BlueOcean Programme: Funding for Breakthrough Scientific Research

Do you have a bold research idea that challenges existing paradigms and has the potential to lead to groundbreaking discoveries? The BlueOcean Programme of the Foundation for Polish Science supports ambitious researchers ready to pursue high-risk, high-gain scientific projects that can open entirely new directions in research.

Applications are welcome from researchers who:

• Are employed by a Polish research organization.

• Will act as the Principal Investigator (PI) of the proposed project.

• Have demonstrated scientific excellence through at least two publications from the last five years published in journals ranked in the top 10% of their discipline (90th percentile or higher in Scopus categories), where they are the first or last author.

BlueOcean supports projects that:

• Address original and important scientific questions.

• Propose radical and unconventional approaches.

• Have the potential to generate breakthrough discoveries.

• Go significantly beyond the current state of knowledge.

• Involve a high degree of scientific risk coupled with potentially exceptional rewards.

The programme is open to all fields of research.

Online Application

Applicants submit an online application consisting of:

1. Applicant Information

Basic personal and affiliation details.

2. Eligibility Publications

Details of two publications demonstrating compliance with the eligibility criteria.

3. Project Proposal

A proposal not exceeding 1,500 words, including:

• Project title,

• Up to 10 keywords,

• Main research question or hypothesis,

• Description of the proposed idea,

• Justification of its radical novelty and breakthrough potential.

4. Supporting Documents

Narrative CV Demonstrating the applicant's ability to lead a breakthrough research project.

Timeline and Milestones Presenting the main stages of the project, milestones and key research tasks.

Planned Budget Categories Providing an indicative overview of the resources required to implement the project.

Stage II: interview with the Programme Committee

Applications will undergo a formal eligibility check followed by scientific assessment. Programme Committee qualifies applications for evaluation by external reviewers.

Projects will be evaluated on the basis of:

• Scientific soundness,

• Breakthrough potential,

• Originality and radical novelty,

• Potential significance of the anticipated discovery.

Top-ranked applicants will be invited to participate in an interview with the Programme Committee. Programme Committee evaluates:

• scientific excellence,

• originality and depth of reasoning,

• potential for a transformative discovery,

• expertise of the applicant,

• conceptual coherence and feasibility of the project,

• the planned budget categories.

Projects

Funding  350.000 PLN

Duration  up to 18 months.

BlueOcean is designed for researchers willing to explore scientific frontiers where outcomes are uncertain but the potential impact is extraordinary. If you have a vision that could change the way we understand the world, we encourage you to apply.

Start your journey into uncharted scientific territory.

Applications must be submitted through the online application system between 5^th November 2026 and 1^st February 2027.