The 1st edition of FCT Mobility provides 2.8 million euros in funding for mobility

The final results of FCT Mobility—a program of the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) designed to support medium- and long-term stays for research and fieldwork by Portuguese researchers with doctoral degrees at foreign institutions and by foreign researchers with doctoral degrees at Portuguese institutions—have now been announced. In its first edition, the program achieved very positive results, demonstrating a strong impact on the internationalization of Portuguese science.

With funding provided by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) (Measure RE-C06-i06 – Science and Capacity Building), the total investment amounted to 2,800,085.50 €. Applications were accepted between November 2024 and December 2025. In total, 604 applications were submitted, of which 474 were evaluated; 456 of these received funding to support the mobility of national or foreign researchers affiliated with national institutions.

In the final assessment of this first edition, the outgoingprogram, which enabled 282 researchers affiliated with Portuguese institutions to take advantage of mobility periods outside Portugal—primarily to European countries (the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Germany), but also to countries outside Europe (Brazil, the U.S., Japan), and to the PALOP countries (Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Angola).

In the incoming, 174 researchers affiliated with foreign institutions were hosted, coming from both European countries (Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, France) and countries outside Europe (Brazil, the U.S., Australia).

An analysis of the geographic distribution of mobility shows that Brazil accounts for the highest number of records in the two categories considered (83), followed by Spain (47), Italy (34), the United States (30), France (28), the United Kingdom (26), and Germany (21). In terms of subject area distribution, there is a similar number of funded applications in the fields of Exact Sciences and Engineering (173) and Social Sciences and Humanities (175), and a slightly lower number of grants awarded in the fields of Life and Health Sciences (108).

The FCT Mobility program, developed and implemented by FCT, promoted the creation and strengthening of international scientific networks, consolidated existing partnerships, and facilitated the transfer of scientific and technical knowledge, focusing on the interests of researchers. The program’s impact was also reflected in the professional development of the participating researchers and the advancement of their careers, as well as in the increased international visibility of their home or host institutions. The high level of participation from the scientific community and the significant impact of international mobility demonstrate the central role this program played in promoting international cooperation, contributing directly to the strengthening of the national research and innovation ecosystem and to the consolidation of the National Science and Technology System’s international presence.