POLNORIS call

Polnoris

The purpose of this call
The main aims of the POLNORIS Call for Proposals are to enhance the quality of research in Poland and strengthen international collaboration in research and innovation. The Call will fund Donor partnership projects, which are research and innovation projects implemented in close cooperation with a project partner from one of the Donor States (Iceland, Liechtenstein, or Norway). The Call is thematically open, however proposals shall address at least one of the three priorities of the EEA Grants. Interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral approaches will be encouraged and projects shall include activities aimed at enhancing the valorisation of research. The call will promote the leadership of early-stage researchers. Projects addressing challenges experienced as a result of the invasion of Ukraine are welcomed.
Basic information
Programme Operator	The National Centre for Research and Development
Announcement of call	17.06.2026
Start date for submission of applications	17.09.2026, 10:00 CEST
Deadline for submission of applications	17.12.2026, 15:00 CET
Eligible applicants	Research organisations established in Poland Enterprises established in Poland
Eligible partners	Any public or private entity, commercial or non-commercial, as well as non-governmental organisations, established in Poland or in one of the Donor States. Mandatory partnership with at least one research organisation from one of the Donor States. For more details on eligibility rules for applicants and partners please consults Guide for Applicants and Evaluators.
Total amount available	EUR 70,000,000 / 296,982,000 PLN
Minimum grant amount	EUR 1,000,000 / 4,242,600 PLN
Maximum grant amount	EUR 1,750,000 / 7,424 ,550 PLN
Maximum grant rate	Public sector 100 %	Non-governmental 100 %	Private entities 80 %
Minimum co-financing requirement	Public sector 0 %	Non-governmental 0 %	Private entities 20 %
Duration of projects	36 months

