The first edition of the competition for minigrants for doctoral students of the Wrocław University of Science and Technology Doctoral School has been launched according to the rules set out in ZW 15/2024.

The purpose of the grants is to support the scientific activity of doctoral students related to the subject of their doctoral dissertation in the categories listed below:

• purchase of equipment, devices, materials or reagents necessary to conduct research, purchase of services related to research;
• covering the costs of a short-term research trip;
• participation in scientific conferences;
• participation in workshops and training.

Who can apply?

A doctoral student of our Doctoral School of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th year (excluding implementation doctoral students) who, during the last calendar year, until the moment of submitting the application, was not the project manager or research task manager in a research project and whose education at the Doctoral School, specified in Individual Research Plan, does not end during the implementation of the grant. A doctoral student may submit only one application in a given competition.

Maximum funding

A doctoral student may apply for grant funding of up to PLN 20,000.

Application form

The application should be prepared in the form of the following documents

• project description;
• budget planning.

Who can be the project supervisor?

The role of the project supervisor, and thus the administrator of the project (grant) budget, may be performed by the supervisor or assistant supervisor of the doctoral student or, in justified cases, by another person with at least a doctoral degree employed at the Wrocław University of Science and Technology.

When and where should the application be submitted?

The application in the paper form with signatures of the supervisor, project supervisor and head of the department/institute should be submitted by March 27, 2024. 2 PM in the office of the Doctoral School (room 313, building A-1).

What is the proposal evaluation procedure?

The competition is conducted by Committees consisting of people representing the scientific discipline in which the doctoral student is educated. The composition of the Committee is determined by the Chairman of the Scientific Discipline Council or a person authorized by him, in consultation with the Doctoral Students Council. Members of the Committee employed at the Wrocław University of Science and Technology represent a scientific discipline in accordance with the declaration authorizing the university to include in the N number employees conducting research activities in a scientific discipline.

The Committee consists of:

• two people employed at the Wrocław University of Science and Technology and holding a habilitated doctor's degree or the title of professor;
• one person employed at the Wrocław University of Science and Technology and holding a doctoral degree;
• one person studying at the Doctoral School of the Wrocław University of Science and Technology in the scientific discipline in which the doctoral student is educated.

The committee cannot include: the supervisor, assistant supervisor, project supervisor and the applicant.

The committees prepare a ranking list for applications in a given discipline and then submit it to the Rector, the Dean of the Doctoral School and the Doctoral Students Council. The decisions of the Committee are final and cannot be appealed against.

What is reviewed in the evaluation of proposals?

The following three criteria are taken into account when assessing applications:

• Substantive assessment of the application by the Committee members: 0-70 points.
• The applicant is not a contractor/scholarship holder in another project at the time of submitting the application: 20 points.
• The international nature of the project: 10 points.

The international nature of the project is understood as research conducted in cooperation with a foreign research center, directly related to the topic of the doctoral student's doctoral dissertation. Participation in an international conference does not meet the criterion of the international nature of the project.

You can get a maximum of 100 points. To obtain approval for project financing, the application must obtain at least 50 points.

In addition, each application must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• The project is related to the topic of the doctoral dissertation.
• The applicant have not obtained funding in previous editions of the competition.

When and how are the call results announced?

The competition results will be made available on the Doctoral School website by April 15, 2024.

What is the competition budget and the amounts allocated to individual disciplines?

By decision of the Rector of Wrocław University of Science and Technology, the budget for 2024 is: 1 020 000 PLN.

An amount is allocated to finance grants for doctoral students studying in a given scientific discipline in proportion to the number of doctoral students studying in this scientific discipline in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th year of the Doctoral School (excluding implementation doctoral students) in relation to the total number of doctoral students in the 2nd, 3rd and 3rd years. and 4th year of the Doctoral School (excluding implementation doctoral students):

1. Architecture and urban planning: 60 000 PLN.
2. Automation, electronic, electrical engineering and space technologies: 120 000 PLN.
3. Information and communication technology: 120 000 PLN.
4. Biomedical engineering: 20 000 PLN.
5. Chemical engineering: 80 000 PLN.
6. Civil engineering, geodesy and transport: 60 000 PLN.
7. Mechanical engineering: 120 000 PLN.
8. Environmental engineering, mining and energy: 120 000 PLN.
9. Mathematics:  60 000 PLN.
10. Chemical sciences:  140 000 PLN.
11. Physical sciences: 100 000 PLN.
12. Management and quality studies: 20 000 PLN.

What is the project duration?

Funding may be requested under the call for projects lasting:

• From April 16, 2024 to November 15, 2024 for the 2nd and 3rd year doctoral students .
• From April 16, 2024 to August 15, 2024 for the 4th year doctoral students.
  

How many times can you get a grant?

A doctoral student may receive only one grant during the period of education at the Doctoral School.

What does the grant implementation and settlement look like?

If a grant is obtained, the doctoral student becomes its content manager, and the project supervisor becomes the project manager, i.e. the budget administrator.

Financing of the project ends:

• on November 15, 2024 for the 2nd and 3rd year doctoral students ;
• on August 15, 2024 for the 4th year doctoral students .

In order to settle the grant, it is required to submit a report on the implementation of the grant in accordance with Attachment No. 4 to ZW 15/2024 and to meet at least one of the following requirements:

• submission of a grant application enabling obtaining an external grant under the competition (ERC, ESA, NCN, NCBiR, NAWA, FNP, ministry);
• at least one scientific publication published or accepted for publication in a journal listed in the List of scientific journals and reviewed materials from international conferences (ministerial list);
• oral presentation at a national scientific conference;
• oral presentation at an international conference;
• poster presentation at an international conference.

The grant settlement date must be:

• until December 16, 2024 for the 2nd and 3rd year doctoral students;
• until September 13, 2024 for the 4th year doctoral students.

The grant settlement date specified cannot be later than the date of completion of education at the Doctoral School.

The doctoral student undertakes to include in the scientific publication/presentation/poster information (acknowledgment) about the origin of the funds used to conduct the research/attend conferences with the following statements:

• "Praca została dofinansowana z projektu Minigrantów dla doktorantów Politechniki Wrocławskiej."
• "The work was supported by the project Minigrants for doctoral students of the Wroclaw University of Science and Technology."

The project ends with the submission of a report by the doctoral student to the office of the Doctoral School in accordance with Attachment No. 4 to ZW 15/2024.