Instructions for preparing and submitting proposals under the SONATINA 3 call – filling out the tabs in the OSF system

Proposals for funding of research projects may be submitted by:

1. natural persons,
2. universities,
3. federations of science and HE institutions,
4. research institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences,
5. research institutes,
6. international research institutes established pursuant to separate provisions and operating in the Republic of Poland.

In the Status wnioskodawcy [Applicant’s legal status] section, please select the relevant status from the drop-down list. Upon selection, the system will create an appropriate application form.

PLEASE NOTE: it is possible to change the applicant status while working on the proposal, however this requires other data in the form to be updated as appropriate.

If Osoba fizyczna [Natural person] has been selected in the Status wnioskodawcy [Applicant’s legal status]  section, Wnioskodawca [Applicant] tab in the upper left corner will change its label to Podmiot realizujący [Host Institution] – to be completed with the data of the institution where the project will be carried out.

The applicant may be selected from the OPI database (Wybierz z bazy OPI [Select from the OPI database] button) or entered as a new entity (Spoza bazy [Select from outside OPI] button).

Before importing any information from the OPI database, make sure that the data included in the system is up-to-date.

The Host Institution data must be accurate and complete.

Should the data be out of date or incorrect, please contact the Ośrodek Przetwarzania Informacji Państwowy Instytut Badawczy (OPI PIB) by dialling: (+48) 22-351-71-01, (+48) 22-351-71-04, (+48) 22-351-70-89.

Once the Wnioskodawca [Applicant]/Podmiot realizujący [Host Institution] has been named, this section will split into two parts:

• Wnioskodawca/Podmiot realizujący poziom 1 [Applicant/Host Institution (level 1)],
• Wnioskodawca/Podmiot realizujący poziom 2 [Applicant/Host Institution (level 2)].

Wnioskodawca/Podmiot realizujący poziom 1 [Applicant/Host Institution (level 1)]

1. Nazwa podmiotu [Entity name] (in Polish and English) and adres siedziby [legal address]
2. Siedmiocyfrowy identyfikator gminy [7-digit Community Identification Code]: give the full code of the community where the Host Institution has its registered office. To find the code please click on the Wykaz identyfikatorów (the register is in compliance with the List of Identifiers and Names of the Units of Territorial Division of the Country by the Central Statistical Office). Choose “Przeglądanie” [“Browse”] to display the relevant community and enter its 7-digit number in the form. The system will use the number to complete the name of the community.

3. Adres korespondencyjny [Address for correspondence]: phone no, email address, Electronic Correspondence Register ESP (ePUAP), website etc. PLEASE NOTE that all proposal-related correspondence, including the funding decision will be delivered to the ESP (ePUAP) address given here. Entering the ESP (ePUAP) address of the Host Institution is mandatory. Should these data change in the course of the project’s evaluation or implementation, the NCN must be notified of the fact immediately.
4. Status organizacyjny [Organisational status]. Where the applicant is a natural person specify the organisational status of the institution.

5. Question: Czy podmiot stanowi jednostkę zaliczaną do sektora finansów publicznych? [Does the organization belong to the public finances sector?]: please answer “tak” [“yes”] or “nie” [“no”]. The answer will be incorporated into the text of the statement by the authorised representative(s) of the entity.

6. Question: Czy podmiot pozostaje pod zarządem komisarycznym lub znajduje się w toku likwidacji albo postępowania upadłościowego? [Is the institution under forced administration or the subject of liquidation or bankruptcy proceedings?]: please use the Edytuj [Edit] button to select either “tak” [“yes”] or “nie” [“no”].
7. Enter NIP [tax identification number], REGON [statistical number] and KRS [national court register number] as appropriate. If the Host Institution is not registered in the National Court Register (KRS) please tick the nie dotyczy [not applicable] box on the right.

8. Question: Czy finansowanie projektu będzie stanowić pomoc publiczną? [Will the funding of the project constitute state aid?]. Use the Edytuj [Edit] button to indicate that you have read the rules governing application for state aid.

PLEASE NOTE: State aid cannot be requested in proposals submitted under the Sonatina 3 call.

9. Dane Kierownika podmiotu [Information on the Head of the Institution] please complete with the data of the authorised representative of the Host Institution. In cases where the required documents will be signed by the authorised representative(s) of the Host Institution, an authorisation should be attached.

Wnioskodawca/Podmiot realizujący poziom 2 [Applicant/Host Institution (level 2)]

In the „Wnioskodawca (poziom 2)” [Applicant (level 2)] section enter the data of the second level applicant acting as the Host Institution.

In this section answer the question: Czy jednostka otrzymuje subwencję na działalność naukową? [Does the institution receive any institutional core funding for research activity?]

