SONATA PhD Holder Grants in Poland

SONATA is a funding opportunity intended to support the Principal Investigator in conducting innovative basic research, using advanced research equipment and/or an original methodology.

Eligible applicants

The Principal Investigator should be about to embark on a career in research with a doctoral degree obtained within 2-7 years of submission of the proposal.

Projects carried out by research teams must consist of no more than one researcher holding a habilitation degree or the title of professor and on condition that they are collaborators from an institution other than the host institution of the Principal Investigator.

Duration

12, 24 or 36 months.

Mode and criteria for evaluating research proposals

The evaluation procedure is a two-step merit-based evaluation by peer review panels and external reviewers.

The merit-based evaluation of research proposals takes into account the following:

• proposals from within NCN Panels, involving basic research,
• the research portfolio of the Principal Investigator,
• scientific excellence and the innovative nature of the research project,
• evaluation of the results of research projects conducted by the Principal Investigator, funded from the budget for science,
• impact on the development of the research discipline,
• justification of the planned costs.

Funding

Researchers may apply for funding of costs relevant necessary and directly connected to the proposed research, including:

• Personnel (including scholarships pre-doctoral researchers and post-doc positions)
• Consumables
• Research equipment: up to 500 000 PLN (ca. 119 000 EUR) for projects in the fields of life sciences or physical sciences and engineering; up to 150 000 PLN (ca. 35 000 EUR) in the field of arts, humanities and social sciences
• Travel and subsistence costs
• Outsourcing
• Other: publication costs, collective investigators, devices and software, etc.
• Overheads: up to 40%

There is no cap on funding for an individual project.