CESS grant competition
Call for competition
- Name: Competition for research projects in the Centre of Excellence in the Social Sciences (Action I.3.3)
- Objective: Support for research projects thematically related to Priority Research Area V
- Thematic area of the projects: https://inicjatywadoskonalosci.uw.edu.pl/en/actions/areas/pob5/
- Applicant: a person employed at the University of Warsaw as a research or research and teaching employee counted as N or a team of employees represented by such a person
- Competition announcement date: 18.08.2023
- Starting date of the call for applications: 21.08.2023
- End date of the call for applications: 03.10.2023
- Announcement of the results: no later than 30.11.2023 (this deadline may be extended in the event of a large number of applications)
- Competition budget: 400,000 PLN
- Project budget: 10,000 – 80 000 PLN
- Form of submitting applications: only in electronic form, to the address cess@uw.edu.pl
Grant competition rules
Remuneration
Ordinance No. 72 of the Rector of the University of Warsaw from 21 April 2021 gives the rates for supplementary remuneration for contractors, auxiliary contractors, main contractors, and activity managers. How should positions in the IDUB programme be assigned to a role within the project?
The indicated terms are defined by the provisions of §1 of Ordinance No. 115 of the Rector of the University of Warsaw of 1 June 2020 on the implementation of the “Excellence Initiative – Research University” programme at the University of Warsaw.
The manager of a project funded under the competition shall act as the Main Contractor within the meaning of Ordinance No. 115 if he/she is paid for more than 6 months or as an Associate Contractor if he/she is paid for up to 6 months. Members of the research team and the people with administrative functions in the project have a contractor role, in the meaning of the above-mentioned Ordinance.
Ordinance No. 72 of the Rector of the University of Warsaw from 21 April 2021 only provides the rates for supplementary remuneration. How should the rates be calculated for new employees of the University of Warsaw who are involved in work with the research team?
Ordinance No. 72 does not regulate remuneration rates for new employees of the University of Warsaw. When preparing the project cost estimate, the primary focus should be on the scope of entrusted duties and the principle of rationality and efficiency of expenditure.
In addition, in accordance with employment rights, every person employed under an employment contract has the right to receive the minimum wage, which is negotiated annually by the Social Dialogue Council. Starting from 1 July 2023, the lowest national (i.e., the minimum wage on an employment contract) is 3,600 PLN.
The base rates for remuneration must be approved by the Programme Manager.
Ordinance No. 72 of the Rector of the University of Warsaw from 21 April 2021 indicates the maximum amounts of supplementary remuneration. What principles should be followed when estimating the actual remuneration in the project?
When preparing the project cost estimate, the primary focus should be on the scope of entrusted duties and the principle of rationality and efficiency of expenditure.
When estimating the actual salaries of the project, the employer’s surcharges and the additional annual salary (if applicable) should be taken into account.
Is it possible to reimburse part of the remuneration of an employee employed in the unit as part of the competition, i.e., not to pay supplementary remuneration, but only to reduce the burden on the organisational unit?
A possible solution to apply is to delegate an employee to the implementation of the project, then part of the remuneration will be covered by IDUB funds. Reimbursement of wages is not allowed.
Can doctoral candidates and students who are members of research teams receive remuneration for that?
Doctoral students and students may receive remuneration on the basis of a civil law contract (commission contract, contract for specific work) concluded in accordance with Ordinance No. 82 of the Rector of the University of Warsaw of 1 August 2019 on civil law contracts and on the terms applicable to the unit in which the project is carried out. Another solution is to conclude an employment contract. Only a full-time employee of the University of Warsaw may receive supplementary remuneration.
What is the minimum in full-time employment?
There is no such limitation.
Can salary costs constitute 100% of the project costs?
Yes, as long as it is substantively justified. The rules of the competition do not include any restrictions in this regard.
Eligible costs
Appendix No. 2 to the Competition Rules (Catalog of Eligible and Ineligible Costs) specifies that a cost can be considered eligible if it was actually incurred during the project period. Will such elements of remuneration that are paid after the end of the contract (thirteenth month, supplementary salaries) be acceptable if the payment date is after the end of the project?
