The flagship projects (hereinafter: the “FPs”) constitute ambitious activities implemented under the ID.UJ programme, which are to enrich the research ecosystem of Jagiellonian University significantly, by creating innovative forms of scientific activity within it, combining research with education and cooperation with the socio-economic environment. The best FP can be transformed over time into institutionally autonomous units within the structure of JU (e.g. inter-faculty centres of excellence). At the same time, the FPs are supposed to become “JU showcases” – spaces of interdisciplinary and international cooperation, which in an exemplary way combine conducting research at the highest world level with the implementation of other aspects of the University's mission: educating students and doctoral students, cooperation with business, expert activity and social involvement. The FPs under the ID.UJ are implemented at the level of Priority Research Areas (hereinafter: “PRA”).

1. The FPs can take the following forms:

• research activity in the form of the Excellence Teams, i.e. interdisciplinary and international research teams with well-focused topics, under the guidance of experienced or promising researchers. The Excellence Teams can cover one research team or a group of collaborating teams.  The goal of the Excellence Teams should be the conduct of research activity at the highest global level in areas in which Jagiellonian University has already had or has the potential to have a leading position on the international arena. Research thematic scope undertaken by the Excellence Teams cannot cover the entire issues of a given PRA, instead it should be focused on a relatively narrow area. Not only should the Excellence Teams carry out research but they should also conduct activity related to scientific communication (popularisation of science, promotion of research achievements) or support research-led education,
• activities supporting research, cooperation with the environment and education in the form of the Collaboration Platforms. The Collaboration Platforms should aim at organising and supporting JU employee’s activities in a specified thematic area (which cannot cover the entire issues of a given PRA). The Collaboration Platforms activities should be targeted at supporting the research process, especially in international cooperation (supporting the process of obtaining grants, building international research groups, creating research tools, exchanging experiences, bridge financing) and also at "embedding" the conducted research activity in the socio-economic context (e.g. cooperation with business, cooperation with institutions from the social environment, expert activity, popularisation of science, social involvement). The Collaboration Platforms do not directly fund larger-scale research – research funding is limited to sensitive stages (the stage of obtaining target funds, bridge financing, etc.).
• infrastructure resource centres for conducting advanced scientific research, open to researchers from all over the University in the form of the Core Facilities. The Core Facilities’ objective is to advance infrastructure resources in areas that allow for interdisciplinary and international cooperation, and where it would be inefficient or impossible to create infrastructure with the forces of individual units of Jagiellonian University. The Core Facilities should operate on the basis of clear and transparent rules of access to infrastructure. This access should be open to all employees of Jagiellonian University as well as – as a rule – to researchers from outside Jagiellonian University cooperating with Jagiellonian University’s research groups . The Core Facilities may conduct expert and service activities; they should also implement a strategy of communication with the socio-economic environment and training activities.

2. The above characteristics of the Excellence Teams, the Collaboration Platforms and the Core Facilities should be interpreted broadly and flexibly, adapting specific FP applications to the nature of the research issues and the identified needs of a given PRA. The FPs can also combine the three forms of action indicated above. In the course of time, depending on the needs of a given PRA, it may be proposed to create a FP which will also take into account other forms of activity.
3. The FPs should be developed taking into account the highest standards of management, conducting research, didactic activity and cooperation with the socio-economic environment, as well as the needs of a given PRA.
4. Save exceptional situations, the FPs in the initial phase of its activity shall not constitute separate units of  Jagiellonian University (within or outside faculty).

1. The FPs shall follow the ID.UJ policy, i.e.:

• they should be thematically related to the issues of one or more PRAs and implement the strategy of this/those PRA/PRAs;
• they should pursue the pillars of the 4*I principle, that is internationalisation (by definition, a FP conducts intensive international collaboration), interdisciplinarity (a FP focuses on research issues that require interdisciplinary and cross-domain collaboration), innovation (a FP operates on the basis of innovative and effective formats), and integration (a FP is not limited to one dimension of the University's mission);
• they should be a space for cooperation between the units of Jagiellonian University.

2. The FPs should be developed only if they are a significant complement to the Jagiellonian University's research ecosystem, giving hope for the intensification of research at the highest level, providing intensive development of cooperation with the economic and social environment and the development of innovative educational formats that respond to the challenges of modern times.
3. The assumptions of FPs’ activity include a development strategy outside the time frame of the ID.UJ programme, in particular by defining the methods of obtaining external financial resources (grants, commercialisation, support from sponsors).
4. Within each of the PRAs, in the first organised call for application (by the end of the first quarter of 2022), 1-3 FP(s) should be selected, depending on the specificity of the research issues, identified needs and perceived growth potential. It is also possible and even advisable to develop the FPs thematically related to the issues of several PRAs. Subsequent calls for applications will be conducted on a continuous basis and resolved depending on the financial and substantive progress of the ID.UJ programme.

