The National Science Centre (NCN) has launched the MAESTRO 18 call for research projects led by well-established and outstanding researchers. The call supports pioneering basic research, including interdisciplinary research, that goes beyond the current state of knowledge and may lead to major scientific discoveries. The total call budget is PLN 30 million. Projects may be planned for 36, 48 or 60 months and can cover all research disciplines represented by the NCN panels. The Principal Investigator must hold at least a PhD degree and have an outstanding scientific track record, including significant publications and experience in managing competitively funded national or international research projects. The research team may include postdoctoral researchers, PhD students and other researchers. The involvement of post-doc(s) and/or PhD student(s) for a total period of at least 72 months is mandatory.
This edition introduces several important changes:
- an obligation to disclose retracted publications of researchers whose scientific track record is presented in the proposal;
- updated eligibility rules for post-doc positions – researchers who obtained their PhD within 12 years before 1 January of the year of employment may apply (with possible extensions for documented career breaks);
- new NCN review panels;
- an updated Open Access Policy.
Deadline
Proposals must be submitted electronically via the OSF submission system. Application deadline: 15 September 2026, 14:00 CEST. The evaluation is conducted in two stages and includes an interview with the Principal Investigator at Stage II.
