Three young researchers from the University of Gdańsk were among the winners of the 10th edition of the National Science Centre’s SONATINA competition. In total, they will receive over 2 million zlotys to carry out their research projects. The grants support researchers embarking on independent academic careers, enabling them to conduct innovative research and undertake research placements abroad.
In this year’s edition of the SONATINA competition, 76 projects were awarded funding out of 333 applications submitted. According to the National Science Centre, the number of applications in this edition doubled. The total budget for the competition exceeded 60 million zlotys.
The winners of the competition from the University of Gdańsk are:
Dr Denis Dobkowski-Ryłko (Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics) will carry out the project ‘A local take on the Hawking effect in the formalism of quasi-local horizons’. Funding: 702,354 PLN;
Doc. dr Daniel Parejo Pulido (Faculty of Biology) will carry out the project “Synchronisation of parental feeding of offspring as a mechanism for resolving family conflicts”. Funding: 787,414 PLN;
Dr Lizaveta Petrusevich (Faculty of Chemistry) will carry out the project “Extension of the physics-based, coarse-grained UNRES model of polypeptide chains to include main-chain cyclisation, polyglutamylation and glycosylation for large-scale simulations and exploration of protein energy landscapes”. Funding: 570,472 PLN.
The NSC’s SONATINA programme is aimed at individuals who obtained their PhD between 1 January 2023 and 15 May 2026 and are beginning to forge their own independent research careers. A SONATINA grant may last for 24 or 36 months. An important part of the programme is an overseas placement lasting between 3 and 6 months, which enables early-career researchers to gain knowledge and experience whilst working at high-quality overseas research centres. The costs of these placements will be covered by the National Agency for Academic Exchange for the first time.
Further information on the call for applications is available on the NSC website.