1. The FPs’ activity is based on a project approach, i.e. each FP has its own FP Principal Investigator responsible for the implementation of FP's development strategy (goals, milestones, schedule, budget, communication strategy).
2. In the administrative context:

• For FPs significantly related to the activity of a specific JU unit (e.g. by providing infrastructure facilities, leading role in a given research issues, involvement of many employees of a given JU unit in the FP), administrative service of the FP is provided by the unit (receiving additional funds for these activities within the FP budget), while the FP principal investigator comes directly under the head of JU unit;
• For FPs operating on a larger scale, covering the cooperation of a substantial part of the Jagiellonian University's units, administrative services are provided by the ID.UJ Office, while the principal investigator of the FP comes directly under the Jagiellonian University Vice-Rector for Research.

3. In the cases referred to in point 2(A) above, the decision on the mode of providing administrative services to the FPs is made by the Jagiellonian University Vice-Rector for Research in consultation with the head of the Jagiellonian University unit.
4. Supervision over the activities of the FPs is exercised by the JU Vice-Rector for Research (in the case of the FPs administratively served by the unit, the Jagiellonian University Vice-Rector for Research may entrust supervision to an appropriate head of a Jagiellonian University unit). The PRA Coordinator is responsible for monitoring the substantive progress in the implementation of the FP, especially through ongoing cooperation with the FP Principal Investigator(s), who at the same time cooperates with the Monitoring and Reporting Coordinator within data collection and transfer of data and information on material progress and results of activities under the FP.

The Flagship Project - Request for Creation covers:

1. indication of the FP Principal Investigator or determination of the terms of the competition in which the Principal Investigator shall be selected;
2. determination of the FP modus operandi;
3. indication of the FP development strategy, covering objectives, milestones, schedule, budget and communication strategy (the format of these documents will be presented by the ID.UJ Office);
4. indication of how the FP meets the principles of the ID.UJ programme;
5. determining how the FP will contribute to the implementation of the ID.UJ programme indicators;
6. justification that the creation of the FP will be a significant complement to the Jagiellonian University's research ecosystem;
7. indication of mechanisms and specific plans for obtaining external funds for the FPs’ activities, ensuring the sustainability of the FPs outside the time frame of the ID.UJ programme.

Flagship Project - Request for Creation

1. The PRA coordinator conducts consultations within the PRA in order to provide the PRA Steering Team (hereinafter: “PRA ST”) with preliminary proposal to create a FP. The consultations should in particular cover persons involved in the activities of the PRA and researchers who are leaders in a given issue, as well as heads of Jagiellonian University units participating in the PRA. the PRA Coordinator presents the collected preliminary proposals to create a FP to the PRA ST.
2. The PRA ST gets acquainted with the submitted initial proposals. Proposals that will receive the approval of at least 2 members of the PRA ST are subject to further development in the form of full applications. The applications shall be submitted using the strefaid.uj.edu.pl system. Administrative assistance in drawing up the application is provided by the ID.UJ Office.
3. Only after the Vice-Rector for Research consults the PRA ST and the JU Rector’s College shall the FP from the application submitted through the strefaid.uj.edu.pl system be appointed. The Jagiellonian University Vice-Rector for Research may also consult selected internal or external experts.
4. Applications to create the FP in the strefaid.uj.edu.pl system shall be submitted by 25 March 2022. The Vice-Rector of Jagiellonian University for Research appoints the FP by the end of March 2022. It is expected that – depending on the pace of development and effectiveness of the FP as well as the financial resources available – in the future, it will be possible to create new or delete existing FPs.

With your queries you can contact Ms Dorota Buchwald-Cieślak (the RSC Director):

e-mail: dorota.buchwald@uj.edu.pl
phone: 12 663 38 33, mobile: 504 786 206

1. When will a template form to a detailed description of the flagship project be made available?

In to following week the Excel file of the form is to be made available, whereas, according to the plan, the application form is to appear in the ID Zone. February 21 this year.

2. Is the 18th February the final deadline for submitting preliminary applications?

As a rule it is indeed the final deadline – you are asked to organise the call for the preliminary proposals of creating the flagship projects as well as the work of the Steering Team in such a way that it will be possible that a set of initial applications be send by 18th February of the current year, via the ID. Zone, to the Chair of the Board for the Implementation of the ID.UJ Programme. Should a given PRA not indicate an internal deadline for the call of projects or should it not be possible to convene a meeting of the Steering Team (due to business/holiday trips), you are asked to put forth to Ms Dorota Buchwald-Cieślak a deadline for sending the set of applications to the Chair of the Board for the Implementation of the Programme (however, we would like to point out that the later the set of proposals is submitted, the less time will remain for the preparation of full descriptions)

3. Who is going to enter a detailed description of the flagship project into the ID.UJ Zone system?

The person entitled to enter a full description of the flagship project is going to be the coordinator of a given PRA or, in justified cases, the principal investigator of the pre-selected FP upon prior authorisation (as far as authorisation issues are concerned, please contact Mr Bartłomiej Adamczyk from the ID.UJ Office).

4. How can the members of the steering teams be acquainted with the content of the Flagship Projects module - preliminary applications?

