NARODOWE CENTRUM NAUKI

Their core work

Narodowe Centrum Nauki (NCN) is Poland's principal public funding agency for basic research, headquartered in Kraków. Within H2020, NCN operates primarily as a co-funder and organizer of transnational research calls through ERA-NET Cofund instruments, pooling national budgets with European partners to fund cross-border research in quantum technologies, biodiversity, humanities, antimicrobial resistance, and materials science. NCN also runs flagship international fellowship programmes (POLONEZ, POLONEZ BIS) that attract postdoctoral researchers to Poland, strengthening the country's research capacity. In essence, NCN is a gateway institution — it decides which research areas Poland invests in and connects Polish scientists to European research networks.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early period (2015–2018), NCN's ERA-NET portfolio centred on humanities, biodiversity, ecosystem services, sustainable development, and researcher mobility — reflecting Poland's push to integrate into established European research networks. From 2019 onward, the focus shifted decisively toward quantum technologies (QuantERA II, InCoQFlag), Future and Emerging Technologies (FET), ICT, circular economy, and open science, signalling alignment with Europe's strategic technology priorities. The humanities thread continued but pivoted to digital transformations (CHANSE), suggesting NCN is bridging traditional social sciences with technology-driven research agendas.

NCN is consolidating its position as Europe's lead funding coordinator for quantum technologies while expanding into digital-era social sciences and green materials — expect future calls at these intersections.

How they like to work

NCN operates predominantly as a participant (24 of 29 projects), which is typical for a national funding agency joining multilateral ERA-NET consortia. However, when NCN does coordinate, it takes on high-profile, high-budget flagship programmes — QuantERA (Europe's quantum funding network) and POLONEZ (Poland's largest postdoc fellowship). With 160 unique partners across 46 countries, NCN functions as a broad funding hub rather than a focused research collaborator; working with NCN means access to Polish national research funding and the extensive network of agencies and researchers it connects.

NCN has collaborated with 160 unique partners across 46 countries, making it one of the most broadly connected funding agencies in Central-Eastern Europe. The network spans the full ERA-NET ecosystem — from Nordic and Western European research councils to agencies in the Americas and Asia-Pacific (via InCoQFlag's work with USA, Japan, and Canada).

What sets them apart

NCN is Poland's gateway to European transnational research funding — any organization wanting to include Polish research teams or access Polish co-funding in an ERA-NET should engage NCN. Their coordination of QuantERA makes them a rare example of a Central-Eastern European agency leading a pan-European strategic research initiative, not just participating. For consortium builders, NCN brings both funding commitment and deep experience managing complex multi-country calls across diverse thematic areas.

Highlights from their portfolio

• POLONEZ BIS
  Largest single grant (EUR 8.8M) — NCN-coordinated MSCA-COFUND programme bringing 120+ postdoctoral fellows to Poland, demonstrating major investment in research capacity building.
• QuantERA
  NCN coordinates Europe's primary ERA-NET for quantum technologies across both phases (2016 and 2021), positioning a Polish agency at the centre of a strategic European technology priority.
• CHANSE
  NCN-coordinated ERA-NET bridging humanities and social sciences with digital transformation — an unusual thematic combination that reflects NCN's ability to connect traditional and emerging research domains.