{"id":5420,"date":"2020-04-27T15:04:10","date_gmt":"2020-04-27T15:04:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/polsca.pan.pl\/en\/?p=5420"},"modified":"2020-04-27T15:04:12","modified_gmt":"2020-04-27T15:04:12","slug":"successes-stories-of-the-pas-institutes-in-horizon-2020-competitions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/polsca.pan.pl\/en\/successes-stories-of-the-pas-institutes-in-horizon-2020-competitions\/","title":{"rendered":"Successes stories of the PAS institutes in Horizon 2020 competitions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With the arrival of this year’s spring,\nthe results of the recent ERA Chairs<\/strong>\nand Twinning<\/strong> competitions under the\nEU Research and Innovation Framework Program – Horizon 2020 were released. Most\nimportantly, a number of institutes across the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS)\nwere also among the beneficiaries. Out of 10 projects in Poland that have\nreceived financial support, 4 will be implemented within the network of PAS institutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The ‘Spreading Excellence and Widening Participation’<\/a> which is a part of the Horizon 2020, aims to help close the R&I divide by improving the participation rate of low performing R&I countries. This will enable them to fully realise the potential of Europe\u2019s gifted researchers and ensure the benefits of an innovation-led economy are both maximized and spread across the EU. The last two of such competitions were announced in summer 2019, with the deadline for submitting applications set until November 14, 2019. The European Commission allocated a budget of EUR 50 million to implement the ERA Chairs competition and nearly EUR 70 million to finance projects in the Twinning competition (more information on the Polish NCP website<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nutrigenomics in human health and animal welfare research<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the 20 winners of the ERA\nChairs<\/strong> competition there are 2 units in Poland. One of them is the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food\nResearch of the Polish Academy of Sciences<\/strong> in Olsztyn, which received\nnearly EUR 2.5 million<\/strong> in funding\nfor the WELCOME2<\/strong> project. As part of\nit, a new research team is to be funded, led by the leader selected in the open\nrecruitment process. The project will contribute to the implementation of\nstructural changes necessary to achieve lasting scientific excellence, e.g. by\neducating young scientists at the Interdisciplinary Doctoral School of\nAgricultural Sciences, run jointly with the Institute of Agrophysics of the\nPolish Academy of Sciences in Lublin and the National Veterinary Institute of\nthe National Research Institute in Pu\u0142awy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The planned activities are the result of a grant received from the\nFoundation for Polish Science (WELCOME), whose additional effect was the\nintegration of research carried out within the two branches of the Institute:\nDepartment of Food Research and Department of Biology of Reproduction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WELCOME2 foresees advanced research tasks using nutrigenomics tools that\nallow to understand the impact of nutrition on genetic predisposition to the\nso-called diet-related diseases. Scientists will focus particularly on obesity\nand infertility – one of the biggest problems of our civilization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The authors of the project believe that its effective implementation will\nstrengthen the Institute’s advantage in the perspective of the Horizon Europe (HEU)\nframework program. Director of the Institute \u2013 Professor Mariusz Pisku\u0142a<\/strong> says that “The project will allow us to increase the recognition and\nattractiveness of the Institute, and thus develop existing strategic\npartnership with leading research centres in Europe and become a desirable\nmember of international research consortia<\/em>.” These processes will be\nadditionally supported by activities in the area of open science such as the\nbroad access to research results as part of the “Science as a public\ngood” activity or the establishment of the “Rising Managers\nAcademy” designed to train future science leaders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Six-year funding under WELCOME2 is thought to be an element in the fight against brain-drain, which is the systemic loss of the best talent. “After introducing changes at the level of research management in the first period, we would like to create attractive working conditions at the Institute for the best scientists from abroad and beyond. With the best researchers, we expect more funds and more high quality scientific results<\/em>” concludes Professor Pisku\u0142a.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European cooperation on a micro and\nmacro scale (and a cosmic scale too)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to understand the molecular mechanisms\nof hematological cancers and how to treat them? How satellite data enable us to\nmonitor ecosystems? How can observations of volatile particles filling the\ncosmos help solve the mystery of dark matter? These are the topics that will be\ndeveloped at the 3 Institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences, thanks to the\nfunds obtained in the Twinning competition (for 8 such grants financed in\nPoland). These projects will be implemented for a period of up to 3 years, with\na funding of approx. 