submit an application

Applications should be submitted via the Foundation?s electronic system available at https://wnioski.fnp.org.pl (tab: Application for project modification).

Documentation

Detailed information on the rules for submitting applications and the application evaluation system can be found in the Supplement to Competition Documentation/Competition Regulations for Measure 4.4 of the Smart Growth Operational Programme involving

Competition for funding the purchase of specialist equipment

The FIRST TEAM call for applications involving specialised equipment will be suspended on 8 July 2019 (Monday) at 8 a.m.

The scope of possible changes is described in detail in the updated document entitled Supplement_to_the_Competition_Documentation_FIRST TEAM (version dated 27 June 2018).

As part of the competition, funding will be provided for the purchase of specialist equipment, understood as a set of testing, measurement or laboratory devices with a low degree of universality and high technical parameters.

As part of the competition, it is possible to purchase equipment necessary for the significant development of a project implemented under the First Team programme and/or for the development of the R&D human resources engaged in the project.

Applications are welcome from First Team project managers, acting jointly with the research unit where the project is being carried out.

The amount requested for the purchase of equipment should not exceed PLN 750,000 and applicants may only receive funding once. In justified cases, the Foundation may accept applications for amounts exceeding the above limit.

The competition is conducted on an ongoing basis.

To take part in the competition, apply online at: https://wnioski.fnp.org.pl

Additional materials:

Webinar ? How to submit an application for funding the purchase of specialized equipment?: link.

Laureates

• [ 1/2016 ]
• [ 2/2016 ]
• [ 3/2017 ]
• [ 4/2017 ]
• [ 5/2018 ]