The grants were awarded to six researchers from the University of Lodz Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, four from the University of Lodz Faculty of Economics and Sociology, three from the University of Lodz Faculty of Philology, two from the University of Lodz Faculty of Philosophy and History and to Professor Joanna Wibig from the University of Lodz Faculty of Geographical Sciences.
Researchers from the University of Lodz on their experience in winning grants
You can apply for a grant from the SONATA funding scheme up to seven years after obtaining your PhD degree, while OPUS calls are open to everyone, but the track record of the project leader is of considerable significance. The 10 most relevant publications from the last five years count – explains Prof. Joanna Wibig, who is a coordinator of grants from the State Committee for Scientific Research in Poland (KBN), the Ministry of Science and Higher Education (MNiSW), the National Science Centre (NCN) and the EU.
When we asked Prof. Wibig about the most difficult thing when applying for grants, she replied:
In my case – creating an abbreviated description of my idea. On the one hand, it must be scientific, on the other hand, it must be written in language that is clear enough to be understood by the reviewer. Reviewers in the first round do not necessarily have to be specialists in our field. Each of them gets several grants to evaluate. Climatology projects may be assessed by a hydrologist or geomorphologist. They need to understand what I want to do and at the same time feel that it is a scientific project.
Another laureate, Dr Anna Cichosz, Associate Professor at the University of Lodz – Deputy Head of the Institute of English Studies at the Faculty of Philology, University of Lodz, added:
A lot of effort really has to go into preparing a good proposal and it can seem a bit overwhelming at first. However, it is worth planning such a task in the context of your entire scientific career.
She also said:
Once in a while there comes a point when it is natural to carry out a major research project and then the grant kind of 'writes itself'. Shortly speaking, nothing by force – in my case it works, because I have managed to get my SONATA and now OPUS at the first go.
Suggestions and advice from experienced researchers
What is worth bearing in mind when deciding to write a grant for a larger research project?
- Designing a study that will last several years and still be relevant is not easy. This is different planning than for a single publication. Defining your research interests and creating a work plan over several years is essential.
- Ask yourself: is the topic I want to tackle close enough to me and attractive enough to me to keep me interested and engaged for the next few years?
- The subject of the grant should not differ much from the previous achievements.
- The research method is also important – to describe it accurately and in reasonable detail. It gives a lot of credibility to whether we know how we want to do the research. It is also good to imagine what the result of our research actually is.
- You should pay attention to the summary. It must contain the essence of the idea and clearly state what is new in this project compared to existing research. Reviewers need to be interested and have a positive attitude towards reading the rest.
- You should read the instructions for reviewers evaluating grants very carefully. There is a list of questions that the reviewer must answer when assessing each grant. Clear answers to these questions must be included in the project description. You must hand them to the reviewer on a silver platter.
- The most universal tip that can be given is to show the application to several very different people (preferably also to those who do not specialise in our field) and check whether our idea is understandable and convincing.
List of the projects that received funding
As part of the SONATA 19 funding scheme grants were awarded to:
the Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection
Intense smell in organic farming – the endogenous nitric oxide and sulfur-containing volatile compounds in the protection of tomato plants against gray mold disease, based on the use of microbiological biocontrol agents
PLN 918,696
BioMeTP: Biodiversity, biogeography and metatranscriptomics of endangered temporary ponds in the Mediterranean region
PLN 1 513 960
The role of oxidative stress, inflammation, disorders of purine metabolism, urea cycle and angiogenesis at the molecular level in the mechanism of development of urolithiasis and bladder cancer
PLN 1 568 906
the Faculty of Economics and Sociology
Afro-Poles. Plurisocialization, identity building, culture in the making
PLN 236 780
As part of the OPUS 26 funding scheme, grants were awarded to:
the Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection
Immunology of avian migrations – adaptations and constraints
PLN 1 403 000
Controlling bioaccumulation potential of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in cucurbits: safe crop production vs. effective pharmaceuticals removal
PLN 1,129,634
Different plastics nanoparticles as potential threat for the cardiovascular physiology - evaluation of the effects on blood components and blood vessel wall in vitro
PLN 940,693
the Faculty of Philosophy and History
Geoffrey of Aspall's Theory of Sensual Cognition. Critical Edition and Historical-Philosophical Analysis of His "Quaestiones super De sensu et sensato Aristotelis"
PLN 641,629
Tangled human-plant worlds in lowland South America.