The phrase “cost that was actually incurred during the project” includes all costs arising from contracts entered into for the duration of the project and covering work performed for the project, even if the actual payment of remuneration (whether from thirteenth month pay, supplementary pay, or other additional components of remuneration) is made after the end of the project. The same applies to invoices for services rendered during the project, even if the document is actually paid after the project is completed. These types of costs are therefore allowable in the project.
Is it possible to plan remuneration for interviewers and study participants in the competition? If so, in which cost estimate category should they be included?
The principles of remuneration of persons participating in research projects are regulated by the Bursar’s Notice No. 5/2023 of 1 August 2023 on the introduction of the remuneration settlement procedure for persons participating in research projects.
What does the term “small equipment” mean?
“Small equipment” should be understood as small laboratory equipment and other devices, if they are not included in tangible assets, in accordance with accounting rules (policy) (Ordinance No. 94 of the Rector of the University of Warsaw from 9 September 2019, on the Principles for the recognition of assets as fixed assets, intangible assets and legal assets, and the methods of their amortisation and inventory.).
In case of doubts as to how a given purchase will be qualified, please consult the persons responsible for the records of fixed assets in the unit where the project is to be implemented.
Do the costs of publishing research results include the costs of translation, proofreading, and open access?
The costs of publishing research results include all costs related to the publication of research, which are necessary for the achievement of project objectives.
Will renting an office in a University of Warsaw facility for the duration of the project be considered an eligible cost?
The costs of internal services are eligible in the competition, but they are allowed only when they relate to settlements between UW units as a reimbursement of actual incurred costs. 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. The cost eligibility assessment should be made on the basis of Annex 3 to the competition rules, and in particular fulfil its premise: a cost is admissible, provided that “it is necessary and was incurred in relation to the implementation of the project”.
Application form
Can the application be signed using both traditional and electronic signatures?
It is permissible to send the application:
1) in the form of a PDF file, as scans of documents signed in a traditional way; such a file may be supplemented with electronic signatures, if not all of the signatures have been submitted in the traditional form;
2) as a PDF file with electronic signatures.
It is not permissible to scan printed documents which were previously bearing an electronic signature.
The provisions of art. 4 para. 2 of Ordinance No. 279 of the Rector of the University of Warsaw from 10.12.2020, provided that the confirmation submitted by university email (referred to in the above Ordinance) clearly defines the subject of the confirmation.
What form of consent must be given by the head of the organisational unit referred to in Paragraph 9 point 2 of the Rules?
The consent of the head of the organisational unit should be given in the form of a signature, in the appropriate field of the application.
It is permissible to send the application:
1) in the form of a PDF file, as scans of documents signed in a traditional way; such a file may be supplemented with electronic signatures, if not all of the signatures have been submitted in the traditional form;
2) as a PDF file with electronic signatures.
It is not permissible to scan printed documents which were previously bearing an electronic signature.
The provisions of art. 4 para. 2 of Ordinance No. 279 of the Rector of the University of Warsaw from 10.12.2020, provided that the confirmation submitted by university email (referred to in the above Ordinance) clearly defines the subject of the confirmation.
All of the members of the research team should be included in the application form. How should future members of the research team be entered, if they are going to be recruited during the implementation period of the project?
The application form does not require a description of all future members of the research team. For each member of the research team, only the first name, surname, affiliation and role in the team should be provided. The selection committee will evaluate the application on the basis of the competences of the project manager, first of all. The anticipated employment of team members during the project should be indicated in the description of planned activities. In the event that the project manager plans to recruit team members in the future, it will be enough to describe the most important qualifications of future team members and include the remuneration costs of these team members in the cost estimate for the project.
If the project implementation involves the publication of an article in a scientific journal or a monograph by a publishing house, should the application include the title of the journal or the name of the publishing house to which the text(s) will be submitted?
It is not necessary to indicate the specific titles of journals and names of publishers in which the publication of articles and monographs is planned. Identifying specific journals in which the publication of articles will be planned may have a positive impact on the assessment of the application, including whether the effect contributes to the IDUB indicators.
Should costs be indicated in the cost estimate in collectively (e.g., by adding up all of the team members’ remuneration in one row) or individually (so that the remuneration of each team member is a separate line item in the cost estimate)?
The cost estimate should be prepared in such a way that it is transparent and assessable to the selection committee. For this reason, it is suggested that larger costs be presented on a per unit basis.
Czy publikacja kierownika projektu dołączona do wniosku może być monografią przesłaną w rozszerzeniu .pdf?
