Periodic Reporting for period 2 - PASIFIC (Polish Academy of Sciences’ Individual Fellowships: Innovation & Creativity)
Período documentado: 2022-03-01 hasta 2023-08-31
The PASIFIC Programme (Polish Academy of Sciences’ Individual Fellowships: Innovation & Creativity) offers attractive 2-year postdoctoral fellowships at one of the Polish Academy of Sciences Institutes. It is dedicated to excellent scholars worldwide representing all scientific disciplines, who have a PhD or at least 4 years of a documented equivalent research experience. The candidates must also comply with the MSCA mobility rules, meaning they must not have resided or worked in Poland for more than a year out of the three years before the call’s deadline.
The PASIFIC fellows receive a monthly allowance of €4125 gross. In addition, they are granted a research budget of up to €60,000 per project plus 20% overheads. Those who come to Poland together with their families are entitled to an additional family allowance. Since the main PASIFIC Programme’s purpose is to enable scholars to establish their scientific independence and conduct ground-breaking research, the PASIFIC candidates have the freedom to choose their research area, research supervisor, host institute as well as a secondment organization best suited for their research and career development.
The Programme recruited 47 excellent researchers from the pool of 550 candidates in two Calls announced in 2021. Fellows were selected in a merit-based evaluation process performe by international experts. Chosen candidates have come to Poland for 24 months to conduct their research at the Institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences, one of the country’s most prestigious scientific institutions. Fellows collaborate with experienced supervisors and participate in a wide variety of trainings. They also have the possibility to spend six months on secondments outside academia at institutions implementing research results.
The Programme is interdisciplinary, the research is being conducted in three areas – Physical Sciences and Engineering (21 Fellows), Life Sciences (11 Fellows), and Social Sciences and Humanities (15 Fellows). The projects cover many disciplines, including, for example, Universe Science, Materials Engineering, Computer Science and Informatics, Cultures and Cultural Production, Environmental Biology, or Ecology and Evolution.
The PASIFIC fellows receive a monthly allowance of €4125 gross. In addition, they are granted a research budget of up to €60,000 per project plus 20% overheads. Those who come to Poland together with their families are entitled to an additional family allowance. Since the main PASIFIC Programme’s purpose is to enable scholars to establish their scientific independence and conduct ground-breaking research, the PASIFIC candidates have the freedom to choose their research area, research supervisor, host institute as well as a secondment organization best suited for their research and career development.
The Programme recruited 47 excellent researchers from the pool of 550 candidates in two Calls announced in 2021. Fellows were selected in a merit-based evaluation process performe by international experts. Chosen candidates have come to Poland for 24 months to conduct their research at the Institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences, one of the country’s most prestigious scientific institutions. Fellows collaborate with experienced supervisors and participate in a wide variety of trainings. They also have the possibility to spend six months on secondments outside academia at institutions implementing research results.
The Programme is interdisciplinary, the research is being conducted in three areas – Physical Sciences and Engineering (21 Fellows), Life Sciences (11 Fellows), and Social Sciences and Humanities (15 Fellows). The projects cover many disciplines, including, for example, Universe Science, Materials Engineering, Computer Science and Informatics, Cultures and Cultural Production, Environmental Biology, or Ecology and Evolution.
The PASIFIC call 1, announced on 15 March 2022 , attracted many researchers from all around the world – we received 348 proposals from researchers of 60 nationalities. We obtained 147 proposals in Physical Sciences and Engineering panel, 109 in Social Sciences and Humanities, and 92 in Life Sciences. 27 disciplines were covered in the Call.
In Call 1,70% of all proposals were submitted by men (242) and 30% (106) by women. Interestingly, the research experience of the Applicants varied significantly – from 0.01 of a year to 34.09 years. The average experience was 5.67 years, while the median – 4.09.
Independent evaluators have chosen 35 excellent researchers who come to Poland between January and April 2022 (in exceptional cases the fellows can postpone their fellowship until 1 October 2022, upon the approval of the PAS President). The competition was fierce – there were about 10 applications per place. In order to choose the winners, the evaluators assessed the projects according to three main criteria – Excellence, Impact, and Feasibility. Each project also had to pass the ethical evaluation. In the first Call, 10 projects are be financed from the Life Sciences panel, 10 - from Social Sciences and Humanities, and 15 - from Physical Sciences and Engineering. Similar to gender distribution in the whole Call, in the ranking list, there are 69% of male (24) and 31% of female researchers.
The Fellows are of 15 nationalities and will come to Poland from 15 countries. They represent 17 different disciplines. The laureates will conduct their research in 22 different Polish Academy of Sciences Institutes.
In Call 2, open from 15 September 2022 to 30 December 2022, we received 200 applications from researchers of 50 nationalities. In sum, 73 women (more than 1/3 of all candidates) and 126 men submitted their proposals.
The proposals were submitted in 3 areas of research – 51 in Life Sciences, 71 in Social Sciences and Humanities, and 78 in Physical Sciences and Engineering.
As a result of the evaluation process, 15 PASIFIC researchers will be granted financing. The results of the PASIFIC Call 2 will be announced in mid-June 2022.
The PASIFIC fellows will be employed for 2 years at the Host Institute under an employment contract that complies with the labour law in force in Poland.