If the institution does not receive any institutional core funding for research activity, provide information on:

• research carried out over the period of 2 years before submitting the proposal, together with a list of publications by employees,
• research equipment and other instrumentation/facilities crucial to research activities.

If the applicant is a natural person, enter the data for the Host Institution at which the project will be carried out.

The proposal should be accompanied by a document drawn up in English, bearing a qualified electronic signature or a scan of the document signed in the signatory’s own handwriting in PDF format.

If the proposal is submitted by a single entity, this tab may be completed with information on another faculty where the project will be carried out. To add another faculty, click Dodaj wydział [Add faculty].

When filling out the proposal, the editor will be able to assign individual faculties to, for example, individual tasks in the research plan as well as investigators.

1. Tytuł projektu [Project title]: the title must be entered in Polish and in English; both language versions must be identical. The title may be modified at will as the proposal is being worked on. The title should be concise and give a proper idea of the project’s topic.
2. Obszar badawczy [Research domain], to be followed by Numer panelu dyscyplin [No of NCN review panel]: the primary research field has been selected at the point of creating the proposal form; to change it while in this tab use the Wybierz [Select] button.
3. Pomocnicze określenia identyfikujące [Auxiliary NCN review panels]. Click on the Dodaj [Add] button and select from the lists. First select the research domain, i.e. LS [Life Sciences], HS [Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences] or PE [Physical Science and Engineering] and then the review panel of subordinate level. The review panels may be selected from outside the panel and research domain to which the project is being submitted, e.g. HS3 (The study of the human past: history, archaeology, ethnology, cultural anthropology). Choose between 1 and 3 auxiliary review panels but at least one auxiliary review panel must be selected from the main panel to which the project is being submitted.
4. Planowany okres realizacji projektu [Project duration]: 24 or 36 months. Project duration counts from the day of signing the funding agreement.
5. Liczba wykonawców projektu [Number of project investigators]: applies to the principal investigator and the other investigators. Collective investigators are not included in this number. The number of investigators given in this tab must equal the number listed in the section on remuneration.
6. Słowa kluczowe [Keywords]: they must be in Polish and English, they must not be identical to the words used in the panel descriptions, whereas they should give a proper idea of the project’s topic. The words must be separated with commas or semicolons. Polish and English key words must be identical.
7. Planowane nakłady [Estimated costs in PLN], Ogółem [Total] these fields will be filled out automatically by the system once you have completed the Kosztorys [Breakdown of project costs] tab.
8. Question: Czy projekt jest realizowany we współpracy międzynarodowej? [Is the project carried out as an international collaboration?]: if so, choose the relevant country/countries from the list. This information is used for statistics compiled by the Centre, and in no way influences the evaluation.

The INFORMACJE OGÓLNE [GENERAL INFORMATION] tab includes INFORMACJA O ZAGRANICZNYM OŚRODKU NAUKOWYM, BĘDĄCYM MIEJSCEM PLANOWANEGO STAŻU ZAGRANICZNEGO [INFORMATION ON THE FOREIGN RESEARCH INSTITUTION HOSTING THE FOREIGN FELLOWSHIP]

In the window opened with the Edytuj [Edit] button, enter:

• name and address of the foreign research institution,
• country of the foreign fellowship,
• name of the PI supervisor from the research institution hosting the fellowship [provide details of the person mentoring the fellow],
• fellowship duration planned (months),
• the straight line distance between the place of residence and foreign research institution (choose from the list).

The project summary must be written in English. The summary may be no longer than

1 standard page (page format: A4; font size: at least 11; lead: single; left and right margins:

2 cm; up and down margins: 1.5 cm). The only acceptable file format is PDF.

PLEASE NOTE: the summary may not be identical with the short description of the project.

The description for general public should be written in Polish and in English. The language versions must be identical. The description may be no longer than 1 standard page (page format: A4; font size: at least 11; lead: single; margins left and right: 2 cm; margins up and down: 1.5 cm). The only acceptable file format is PDF.

PLEASE NOTE: The abstract for the general public should only include such data as the applicant wishes to make public on the National Science Centre’s website if the project qualifies for funding. The National Science Centre is thus planning to inform general public of research funded with public money.

Filling out of this tab is optional. The justification should be up to 2,500 characters, incl. spaces.

List of up to 3 persons who in the applicant’s opinion should not be involved in the proposal’s review because of a likely conflict of interest. Specify the person(s)’s name, surname and affiliation. The final selection of expert reviewers is made by the NCN.

PLEASE NOTE: under the SONATINA 3 call, the scientific achievement section is to be completed by the principal investigator only.

First enter the data of the principal investigator, then continue with other investigators.

