The second 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 104/2024.

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.

The application in the paper form with signatures of the supervisor, project supervisor and head of the department/institute should be submitted by 20.01.2025 2 PM in the office of the Doctoral School (room 313, building A-1). A scan of the application (pdf) and a version without signatures (pdf) should be sent to the following email address: minigranty@pwr.edu.pl.

Who can apply?

A doctoral student of our Doctoral School of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th year (excluding implementation doctoral students) may apply for a grant 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.

Maximum funding

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

Application form

The application should be prepared using the following template.

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 20.01.2025 2 PM in the office of the Doctoral School (room 313, building A-1). A scan of the application (pdf) and a version without signatures (pdf) should be sent to the following email address: minigranty@pwr.edu.pl.

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 persons employed at the Wrocław University of Science and Technology and holding a habilitated doctor's degree or the title of professor. From among these persons, the Chairman of the Council of the Scientific Discipline or a person authorized by him appoints the chairman of the committee;
• 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 indicated by the Doctoral Council.

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  Dean of the Doctoral School. The decisions of the Committee are final and cannot be appealed against.

Among the applications not qualified for funding that obtained the highest score, a reserve ranking list is created, containing a maximum of one application from each scientific discipline. The Dean of the Doctoral School, based on the reports from individual scientific disciplines, determines the sum of funds not awarded in scientific disciplines and awards funds to applications on the reserve ranking list in the order of the number of points obtained. In the event of a tie, the order on the ranking list is determined by the points obtained in the partial evaluation criteria checked in accordance with the order of the criteria.

The competition results will be made available on the Doctoral School website by 13.02.2025.

What is reviewed in the evaluation of proposals?

The following criteria are taken into account when assessing applications:

• Assessment of the impact of the proposed activities on the implementation of the doctoral thesis: 0-30 points.
• Assessment of the project's merits: 0-30 points.
• Assessment of the budget planning validity: 0-15 points.
• Project feasibility: 0-10 points.
• The applicant is not a contractor/scholarship holder in another project at the time of submitting the application: 10 points.
• The international nature of the project: 5 points.

The international nature of the project is understood as research conducted in cooperation with a foreign scientific or research center, directly related to the subject of the doctoral dissertation of the doctoral student. Applications for travel funding and international cooperation must be confirmed in writing or by e-mail by the research or academic institution indicated in the application. Confirmation must be attached to the application. Participation in an international conference does not meet the criterion of the international nature of the project.

A doctoral student 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 13.02.2025.

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 2025 is: 1 100 000 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: 70 000 PLN.
2. Automation, electronic, electrical engineering and space technologies: 130 000 PLN.
3. Information and communication technology: 130 000 PLN.
4. Biomedical engineering: 40 000 PLN.
5. Chemical engineering: 80 000 PLN.
6. Civil engineering, geodesy and transport: 50 000 PLN.
7. Materials engineering: 20 000 PLN.
8. Mechanical engineering: 120 000 PLN.
9. Environmental engineering, mining and energy: 120 000 PLN.
10. Mathematics: 60 000 PLN.
11. Chemical sciences: 160 000 PLN.
12. Physical sciences: 90 000 PLN.
13. Management and quality studies: 30 000 PLN.

What is the project duration?

Funding may be requested under the call for projects lasting:

• From 1.03.2025 to 15.12.2025 for the 2nd and 3rd year doctoral students .
• From 1.03.2025 to 15.08.2025 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:

• 15.12.2025 for the 2nd and 3rd year doctoral students ;
• 15.08.2025 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. 5 to ZW 104/2024 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 15.01.2026 for the 2nd and 3rd year doctoral students;
• until 15.09.2025 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. 5 to ZW 104/2024.