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New Ideas – Ukraine

Call for competition

  • Name of the competition: New Ideas – Ukraine
  • Objective: strengthen the cooperation between researchers from the University of Warsaw (UW) with the Ukrainian scientific community, through the implementation of joint scientific projects which will contribute to the achievement of scientific excellence and increase the international visibility of research carried out at the university
  • Applicant: a UW employee who holds a doctoral degree and is among the N-number of employees
  • Date of competition announcement: 01.04.2022
  • Start date for the call for proposals: 01.04.2022
  • Closing date for the call for proposals: 19.04.2022 29.04.2022
  • Competition budget: 600 000 PLN
  • Project budget: 30 000 – 90 000 PLN
  • Project duration: until 31.12.2022
  • How to apply: only electronically to the following address konkursy.idub@uw.edu.pl
Competition rulesSelection committeeResults

Competition rules

Section 1
GENERAL PROVISIONS

§ 1

These rules regulate the “New Ideas – Ukraine” competition, implemented under the “Excellence Initiative – Research University” programme.

§ 2

The aim of the “New Ideas – Ukraine” competition is to strengthen the cooperation between researchers from the University of Warsaw (UW) with the Ukrainian scientific community, through the implementation of joint scientific projects which will contribute to the achievement of scientific excellence and increase the international visibility of research carried out at the university.

§ 3

  1. The implementation of the research project submitted to the competition should result in a publication or an application for a scientific grant, financed from external sources, within 6 months of the project completion date. In justified cases resulting from the timetables for the publication of grant competitions, it is possible to postpone the deadline for submitting the application.
  2. The competition provides funding for research projects with a budget of not less than 30,000.00 PLN and not more than 90,000.00 PLN, lasting no longer than 6 months, and starting from the date of the decision to grant funding.
  3. Co-financing in the competition may be spent on the employment of a researcher from Ukraine (full cost of employment in the amount of up to 60,000.00 PLN) and on covering the costs related to scientific research and remuneration for the project manager (up to 30,000.00 PLN).

§ 4

The announcement of the competition and its schedule are posted on the IDUB website at https://inicjatywadoskonalosci.uw.edu.pl/en/

§ 5

In matters not covered by these Rules, the provisions of Ordinance No. 115 by the Rector of the University of Warsaw from 1 June 2020 on the implementation of the “Excellence Initiative – Research University” programme at the University of Warsaw (UW Monitor 2020, item 246 as amended).

Section 2
PROCEDURE

§ 6

  1. An applicant may only be an employee of the University of Warsaw who meets the following conditions:
    1. holds a doctoral degree;
    2. is among the N-number of employees;
    3. has submitted an application that complies with these Rules.
  2. Applicants cannot be persons acting as Managers/Coordinators of Actions within the “Excellence Initiative – Research University” Programme, nor can they be selection committee members.

§ 7

  1. An applicant in a given edition of the competition may submit only one application to the competition.
  2. The application may not refer, in whole or in part, to projects financed from other sources, including other Actions in the “Excellence Initiative – Research University” (IDUB) Programme. Using its own resources, an organisational unit may co-finance a project which is being implemented. These funds may come, in particular, from the budgets of UW units or projects from external funding, as long as it is not contradictory to the rules for those projects.
  3. The application may be withdrawn by the Applicant until the competition results are announced on the website https://inicjatywadoskonalosci.uw.edu.pl/en/ in the form of a list of people who have been awarded co-financing.

§ 8

  1. The application form is given in Annex 1 to the Rules.
  2. The application must be completed in Polish or in English.

§ 9

  1. The application contains a cost estimate constituting Annex 2 to the Rules.
  2. The eligible costs under the competition are specified in Annex 3 to the Rules.
  3. All transfers of funds between cost estimate categories must first be approved by the Programme Manager. Changes among cost types within a cost category do not require the consent of the Programme Manager. Changes should only be made in justified and necessary cases and must not have a negative impact on the achievement of the project objectives.
  4. Any costs incurred in the project must be incurred in accordance with applicable laws, as well as the internal regulations of the University of Warsaw.