The number of the research team members given in this tab must match the number of investigators stated in the Informacje ogólne [General information] tab.

To select the Principal Investigator click the Wybierz z bazy OPI [Select from the OPI database] button or Spoza bazy [Select form outside OPI database] button.

• To select a person from the OPI database, enter their PESEL number, which identifies each individual listed in the Polish Science database. Should the data be out of date or incorrect, please contact the Ośrodek Przetwarzania Informacji Państwowy Instytut Badawczy (OPI PIB) by dialling: (+48) 22-351-71-01, (+48) 22-351-71-04, (+48) 22-351-70-89.
• To select a person from outside OPI, enter all data required by the system (given names, surname, academic title/degree, phone number, email address, address of the Electronic Correspondence Register ESP (ePUAP), PESEL no etc.).

PLEASE NOTE: the principal investigator’s data should be entered in chronological order, with particular regard to the correctness of the data imported from the OPI database. If the proposal editor find the data imported from the OPI database to be out of date or incorrect, they should inform OPI of the fact. Pay special attention to data concerning: the title, given names, surnames, PESEL number, as well as workplaces, since these may not be edited directly in the ZSUN/OSF system. Modification of the data may require a new import and removing the contents of all components in the scientific achievement section, i.e.: Academic and Research Career, Publication Record etc.

SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (section to be filled out in English)

1. Planowany charakter udziału w realizacji projektu [Nature of contribution to the project]: the ZSUN/OSF system will automatically assign the role of the given person in the project based on the data already entered in the form,
2. Podmiot [Entity]: completed automatically by the ZSUN/OSF system with the organisation indicated as the host institution in the APPLICANT / HOST INSTITUTION tab,
3. Dane osobowe [Personal data]: fill out using the Edit option,
4. Typ zatrudnienia w projekcie - full time remuneration

• The principal investigator may be paid remuneration from the pool allocated for full-time remuneration as long as on the final date for proposals, he/she is not employed at
  
  a research institute in his/her capacity of a researcher, academic researcher, academic or research technician but wishes to be employed in this capacity. If however, he/she is employed in any such capacity, he/she may submit a proposal under the call, as long as another research institution submits a funding proposal with the National Science Centre and name him/ her as the principal investigator. The foregoing is referred to as a transfer of employment.

• In the case of a transfer of employment, the National Science Centre shall suggest resignation from previous employment. A research institution, in cooperation with the principal investigator, should make every effort to ensure that employment is entered into in compliance with applicable laws, internal regulations of the institution and Regulations on the mode of granting financial resources for the completion of tasks funded by the Nation Science Centre, according to which a full-time remuneration may be paid to the principal investigator provided that, inter alia, at the time of receiving remuneration, he/ she shall not receive any other remuneration under a contract of employment concluded with another employer.

The principal investigator may be paid salary from the pool allocated for full-time salaries pursuant to a full-time contract of employment at a research post as long as they meet all of the following conditions:

1. at the time of receiving this remuneration, they are not receiving any other remuneration paid from the resources granted under NCN calls under the heading of direct costs,

2. at the time of receiving this remuneration they are not employed by another employer pursuant to a contract of employment nor do they receive a pension from the social security system,

3. the sum of resources for their employment does not exceed PLN 100,000 per annum under the SONATINA call.

PLEASE NOTE: If full-time remuneration is not received on a continuous basis during the entire course of the project’s completion, the amount of full-time remuneration is reduced in proportion to the period when the remuneration is received.

PLEASE NOTE: detailed information on remuneration in the project can be found in Point 2.1. of the Costs in research projects funded by the National Science Centre.

5. Rodzaj stanowiska [Type of position]:

• pozostałe [other]: the principal investigator should choose this option for their contribution to the project.

6. Okres pobierania wynagrodzenia w projekcie [Period of receiving remuneration]: state the planned period for receiving remuneration, which may be different than the project’s duration.

7. In the window for the principal investigator’s data provide answers to additional questions:

• Czy kierownik projektu posiada stopień naukowy doktora? [Does the principal investigator hold a PhD degree?]

• Czy Pani/Pan zamierza wprowadzić informację o przerwach w karierze naukowej? [Are you intending to introduce information on your career breaks?]

Principal investigator’s career breaks disclosed pursuant to:

• statutory breaks:

Did the principal investigator benefit from maternity leave, adoption leave, paternity leave or parental leave granted in compliance with the Labour Code or receive any sickness benefit or physiotherapy benefit granted on account of his/her unfitness for work, including any caused by a health condition requiring physiotherapy and medical treatment:

• within 3 years before submitting the proposal or
• within 5 years (PE and LS) / 10 years (HS) before submitting the proposal?

