Adopted programmes, launched calls for proposals, intensive promotion and preparation of projects - these words can briefly describe the state of implementation of the Swiss-Polish Cooperation Programme. This was the topic of the annual meeting which was held on June 11 in Krakow and attended by representatives of Poland and Switzerland.
"In March, we launched a call for proposals for medium-sized cities, and in April, we launched two calls for proposals - one for basic research projects and the other for applied research. Beneficiaries are working on preparing their projects" – this is how Konrad Wojnarowski, Deputy Minister of Development Funds and Regional Policy, summarized the state of implementation of the programme during the meeting.
"On behalf of the Swiss ambassador to Poland, I thank you for the spirit of true cooperation. No other country covered by the second edition of the Swiss Funds is as advanced in announcing calls for proposals and supporting project preparation as Poland" – said at the beginning of the meeting Matthias Dettling, deputy ambassador of Switzerland in Poland.
Participants of the annual meeting - the Swiss delegation on the left, and the Polish delegation on the right
During the meeting, an annual report on the implementation of the Swiss-Polish Cooperation Programme (SPCP) was adopted. It contains information on the most important events and arrangements regarding the programme .The two most important elements of the SPCP are:
What does the implementation of both parts of the SPCP look like?
Development of Towns Programme
Call for proposals for 139 medium-sized cities, which the National Strategy for Regional Development defines as at risk of losing their socio-economic functions, started on March 7, 2024. The first stage of the call will end on December 16. Until then, towns can submit their initial project proposals. The proposals will later be assessed by experts. Towns that submit the best projects will be invited to the second stage of the call for proposal. Finalist towns will then have to submit complete project proposals.
At the same time as the call for proposals, educational and communication activities aimed towns were launched. They are conducted by the Association of Polish Cities (APC) in cooperation with the programme operator, the Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy.
From March 19 to 26, 2024, consultation meetings for local government officials were held in 8 cities - Warsaw, Olsztyn, Kielce, Poznań, Szczecin, Lublin, Częstochowa and Wrocław. 240 participants from 106 towns took part. During the meetings, the rules for applying for support, planning activities, promotion guidelines and application evaluation criteria were discussed.
Until June 4, 2024, the APC conducted 21 webinars and seminars on public aid, vocational education and training, project preparation and implementation, biodiversity, social inclusion, entrepreneurship, energy efficiency, mobility, waste management, and social participation.
There is also a program Consultation Center run by the ZMP. On the website wsparciemiast.pl you can ask experts questions about the call for proposals. The answers are published on the same page. By June 6, 2024, 128 questions were received from 41 towns.
Plans for 2024 are:
- further communication and educational activities,
- selection of experts who will evaluate the applications after the call for proposals,
- clarification of the call for proposals regulations following comments submitted by cities during consultation meetings and questions asked via the Consultation Center.
Detailed information about the call for proposals is available in the announcement.
From the left: Director of the Department of Asistance Programmes of the Ministry of Development Funds and Rebgional Policy Maciej Aulak, and Deputy Minister Konrad Wojnarowski
Research and Innovation Programme
The Research and Innovation Programme is divided into two parts - basic research and applied research.
As part of both parts, calls for proposals for the scientific community were announced (entrepreneurs can also apply for grants in the field of applied research).
On April 2, 2024, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) announced call for proposals for basic research. SNSF acts as the operator of the part of the Research and Innovation Programme that concerns basic research. The SNSF's partner on the Polish side is the National Science Center.
On April 22, 2024, the National Center for Research and Development (NCRD) announced a call for proposals in the field of applied research. NCRD is the operator of the part of the Research and Innovation Programme that concerns applied research. NCRD's partner on the Swiss side is the innovation agency - Innosuisse.
"We have very positive signals regarding interest in call for proposals. In the case of the call for basic research, SNSF already has over 100 open applications in its system with the participation of Polish partners. Of course not all applications will be completed and submitted, but this data shows that scientists know about the call for proposals and want to use Swiss funds" – emphasized the director of the Department of Asistance Programmes of the Ministry of Development Funds and Rebgional Policy Maciej Aulak.
Call for proposals in the field of applied research is also very popular. By June 6, 2024, potential beneficiaries started completing over 130 applications, and NCRD receives several dozen inquiries daily from people who want to obtain information about the call. Over 120 entities from Poland and Switzerland have registered on the B2Match platform, which is used to search for project partners. The platform is managed by Innosuisse. Call for proposals promotion is underway.In the field of applied research, NCRD organized info days on April 24-25, 2024. Over 230 people took part in the webinars.
When it comes to basic research, the interest in the webinar organized by SNSF was such that it was delayed for several hours. The Polish partner of the program – NCN – also prepared a podcast in which an NCN expert talks about the call for proposal details.
Applications for calls for basic and applied research can be submitted until July 1, 2024.
The second call for proposals for applied research is planned for 2025.
Swiss delegation - the deputy ambassador of Switzerland in Poland, Matthias Dettling, speaks
"We hope that further cooperation with the Swiss side and other institutions involved in the implementation of the Swiss Funds will be as good as so far. The implementation of the SPCP is our common challenge and an opportunity to strengthen relations between our countries" – concluded Deputy Minister Wojnarowski, closing the meeting.