Please prepare your application to the Dioscuri Programme thoroughly before starting the online application process. To do so, consult the Call for Dioscuri Centres on our website (NCN and MPG website) for detailed information about the aim and scope of the Programme. Furthermore, we kindly ask you to take note of the Max Planck Society's Rules of Good Scientific Practice.

In order to apply for a Dioscuri Centre (DC), you will need to find a Host Institution in Poland as well as a Partner from Germany. The Host Institution shall provide the adequate environment for your proposed research concept and be willing/able to host your DC. A number of Polish Scientific Institutions that have already declared their willingness to host Dioscuri Centres can be found at list of Host Institutions (available on 15 May 2026). You may use the list to search for a suitable host in your respective research field. Please note that all Polish research units, regardless of their prior registration, are eligible as Host Institutions in the current call. The German Partner shall be an experienced scientist who is well suited to advise on the scientific and structural development of the DC.

To apply to the Dioscuri Programme, you will need to submit an application via our application platform consisting of an application form, application documents, a short and full research concept as well as three signed attachments. Below you will find detailed instructions for each of these components.

Before submitting the application via the application platform, the prospective Host Institution must approve the application documents. The Host Institution agrees to the application by signing a declaration form (LINK) ; afterwards the application documents can be uploaded by the Applicant. For more information, please check the NCN website NCN Website 5th Call: 

 

How to Apply via our application platform

First, you will need to create a new account to register for our application platform (see box on the left 'User Login'). During registration, you will be asked to accept the terms and conditions of our Data Protection Security and Privacy Policy. After creating your account, you will be able to fill in the application form and upload all necessary application documents. You may save and edit your application as often as you like before submitting it. Once you have submitted your application, you cannot change the data and/or files provided. Please make sure that your email and contact data remain valid until the end of the evaluation process. Should this not be possible, please inform the Dioscuri Office about your updated contact data.

The application deadline is September 15, 2026.

Application Form

The application form includes: your basic personal information, basic information about the Dioscuri Centre (DC) you are proposing to establish (including a short abstract), basic information about your German Partner and a justification for his/her selection (max. 2000 characters, incl. spaces), basic information about the Host Institution (HI) and a justification for choosing the HI (max. 2000 characters, incl. spaces), a budget table and budget outline for the DC, as well as your expected contribution from the Host Institution.

The application form must be filled in and submitted via the application platform. For purposes of offline preparation and information you may download the offline version of the application form (link to application form)

Application Documents (to be uploaded)

You will be asked to upload the following documents in PDF format:

• a research proposal (max. 10 pages + references and indicative budget plan),
• a declaration of the Applicant (Attachment 1),
• a declaration of the Polish Host Institution (Attachment 2) 
• a declaration of the German Partner (Attachment 3)
• names of six reviewers with an indication of possible conflict of interest,
• a signed application form.

The research proposal must contain the following information:

1. five most important publications of the Applicant
2. disciplines to be combined in the research concept
3. short abstract (1500 characters incl. spaces)
4. five most important publications of the German Partner (attached as PDFs)
5. indicative budget
6. requirements from the Host Institution
7. CV of the Applicant
8. CV of the German Partner
9. complete list of publications, invited lectures of the Applicant and of the German Partner
10. justification for choosing the Host Institution in Poland 
11. justification for selecting the partner from Germany
12. names and affiliations of six international experts who can judge the quality of the application. Confirmation that there are no conflicts of interest.
13. research concept (overall length max. 15 pages incl. references).

Please name each file in the following way: LastName_FileName.pdf [e.g.: Curie_ApplicantCV.pdf; Curie_ListPartnerPublication.pdf; Curie_Publication1.pdf etc.] Documents in other formats or with higher page counts will not be accepted. Please do not upload any encrypted PDFs.

Full Concept for Establishing a Dioscuri Centre

You will be asked to provide a research concept for the DC you plan to establish (max. 15 pages, incl. references). The concept shall include

(a) an innovative research programme and (b) an outline for the DC's structural development, which might include the envisioned relationship with the Partner from Germany, plans for securing qualified personnel and additional (external) funding, as well as strategies for positioning the DC in the local and international scientific community. Please structure the document in the following way:

• Short introduction,
• Goals,
• Interdisciplinary approach,
• Methodology,
• Expected scientific (and if applicable societal) impact,
• Work plan with contributions of both Dioscuri Grantee and German Partner,
• Short descriptions of expected synergies and the added value of the international cooperation,
• Description (and justification) of the implementation of the research program, such as new research groups and personnel, joint training measures, conferences etc.

Attachments 1 to 3 (signature and upload)

We ask you to provide three signed documents: a declaration of the applicant (Attachment 1); a declaration of the Polish Host Institution (Attachment 2); and a letter of intent of the Partner from Germany (Attachment 3). These three documents will need to be signed by the respective party, either electronically or by hand, and uploaded via the online application platform. Should the document be signed by hand, please upload a scan of the signed document.

Download the Attachment forms here.

The Dioscuri Scientific Committee is responsible for the selection process. All decisions made by the Dioscuri Committee are binding collective decisions. 

After the second stage of the selection process, applicants are informed about the Committee’s decisions. For reasons of transparency, Applicants  receive the external reviews and justification of the Committee's decision.
Please refrain from individual inquiries concerning the status of your application.

• After an eligibility check, all eligible applications will be subject to external scientific reviews based on the research concept .
• This review will be based solely on the scientific merit of the candidates and the quality of their research concept. Decisions will be announced by mid November 2026 (first stage).
• In the second stage the Dioscuri Committee will assess the proposals based on the external reviews.
• Building on these reviews, the Dioscuri Committee will in the third stage select up to 5 applicants for final interviews. Selected as well as rejected applicants will be informed about this decision via the application platform.
• In the third stage, the remaining applicants as well as the Polish Host Institutions will be invited for personal interviews to take place in Krakow on December 10-11, 2026. Subsequently, the Dioscuri Committee will select up to two applicants for funding within the Dioscuri Programme.

Final decisions will be announced by the end of December 2026.

Candidates selected for funding will start negotiating specific conditions for their DC with representatives of the respective Polish Host Institution and the NCN in January 2026.
Negotiations should be concluded within several months of the Committee’s final decision.

Please consult the Call for Dioscuri Centres of Scientific Excellence for detailed information about the eligibility of applicants, the design of Dioscuri Centres and the requirements for Host Institutions and Partners.

To provide a comprehensive overview of the Dioscuri Programme funding and to support potential applicants in preparing their application, we will offer webinars during the call period. The webinars are scheduled on 21 May 2026, from 16.00 to 17.30 hrs and on 2 June 2026 from 16.00 to 17.30 hrs. Webinars registration.

Any further questions can be addressed to dioscuri@gv.mpg.de.