If the answer is “Yes”, indicate the number of months. The question concerning the 5-year period for the LS and PE panels and 10-year period for the HS panel serves the purpose of extending the period for which the principal investigator may report publications by career breaks.

• based on the number of children born or adopted:

women may extend the period after the award of doctoral degree by 18 months for every child born or adopted. A woman may choose whichever manner of accounting for career breaks she finds preferable.

8. Dane adresowe [Contact details]: enter the legal address and address for correspondence if it differs from the legal address. Correspondence between the NCN and the project’s principal investigator will be held by means of the ESP (ePUAP) or the email address. Providing the address of one’s ESP (ePUAP) is voluntary.

PLEASE NOTE that if the principal investigator’s PESEL number is listed in the OPI database, the system will automatically enforce importing the data from the database.

9. Miejsca pracy w jednostkach naukowych i innych instytucjach związanych z nauką oraz zajmowane stanowiska: [Affiliation and positions occupied]: these will be completed automatically when the principal investigator has imported their entry data from the OPI database.If the entry data have been entered manually, their positions may be completed by clicking on the “Dodaj z bazy OPI” [Select from the OPI database] or the “Dodaj spoza bazy” [Select from outside OPI] button. If the principal investigator currently holds no position, tick the field “Bez miejsca pracy” [No fixed post].

10. Informacje o całkowitej liczbie cytowań oraz indeksie H [The total number of citations and the h-index value]: to be completed by the principal investigator only:

• for ST (Physical and Engineering Sciences) and NZ (Life Sciences) panels: enter the total number of citations for all publications to date, without self-citations, and the h-index value. In case of no citations, enter “0” as the number of citations and “0” as the h-index value. The data should be taken from the Web of Science™ Core Collection.
• for HS (Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences) panels: if possible, enter the total number of citations for all publications to date, without self-citations, and the h-index value. HS panels may also choose N/A, but only in the case where such data cannot be provided (e.g. where the achievements are not publications but works of art etc.). If publications have been listed as scientific achievements, the preferred source of evaluation is Web of Science™ Core Collection or Scopus.

11. Szczegółowa ankieta dorobku naukowego kierownika projektu [Scientific achievements of the principal investigator]: please complete the form as required by the system.

INFORMATION ON THE ACADEMIC AND RESEARCH CAREER MUST BE PROVIDED

IN ENGLISH

PLEASE NOTE: information included in this part of the proposal must be provided in English. The following sections to be filled out by the principal investigator.  If any part of the questionnaire can’t be filled out (e.g. the principal investigator has had no awards), enter “not applicable” in the relevant tab.

1. Przebieg kariery naukowej [Academic and Research Career]. Describe particular steps of academic and research career, including the name of university, institute or organisational unit, specialisation, date of acquiring a professional title, academic degree or academic title. In this section provide also any information on circumstances that may be considered of consequence for the research career and research achievements, e.g. longer career breaks, maternal/parental leaves and names (e.g. maiden names) used in publications.

In this tab one may also enter projects that have been approved for funding under NCN calls but whose implementation has not started yet (on the date of submitting the proposal, the funding agreement has not been signed).

2. Publikacje naukowe [Publication Record]

• for the ST (Physical Sciences and Engineering) and NZ (Life Sciences) panels

• Name 1 to 10 most important publications published over a period of 5 years before the submission of the proposal, indicating those in JCR-listed journals, and monographs of international impact (indicate current five-year impact factor of the journal and the number of citations for particular publications;
  
  no self-citations allowed),

• for HS (Humanities and Social Sciences)

• Name 1 to 10 most important publications published over a period of 10 years before the submission of the proposal, the evaluation of which will take into account the quality of the journal, e.g. whether it is listed in the JCR database or on any other comparable list (if any such apply), and monographs
  
  of nationwide or international impact (where possible, please indicate current five-year impact factor of the journal and the number of citations for particular publications; no self-citations allowed)

1 of the above-listed publications should be attached to the questionnaire of scientific achievements as PDF files (the files should be no larger than 10 MB each).

Older publications will be disregarded in the assessment of the scientific achievements. In the case of monographs attach a file containing at least the title page, masthead area, contents and a selection of fragments with the author’s chief theses. Moreover, when filling out the tab, enter the following bibliographic data: author/authors, title, source (journal, publisher etc.), publication year, current five-year impact factor (IF; in the case of journals without impact factor, enter “0”), number of citations without self-citations (if the publication has not been cited, enter “0”).

PLEASE NOTE: If more than 1 publications have been attached, upon checking the completeness of the proposal the ZSUN/OSF system will report an error.

