Direção de Projectos (DP)

The FCT has published the final results of Call for the award of Studentships for doctoral research 2024. Of the 3,750 applications received, 1,507 new Studentships doctoral research grants were awarded, corresponding to an overall approval rate of 40%.

Among the results was the award of 1056 Studentships in the General Application Linewith an approval rate of 34%, and 451 Studentships awarded in the Specific Application Line in a Non-Academic Environmentwith a 75% approval rate. The specific line in a non-academic environment has seen a significant increase in applications and Studentships awarded (from 332 Studentships awarded in 2023 to the 451 funded this year), which demonstrates the growing interest and importance of collaboration between academia and other sectors of society.

The investment associated with these Studentships is 124 million euros (87 M€ in the general application line and 37 M€ in Studentships in a non-academic environment), supported by national and EU funds. The distribution of the number of Studentships for each panel was set taking into account a rationale proportional to the number of applications submitted in each panel, in any of the application lines. In the general line of applications, 23% of Studentships are in the area of Social Sciences, 21% in Engineering Sciences and Technologies and 19% in the Humanities, with the remaining scientific areas represented with percentages of less than 13%. In the specific application line in a non-academic environment, approximately 46% of Studentships are in the areas of Engineering and Exact Sciences, 36% in Natural and Life Sciences and around 18% in Social Sciences and Humanities.

As in previous editions of Call, gender representation among the candidates prioritized for funding shows 56% female and 44% male participation. As far as nationalities are concerned, candidates from 48 countries have been put forward for funding, with Brazilian, Italian, Iranian, Spanish and German nationalities standing out among the foreign candidates. Around 82% of Studentships will allow the research to be carried out entirely in Portuguese institutions, 16.5% will involve both national and foreign institutions, and 1.5% will be carried out exclusively in foreign institutions.

Around half of the new grantees in a non-academic environment plan to carry out research in companies and more than 10% of the work plans in a non-academic environment include research to be carried out in public administration entities and collaborative laboratories, followed by around 8% of work carried out in state laboratories. In the 451 new Studentships research projects approved for funding under this line, there will also be research taking place in Health Units, Associations, Sports Federations, Technology and Innovation Centers, third sector entities and others.

The evaluation process involved the collaboration of 479 evaluators, divided into 36 panels, who analyzed, classified and ranked the applications in each panel.

The final list of approved applications and the number of Studentships per panel can be consulted on the FCT pages for the General Application Line and Specific Application Line in a Non-Academic Environmentin the Documents section of Call under the Results tab. With the publication of the final results, the contracting of Studentships will now begin, in accordance with the FCT’s Research Regulation Studentships . In order to speed up the process, the use of the electronic modality is encouraged.

It is up to the successful candidate to indicate the start date of their Studentship. This date must be between September 1, 2024 and August 1, 2025. If applicable, the corresponding retroactive payment will be made. Candidates whose final decision was unfavorable now have 15 working days to lodge a complaint against the decision or, alternatively, 30 working days to lodge an appeal, by filling in the form available in the applications area of the myFCT portal, on the page where the Final Results of the respective application are published.

Dates in the spotlight:

• Studentship start date – between 01.09.2024 and 01.08.2025
• Submission of documentation for contractualization of Studentship on myFCT – until 30.04.2025
• Complaint submission – until 22.11.2024 – 23h59
• Appeal submission – until 13.12.2024 – 23h59

For information on other funding opportunities for doctoral research at Studentships , within the scope of FCT collaboration protocols and partnerships with R&D Units and other entities, it is suggested that you consult the FCT website and the Euraxess portal regularly.

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