Every member of the steering team of a given PRA has authorisations to the preview of preliminary flagship project applications. Please read the access manual:

After logging in to the ID.UJ Zone, in the upper right corner, select the:

Go to administrative zone:

Then, in the menu on the left, choose the button:

Flagships project registry:

5. Is it possible to submit proposals for flagship projects to be implemented within several PRAs?

Yes, it is. In such a situation, please choose one PRA, which will be the technical applicant in the ID.UJ Zone, and then please send information to Ms Dorota Buchwald-Cieślak in order to grant authorisation to preview a given application by the steering teams of other PRAs and the approval authorisations for the chairmen of other PRAs.

6. Where can the template of the Flagship Project - Request for Creation be found?

The editing version of the Flagship Project - Request for Creation in English can be accessed through the website of the ID.UJ Strategic Programme (the Flagship Project - Request for Creation tab)

7. What deadline do you provide for the submission of a full application?

The deadline for the submission of the application in its final form is 25 March this year. 

8. When submitting a full application, is it sufficient to fill out the English version of the form solely (available on the website: https://id.uj.edu.pl/projekty-flagowe), or the Polish version as well? How to formally submit the form and who submits it? Are there any character limits in the descriptions?

There is a flagship project form available on the ID.UJ zone:
https://strefaid.uj.edu.pl/ProjektFlagowy

Please select the “Dodaj wniosek o utworzenie” option and then click on the icon with the flag of GB in the upper right corner of the system.

Key information about applications:

• the application shall be prepared only in English;
• character limits and detailed guidelines for individual fields are visible in the system;
• The Principal Investigator is responsible for preparing the application in the substantive scope;
• Either the Principal Investigator or the PRA coordinator is responsible for the technical preparation of the proposal in the ID.UJ Zone system. In the event that the Principal Investigator will complete the application in the system, please send an e-mail  (biuro.id@uj.edu.pl) with a request for access to edit the application;
• The PRA coordinator may not act as the Principal Investigator;
• If the Principal Investigator is not yet known, the application is completed by the PRA coordinator together with a description of the field “Terms of the competition for the Flagship Project Principal Investigator”;
• The deadline for the application submission is 25 March of this year.

9. When accepting the initial FP proposal by the Vice-Rector for Research, there is a remark that the extended version of the application should have set out the rules for making the infrastructure available to the groups concerned. Where should this description be included?

The rules for making the infrastructure available to the groups concerned shall be provided in the Flagship Project Justification.

10. What should be described in the following point: "Flagship Project management structure and internal/external communication within the Flagship Project” ?

In the "Flagship Project management structure and internal/external communication within the Flagship Project” the method of managing the flagship project should be provided, ensuring its effective implementation and achievement of the assumed project objectives (planning, scheduling, implementation, control and accounting of tasks) composition and division of competences within the management team, methodology for monitoring progress in the implementation of the FP, ways, tools, frequency of communication between direct project implementers and PRAs and entities involved in its implementation, ways of communicating externally about the project and progress of its implementation.

11. What are the recommendations of the Chair of the Board for the Implementation of the ID.UJ Programme when it comes to the Flagship Project - Request for Creation ?

1. Unification of the FPs names:

• names in English shall apply
• The Center for XXX  should be selected for the centres already existing in the structure of Jagiellonian University
• The XXX Core Facility should be selected for the infrastructure FPs
• The XXX LAB/XXX HUB should be selected for the Excellence teams and the Collaboration platforms types, yet the LAB is suggested in the case when a FP focuses on research development, while the HUB - in the case of FP emphasis on the cooperation aspect.

2. The Principal Investigator is responsible for substantive preparation of the application, and when they are not yet known - the POB coordinator. This is to remind you that if the Principal Investigator has not been assigned to the FP, the “Terms of the competition for the Flagship Project Principal Investigator” application field must be accurately described.
3. In the “Applicant scientific achievements” field the achievements of the Principal Investigator of the project Team should be provided, in accordance with the hint in the ID.UJ Zone system.
4. This is to remind you that within the FPs we do not create centres in the structural sense. The emergence of centres of excellence at Jagiellonian University may possibly occur in the long term, but it is not possible at the stage of the FP implementation.
5. Under the FP, it is not possible to finance research mini-grants.
6. Please revise (at the PRA level and between PRAs) you flagship projects – it is advisable to combine into one FP similar concepts.

1             Omics and Structural Research Core Facility

2             Central European Mathematical Research Lab

3             Materials Research Hub

4             Center for Theranostics

5             Artificial Intelligence Computing Core Facility

6             Center for Quantitative Political Science

7             Mark Kac Center for Complex Systems Research

8             Earth System Science Core Facility

9             Critical Heritage Studies Hub

10          European Treasure in the Jagiellonian Library  Core Facility

11          Digital Humanities Lab

12          Behaviour in Crisis Lab

13          Future Democracy Lab

14          Future Law Lab

15          Centre for Brain Research

16          Mathematical Cognition and Learning Lab

17          Campus Living Lab. Useful Research HUB

18          Mare Nostrum Lab

19          Centre for Advanced Sustainability Studies

20          Man-Mind-Environment Excellence Teams