The principal investigator may mention unpublished works as long as they have been accepted for publication. If the work has been accepted for publication, state that it has not been published yet (the publication status is: Accepted for publication), and upload communications that may serve as proof that the work has been accepted for publication in the ZAŁĄCZNIKI [ANNEXES] tab.

PLEASE NOTE: Titles in the language of the publication. If the publications have not been released in English, translate their titles into English and indicated in square brackets next to the original titles. 

3. Dorobek naukowy w ramach nauk o sztuce (HS): muzyka, sztuki plastyczne, film [Research in art: music, fine arts, theatre, film]

• up to 10 of the most important artistic achieve-ments and achievements in research
  
  in art with a nationwide or international impact, e.g. authoring and publishing a work
  
  of art (a musical score, a record), directing a film, a play, an opera, playing a lead role, authoring an individual exhibition, actively participating in a festival with an international impact, directing an international artistic venture.

4. Projekty badawcze [Research Projects]

INVESTIGATORS LIST ONLY PROJECTS THEY HAVE CARRIED OUT AS PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR.

In this section, name projects that have been funded from the budget for science under nationwide or international calls. Do not list projects which are or have been funded from institutional core funding for research activity. The projects must be completed within 5 years prior to submitting the proposal or must be in progress.

Acting as principal investigator is also to be understood as leading/ coordinating the research team carrying out an international research project or program.

In this tab one may not enter projects that have been approved for funding under NCN calls but whose implementation has not started yet (the funding agreement has not been signed).

For ongoing projects, do not specify the date of completion. The system will automatically label the project as a project in progress.

To enter the projects use the Add button. Provide the following information:

• role in the project,
• project title and number - project title in the original language (and, if applicable, title’s translation into English),
• project ID,
• sources of funding,
• amount of funding/currency code,
• host institution,
• start date/finish date,
• list of the most important publications.

In addition, for each project listed in the questionnaire provide a separate list of the most important works published as a result. Publications at the stage of peer-review should not be mentioned. Listing no publications will be considered as no results of research project(s).

4. Zbliżone zadania badawcze [Similar research tasks]. In this tab provide information on similar research tasks applied for funding or carried out, currently or in the past, by the principal investigator, funded from the NCN resources and/or from other sources.

Provide the title of the project, name of the principal investigator, main research tasks, source of funding and justification for the need for funding of the planned research tasks in the light of similar tasks as the above.

The purpose of such information is to dispel any doubts over double funding of research tasks.

If similar research tasks have not been performed by the principal investigator, tick the not applicable field.

5. Doświadczenie naukowe [Research stays]: describe experience gained in Poland and abroad over the last 10 years, naming the country, institution, type/nature of stay (e.g. scholarship) and its duration.

6. Wyróżnienia [Prizes/Awards]: name the most important international and prestigious Polish awards for research. Name the type of award, place and date of receiving.
   
   In this section, also provide information on other research activities, such as keynote speeches at conferences and, in the case of arts, active participation in international exhibitions, festivals, artistic events in plastic arts, music, theatre and film(up to 1,500 characters, incl. spaces).

ADDING MEMBERS OF A RESEARCH TEAM

To add an Investigator click on the Dodaj wykonawcę [Add investigator] button and provide the data as required.

The number of the research team members given in this tab must match the number of investigators stated in the Informacje ogólne [General information] tab.

ALL CO-INVESTIGATORS ARE ANONYMOUS.

1. Planowany charakter udziału w realizacji projektu [Nature of contribution to the project]: the system will automatically assign the person’s role in the project (“investigator”). The field does not allow for entering the name of the person.
2. Podmiot [Host Institution]: completed automatically by the ZSUN/OSF system with the organisation indicated as the host institution.
3. Rola pełniona w projekcie [Role in the project]: in English, in this field enter the role to be performed, e.g. laboratory technician, technician, researcher.
4. Typ zatrudnienia w projekcie [Type of employment in the project]: please select from the list:

• additional remuneration: under the call SONATINA 3, salaries for prospective investigators may be paid only from the pool for additional remuneration,

• no remuneration.

5. Rodzaj stanowiska [Type of position]: pozostałe [other]:

The order in which co-investigators are listed in the proposal can be modified as desired. To change the order, click first on the Ustaw kolejność [Set order] button and then on the arrows displayed.

6. Okres pobierania wynagrodzenia w projekcie [Period of receiving remuneration] (in months): specify the period of receiving remuneration as planned, which does not have to equate with the duration of the research project.

Present research tasks to be carried out in the project.

For each research task please specify:

1. Nazwy zadań badawczych [Names of research tasks] (in Polish and in English) presenting descriptions of individual research tasks – the descriptions in both language versions must be identical.
2. For other applicant types, the Podmiot realizujący zadanie [Host Institution] tab will be completed automatically by the system.