§ 10

The application must be submitted within the time limit specified in the competition announcement. Applications submitted before or after the specified dates will not be considered.

§ 11

  1. The application should be submitted in electronic form to konkursy.idub@uw.edu.pl
  2. The application must obtain the consent of the head of the organisational unit in which the project is to be implemented, by filling in the appropriate field in the application.
  3. Incomplete applications are returned for supplementation, which should be completed no later than 7 days after the date of sending the request. A request for supplementary information will be sent to the applicant’s email address with a notice that if the formal issues are not remedied within the prescribed period, the application will not be considered for evaluation.
  4. After the end of the call, the applications are verified in terms of their compliance with the competition rules. Applications that do not comply with the rules of the competition are returned for correction, which should be completed no later than 5 days after the date of sending the request. The request to correct the application shall be sent to the applicant’s e-mail address as indicated in the application, with the notice that if the corrections are not completed within the prescribed period, the application will not be considered for evaluation.

§ 12

  1. The evaluation of the applications is carried out by a Selection Committee.
  2. The composition and rules of conduct of the committee are specified in Annex 4.

§ 13

The rules and assessment criteria are set out in Annex 5.

Section 3
THE DECISION BY THE PROGRAMME MANAGER

§ 14

  1. The decision to grant co-funding is made by the Programme Manager, on the basis of the ranking list.
  2. The list of people who have been awarded the funding referred to in para. 1, is published on the website https://inicjatywadoskonalosci.uw.edu.pl/en/
  3. The co-financing for a project may not exceed the amount requested.
  4. Information about the decision referred to in para. 1 shall be delivered to the applicant via the email address provided in the application. If a project has received co-financing, the decision is also delivered to the head of the organisational unit of the University of Warsaw in which the project will be implemented.
  5. In the event of a breach of the provisions in these Rules, the applicant is entitled to submit a request for re-evaluation of the case to the Programme Manager within 7 days of the date of delivery of the decision. The only basis for such a request is a breach of the competition procedures. The request is to be resolved by the Programme Manager within 30 days of the date of receipt. The Programme Manager’s decision is final.

Section 4
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION

§ 15

  1. The applicant is obliged to spend the funds in accordance with the cost estimate contained in the application and in accordance with the principle of economy, i.e., in a purposeful and economical manner, which also leads to obtaining optimal results from the given expenditures, in compliance with the regulations and financial procedures in force at the University of Warsaw.
  2. The Applicant and the Unit at UW in which the project is to be implemented using funds from the grant are obliged to employ a researcher from Ukraine who:
    1. has at least a doctoral degree or equivalent qualifications (Ukrainian Candidate of Science);
    2. conducts research activities and has research interests related to the subject of the project proposal. Verification of the above criterion should be carried out by the Selection Committee on the basis of the CV submitted by the researcher;
    3. was employed immediately before the outbreak of the war and was conducting research at an institution in Ukraine and arrived in Poland as a result of military activities, on or after 24 February 2022.
  3. It will be possible to employ a researcher from Ukraine for a maximum of 6 months.
  4. The maximum amount of funding in the project costs for an employee may not exceed 60,000.00 PLN.

§ 16

  1. The applicant shall submit a substantive and financial report to the Programme Manager concerning the implementation of the project within 30 days of its completion date.
  2. Settlement includes a substantive report signed by the applicant and the head of the organisational unit where the project was carried out, and a summary of expenditures from the implementation process (by category, and in a budgeted-disbursed format), signed by the Bursar’s Representative at the organisational unit of UW.
  3. The substantive and financial settlement should be sent in electronic form to konkursy.idub@uw.edu.pl

Section 5
PERSONAL DATA

§ 17

Personal data provided for the competition procedure are processed and stored for the purposes of this procedure, in accordance with applicable regulations, and are protected.

Section 6
FINAL PROVISIONS

§ 18

These Rules come into force on the day of their announcement.

Ineligible costs

  • costs of ensuring infrastructure, its creation, adjustment, or maintenance;
  • double-funded expenditures;
  • expenditures not covered by an approved grant application;
  • expenditures incurred prior to the date of the funding award decision.