PLN 1 280 880
the Faculty of Economics and Sociology
Searching for a responsible entrepreneurial path – the role of ethical orientation in guiding towards sustainable business development
PLN 516 800
Processuality of constructing the identity in persons with mild and moderate intellectual disability in the context of family life. Analysis of the phenomenon from the perspective of late adolescence and early adulthood
PLN 596 780
Illegal dumping – creating social order and disorder in urban space
PLN 1 316 489
the Faculty of Philology
History of English phraseology
PLN 1 067 500
Placebos and nocebos for translators: a model of anticipatory cognition in translation production
PLN 530 334
Contemporary Irish experimental poetry: between vital matter and withdrawn objects
PLN 317,200
the Faculty of Geographical Sciences
Compound extreme weather events in Poland – current trends and future prospects
PLN 498,760
Detailed ranking lists are available on the website of the National Science Centre.
Summary of the latest editions of the competitions
In the OPUS competition, which is open to the general public, proposals may be submitted by researchers with at least one (published or accepted for publication) scientific paper, without restriction as to research experience and regardless of their degree or title. Planned activities may include national research projects as well as projects with foreign partners or with Polish teams using international research facilities. As in the other editions of this competition announced each autumn, OPUS 26 was additionally open to applications for funding of projects carried out in international cooperation in compliance with the Lead Agency Procedure (LAP) in the Weave programme. Under this pathway, researchers were able to plan a research project in cooperation with teams from Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg or Belgium-Flanders, who applied in parallel for funding for these projects to their respective Weave research funding institutions. In the OPUS 26 competition, NCN received 1737 proposals for a total amount of almost PLN 2.6 billion, of which 267 projects worth almost PLN 441 million received funding. One hundred and twenty seven of the applications qualified for funding in this competition are projects from reserve lists, with a total value of PLN 191.9 million. The success rate was 15.4%.
SONATA 19, which is addressed to researchers who have had their PhD conferred within 2 to 7 years prior to the submission of proposals, is designed to support people starting their scientific careers in conducting innovative research. In this edition of the competition, 1148 applications with a total value of more than PLN 1.25 billion were submitted to NCN. Two hundred and eighteen projects amounting to almost PLN 252.4 million were qualified for funding. One hundred and twenty one of these, worth almost PLN 141.3 million, were originally placed on reserve lists, but will be funded thanks to an increase in the NCN budget. The success rate in the SONATA 19 competition was 19%.
More grant opportunities
According to the current NCN schedule, the SONATA competition is organised once and OPUS twice a year. The next OPUS call expires on 17 June, so if someone was not preparing to submit an application in this recruitment, it may already be too late to prepare an application at a level that will enable receiving funding given such high competition. The next application deadline is in six months. You can apply from 16 September to 16 December 2024. The same dates apply to the SONATA competition. Each researcher can consult their application with the Science Centre employees, but please do not leave it to the last minute. Last year in June, with the support of Science Centre employees, over a hundred applications were submitted, and we expect a similar number this year.
As the Science Centre, we will always help those planning to submit applications not only to the NCN but also to other research funding agencies
– encourages Katarzyna Kalska-Sochacka, Head of the Science Centre.
Data compilation: Katarzyna Kalska-Sochacka – Head of the Science Centre, University of Lodz
Source statements: Dr hab. Agnieszka Kurczewska, Associate Professor – the University of Lodz Vice-Rector for External Relations, Prof. Joanna Wibig – Head of the Department of Meteorology and Climatology, Institute of Climatology and Hydrology at the Faculty of Geographical Sciences, Dr hab. Anna Cichosz, Associate Professor – Deputy Head of the Institute of English Studies at the Faculty of Philology, University of Lodz
Edit: Michał Gruda
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