MAESTRO

MAESTRO is NCN's senior-research basic-research programme for investigators at least seven years post-PhD. It targets frontier projects with an ERC-equivalent quality bar and sits at the top end of the National Science Centre's career ladder in Poland. The current MAESTRO 17 budget was 25,000,000 PLN. Projects run 36, 48, or 60 months, and MAESTRO 17 received 83 proposals of which 7 were funded. Applications go through the host institution in OSF, and the project leader must keep at least 50% presence in Poland through a part-time employment contract or equivalent institutional arrangement. NCN runs the call annually, with a summer deadline around 15 September. MAESTRO fits established researchers who can justify ambitious, high-risk questions and already have a strong scientific record. The programme is not about scale alone; it rewards depth, originality, and leadership at an advanced career stage. Teams that need to persuade reviewers on scientific excellence rather than early validation are the natural audience.

Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.