Eligible costs

Costs may be considered eligible if all of the following conditions are met:

  • it was actually incurred during the period when the project was taking place;
  • it complies with applicable laws;
  • it results in project implementation and the achievement of the project objectives,
  • it has been included in the budget;
  • it is necessary and was incurred in relation to the implementation of the project;
  • it was made in a transparent, rational, and effective manner, in accordance with principles for obtaining the best results from the given input;
  • it has been duly documented;
  • it was incurred in accordance with the provisions of Public Procurement Law;
  • it was incurred in accordance with Art. 44 section 3 of the Public Finance Act;
  • it is not an ineligible cost.

Eligible costs are those consistent with applicable accounting principles, the principles of sound financial management, and applied practices (accounting policy).

1. Category: Remuneration

Full-time salaries

Resources for the full-time employment of a researcher from Ukraine, of an amount not exceeding 10,000.00 PLN “gross – gross” per month. The maximum amount of the cost may not exceed 60,000.00 PLN.

Supplementary remuneration

Remuneration for the Project Manager in the amount not exceeding 1,000.00 PLN per month.

2. Category: Research funds

Materials

Costs of purchasing materials and non-fixed assets intended for direct use in the implementation during the project, e.g.,

  • intermediates, reagents, raw materials, small laboratory equipment,
  • office / stationery supplies,
  • work necessary for the implementation of the project ordered from external entities, including those ordered under a civil law contract.

External services

Costs related to services purchased from external entities, including

  • a justified field or laboratory study by an external company, the purchase of data, etc.);
  • promotion of research results;
  • costs of purchasing research services (laboratory analyses, statistical studies, surveys, etc.);
  • costs of purchasing other specialised services necessary for the proper implementation of the project (costs of transcription and translation, language proofreading, editorial, graphic design, and consulting services, etc.);
  • costs of postal, courier, or transport services directly related to the implementation of a specific research task.
  • other services necessary for the implementation of the project ordered from external entities, including those ordered under a civil law contract.

Other costs

  • costs of purchasing or accessing data / databases,
  • specialised publications / scientific and professional aids,
  • costs related to the publication of research results
  • internal services (these are eligible as long as they relate to settlements between UW units, as a reimbursement of actual costs incurred. In case of purchasing a comprehensive service from another UW unit, it is necessary to provide a calculation of the expenditures which comprise the cost of such a service).
  1. Members of the Selection Committee and experts are obliged to act professionally, reliably, thoroughly, and impartially.
  2. The Committee is appointed by the Programme Manager.
  3. The Committee is composed of at least 5 people.
  4. The composition of the Selection Committee is transparent and publicly available on the website https://inicjatywadoskonalosci.uw.edu.pl/en/.
  5. The Chairperson of the Selection Committee may exclude a member of said Committee during the evaluation of a given application, in the event of reasonable doubts concerning his or her impartiality and objectivity, and particularly if:
    1. the committee member is a spouse, relative, or in-law to the second degree of the applicant;
    2. the committee member is related through adoption, custody, or guardianship to the applicant;
    3. the committee member has an existing legal or factual relationship with an applicant which may give rise to justifiable doubts as to the committee member’s impartiality, including when the applicant is the supervisor or subordinate of a member of the Selection Committee, or they are in another form of employment relationship.
  6. A member of the Committee is exempted by law from the assessment of the application when that individual is the direct superior or subordinate of the applicant or is in a direct relationship with the applicant within an organisational unit, including an internal organisational unit, at the University or another unit or structure referred to in § 13 para. 4 of the Statute of the University of Warsaw.
  7. A committee member will inform the Selection Committee of any special circumstances which may impinge on his or her objectivity, before beginning the evaluation process of the applications.
  8. A Selection Committee member who has been excluded from the evaluation process of a given applicant will not take part in scoring that person’s application and will leave the room during the deliberations of the Committee. The exclusion of a committee member during the scoring of a particular application will be noted in the minutes from the meeting, along with a statement of the reason for that committee member’s exclusion.
  9. The Programme Manager is responsible for making the decision to exclude the Chairperson of the Selection Committee. The provisions of points 6-8 shall apply accordingly.
  10. The Chairperson of the Selection Committee directs the work of the Committee and convenes its meetings. The Selection Committee meets in the presence of at least 50% of the committee members.
  11. In justified cases, the Selection Committee may deliberate using means of electronic communication. It is allowed for members of the Selection Committee to take part in committee meetings using electronic means of communication.
  12. Minutes of the Selection Committee meetings are prepared. The minutes of the meeting are approved by the Chairperson of the Selection Committee after the members of the Committee have familiarised themselves with them. The Chairperson of the Selection Committee shall submit the minutes to the Research Service Office of the University of Warsaw no later than 14 days after the date of the announcement of the competition results.

