Visibility
Funding initiatives that increase the visibility of the University
In accordance with the Development Strategy of the University of Silesia in Katowice, certain activities are carried out in order to increase the visibility and position of the University in the region, Europe and the world.
These initiatives are aimed at supporting the activities of University employees in the area of dissemination and communication of science, strengthening the visibility and image of the University and increasing the impact of scientific activities on the functioning of society and the economy. The concept of open science is in line with the assumptions of the Research Excellence Initiative, which is why various programmes financing open access publications are organised as part of it. It is also planned to co-finance research centres, which are the showcase and driving force of the University’s interdisciplinary research activities.
The aim of the call is to increase international visibility and strengthen international cooperation and influence on the external environment of research centres of the University of Silesia in Katowice. Funding may be received by research centres established in accordance with the conditions and procedure for establishing a research centre specified in Regulation No. 45 of the Rector of the University of Silesia in Katowice of 5 March 2021 on the general principles of establishing and operating research centres at the University of Silesia in Katowice.
The applicant in the call is the director of the research centre. The condition for applying for funding for scientific and research and development activities is to submit a report on the centre’s activities for the previous year and send a completed call application. The application must include a development plan for the research centre along with a detailed cost estimate of the activities. The application should include a description of the goals and effects of research and development activities, consistent with the centre’s profile and research goals, and a schedule containing the most important planned tasks. An important element of the application is a description of cooperation with foreign partners and the external environment, as well as the expected impact of the activities on increasing the visibility of the research centre in the region, Europe and the world.
Up to PLN 300,000 is allocated to finance the call, and the maximum amount of funding for one application is up to PLN 60,000. Research centres that received funding in the 1st or 2nd edition of the ‘Visibility of Research Centres’ call cannot participate in this edition. We encourage you to apply.
Contact number: 32 359 23 79.
The programme is an important element of strategic activities carried out as part of the tasks of the European City of Science Katowice 2024.
CONCERNING
research activities | research and development work
RECRUITMENT
from 11 April 2024 to 5 May 2024
BENEFICIARIES
research centres of the University of Silesia
MAXIMUM FUNDING AMOUNT
PLN 60,000
SPENDING
at least 50% of the funds allocated must be spent in 2024
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION PERIOD
18 months from the date of granting the funding
The aim of the ‘Science Communication’ programme is to support the University of Silesia employees in science communication and dissemination of information, increasing the visibility and improving the University’s image, and showing the impact of scientific activity on the functioning of the economy and society.
The programme is addressed to academics, as well as library, documentation and scientific information staff, research and technical, engineering and technical staff, and employees of the University of Silesia Press whose previous activities were characterised by direct or organisational activity in the area of science communication.
The funding covers the costs of science communication and dissemination at the University of Silesia, as well as enhancing the visibility and image of the University, such as: courses, trainings, and individual trips to equip employees with tools necessary to conduct activities promoting USil. Funding can be obtained under the programme to organise or actively participate in a science communication event, including an artistic event, festival, or fair.
The funding also covers the costs of publishing books and popular science articles, translation and editing of popular science texts, as well as the costs of creating graphic and multimedia materials. PLN 500,000 has been allocated to the programme. The maximum amount of funding that can be applied for is PLN 5,000.
The programme constitutes a crucial element for strategic actions implemented within the European City of Science Katowice 2024.
Apply now!
Contact number: 32 359 23 79.
Applicants will be informed about the funding decision no later than 6 weeks after the end of recruitment.
CONCERNS
science communication and promotional activity
RECRUITMENT
from 2 April 2024 to 29 April 2024
BENEFICIARIES
academics | library employees | documentation and scientific information employees | research and technical employees | engineering and technical employees | University of Silesia Press employees
MAXIMUM FUNDING AMOUNT
PLN 5,000
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION PERIOD
until 30 December 2024
About
We would like to invite the academic community to a reporting conference ‘Priority Research Areas (PRA) of the University of Silesia in Katowice’, which will take place on Thursday, 16 November, at the Faculty of Humanities in lecture hall B1.1. It is an exceptional event centred around the five Priority Research Areas focusing on the most important civilizational challenges in the modern world, constituting a fundamental aspect of the scientific activity at our University. The conference will sum up and disseminate the achievements of scientists whose research received funding in 2020-2023 from the USil Research Excellence Initiative funds.