All information should be provided in English only. The spending plan must be consistent with the document Types of costs in research projects funded by NCN.

The budget calculations must be realistic, they must follow the cost-effectiveness principle, i.e. they must aim to obtain the best effects from the given inputs. All expenses included in the budget must be justifiable against the research project implementation. All costs in the project should be planned in accordance with the terms of the call, internal regulations of the Host Institution and generally applicable provisions of law.

The sums entered in the budget table must be rounded up or down to the nearest full Polish zloty. The sums entered must include VAT (if eligible). Salaries must be calculated as gross amounts, with regard to their compliance with the limits for the call in question.

PLEASE NOTE: The ZSUN/OSF proposal submission system does not validate the sums entered for errors.

Project’s costs include direct and indirect costs.

Indirect costs may not exceed 40 per cent of the requested direct costs. Over the course of the project’s implementation indirect costs may not be increased, but they may be reduced.

The breakdown of cost specifies the funds designated for the project in the next calendar years. No limit of funds designated for a particular calendar year is set under the SONATINA 3 call.

Zestawienie planowanego dofinansowania z Narodowego Centrum Nauki [National Science Centre contribution table]: is completed automatically by the system once the Kosztorys-podmioty [Breakdown of costs by entities] has been filled out.

The costs entered in the breakdown of project costs require justification in the section: Kalkulacja i uzasadnienie poszczególnych pozycji kosztorysu [Individual budget items] – please complete all tabs.

1. All individuals receiving remuneration in the project should be included in the breakdown of project costs. The Investigator/Staff costs tab should specify:

• Liczba wykonawców projektu  [Number of investigators]: completed automatically by the system with data from the Informacje ogólne [General information] section.
• Liczba osób, pobierająca wynagrodzenie z puli wynagrodzeń dodatkowych [Number of individuals to constitute the basis for the calculation of additional remuneration budget]: completed automatically by the system with data from the Kierownik projektu/Wykonawcy [Principal investigator/ Investigators] section.
• Charakter udziału w projekcie/Typ i rodzaj stanowiska/Forma zatrudnienia w projekcie  [Full name/ Nature of contribution to the project/ Type and character of position]: completed automatically by the system with data from the Kierownik projektu/Wykonawcy [Principal investigator/ Investigators] section.
• Podmiot zatrudniający [Employing entity]: completed automatically by the system.
• Zakres prac wykonywanych w projekcie [Scope of work within individual project tasks]: a concise yet thorough description of the function performed by the person within the project.
• Czas pobierania wynagrodzenia w projekcie w miesiącach [Project-related remuneration period (months)]: completed automatically by the system.
• Całkowite planowane wynagrodzenie w projekcie [Total remuneration cost on grant – PLN].

2.  Inne koszty [Other direct costs]: in each of the following sections enter the type of cost, its amount and its relevance for the project’s work plan (justification of spending). Such costs are, among others:

• Materiały i drobny sprzęt [materials and small equipment],
• Usługi obce [outsourced services],

PLEASE NOTE: persons receiving salaries in the project may not be involved as subcontractors therein:

• Wyjazdy służbowe [conferences and business trips],
• Wizyty i konsultacje [visits and consultations],
• Inne koszty [other costs]: other costs such as do not fall under any of the other categories, including costs of disseminating the results,
• Wykonawcy zbiorowi [collective investigators]: total cost of gratification for persons with a uniform scope of work (e.g. interviewers or study participants). The minimum number of such investigators is 5 persons. A detailed cost estimate shall be drafted, describing the objective of the expenditure and its total cost, as well as the number of persons receiving benefits, the value of a unit-rate and the form of benefit (monetary or material). Mind that this category does not include technicians and lab managers.

3. Opis kompetencji wykonawców projektu [Investigator’s qualifications]: in this section the principal investigator will be able to present the qualifications required of the researchers hired for the project, which will have additional value for reviewers evaluating the feasibility of the planned research.

If the applicant is not a composite entity, this tab includes Zestawienie planowanego dofinansowania z Narodowego Centrum Nauki [National Science Centre contribution in the form of a table].

Costs of salaries must match the sums of individual salaries indicated in the Kosztorys [Breakdown of costs] section (tab: Zestawienie planowanego dofinansowania z NCN/Wynagrodzenia [National Science Centre contribution/Staff costs]).

Read the text of all declarations. Depending on the applicant’s status, declarations are submitted by:

1. when the applicant is a natural person: applicant and the authorised representative of the Host Institution,
2. in the case of other applicants: the project’s principal investigator and the authorised representative of the entity acting as the applicant.

