Proof-of-concept projects awarded funding in the first TANGO call for proposals

The results of the first TANGO call have just been published. Initiated by Poland’s Ministry of Science and Higher Education, operated jointly by the National Science Centre (NCN) and the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR), the scheme is a funding initiative with almost € 10 million available for distribution among the authors of the best projects.

Cooperation between the NCN and NCBR is a paragon of modern and comprehensive state policy of supporting research, said the Minister of Science and Higher Education Lena Kolarska-Bobińska.  We have created a mechanism that covers the complete process of developing innovation – from the basic research level up to commercialisation. This is how to think about research if we expect it to translate directly into economic development and progress of our country.

TANGO is a joint undertaking of the National Science Centre and the National Centre for Science and Development, set up in order to accommodate the needs of research centres and universities seeking implementation of technologies, products and services, and to reinforce cooperation between researchers and entrepreneurs. Actions eligible for funding under the programme include, among other things, developing concepts for using the results of basic research in the economy, searching for partners interested in bringing these to production, as well as protecting intellectual property rights. Market analyses, industrial research, as well as research and development work will also be subsidised.   

At the National Science Centre, we are funding some 9,000 projects in basic research. Results of many are truly fascinating and offer a promising springboard for further research and development work. TANGO comes as a sort of connector between the domains of basic and applied research;  we hope it will prove instrumental in turning ideas into useful solutions and products, to the benefit of us all as a society, said professor Andrzej Jajszczyk, director of the NCN.

Experts reviewing projects submitted to the first edition of TANGO decided to award financing of nearly € 10 million to 48 out of the total number of 210 proposals. Among those awarded there are projects such as: development, simulation research and experimental studies of a parallel delta-type manipulator with artificial pneumatic muscles; work aimed to implement the innovative technology of eco-bonding composite materials that are asymmetrically veneered and applied in furniture; the implementation of cryopreservation of semen for programmes aimed to improve breeding salmonids; the introduction of a new HydroProg system – an emergency population warning on hydrological dangers.

Assisting in innovative projects requires that we ourselves be innovative and introduce innovative approaches that facilitate the optimal use of research by Polish scientists. The cooperation between the NCN and NCBR, and the contribution from private entrepreneurs gives us a chance to significantly reduce the time it takes for ground-breaking developments to be adopted by the economy, said professor Krzysztof Jan Kurzydłowski, director of the National Centre for Research and Development.

Under the TANGO scheme, the evaluation of research proposals comprised two stages and was performed by a team of Experts appointed jointly by the NCN and NCBR. In projects approved for the second stage (the R&D stage), it is required that the partnering entrepreneur support the project with 15 per cent of the state funding granted.

See the official announcement.