NCN Days coming up in Wrocław
How to apply for a grant? How are applications assessed at the National Science Centre (NCN)? How to write a research data management plan? Answers to these and other questions will be provided during the National Science Center Days, scheduled this year for the 10th and 11th of May in Wrocław.
The event is prepared in cooperation with the Wrocław University of Science and Technology and the College of Vice-Rectors for Research of the Universities of Wrocław and Opole.
– Wrocław is a strong scientific and academic centre. Our universities and scientific institutions have confirmed their high level of research even in the last evaluation – says prof. Andrzej Ożyhar, Vice-Rector for science, at Wrocław University of Science and Technology. – We are very happy that NCN Days will take place in our city, which will, on the one hand, provide an opportunity to present the achievements of outstanding Wrocław scientists successfully applying for NCN funds and, on the other hand, allow both researchers and university employees supporting the grant application process to gain knowledge and improve their competences in this area.
The NCN Days of 2023 will begin with an opening meeting, during which dr hab. inż. Grzegorz Soboń from Wrocław University of Science and Technology, winner of NCN competitions, will give an inaugural lecture called “Finding your academic path: challenges and advice”. The scientist has been leading a research team since 2018, which focuses, among other things, on the development of optical frequency combs for laser spectroscopy and lasers for biomedical imaging. During his lecture, he will talk about why it is important to practise good science, how to find your way in the world of research and increase your chances of success in grant competitions.
The first day of the event will also include presentations by three winners of NCN competitions, representing three groups of sciences:
- Prof. dr hab. Krystyna Dąbrowska from the Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy of the Polish Academy of Sciences (life sciences group),
- Dr hab. Wojciech Małecki, professor at the University of Wrocław’s Faculty of Letters (group of humanities, social sciences and arts),
- Prof. dr hab. inż. Krzysztof Sośnica from the Institute of Geodesy and Geoinformatics at the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences (science and technology group).
An important highlight of the programme will be a meeting between the NCN Council, and the scientific community called “We can do it!”, enabling interaction between all participants. During the panel, Council members will discuss the conditions for practising science in Poland and the challenges the grant system currently faces. You still can submit questions for the Council, which will complement the day’s discussions.
– As the Council, we are responsible for the shape of the NCN competition selection. We represent units from all parts of Poland and various scientific disciplines. We make decisions to modify the competition regulations in a collegial manner, after taking into account a number of viewpoints and considering the anticipated consequences of the changes. These decisions are not always easy, but our work has consistently one goal – to stimulate the development of Polish science and influence its global competitiveness – emphasises prof. Krzysztof Fic, a member of the NCN Council.
On the second day, a workshop on the application evaluation process will be held at the National Science Centre. Their participants will take on the role of experts assessing applications for project funding. The workshop will be conducted in three groups divided by research area: separately for the humanities, social sciences and arts, life sciences and science and technology. The material for the panel’s work will consist of authentic applications whose authors have agreed for them to be used for training purposes. The workshop is held in Polish, while all materials (applications, reviews) are in English. You can still register for the workshop for life sciences.
The day’s programme also includes a briefing on open science issues. During this meeting, we will tell you why it is important to provide open access to research data, discuss NCN’s policy in this area and answer questions such as how to correctly prepare a Data Management Plan in an application to NCN, how these plans will be evaluated and how the final report on the implementation of the plan should be drawn up. You can still register if you want to take part in this briefing.
A training course for administrative staff of research units is scheduled for both 10th and 11th of May. The aim of the workshop is to discuss in detail the life cycle of a research project: from the completion of the application, through the implementation of the project to settlement and closure.
The meetings will be held in the Wrocław University of Science and Technology Congress Centre at ul. Janiszewskiego in Wrocław and in the nearby building D-21 at pl. Grunwaldzki 11.
Take a look at the video in which Vice-Rector dr hab. Patrycja Matusz, prof. UWr, and dr hab. Wojciech Małecki, prof. UWr talk about the upcoming National Science Center Days!
Translated by Weronika Maciejewska (student of English Studies at the University of Wrocław) as part of the translation practice.
