The Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) has launched a new initiative titled Polskie Powroty (Polish Returns), designed to encourage Polish scientists who have pursued research abroad to return to Poland and revitalise the country’s research landscape. 

Poland, like many nations, has for years observed capable scientists and academics moving abroad in search of better conditions, funding or institutions. The new NAWA programme takes the opposite tack, facilitating the return of those who have already gained international research experience. 

According to its description, the new scheme is a flagship programme that seeks to channel the knowledge, expertise and international cooperation of returning researchers into Polish scientific institutions. 

The programme targets two distinct groups: researchers with Polish citizenship who in recent years have been conducting scientific work abroad, and Polish scientific institutions that are willing to hire such researchers. 

Two tracks are depending on career stage:

Junior Fellow – for scientists up to 7 years post-doctorate. 

Senior Fellow – for more experienced researchers who already lead projects or research teams. 

Financial and structural details

Funding is provided for a term of three or four years and covers: the project leader’s salary, the salaries of the project group members, and the inviting institution’s relevant costs. 

Maximum funding amounts are:

Up to 1,243,200 zł (£236,000) for the Junior Fellow path. 

Up to 2,377,600 zł (£452,000) for the Senior Fellow path. 

Importantly, winners of the 2025 edition will also have the opportunity to participate in a competition by the Agencja Badań Medycznych (ABM). 

The programme comes at a time when Poland is committed to strengthening its research infrastructure and retaining scientific talent. By offering a structured route back home, complete with funding and institutional backing, the scheme addresses an important gap: how to translate experience gained abroad into sustained activity domestically.

For Polish research institutions, the programme offers a chance to attract researchers who bring fresh international perspectives, networks and methodologies. For individual researchers, it offers funding stability and the prospect of building or leading a team back home.

To access the programme, the applications must be submitted through the NAWA electronic system, and the institution intending to hire acts as the applicant, specifying the project leader. The next deadline is set on 15 January 2026 at 3:00 p.m. Polish time. 

While the programme is ambitious, many experts believe it is hard to say if Poland will offer enough to bring back its best scientists home.

You can access all the necessary details for participants here.

Source: nawa.gov.pl 

Photo: X/@sjanus_pl

Tomasz Modrzejewski