In accordance with PASIFIC call 1 Terms and Regulations the fellows start their fellowships on the first day of a calendar month, at the earliest on 1 January 2022 and at the latest on 1 April 2022. In exceptional, justified cases, the PAS President sets a different starting date of the Fellowship, no later than 1 October 2022.
5 fellows decided to start their fellowships in January and in February 2022. Smooth preparation of the Fellowship Agreements enabled them to commence their research stays in the PAS Institutes on time. By the end of February 20 Fellowship Agreements out of 35 (57%) were concluded.
In March 3 fellows started their research stays in Poland and in April 12 more fellowships have begun. Upon justified requests of fellows the PAS President agreed that 12 fellows will start their Fellowships later than on 1 April 2022.
By the end of April the PAS signed fellowship agreements with 11 more institutes. Minor delays in the agreements signing process do not have any influence on the fellowship starting dates. All fellows have started their research stays on the starting date of their choice.
Information about the starting dates of fellowships and the progress of signature of the fellowship agreements is presented in the Annex to the Report.
In Call 1,70% of all proposals were submitted by men (242) and 30% (106) by women. Interestingly, the research experience of the Applicants varied significantly – from 0.01 of a year to 34.09 years. The average experience was 5.67 years, while the median – 4.09.
Independent evaluators have chosen 35 excellent researchers who come to Poland between January and April 2022 (in exceptional cases the fellows can postpone their fellowship until 1 October 2022, upon the approval of the PAS President). The competition was fierce – there were about 10 applications per place. In order to choose the winners, the evaluators assessed the projects according to three main criteria – Excellence, Impact, and Feasibility. Each project also had to pass the ethical evaluation. In the first Call, 10 projects are be financed from the Life Sciences panel, 10 - from Social Sciences and Humanities, and 15 - from Physical Sciences and Engineering. Similar to gender distribution in the whole Call, in the ranking list, there are 69% of male (24) and 31% of female researchers.
The Fellows are of 15 nationalities and will come to Poland from 15 countries. They represent 17 different disciplines. The laureates will conduct their research in 22 different Polish Academy of Sciences Institutes.
In Call 2, open from 15 September 2022 to 30 December 2022, we received 200 applications from researchers of 50 nationalities. In sum, 73 women (more than 1/3 of all candidates) and 126 men submitted their proposals.
The proposals were submitted in 3 areas of research – 51 in Life Sciences, 71 in Social Sciences and Humanities, and 78 in Physical Sciences and Engineering.
As a result of the evaluation process, 15 PASIFIC researchers will be granted financing. The results of the PASIFIC Call 2 will be announced in mid-June 2022.
The PASIFIC fellows will be employed for 2 years at the Host Institute under an employment contract that complies with the labour law in force in Poland.
In accordance with PASIFIC call 1 Terms and Regulations the fellows start their fellowships on the first day of a calendar month, at the earliest on 1 January 2022 and at the latest on 1 April 2022. In exceptional, justified cases, the PAS President sets a different starting date of the Fellowship, no later than 1 October 2022.
5 fellows decided to start their fellowships in January and in February 2022. Smooth preparation of the Fellowship Agreements enabled them to commence their research stays in the PAS Institutes on time. By the end of February 20 Fellowship Agreements out of 35 (57%) were concluded.
In March 3 fellows started their research stays in Poland and in April 12 more fellowships have begun. Upon justified requests of fellows the PAS President agreed that 12 fellows will start their Fellowships later than on 1 April 2022.
By the end of April the PAS signed fellowship agreements with 11 more institutes. Minor delays in the agreements signing process do not have any influence on the fellowship starting dates. All fellows have started their research stays on the starting date of their choice.
Information about the starting dates of fellowships and the progress of signature of the fellowship agreements is presented in the Annex to the Report.
The PASIFIC project is expected to have a significant and widespread impact at various levels. It provides benefits to the incoming researchers as well as to the participating PAS institutes, to regions where the institutes are located and to the non-academic sector and other scientific structures with which the Academy regularly cooperates. Being open to both European and Non-European researchers, the Programme therefore contributes to enhancing and strengthening of the European Research Area.
During the Fellowship researchers increase their skills of leading an independent research project and extend their scientific networks through mobility and exposure to exchange of ideas, experience and expertise within new and innovative environment. The trainings available at the Host Institutes help the fellows develop a vast majority of competences on writing an effective research proposal, on project management skills, on commercialization of research results, on intellectual property rights and communication research results to public. Researchers are introduced into data management and sharing rules, Open Science rules and funding opportunities both in Poland and Europe.
Host Institutes strongly benefit from the Programme by recruiting fellows from all over the world what internationalizes the environment at the institutes and assumes the transfer of knowledge and international recognizability. It also adds to the reputation of PAS as an important research hub hosting excellent scientists.
During the Fellowship researchers increase their skills of leading an independent research project and extend their scientific networks through mobility and exposure to exchange of ideas, experience and expertise within new and innovative environment. The trainings available at the Host Institutes help the fellows develop a vast majority of competences on writing an effective research proposal, on project management skills, on commercialization of research results, on intellectual property rights and communication research results to public. Researchers are introduced into data management and sharing rules, Open Science rules and funding opportunities both in Poland and Europe.
Host Institutes strongly benefit from the Programme by recruiting fellows from all over the world what internationalizes the environment at the institutes and assumes the transfer of knowledge and international recognizability. It also adds to the reputation of PAS as an important research hub hosting excellent scientists.