START

Support young scientists

Stipends for young, talented researchers – employees or doctoral students at an institution of higher education in Poland or other Polish institution whose chartered purposes include conducting scientific research – at the outset of their career, who have already achieved some success in their field.

Goals

The programme is directed to young researchers, at the outset of their career, who have already achieved some success in their field. The stipends serve as recognition of the scientific attainments so far by these young scholars and as an incentive for further growth by enabling them to devote themselves fully to their research.

Addressees

Scientists with original research accomplishments who will not be over age 30 during the year of openning the competion may apply in the programme. Applicants over age 30 may also apply if they meet the additional conditions provided in the competition documentation. Young scholars are eligible to apply for stipends if they:

  • are doctoral students in Poland or are performing R&D work in Poland at an entity with conducting scientific research and development as one of its statutory purposes,
  • can demonstrate documented scientific accomplishments.

Offer

In the next edition the Foundation will grant circa 100 annual stipends.

Starting from 2010 edition, the competition winners, who obtained the top marks in each of three fields—the humanities and social sciences, the natural sciences and medicine, and the exact and technical sciences, may win a special recognition, which results in increasing the stipend. The stipends for these beneficiaries are financed with money the FNP receives from donations to public benefit organizations (1% of personal income tax). The stipends of beneficiaries who win special recognition are increased – in previous years they amounted to PLN 36,000.

The Foundation may also award the special Prof. Barbara Skarga Stipend to the winner of the START programme whose research proves boldest in breaking down barriers between academic disciplines.

From  2022 r. a laureate of the START programme may be awarded the prof. Wacław Szybalski Stipend. This distinction may be granted to an outstanding young scientist conducting research in the fields of science of the Founder, i.e. biotechnology, genetics or molecular biology. This stipend was established thanks to the testamentary legacy of Prof. Wacław Szybalski.

The Prof. Adam Sobiczewski Fund has also been established as part of the START programme. The purpose of the fund is to provide supplemental financing for selected stipends awarded to the highest rated winners in the START programme pursuing research in fields close to the interests of the founder: theoretical physics, mathematics, and astronomy.

Selected START stipendees are eligible to gain additional financial support covering travel expenditures to one or two research centers abroad.

Procedure

Registration of candidates applying for a stipend is conducted via Internet. Only after completing the online form will it be possible to print it out and send it by post to the FNP office (I. Krasickiego 20/22, 02-611 Warszawa), without any notation on the envelope.

Candidates will be evaluated on the basis of their scientific achievements. Applications for stipends may be filed by the institutions employing or educating the candidates, or by the candidates directly. Applications must be signed by the president or vice-president of the university, or in the case of institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences or other research units, by the director or deputy director of the institution.

Contact

Additional info

Thanks to an agreement between the FNP and the Council for the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings (Nobelpreisträgertagungen in Lindau), the Foundation – as the only organization in Poland – can propose candidates for participation in these meetings. The candidates are selected from recipients of scholarships from the START programme, targeted at the best young Polish scientists. The costs of their participation in the Lindau meeting are covered by the Foundation and the organisers.

Stipends in the 2021 competition will be financed from the Foundation’s own budget and from funds provided by a programme partner – the PZU Foundation. In addition, stipends will also be financed through funds provided by donors, a.o. prof. Jerzy Januszkiewicz and Barbara Januszkiewicz and by taxpayers assigning 1% of their personal income tax to the Foundation.

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Laureates

Files to download

Archived files for download