Dioscuri Programme

The Dioscuri Programme aims to strengthen international standards of scientific excellence in Central and Eastern Europe and to support the on-going scientific transformation processes in the EU-13 countries. The person-centered programme was initiated by the Max Planck Society (MPS) and is jointly managed MPS and the National Science Centre Poland (NCN). Funding for the programme is provided by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), funding for the Centres of the 5th call is provided by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education (MNiSW) through the National Science Centre Poland.

Eligible applicants

The 5th Call for two interdisciplinary Dioscuri Centres of Scientific Excellence in Poland is directed at internationally competitive and scientifically outstanding scientists from all scientific disciplines and all nationalities, who have proven their ability to conduct innovative research independently, who:

• completed their PhD no longer than 15 years prior to the application deadline;
• have proven international mobility over the course of their scientific career;
• pursued their PhD and Post-doc(s) at different research institutions;
• who have not been employed at the Host Institution during the last three years prior to the application deadline;
• is able to propose excellent interdisciplinary proposal (10 pages excl. references and budget plan) with significant impact on two out of the three domains:
  • Humanities, Social Sciences and Art Sciences (HS)
  • Life Sciences (NZ)
  • Physical Sciences and Engineering (ST)
• will closely cooperate with a scientific partner from Germany of its choice from a German research institution;
• will establish an international Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) to his or her Dioscuri Centre.

Funding and structure of the Dioscuri Centres

Dioscuri Centres of Scientific Excellence in Poland established under the 5th call are funded with up to € 300,000 p.a. each for an initial five years and can be extended for another five years after successful external evaluation.

Dioscuri Centres will be embedded within the structures of the Polish Host Institution (HI), which will contribute to the Centre both financially and infrastructurally by

• providing additional funding of EUR 25,000 per annum;
• providing administrative support, and access to the necessary research equipment;
• providing necessary office and/or lab space;
• providing additional full-time employment for a program coordinator with administrative and research management responsibilities.

No overheads costs are foreseen for HI under the programme. An invitation for Polish research institutions to submit proposals for the establishment of Dioscuri Centres of Scientific Excellence will be launched in mid-March 2026, accompanied by a series of informational meetings.      

Important dates

• The 5th Call for two interdisciplinary Dioscuri Centres of Scientific Excellence in Poland with its full documentation will be published mid-April 2026.

• The application must be submitted until 15 September 2026.
• The invitation for Polish research institutions to submit proposals for the establishment of Dioscuri Centres of Scientific Excellence will be launched in mid-March 2026.
• A series of online information meetings will be organized from mid-April to mid-June 2026.

Contact details

Dr. Małgorzata Jacobs-Kozyra, Dioscuri Programme Coordinator at NCN

Renate Bischof-Drewitz, Dioscuri Programme Coordinator at MPG