Annex 5

  1. Each application is assessed on two criteria constituting Annex 5a.
  2. The number of points awarded to the application for a given criterion is the arithmetic mean of the points awarded for this criterion by individual members of the Committee.
  3. The application is scored by the sum of points awarded to the application for each criterion. The score of an application is recorded in the minutes of the Selection Committee meeting.
  4. In the event of an equal number of points between applications, the Selection Committee decides on the order for granting funds.
  5. On the basis of the evaluation of the applications, the Selection Committee draws up a ranked list, including the threshold of points for qualifying a research project for funding, which is not lower than 50% of the total points possible.
  6. In the event of an applicant’s resignation, submitted within 14 days from the date of announcement of the list of persons who were awarded co-financing, the Programme Manager may decide to co-finance the project which is next on the ranking list after the last project which was qualified for co-financing.
  7. Until the date of publication of the list of applications which have been awarded co-financing, the Programme Manager reserves the right to cancel the competition without stating the reason, in justified cases. Information about the cancellation of the competition will be posted on the IDUB website.

Annex 5a. Evaluation criteria for applications

Substantive evaluation
Criterion Score
A Research Project Assessment (60%)
A.1 Scientific level of the research project (40%)
the scientific level and the relevance, originality, and novelty of the planned research or research tasks
5 Excellent
A world-class research project: it addresses a research issue of very high importance, which receives wide interest in the field and is characterized by an exceptionally novel and innovative approach, no weaknesses noted.
4 Very good
A high-level research project: it addresses a research issue of great importance and which is of interest in the field, and none of the essential elements of the project require improvement. May have minor flaws.
3 Good
A research project at a good level: it addresses an important research issue, but some elements of the project require improvement.
2 Average
A moderate level research project: it addresses a research issue of moderate importance or some important elements of the project need improvement.
1 Weak
A weak-level research project: it addresses a research issue of little importance or requires substantial modification or correction.
0 Very weak
A very low-level research project: it addresses a research issue of little or no importance; it contains structural defects.
A.2 A3. The likelihood of implementing the research project (20%)
the likelihood of carrying out the research as planned, including the choice of methodology in relation to the assumed project objectives, the qualifications of the project manager, the composition of the research team, the research infrastructure and equipment, international cooperation (if applicable), and other factors affecting the feasibility of the project
2 High
The project implementation plan is very good, the methodology has been selected in accordance with the assumed project objectives, the qualifications of the research team and the allocation of research tasks have been planned properly, the available infrastructure and research equipment are appropriate to the planned research.
1 Moderate
The project plan is good but includes certain gaps or shortcomings, or requires improvement in terms of its methodology, the qualifications of the research team, the assignment of research tasks, or available research infrastructure and apparatus.
0 Low
The project cannot be implemented in its present form or the feasibility of the project cannot be
assessed due to missing or incomplete information.
B The qualifications and achievements of the Project Manager (40%)
the project manager’s scientific achievements over the past 10 years;
the assessment should consider the stage of the individual’s scientific career, career breaks, and various types of results assessed in an international context, in particular:
1. significant contributions to the field(s) or discipline(s),
2. up to 3 of the most important publications from among the achievements mentioned in the application,
3. scientific awards, artistic awards or membership in recognised international organisations,
4. international recognisability
5. other scientific activity
5 Excellent
The scientific output and research achievements are excellent, are internationally recognised and highly appreciated for their quality and contribution to science, publishing output and other research activities.
4 Very good
The scientific achievements and research achievements are very good and are recognised internationally for their quality and contribution to science, publication output and other scientific activity.
3 Good
The scientific output and research achievements are good, but have limited international recognition due to the quality and contribution to science, publications and other scientific activity.
2 Average
Scientific output and research achievements are average with limited recognition in the field due to the quality and contribution to science, publication achievements and other scientific activity.
1 Weak
The scientific output and research achievements are below average and are not recognised in the field due to the quality and contribution to science, publication achievements and other scientific activity.
0 Very weak
The project manager has very few or no scientific achievements.
  • mgr Marcin Sadowski, Research Services Office – chairperson
  • prof. dr hab. Jolanta Itrich-Drabarek, Faculty of Political Science and International Studies
  • prof. dr hab. Ewa Krogulec, Faculty of Geology
  • dr Marek Lewicki, Faculty of Physics
  • dr hab. Iwona Pugacewicz prof. ucz., Faculty of Journalism, Information and Book Studies
  • prof. dr hab. Anna Wiłkomirska, Faculty of Education
  • dr Mikołaj Winiewski, Faculty of Psychology
  • dr hab. Sławomir Żółtek prof. ucz, Faculty of Law and Administration