Tak, preferowany format przesłania publikacji to pdf.
Can the project manager’s publication attached to the application be a monograph sent as a .pdf extension?
Yes, the preferred format for submitting the publication is pdf.
Can the confirmation of acceptance of the publication for publication, which should be attached to the list of publications, be attached in the form of an e-mail with relevant information from the university e-mail address of the editor-in-chief?
Yes, this is the correct form of confirmation of acceptance of the publication for printing.
Applicant
Can the beneficiaries of New Ideas competitions be members of research teams?
Yes, both the manager of a project funded within the New Ideas competition, as well as members of the research teams of these projects, may participate in the work of research teams.
However, project managers who have not submitted reports on projects implemented as part of New Ideas competitions cannot be applicants in the competition.
Can a researcher who is on a sabbatical leave apply to the competition?
A sabbatical leave is not an obstacle when applying to a competition, if the specific regulations of a given leave do not preclude doing so.
How is the submission of a report on projects carried out under the New Ideas competitions to be understood?
Submission means sending to POB V at noweidee.pob5@uw.edu.pl a project report for the New Ideas competition signed at least by the applicant and the head of the organizational unit.
Project implementation
Is it possible to introduce changes to the cost estimate during the project implementation, which are related to the need to modify the project (e.g., due to the situation surrounding the pandemic)?
In accordance with para. 8 section 6, the competition Rules, all transfers of funds between cost estimate categories must first be approved by the Coordinator of Action I.3.3. Changes among cost types within a cost category do not require consent. Changes should only be made in justified and necessary cases and must not have a negative impact on the achievement of the project objectives.
Other
Is it possible to apply for funding for the activities of scientific journals under the competition?
Only research projects can be co-financed in the competition.
If the application is submitted jointly by a team from several UW units, will it be possible to divide the subsidies among these several units?
Yes, it will be possible to divide the funds between these units in accordance with the cost estimate.
By the decision of the Programme Manager, the following applications received funding:
- Title of the project: Efekt “gorącego powietrza”, długoterminowa zmiana czy stabilność? Dynamika postaw, preferencji i zachowań wobec uchodźców w kontekście wojny na Ukrainie i kryzysu uchodźczego
Applicant: dr hab. Natalia Garner, Faculty of Political Science and International Studies
Allocated funds: 78 755,00 PLN - Title of the project: Konsekwencje zawodowe związane z wprowadzeniem polityki godzenia życia zawodowego i rodzinnego poprzez dyrektywę UE dotyczącą równowagi między życiem zawodowym a prywatnym
Applicant: dr hab. Anna Matysiak, Faculty of Economic Sciences
Allocated funds: 80 000,00 PLN - Title of the project: Biznes w nowym kraju: strategie migrantek oraz infrastruktura wsparcia przedsiębiorczości w Polsce i Włoszech
Applicant: mgr Ksenyia Homel-Ficenes, Faculty of Applied Social Sciences and Resocialisation
Allocated funds: 78 537,00 PLN - Title of the project: Kto ceni prywatność w sieci? Wpływ znajomości rynku, przekonań i doświadczenia użytkowania na wycenę prywatności w Internecie
Applicant: dr Wiktor Budziński, Faculty of Economic Sciences
Allocated funds: 77 700,00 PLN - Title of the project: Wpływ opowieści na postawy wobec emigracji i osobiste aspiracje migracyjne
Applicant: dr Zuzanna Brunarska, Centre of Migration Research
Allocated funds: 70 795,06 PLN - Title of the project: Żarty o Auschwitz — humor jako narzędzie do wyrażania uprzedzeń czy ochrony przed traumą
Applicant: dr Mikołaj Winiewski, Faculty of Psychology
Allocated funds: 80 000,00 PLN - Title of the project: Symulacja złożonych i przestrzennych eksperymentów wyboru: Wykorzystanie danych GIS i danych ankietowych do kompleksowej wyceny kapitału naturalnego w Polsce
Applicant: mgr Katarzyna Zagórska, Faculty of Economic Sciences
Allocated funds: 80 000,00 PLN - Title of the project: Klasy społeczne i podziały polityczne w Polsce – ujęcie relacyjne
Applicant: dr Tomasz Warczok, Faculty of Applied Social Sciences and Resocialisation
Allocated funds: 75 387,00 PLN