Express call to fund research on COVID-19 provided

We are pleased to announce the EXPRESS CALL TO FUND RESEARCH ON COVID-19. The call is addressed at researchers who can expand knowledge on COVID-19 diagnostic procedures, treatment and prevention, and the psychological and social effects of the pandemic. The call budget is PLN 10,000,000.

See the Announcement

In order to ensure prompt joint action by researchers needed to understand the mechanisms of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, as well as to improve diagnostic tests, find drugs and mitigate the effects of the pandemic, we are launching an express call for proposals to fund research on COVID-19. Funding provided under the call will be designated primarily for basic research related to pathophysiology of the disease, including research that can contribute to the development of future therapeutic strategies or diagnostic methods for COVID-19, research on infection mechanisms, including ways of protecting healthcare workers, and research on the psychological and social effects of the pandemic and ways of reducing them (including health policy and organisation of medical care, ethics in research and patient care, social behaviour in the face of pandemics).

“Dealing with COVID-19 is the key challenge facing us today. This is why researchers around the world have taken efforts to understand the mechanisms of the virus, develop diagnostic tests and identify therapeutic measures to eradicate the disease. It is equally important to explore ways to mitigate the psychological and social effects of the pandemics, ones we are experiencing now and will face in the future. Knowing that work on COVID-19 is also carried out in Poland we have decided to launch an express call to fund such research”, says Professor Małgorzata Kossowska, the President of the NCN. “We are aware of the seriousness of the situation and time pressure which is why we are launching a call for proposals which is in many ways different from our other calls. It has very short submission and evaluation deadlines, specific group of researchers at which it is addressed and very flexible rules for spending the grant money. We believe that additional funding and relaxation of the rules will allow the teams of researchers working on the problem to intensify their work. We believe that Polish researchers can successfully engage in the fight against COVID-19, provide good medical solutions as well as psychological and social ones. We need them more than ever”, says Professor Kossowska.

The call is addressed at researchers with a documented research track record in the areas in question who are at least PhD holders and have acted or act as principal investigators in at least one research project funded under NCN calls for proposals (OPUS, SONATINA, SONATA, SONATA BIS, HARMONIA, MAESTRO, SYMFONIA, POLONEZ) and international bilateral or multilateral calls for proposals, or who have been winners of other prestigious national or international calls for proposals. Research projects can be planned for the period of up to 18 months. The results must be made available to the public as soon as they are available. 

Proposals completed pursuant to the data required in the form must be submitted electronically via the Electronic Platform of Public Administration Service (ePUAP). The submission deadline is 14 April 2020. The results will be announced in the first half of May.