Specific objectives and expected results
Objective of the EEA Grants	The EEA Grants contribute to the reduction of economic and social disparities in the European Economic Area and to the strengthening of relations between Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway and Poland. The EEA Grants promote the European green transition, democracy, rule of law and human rights and social inclusion and resilience. Support from the EEA Grants is based on the common values and principles of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and the respect for human rights including the rights of persons belonging to minorities.All activities funded by the EEA Financial Mechanism 2021-2028 shall be consistent with respect for these values and principles.
Objective of the programme	The Programme aims to enhance research quality in Poland, developing knowledge and research based innovative solutions in key priorities of the EEA Grants: the European green transition; democracy, rule of law and human rights; social inclusion and resilience. It focuses on research excellence and supports human capital development, including early-stage and female researchers, and research managers. The Programme promotes interdisciplinarity, cross-sectoral approaches, and internationalisation of research, particularly through bilateral cooperation with Donor States. It also encourages the valorisation of research results.
Objective and focus of this call	The main aims of the POLNORIS Call for Proposals are to enhance the quality of research in Poland and strengthen international collaboration in research and innovation. The Call will fund research and innovation projects implemented in close cooperation with partner(s) from the Donor States (Iceland, Liechtenstein, or Norway). The Call also aims to promote the leadership of early-stage researchers. Early-stage researchers often face significant challenges in establishing themselves in international research, including limited access to independent funding and restricted opportunities to develop and implement their own innovative ideas. Consortia are encouraged to provide opportunities for early-stage researchers to take on the role of Principal Investigator or Work Package leader in the project. Early-stage researcher is understood as a person conducting scientific activity who: 1) is a doctoral student or an academic teacher – and does not hold a doctoral degree; or 2) holds a doctoral degree not more than 7 years since obtaining it and is employed in a research organisation (the 7 years period referred to above shall not include periods of leave in connection with parenthood, or periods of receipt of maternity benefit or parental benefit, or periods of receipt of sickness benefit or rehabilitation benefit in connection with incapacity for work, including that caused by a disease requiring medical rehabilitation). Interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral approaches are strongly encouraged under this Call. Applicants should demonstrate how their projects integrate diverse scientific disciplines and engage partners from different sectors - such as academia, industry, public authorities, NGOs or end-users. Interdisciplinary work enables more comprehensive problem solving, while cross-sectoral cooperation increases the relevance, applicability and uptake of research results. Knowledge valorisation is an important aspect of the Call. Applicants are required to demonstrate how their projects will contribute to transforming research results, data and knowhow into social and economic value, as highlighted by the EU Knowledge Valorisation Policy. Valorisation involves linking actors and sectors to convert knowledge into sustainable products, services, solutions or evidence-based policies that benefit society, ensuring that publicly funded research generates meaningful Impact. Impact refers to broader effect on, change or benefit to the economy, society, culture, public policy or services, health, the environment or overall quality of life - beyond academia. This process covers both technological and nontechnological pathways and relies on active collaboration across the research and innovation ecosystem - including academia, industry, citizens, public and non-governmental bodies - to maximise the societal benefits of research outcomes.
Expected results	The Programme outcome of improved quality of research and research-based innovation in Poland will be achieved through the following output-level results: Projects contracted from the Call will deliver high quality, international and interdisciplinary bilateral projects improving quality of research in Poland. Projects will develop knowledge and research based innovative solutions in key priority areas of the EEA Grants: European green transition; democracy, rule of law and human rights; and social inclusion and resilience. Bilateral project teams will establish international networks contributing to knowledge exchange and building research capacity and a base for participation in Horizon Europe and the future EU framework programme for research and innovation. Participation of early-stage researchers in international research projects will boost their career development. By providing access to experience in leadership roles, interdisciplinarity and cross-sector cooperation, the programme will equip young researchers with skills necessary for the development of the research and innovation system in Poland and Europe.
Eligible applicants and partners
Please consult the Guide for Applicants and Evaluators for details on eligibility rules.
Eligible applicants	Research organisations established in Poland, as defined in the Article 2(83)of Commission Regulation (EU) No 651/2014 of 17 June 2014 declaring certain categories of aid compatible with the internal market in application of Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty, and in Article 37(1) of the Act on the National Centre for Research and Development, in conjunction with Article 7(1)(1, 2 and 4-8) of the Law on Higher Education and Science. Enterprises established in Poland, as defined in the Article 1, Annex I, Commission Regulation (EU) No 651/2014 of 17 June 2014 declaring certain categories of aid compatible with the internal market in application of Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty.
Eligible partners from Poland	Any public or private entity, commercial or non-commercial, as well as non-governmental organisations, established in Poland. Enterprises established in Poland.
Eligible partners from Donor States	Any public or private entity, commercial or non-commercial, as well as non-governmental organisations, established in one of the Donor States. Mandatory partnership with at least one research organisation from one of the Donor States.
Partnership
What is a Project Consortium?	Project Consortium is a group of at least two eligible entities formed in order to apply for funding and implement the project. The Project Consortium shall consist of at least one entity from Poland – the Project Promoter and at least one research organisation from the Donor States (Iceland, Liechtenstein, or Norway)
Who is a partner?	A project partner is a member of the Project Consortium taking active part and effectively contributing to the implementation of the project, responsible for deliverables and activities as planned in the project proposal. It is an entity actively involved in, and effectively contributing to, the implementation of a project. It shares with the project promoter a common economic or social goal which is to be realised through the implementation of that project. In this regard, a consultant, contractor, supplier or service provider is not considered a partner.
Partnership with Donor State entities	Partnership with at least one partner from a Donor State is mandatory under this call. The applicant and the potential partner(s) are expected to plan and agree on their responsibilities, including costs and schedule of their contributions and have a signed letter of intent at the time of submitting the project application. A partnership agreement (template is available at https://www.forskningsradet.no/en/financing/international-funding/eea-grants/) shall be drawn up and signed between the partners and submitted prior to signing a project contract.

Eligible activities
Thematic scope of activities	The POLNORIS Call will fund research and innovation projects in applied research – specifically industrial research and experimental development. The Call is thematically open, however proposals shall address at least one of the priorities of the EEA Grants.
Activities eligible for support	Eligible types of applied research activities: Industrial research – planned research or critical investigation aimed at the acquisition of new knowledge and skills for developing new products, processes or services or for bringing about a significant improvement in existing products, processes or services. It comprises the creation of component parts of complex systems, and may include the construction of prototypes in a laboratory environment or in an environment with simulated interfaces to existing systems as well as of pilot lines, when necessary for the industrial research and notably for generic technology validation; Experimental development – acquiring, combining, shaping and using existing scientific, technological, business and other relevant knowledge and skills with the aim of developing new or improved products, processes or services. Experimental development may comprise prototyping, demonstrating, piloting, testing and validation of new or improved products, processes or services in environments representative of real-life operating conditions where the primary objective is to make further technical improvements on products, processes or services that are not substantially set. This may include the development of a commercially usable prototype or pilot which is necessarily the final commercial product and which is too expensive to produce for it to be used only for demonstration and validation purposes. Experimental development does not include routine or periodic changes made to existing products, production lines, manufacturing processes, services and other operations in progress, even if those changes may represent improvements. Other type of activities (e.g. coordination, dissemination, management), cannot be separate WPs and may only be parts of research tasks. It is not possible to have a separate WP dedicated to management and dissemination/communication activities. Those activities shall be described and planned within research tasks, provided they are in line with the Cost Eligibility Guide. Proposals are expected to include activities aimed at enhancing the valorisation of research, contributing to transforming research results, data and know‑how into meaningful broader Impact. All costs of such activities, provided they are in line with the “Cost eligibility guide”, are eligible but should all be included within the research tasks.
Activities not eligible for support	Fundamental (basic) research is not eligible for funding.

Eligible expenditure and forms of grant
Start and final dates of eligibility of expenditure	Expenditures are eligible as of the date of the Programme Operator’s decision to award the project grant. The Programme Operator shall in the same decision fix the final date of eligibility of expenditure which shall be no later than the date referred to under paragraph 5 of Article 8.14 of the Regulation (30 April 2031).
Eligible expenditure	Expenditures incurred or covered by simplified cost options in the frame of the project may fall into one of the following categories: Staff costs Subcontracting Equipment and intangible assets Other direct costs Overheads For detailed description of each category and further information regarding costs, please refer to Cost Eligibility Guide. Please note that the Cost Eligibility Guide contains separate sections for research organisations (and other types of entities) and enterprises.
Limits on certain categories of expenditure	Category of expenditure			Limits (max. % of project eligible expenditure)
	Subcontracting			Max. 70%
Forms of grant	Apart from the expenditure based on the eligible costs actually incurred, the following forms of grant will be applicable to the below categories of expenditure. For further information, please consult the Guide for Applicants and Evaluators.
	Category of expenditure	Form of grant	Method of calculation
	Overheads (“O”)– research organisation and entities other than research organisations and enterprises	Flat rate	O = (Staff costs + Equipment + Other direct costs) x 25%
	Overheads (“O”) –enterprises	Flat rate	O = (Staff costs + Equipment + Subcontracting) x 20%
	Staff costs – hourly rates (Art. 8.6.2, point a) of Regulation)	Unit cost	Hourly rate = Latest documented annual gross employment cost/ 1,720 hours Staff costs = Hourly rate* Number of hours worked on the project
	Personnel costs and indirect costs covering Cost of staff assigned to the project Indirect costs, excluding indirect costs connected to the use of RIR	Unit cost	In accordance with the Norwegian Full Cost Model (TDI-model)
	Costs attributable to the use of Research infrastructure resources (RIR) covering Costs of new or second-hand equipment connected to the RIR Costs of consumables and supplies connected to the use of the RIR Costs arising from other contracts connected to the use of the RIR Indirect costs connected to the RIR	Unit cost	In accordance with the Norwegian Full Cost Model (TDI-model)
	Norwegian research institutes which report personnel rates to the Research Council of Norway, and have those personnel rates calculated and approved by the RCN, may use those as a simplified cost option (ref. Regulation art. 8.3.2b). This means they should use the same rates as in applications to RCN calls. It is important to note that in such cases, no indirect or overhead costs should be included in the budget, as they are already included in the personnel rate.

Financing conditions and reporting

Forms of payment

The payment model will be based on advance payments made by the Programme Operator to the Project Promoter. The Project Promoter will then be responsible for transferring the funds to the Project partners. Where the Project Promoter is an enterprise or other entity obliged to establish and submit a security, the Programme Operator will carry out a financial analysis to verify the entity’s financial position and financial capacity. In justified cases, the Programme Operator may decide to transfer reduced advance payments (e.g. 5 % or 10 % of grant), which should be taken into account when forming the project consortium.

The first advance payment is transferred to the Project Promoter based on the signed project contract. The maximum value of the first advance payment for Project Promoter is up to 30 % of the total funding. Subsequent advance payments will be transferred in accordance with the payment schedule once the payment request has been approved, provided that at least 70 % of the funds from all previously transferred advance payments have been used.

The Project Promoter submits to the Programme Operator payment requests before the date stipulated in the project contract. Payment requests are subject to verification based on a checklist.

Payments shall be made by the Programme Operator to the Project Promoter within 15 days after the Programme Operator’s approval of payment requests.

Reporting

Project Promoters shall report on the progress of their project via midterm (interim) report and a final report upon the completion of the project. Reporting deadlines shall be set in the project contract.

In addition, the Programme Operator shall conduct a midterm review based on the interim report. The midterm review shall be conducted with a focus on providing guidance on the technical and scientific implementation of the project.

The midterm review shall take the form of a dialogue between international experts and the Project Promoter and project partners. If there are implementation issues which are specific or unique to Poland, the dialogue may in addition to the international experts include national experts. The Programme Operator decides on how to recruit the experts and the format of the dialogue, including if it will be conducted in person or digitally.

State aid

State aid regime applied for the call

Funding rate will be decided on a case-by-case basis depending on the size of the company, type of research/development, according to the Regulation of the Minister of Science and Higher Education of 17 August 2020 on granting state aid through the National Centre for Research and Development (Journal of Laws item 1456, 2020 as amended).

The aid intensity for each beneficiary shall not exceed:

50 % of the eligible costs for industrial research;
25 % of the eligible costs for experimental development;

The aid intensities for industrial research and experimental development may be increased up to a maximum aid intensity of 80 % of the eligible costs in accordance with the below points (a) to (c), where points (b) and (c) must not be combined with each other

by 10 percentage points for medium-sized enterprises and by 20 percentage points for small enterprises;
by 15 percentage points if one of the following conditions is fulfilled:

the project involves effective collaboration between enterprises among which at least one is a SME, or is carried out in at least two EU Member States, or in an EU Member State and in a Contracting Party of the EEA Agreement, and no single enterprise bears more than 70 % of the eligible costs;
the project involves effective collaboration between an enterprise and one or more research and knowledge-dissemination organisations, where the latter bear at least 10 % of the eligible costs and have the right to publish their own industrial research results;
the results of the project are widely disseminated through technical and scientific conferences, publication, open access repositories, or free or opensource software;
the applicant commits to, on a timely basis, make available licences for research results of aided research and development projects, which are protected by intellectual property rights, at a market price and on non-exclusive and non-discriminatory basis for use by interested parties in the EEA;
the project is carried out in the following provinces: kujawsko-pomorskie, lubelskie, lubuskie, łódzkie, małopolskie, opolskie, podkarpackie, podlaskie, pomorskie, śląskie, świętokrzyskie, warmińsko-mazurskie i zachodniopomorskie or region mazowiecki regionalny.

by 5 percentage points if the research and development project is carried out in an assisted region:

the project is carried out in the following provinces: dolnośląskie and wielkopolskie, and region warszawski stołeczny on areas within following communes: Baranów, Błonie, Dąbrówka, Dobre, Góra Kalwaria, Grodzisk Mazowiecki, Jadów, Jaktorów, Kałuszyn, Kampinos, Kołbiel, Latowicz, Leoncin, Leszno, Mrozy, Nasielsk, Osieck, Prażmów, Serock, Siennica, Sobienie‑Jeziory, Strachówka, Tarczyn, Tłuszcz, Zakroczym and Żabia Wola.

A project is carried out in a region provided that the majority of the eligible costs are incurred in that region.

Table 1. State aid rules

Type of activity	Aid intensity	Micro/Small Enterprises	Medium Enterprises	Large Enterprises
Industrial Research	Without increase	50 %	50 %	50 %
	Including increase based on enterprise size (a.)	70 %	60 %	50 %
	Including increase by 15 percentage points (b.)	80 %	75 %	65 %
	Including increase by 5 percentage points (c.)	75 %	65 %	55 %
Experimental development	Without increase	25 %	25 %	25 %
	Including increase based on enterprise size (a.)	45 %	35 %	25 %
	Including increase by 15 percentage points (b.)	60 %	50 %	40 %
	Including increase by 5 percentage points (c.)	50 %	40 %	30 %

Information requested related to state aid

Before issuing the funding decision, enterprises will have to submit a document titled “Information form submitted when applying for aid other than aid in agriculture or fisheries, de minimis aid or de minimis aid in agriculture or fisheries” in accordance with the form attached to the Regulation of the Council of Ministers of 29 March 2010 on the scope of information presented by the entity applying for aid other than de minimis aid in agriculture, as amended.

Submission of applications
Form and content of project applications	Proposals shall be submitted electronically in English. Project Promoter submits a project proposal on behalf of all project consortium partners. Please carefully consult the Guide for Applicants and Evaluators when preparing the proposal. For more details on how to fill in the project proposal please consult the Proposal Manual.
Method of submission	Project applications shall be submitted electronically via the Programme Operator’s on-line submission system LSI before the deadline specified under the Basic Information section of this call. The date and time of the submission of the Project Application is identical to the date and time of the registration of its receipt by the server of the Programme Operator.
Limitations on the submission of applications	If more than one copy of the same proposal is submitted, only the most recent eligible version (submitted before deadline) is evaluated.

Selection procedure
General information	The Programme Operator shall be responsible for project selection and the award of grants.Proposals submitted to the Programme Operator via the on-line submission system undergo two stages of assessment: formal (administrative and eligibility) assessment and expert evaluation.
Formal (administrative and eligibility) assessment	The Programme Operator verifies whether each proposal meets all administrative and eligibility criteria, including compliance with formal submission rules, completeness of documentation, and fulfilment of eligibility conditions regarding applicants, partnerships, and project scope. Proposals that do not meet these criteria do not proceed to further assessment (see Guide for Applicants and Evaluators for detailed procedures and criteria). If it becomes clear at any point in the selection process that one or more of the administrative and/or eligibility criteria have not been fulfilled, the proposal is declared ineligible by the Programme Operator, and is withdrawn from any further examination.
Expert evaluation	Applications that meet the administrative and eligibility criteria shall be separately reviewed and scored against the selection criteria for assessment (see Guide for Applicants and Evaluators) by three international experts (outside Poland, Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway) who independently and separately score the proposal according to the evaluation criteria. The result of the assessment is a consensus report summarizing the collective evaluation. The Programme Operator shall prepare a preliminary ranking list based on the international experts’ evaluation of the proposals and the eligibility check of the proposed budget. Due account is taken of the scores received and of any advice from the experts. A suggested funding amount is determined for each of these proposals (based on experts’ recommendation and Programme Operator’s eligibility examination of the proposed budget).
Selection Committee	The Programme Operator shall establish a Selection Committee that shall recommend the projects to be funded within the programme. The Selection Committee shall consist of minimum 5 international experts who have not participated in the evaluation process. Representatives of the Programme Operator, Donor Programme Partners, the Financial Mechanism Office, of the embassies of the Donor States, and the National Focal Point can participate in the Selection Committee meetings as observers. The preliminary ranking list prepared by the Programme Operator is discussed by the Selection Committee at the Selection Committee meeting. The Selection Committee reviews the Programme Operator’s preliminary ranking list, taking into account the overall quality of the evaluated proposals, the indicative budget allocation of the Call, and number of proposals to be recommended for funding. For equally scored proposals, the Selection Committee may decide to prioritise the order of such projects on the ranking list by considering other factors relevant to the call as described in Guide for Applicants and Evaluators. During the Selection Committee meeting, the Programme Operator may address any aspects that would need to be modified before concluding the contract, based on the recommendation of the experts and the Programme Operator’s eligibility examination of the proposed budget. The Selection Committee draws up the final ranking list, and doing so, the Selection Committee may also propose conditions to be attached to the funding decision. The goal of the Selection Committee is to decide the final ranking order of the proposals on the basis of the total consensus scores assigned to the projects.
Funding decision	>The Programme Operator issues individual decisions awarding funding to projects based on the final ranking list approved by the Selection Committee. For the proposals which have not been recommended for financing, rejection decisions are issued, in writing, including an explanation of the reasons for rejection. All decisions are issued no later than 12 months after the call closure. Prior to issuing the decision, the Programme Operator shall request the Project Promoter to provide additional documents as described in the Guide for Applicants and Evaluators.
Project contracts	After the funding decision is issued, Project Promoter is required to fulfil any conditions on the award of funding as suggested by the Selection Committee. Programme Operator may request changes, including modification of the budget (e.g. shifts between budget items, new budget items, deletion of budget item etc.), in accordance with the funding decision. Programme Operator may request further administrative, legal, technical or financial information necessary for the preparation of the project contract.


Deadline for submission of applications
Formal (administrative and eligibility) assessment	January 2027 – February 2027
Expert evaluation	March 2027 - May 2027
Decision on the award of grants	June 2027
Signature of project contracts	June 2027 – December 2027
Deadline for the completion of projects	30th April 2031

Further information, contacts for queries and the complaint mechanism
Further information	For further information please consult the following documents: Regulation on the implementation of the EEA Financial Mechanism 2021-2028 Programme Agreement Blue Book Guideline for Research and Innovation Programmes


Contact for queries	Any queries concerning the call may be directed to the following contacts. A written response shall be sent within 3 working days of the receipt of the query. Frequently asked questions and answers will be published on the website of the call.
Institution	Name	E-mail	Telephone
NCBR	Wanda Miczorek	wanda.miczorek[at]ncbr.gov.pl	+48 507 064 518
NCBR	Dominika Jasińska	dominika.jasinska[at]ncbr.gov.pl	+48 571 226 672
NCBR <	Dorota Juszczyk	dorota.juszczyk[at]ncbr.gov.pl	+48 510 803 269
NCBR	Monika Krysik	monika.krysik[at]ncbr.gov.pl	+48 510 932 299
Contact to Donor Programme Partners (if relevant)	Iceland		Norway
	Icelandic Centre for Research (Rannis)		Research Council of Norway (RCN)
	Egill.t.nielsson[at]rannis.is		Awh[at]rcn.no
	Sigurdur.o.sigurdsson[at]rannis.is		Tie[at]rcn.no
	https://en.rannis.is/funding/research/eea/norway-grants/		https://www.forskningsradet.no/finansiering/internasjonale-midler/eos-midlene/
Call documentation
Guide for Applicants and Evaluators
Annexes to the Guide for Applicants and Evaluators:
Annex 1	List of necessary documents
Annex 2	Declaration of submission of the proposal through the electronic system
Annex 3a	Evaluation survey template research organisation_pl_en
Annex 3b	Evaluation survey template enterprise pl_en
Annex 4	Declaration of no obligation to draw up financial statements_pl_en
Annex 5	Form of information to be provided when applying for other forms of aid_pl_en
Annex 6	Analysis of the financial capacity to implement the project
Annex 7a	Sanction declaration pl
Annex 7b	Sanction declaration en
Annex 8	Bioethical or ethical consents_pl_en
Annex 9	Statement by a spouse of a natural person_pl_en
Annex 10	Declaration of non-marriage or separation of property_pl_en
Cost Eligibility Guide
Project Contract template_en
Project Contract template_pl
Proposal Manual
Proposal Manual (doc)
GDPR information clause
Full call documentation is available at: https://www.gov.pl/web/ncbr/iv-edycja-funduszy-eog https://eeagrants.org/en/poland/programmes/applied-research-and-innovation