900 000 EURO for each project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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At the Nicolaus Copernicus\nAstronomical Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences<\/strong> (CAMK PAN) the DarkWave<\/strong> project will be implemented. It\nwill be coordinated by Dr. Marcin\nKu\u017aniak<\/strong> – leader of the research group within the AstroCeNT<\/strong> Department created thanks to the support of the\nFoundation for Polish Science under the International Research Agendas program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main goal of the project is to search for dark matter. As\nastronomical observations show, there are about 5 times more of it in the\nuniverse than ordinary matter –  a matter\nknown to all of us from everyday experience. Dark matter is still a mystery and\nthus its explanation is currently one of the most important challenges in\nphysics. The DarkWave project brings together leading research centres involved\nin the design and construction of the DarkSide-20k experiment – the world’s\nlargest liquid argon detector. Among the partners are scholars from France\n(APC\/CNRS), Italy (GSSI and INFN), Germany (TUM). According to Professor Leszek Roszkowski<\/strong>, head of\nthe AstroCeNT Department “Through\ncooperation within the Twinning project, researchers from CAMK will have the\nchance to play a key role in the DarkSide-20k experiment, as well as strengthen\nthe development of cooperation with other research groups worldwide in areas\nsuch as experimental neutrino physics or gravitational waves detection<\/em>.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The goal of the EOTiST<\/strong>\nproject is to develop the competence of the Department of Earth Observation at\nthe Space Research Centre of the Polish\nAcademy of Sciences<\/strong> (CBK PAN) in the field of monitoring ecosystem services\nusing satellite data. Among project partners are leading scientists from units\nsuch as CNR (Italy), CERTH (Greece) and CREAF (Spain).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The concept of ecosystem services is derived from economic sciences and\nis associated with the concept of natural capital. Ecosystem services are\nbroadly understood as human benefits from the environment, for example, they\ncan be supply services (energy or agricultural production), regulatory services\n(CO2 absorption or soil protection against erosion) and cultural services\n(tourism and education). “Thanks to\nsatellite data we can provide new information about ecosystems in a continuous\nway – both in space and time. This allows us to determine the dynamics of\nchanges occurring in them and create forecasting models for the development of\na given area. This is particularly important in the sustainable management of\nresources<\/em>” says Dr. Edyta\nWo\u017aniak<\/strong> \u2013 project coordinator at CBK PAN \u2013 when discussing the advantages\nof satellite observations vs. ground-based observation methods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The NEXT_LEVEL<\/strong> project uses\npotential built within the existing network of excellence in the field of\nhematology-oncology by transfer of knowledge and exchange of best practices across\nleading European institutions. “The\nmain goal of the project is to increase and stimulate the scientific excellence\nof the Institute of Human Genetics of\nthe Polish Academy of Sciences<\/strong> (IGC PAN in Pozna\u0144) and its foreign\npartners: Academisch Ziekenhuis Groningen – Universitair Medisch Centrum\nGroningen in the Netherlands, Universiteit Gent in Belgium and Universit\u00e4t Ulm\nin Germany<\/em>” – comments Agnieszka\nMo\u017cejko<\/strong>, research coordinator at IGC PAN.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of the project’s implementation, the partners will cooperate in\nepigenetic profiling, including miRNA analyses, DNA methylation studies and\nhistone modifications in haematological cancers. Research will be carried out\nusing the latest generation sequencing method and functional analysis.\nScientists hope that the results of their collaboration will contribute to a\nbetter understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying leukaemia and\nlymphoma and to the development of new molecular therapeutic strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What connects Twinning projects under Horizon\n2020?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The authors of the abovementioned projects – and today their coordinators\n\u2013 agree on the key importance of the development of the potential and\nstrengthening of the scientific excellence of the institution, so to increase\nits recognition through publications in renowned scientific journals and\nparticipation in international consortia and research initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Close cooperation of the beneficiaries with project partners will allow to\nlearn about the best research practices. This in turn will help the PAS Institutes\nto increase the efficiency of obtaining funds in international competitions,\ne.g. those announced under the next framework program Horizon Europe, mainly\ncooperative projects as well as individual grants. The key here will be the\ndevelopment of competences – both researchers and project support teams –\nespecially in the field of project management: defining tasks, creating\nstrategies and their effective implementation. It is also expected that the\nimplementation of projects will positively influence the interest of scientists\nin participating in HEU expert bodies, and thus increase their participation in\nthe process of creating rules and policies related to the European Research\nArea (ERA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of the CORDIS portal, the European Commission has prepared and published a brochure on bridging the research and innovation gap in Europe by sharing knowledge and experience across member states under Horizon 2020. This material can be found HERE<\/a> in several language versions, including Polish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under H2020, these instruments were supported with a budget of over EUR\n816 million. As part of Horizon Europe, over EUR 2.1 billion is to be allocated\nto similar activities strengthening the European Research Area – as proposed by\nthe European Commission. At the same time, instruments such as Teaming and the\nabovementioned Twinning and ERA Chairs are to be maintained. Also, a number of\nother activities are expected to be introduced under HEU in the spirit of widening\nparticipation and spreading excellence. Details are not known yet, but it is worth\npreparing for these competitions already well in advance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Contact persons responsible for implementing these projects:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n