Goals

The aim of the TEAM-TECH Core Facility programme is to improve human potential in the R&D sector in team projects pursued by scientists (regardless of nationality) having outstanding experience in implementing the results of scientific research in economic practice, or in providing research services or operating research equipment for corporate customers or other customers including other research units. The expected result of the programme is creation of uniform rules which defines access to infrastructure for all interested customers.

 

Addressees

Eligible applicants are those researchers (regardless of nationality) who have at least a PhD degree as well as research or commercialisation experience confirmed by international achievements, who intend to include young researchers ? students, PhD students or young doctors (postdocs) ? in their team.

For the duration of the project, the project manager (principal investigator; PI) shall be employed at the unit, with a commitment of at least 50% of a full-time employment for the purposes of project realisation. In justified cases the applicant may apply for lower commitment for project realisation (but no less than 30% of full-time employment). In such cases the application has to include extra information and documents related to the deputy project manager (deputy-PI) permanently overseeing the team?s work. If the project will be carried out by a scientific-industrial consortia, the applicant has to assign at least 50% of full-time employment to the project and may not appoint a deputy.

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 TEAM-TECH Core Facility project is approximately PLN 3,500,000. 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 24 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 TEAM-TECH Core Facility 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 conduct economic activity (pursuant to the principles of granting state aid for R&D activity),
• by enterprises (pursuant to the principles of granting state aid for R&D activity),
• by scientific units to the extent to which the economic activity has or will have an auxiliary character (without granting state aid).

 

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.

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.

Additional info

Projects to be carried out under the TEAM-TECH Core Facility programme should involve R&D work on a new or improved service of significant importance for the economy.

Support under the programme should enable researcher at the start of their scientific careers, namely students, PhD students and young doctors (postdocs), to gain experience in conducting R&D work in projects related to designing and developing research services with the use of advanced research equipment.

The project manager (PI) 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 27,000/month
• Deputy project leader ? PLN 17,500/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

he 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

Laureates

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