The project’s principal investigator /authorised representative of the entity acting as the applicant declares whether the proposed research requires permission of a relevant committee, i.e. bioethics committee. Should the research give rise to ethical concerns, the principal investigator may explain them in the window: Opis działań podjętych w celu zapewnienia wykonywania badań zgodnie z zasadami dobrej praktyki w danej dziedzinie / dyscyplinie naukowej [Description of actions taken to ensure that the research will be carried out conforming to the rules of good practice in the respective field/discipline] (up to 2,500 characters, incl. spaces in English).

In the event that the applicant at the moment of submitting the proposal has not collected the required permissions yet, they may report on the advancement of the process of applying for them.

If no permissions are required for the project to be implemented then in the section “Opis działań podjętych w celu zapewnienia wykonywania badań zgodnie z zasadami dobrej praktyki w danej dziedzinie” [Description of actions taken to ensure that the research will be carried out conforming to the rules of good practice...] the system will automatically supply it with the “bd” [no data] message, thus rendering the information in the system complete.

If the project involves clinical research subject to the Act of 6th September 2001, as amended, on pharmaceutical law, or to the act of 20th May 2010, as amended, on medical products, an additional section will be generated: Szczegółowe uzasadnienie niekomercyjnego charakteru badania klinicznego planowanego z zastosowaniem produktu leczniczego lub wyrobu medycznego [A detailed justification of the non-commercial nature of the trial using

a pharmaceutical product or a medical device] (up to 2,500 characters, incl. spaces in English).

PLEASE NOTE: if the planned research tasks require any special permissions, the applicant need not support the proposal with copies thereof, they do however declare, under penalty of perjury, that the tasks will be carried out only after such permissions have been obtained.

SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE RESEARCH PROJECT (up to 5 standard pages in English)

FULL DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT

(up to 15 standard pages in English)

The page limit applies to the description of a research project and literature as a whole. The only acceptable file format is PDF (page format: A4; font size: no smaller than 11; lead: single; margins left and right: 2 cm; margins up and down: 1.5 cm).

Short and full description of the research project must include the following information:

• Research objective  - problem aimed to be solved by the applicant, scientific questions and hypotheses;
• Significance of the project - state of the art, justification for tackling scientific problems, justification for the innovative nature of the research, the impact of the project’s results on the development of the research field and scientific discipline;
• Work plan - outline of the work plan, specific research goals, results of initial research, risk analysis;
• Methods of research - manner of conducting research, methods, techniques
  
  and tools, methods of results analysis, equipment and devices used in the research;
• Literature - list of literature referencing all positions included by the author in the description of the research project, with full bibliographic data).

PLEASE NOTE: the tab must be filled by attaching a PDF file before locking the proposal. After the proposal has been locked, this tab will remain active. The editor will be able to continue working on the short description of the research project up to the moment of submitting the proposal. You do not have to unlock the whole proposal in order to update the PDF file. To update the file, click on the Zmień plik [Change file] button.

Justification for choosing the institution hosting the foreign fellowship must be drawn up in a separate file. The file should be attached with the proposal by clicking on the “Załącz plik” [Attach file] button. It may be no longer than 2 standard pages (page format: A4; font size: at least 11; lead: single; margins left and right: 2 cm; margins up and down: 1.5 cm). The only acceptable file format is PDF.

The tab contents should include justification for choosing the institution in terms of reputation, equipment or specific scientific achievements, description of research conducted, compliance of research with research performed under the research project, description of research/ tasks to be conducted during the fellowship, potential use of skills and knowledge acquired during the fellowship in the principal investigator’s future career as a scientist.

In this tab the system displays a list of annexes to be attached to the electronic version of the proposal in the ZSUN/OSF system. Before disabling editing of the proposal attaching annexes is optional. Once editing of the proposal submitted with the NCN has been disabled, it is possible to change the previously attached annexes, add missing annexes, including documents confirming submission of the proposal in the call. Submitting a proposal to the NCN requires attaching a complete set of permits and annexes.  

There are two ways of attaching the required annexes to the proposal: one may attach a scan of the document signed in their own hand or a file signed with a [Confirmation of the doctorate degree being awarded qualified electronic signature.

Either option is effected by clicking on the “Załącz plik” [Attach file] button and adding the document as appropriate. At the moment, in the location “Plik podpisany elektronicznie” [“Electronically signed file”] it is possible to add files in the PAdES format only.

The list of annexes depends on the type of proposal. In the case of SONATINA 3, the annexes include:

Annex No 1

Applies to entities not receiving any operating support grant( in English ).

1. Information on research carried out over the period of 2 years before submitting the proposal, together with a list of publications affiliated with the applicant/ host institution;
2. Information on research equipment and other instrumentation/facilities crucial to research activities.

