The Foundation for Polish Science (FNP) has settled its first Polish-Ukrainian research projects competition. Three pairs of scientists from Poland and Ukraine were awarded. They will carry out research on the problems caused by the war and the challenges for Ukraine’s future. Each project received funding of PLN 268,800.
One-year grants were awarded to:
- Dr. Anna Wylegała (Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, Polish Academy of Sciences) and Dr. Nataliia Otrishchenko (Center for Urban History of East Central Europe, Lviv); project title: “24.02.2022, 5 am: Testimonies from War.” The primary aim of the project is to collect and archivize personal stories of refugees from Ukraine who became victims of Russian’s aggression in 2022. In order to document the human dimension of this war, dozens of interviews will be conducted and archivized. The interviews will be recorded in Ukraine and countries that have taken in Ukrainian refugees. Partners involved in the project – from Luxembourg and the UK, among others – will make it easier to reach wider audiences.
- Dr. hab. Agata Chudzicka-Czupała, Prof. of SWPS University (SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Katowice, Poland) and Professor Nadiya Hapon (Ivan Franko National University of Lviv); project title: “Strengthening people’s commitment to volunteering for refugees from Ukraine. Motivations of volunteers and intentions behind volunteering – the role of psychological and social factors.” The aim of the project is to learn about the motivations of volunteers who have assisted refugees, examine other selected psychological and social determinants underlying volunteering, and build a holistic model of volunteer engagement. The project’s outcome will be reports and guidelines concerning volunteering for NGOs and local governments.
- Dr hab. Slawomir Łukasiewicz, Prof. of KUL University (John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin) and Dr. Mykola Riabchuk (I. F. Kuras Institute for Political and Ethnic Research of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv); project title: “From discourse of “Europeanness” to EU membership: integration narratives in Poland and Ukraine in a comparative perspective. Merging theoretical and utilitarian approaches.” The main goal of the project is to compare historical experiences of European integration, find answers to the questions of how history and politics affect the mutual understanding of narratives of integration and dialogue, and examine main tendencies in pro-integration attitudes in Polish and Ukrainian society. The project will also help prepare students from Ukraine for the country’s EU negotiation and accession process.
The Polish-Ukrainian program was launched March this year by the Foundation for Polish Science in an act of solidarity with war-stricken Ukraine. Under the initiative, the Foundation will use its own funds to award up to six grants in two rounds of calls for applications in 2022.
“What the war will not succeed in destroying is the power of human dreams and aspirations. In FNP, we witness this truth in the world of science. Interest in the first Polish-Ukrainian scientific projects competition has gone far beyond our expectations. We received more than 70 applications. You can see how strong is the desire to develop science despite the ongoing war” – says Professor Maciej Żylicz, President of the Board of the FNP, adding: “We would very much like to increase the number of Ukrainian scientists involved in the projects, which is why we have launched a fundraising campaign through the website: pomocukrainie.fnp.org.pl. The purpose of this campaign is to raise funds to hire new researchers from Ukraine, who will be employed in awarded projects. We strongly believe that, through individual contributions, or institutional and business partnerships, we will increase the impact of the program and help more scientists from Ukraine.”
Process of Winner Selection
The first Polish-Ukrainian scientific projects competition for researchers in the social sciences and humanities was held from April to July 2022. All applications went through a two-stage evaluation, carried out by an international jury, which included experts from Canada, USA, UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. In addition, the process was monitored by two independent observers from Ukraine and Poland.
Of 73 applications, 67 were submitted for evaluation after formal verification. The geographic distribution of Ukrainian applicants proved wide, covering all regions of the country, including those temporarily occupied by Russia. Both the Polish and Ukrainian applicants were affiliated with public and private universities, institutions and NGOs engaged large-scale research.
The second call for applications will be launched soon. The deadline for applications is September 30, 2022.
Support Scientists from Ukraine
To continue their scientific work, researchers from Ukraine need our support. The Foundation for Polish Science launched a fundraising campaign for raising funds to employ additional scientists from Ukraine within the FNP program. The raised funds will be used exclusively to involve Ukrainian researchers in research projects of special importance to Ukraine, Poland, and the entire region.
The FNP Polish-Ukrainian program also provides opportunities to create partnerships with the Foundation for Polish Science so as to improve the situation of Ukrainian researchers or implement their scientific projects.
For more information, see: