NCBR Strategic Programmes (Programy Strategiczne)

NUKLEOSTRATEG I

Funds strategic Polish nuclear research partnerships to build secure and long-term energy knowledge.

NUKLEOSTRATEG I is the inaugural competition under Poland's first dedicated national nuclear technology R&D programme, operated by the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR) — an executive agency of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. The programme belongs to NCBR's portfolio of strategic programmes, which are top-down, high-budget initiatives derived from Poland's State Scientific Policy and designed to serve the social and economic development of the country. NUKLEOSTRATEG I carries a total budget of 150,000,000 PLN and is scheduled to open in Q2 2026 and close in Q3 2026; firm calendar dates had not been published at the time of the source scrape.

Eligible applicants include for-profit companies, non-profit organisations, universities, and research organisations registered and operating in Poland; individual researchers may not apply. Competition structure is top-down, meaning NCBR defines the research agenda and applicants must demonstrate that their proposals meet the specified nuclear-technology requirements. Because this is a strategically sensitive sector, additional eligibility conditions related to security clearances and regulatory permits may apply beyond what is disclosed on the programme landing page.

Applicants must respond to the published call requirements and submit through NCBR's competition platform. As the first-ever NUKLEOSTRATEG call, no prior round history exists for benchmarking award sizes or success rates. Organisations considering a submission should monitor the NCBR competition platform closely for the exact opening date, call documentation, and any sector-specific regulatory prerequisites, and should allow lead time to secure any required permits or clearances before the Q3 2026 closing window.