Annex No 2 Potwierdzenie uzyskania stopnia naukowego doktora [Confirmation of the doctorate degree being awarded] (attach the document bearing a qualified electronic signature or the document’s scan with the signature in the signatory’s own handwriting in PDF format).

Annex No 3  Oświadczenie promotora pracy doktorskiej lub zaświadczenie wydane przez właściwy podmiot o przewidywanym terminie nadania stopnia naukowego doktora [Statement by a doctoral advisor or certificate issued by a competent authority, setting the

expected date of awarding a doctoral degree] applies to proposals where the principal investigator’s doctoral dissertation is such as to ensure that he/she will be awarded a doctoral degree by 30 June 2019; attach the document bearing a qualified electronic signature or the document’s scan with the signature in the signatory’s own handwriting in PDF format).

Annex No 4 Dokument w języku angielskim potwierdzający zgodę ośrodka naukowego na realizację przez kierownika projektu stażu zagranicznego [Document confirming the research institution’s approval for a foreign fellowship to be conducted by the principal investigator (in English)] The document should include the date of the document, name of the research institution hosting the foreign fellowship, name of the PI supervisor, name and of the principal investigator, fellowship duration (months), research facilities provided by the foreign institution (optional), signature of the PI supervisor or authorised representative of the foreign research institution hosting the foreign fellowship.

Annex No 5 Listy od redakcji potwierdzające przyjęcie prac do druku  [Acceptance letters from publishers confirming that the work has been accepted for publication] (applies to proposals where papers accepted for publication are mentioned in the scientific achievements section). The proposal must be supported with a document in PDF format, including all acceptance letters confirming that the works have been accepted for publication.

Proposals must be complete. Completeness may be checked in the system using the Sprawdź kompletność [Check completeness] and Pokaż szczegóły [Show details] buttons. The system will not allow to submit proposals where the required fields remain uncompleted or obligatory annexes are missing. The validation of the proposal for completeness carried out by the system does not release the applicant from responsibility for the information entered in the tabs.

Once the individual tabs of the proposal have been filled out and the proposal validated for completeness (1), editing of the proposal should be disabled by clicking on Zablokuj wersję do NCN [Disable editing of the version for the NCN] (2).

On the left hand side of the proposal a new tab will appear: Elektroniczna wysyłka wniosku [Electronic submission of the proposal].

Upon clicking the tab Elektroniczna wysyłka wniosku [Electronic submission of the proposal] a system message will be displayed stating that the final version of the proposal has been prepared (it can no longer be edited) and is ready to be sent in electronic form to the National Science Centre. It has not been marked as “ready” yet, and is not available to officers at the NCN; at this stage the proposal’s editor may still activate the proposal for editing by clicking on (“Powrót do edycji” [Return to editing] button (3) to enter corrections.

In this section generate the confirmation of submitting the proposal; additionally, one may attach annexes or change those already attached (options: zmień plik [change file] or usuń plik [remove file] and check them by clicking on pokaż plik [show file]). If the required annexes have not been attached earlier, add them in this section.

Personalized “Confirmations” may be downloaded from the system and attached to the proposal as signed scans or documents bearing an electronic signature. The proposal submitted in the ZSUN/OSF system should be supported with two confirmations.

The original document should be kept on file until the final date of the evaluation process, and if the research project is approved for funding, until the date of signing the funding agreement.

Should the confirmation of submitting the proposal be signed by a person other than the authorised representative of the entity, send an authorisation granted to that person to the Centre. The authorisation to sign documents may be scanned and attached in the system alongside the confirmation of submitting the proposal or sent to the National Science Centre’s ESP (ePUAP) address.

There are two ways of confirming the submission of the proposal: one may attach a scan of the document signed in their own hand or a file signed with a qualified electronic signature.

Either option is effected by clicking on the “Załącz plik” [Attach file] button and adding the document as appropriate. At the moment, in the location “Plik podpisany elektronicznie” [Electronically signed file] it is possible to add files in the PAdES format only.

PLEASE NOTE: the confirmation must refer to the final version of the proposal. After the proposal has been locked and confirmations of submission have been generated, updates can only be made to the short and full descriptions of the research project. Other tabs are unavailable for editing.

Sending the proposal to the NCN

Once the proposal has been completed and all the required annexes are in place, the electronic version should be sent to the National Science Centre using the “Wyślij do NCN” [Send to the NCN] button. (4).The completion of the procedure will be confirmed by the proposal’s status being changed “Wysłany” [Sent].

PLEASE NOTE: no paper version of the proposal should be sent to the National Science Centre. The proposal is deemed as effectively submitted only when submitted in the electronic form.

PLEASE NOTE: once this operation has been completed, entering modifications to the contents of the proposal will no longer be possible.