Background
Priority Research Areas (PRAs) are areas of the University of Silesia in Katowice staff members’ research activity, taking into account current and/or unique research topics, which influence the development of global science to the greatest extent and are in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. They are areas enabling research cooperation in a systemic manner, at the same time encouraging scholars to conduct interdisciplinary research in cooperation with excellent globally renowned centres. These include:
- PRA 1 – Harmonious Human Development – concern for health protection and quality of life;
- PRA 2 – Modern materials and technologies with their socio-cultural implications;
- PRA 3 – Environmental and climate changes with the related social challenges;
- PRA 4 – Humanities for the future – interdisciplinary research on culture and civilisation;
- PRA 5 – Exploring the fundamental properties of nature.
Form of activities
Teams focusing on the priority research areas
The PRA coordinators will present key aspects and outcomes of participating in the programme to subsidise the research needs of PRA-focused teams in 2020-2023. The conference schedule also includes papers by scientists who are carrying out projects related to the topics of a given research area.
‘Freedom of research’ winners
A poster session for the winners of the 3 previous editions of the ‘Freedom of research’ call for applications will take place during the conference. The scientists, whose research is in line with at least one of the priority research areas, will have the opportunity to share the results of their works with a broader audience.
We encourage you to register for the conference using the form below.
The first 30 submitted poster proposals that receive approval from the IDB Scientific Council will be included in the conference programme for a poster session.
Printouts will be financed from the Research Excellence Initiative funds. Posters should be designed in line with the guidelines specified in the rules and regulations for the call for proposals for the poster session.
The “Visibility of Research Centres” call for proposals – 2nd edition under the Research Excellence Initiative has concluded. Thanks to the decision to increase the pool of funds for financing the project, undertaken in order to diversify the implemented initiatives, in the 2nd edition of the competition, over PLN 442,000 were allocated to research and development activities of the centres. The maximum amount of funding for one application is PLN 100,000.
Funding for research and development activities was obtained by five entities:
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Research on Humanistic Education,
- SPIN-Lab Centre for Microscopic Research on Matter,
- Centre for Biomass Energy Research and Education,
- Silesian Water Centre of the University of Silesia in Katowice,
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Staff Development.
All winning centres achieved a score above 80% of the points possible to obtain.
The substantive evaluation of the applications was based, among others, on the analysis of the development potential of a research centre, the centre’s influence on the socio-economic and international environment, the scientific level of the conducted research, as well as the analysis of the impact of the declared results on strengthening international cooperation and increasing the visibility of the research centre in the region, Europe and the world. In accordance with the competition regulations, all these assumptions are consistent with the profiles and research objectives of the centres and fit into the strategy of the University of Silesia.
The most important declared effects of the co-financed activities include: significant scientific publications, seminars, debates, popular science workshops, international scientific conferences, podcasts, as well as participation in trade fairs.
CONCERNS
funding for research and development activities of research centres
RECRUITMENT
from 12 May 2022 to 13 June 2022 [end of recruitment]
BENEFICIARIES
research centres of the University of Silesia
MAXIMUM FUNDING AMOUNT
PLN 100,000
The “Visibility of Research Centres” call for proposals under the Research Excellence Initiative has concluded. Based on the recommendation of the Team for Research Excellence Initiative Evaluation, Prof. Ryszard Koziołek, the Rector of the University of Silesia has granted funding to: the Centre for Polar Studies, the Polish-Chinese Centre for Environmental Research, the Centre for Critical Research on Technologies, and the Research Centre for Public Policy and Regulatory Governance. More details at www.us.edu.pl/idb.
CONCERNS
funding for research and development activities of research centres
RECRUITMENT
from 8 April 2021 to 7 May 2021 [completed]
BENEFICIARIES
research centres of the University of Silesia operating for at least 6 months
MAXIMUM FUNDING AMOUNT
PLN 100,000
The recruitment to “Open Access” call for proposals ended on 7 December 2020; its goal is to strengthen the visibility of the results of scientific research conducted at the University of Silesia in Katowice by publishing them in Open Access-type scientific journals. 14 institutes entered the competition, submitting proposals for articles to be published in prestigious high-impact scientific journals. Directors of institutes requested the funding in the overall amount of approximately PLN 900,000.
CONCERNS
funding Open Access-type publications
RECRUITMENT
from 9 November 2021 to 7 December 2021 [completed]
BENEFICIARIES
research employees | research and teaching employees
MAXIMUM FUNDING AMOUNT
to be determined with the applicant
Photo by Szymon Nawrat