University of Silesia in Katowice

Scholarship of the Minister of Science and Higher Education for outstanding young scientists

Starting from the academic year 2019/2020, there is no separate Scholarship of the Minister for outstanding achievements for PhD students. Instead, PhD students can apply for the Scholarship of the Minister of Science and Higher Education for outstanding young scientists. This implies that PhD students will already be competing with academic teachers without a PhD degree and scientists who obtained their PhD degree no later than 7 years ago and are employed by the company indicated in Article 7(1) of the aforementioned Act on Higher Education and Science, i.e., among others, in university.

A lot is required from candidates for this scholarship; however, the scholarship can be awarded for 3 years, and the monthly payment may be close to PLN 5390. Applications for the scholarships are submitted in May each year, and in 2019, exceptionally, there is still a further deadline for it – from 1 to 31 December.

In the first competition settled in September 2019, 181 scholarships of  PLN 5390 each were awarded for three years. 13 scholarships were awarded to PhD students (information on the website of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education). The competition takes into account achievements from the four years preceding the year of application. Achievements taken into account:

1. an author’s or co-author’s scientific monograph or a chapter in a scientific monograph published by a publishing house included in the list of publishing houses in accordance with the regulations issued on the basis of Article 267, section 2, item 2 of the Act;
2. an author’s or co-author’s research paper published in a scientific journal or in reviewed publications from international conferences, included in the list of these journals and materials in accordance with the regulations issued on the basis of Article 267, section 2, item 2 of the Act*;
3. managing an innovative research project funded in a national or international competition;
4. practical application of scientific research results or development, including a foreign patent application, a patent granted or implementation of the results of scientific activity in another form;
5. authorship and delivering a scientific paper on innovative scientific research at a prestigious international scientific conference;
6. participation in an international research project carried out with a foreign partner;
7. A foreign internship or study visit abroad/ an internship or study visit in Poland (it applies to PhD graduates abroad);
8. Receiving a foreign scholarship;
9. Activities aimed at popularizing knowledge of national or cultural heritage in Poland and abroad – in the case of the humanities, theology or social sciences;
10. Constant cooperation with a prestigious foreign university or scientific institution in a form other than those listed in points 6-8;
11. creativity resulting in a tangible or intangible artistic work of art that is a contribution to the development of culture;
12. gaining an individual prize or a significant contribution to the success for which a team was awarded in a competition, at a prestigious and international music, theatre, film, art or architecture festival;

* In 2019, an author’s or co-author’s research paper published in a scientific journal included in the list of scientific journals published by the minister in charge of science in accordance with the regulations issued on the basis of Article 44(2) of the Act of 30 April 2010 on the principles of science financing (i.e. the existing list of scientific journals – part A, B and C) may be presented as a significant achievement.