By the decision of the Programme Manager, the following applications received funding:

  • Title of the project: Proteomika fluorobiałek: kompleksowe badania efektów stosowania leków stabilizowanych fluorem
    Applicant: prof. dr hab. Bulska Ewa, Biological and Chemical Research Centre
    Allocated funds: 80 000,00 PLN
  • Title of the project: Mineralogia i geochemia minerałów akcesorycznych mioceńskich piasków kwarcowych z okolicu Szkła (zachodnia Ukraina)
    Applicant: prof. dr hab. Szamałek Krzysztof, Faculty of Geology
    Allocated funds: 89 600,00 PLN
  • Title of the project: Elektrony i topologia w wielu i nieskończenie wielu wymiarach
    Applicant: prof. dr hab. Byczuk Krzysztof, Faculty of Physics
    Allocated funds: 67 032,83 PLN
  • Title of the project: Odporność Obszaru Metropolialnego Warszawy na fale migracji
    Applicant: dr hab. Dziemianowicz Wojciech, Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies
    Allocated funds: 90 000,00 PLN
  • Title of the project: Płynność sytuacji rodzinnej uchodźczyń wojennych z Ukrainy
    Applicant: prof. zw. dr hab. Kurczewski Jacek, Faculty of Applied Social Sciences and Resocialisation
    Allocated funds: 89 032,50 PLN
  • Title of the project: Przestrzenne aspekty strategii relokacji przedsiębiorstw high-tech w obliczu wojny. Perspektywa ukraińsko-polska
    Applicant: dr hab. Olechnicka Agnieszka, Institute of the Americas and Europe, Centre for European Regional and Local Studies (EUROREG)
    Allocated funds: 71 643,63 PLN
  • Title of the project: Rozwój językowy dzieci ukraińskojęzycznych w kontekście migracji, migracji przymusowej i wojny
    Applicant: prof. dr hab. Haman Ewa, Faculty of Psychology
    Allocated funds: 90 000,00 PLN
  • Title of the project: Nauka ponad granicami: naukowcy ukraińscy w obliczu rosyjskiej agresji
    Applicant: dr Jaroszewicz Maria, Centre of Migration Research
    Allocated funds: 88 830,00 PLN
  • Title of the project: Specjacja As w frakcji rozpuszczonej w wodach odpadowych
    Applicant: dr hab. Beata Katarzyna Krasnodębska-Ostręga, Faculty of Chemistry
    Allocated funds: 30 000,00 PLN
  • Title of the project: Stworzenie w pełni cyfrowego stanowiska do pomiarów PALS
    Applicant: dr inż. Grzegorz Jaworski, Heavy lon Laboratory
    Allocated funds: 74 789,00 PLN