2024 Studentships with additional funding for non-academic contexts

The 2024 edition of Call for Studentships for Doctorates in all scientific fields will increase funding for work plans with non-academic entities, increasing the number of Studentships be awarded in this category from 400 to 450 Studentships, compared to 2023.

This public policy aims to enable all institutions—not just academic ones—to integrate the academic paths of researchers working in Portugal. It also seeks to strengthen the contribution of doctoral training to organizations that are increasingly competitive and capable of facing current and emerging challenges in all sectors of society.

Public or private institutions, including companies, public entities, social entities, health entities, cultural entities, or other interface institutions that are not predominantly academic in nature, may express interest in hosting doctoral fellows. The areas are as diverse as fundamental and applied science, innovation, health, education, culture, or social welfare, among others.

Therefore, in order to facilitate the matching of interests, non-academic institutions that are available to host doctoral fellows may continue to fill out the expression of interest form.

Applicants for doctoral Studentships can consult the list of institutions that have expressed interest and interact directly with the contact point at each institution with a view to preparing a work plan for a possible application.

Applications in other areas and with other entities that have not submitted an expression of interest are permitted under this funding line, as this is optional. All applications will be evaluated competitively.

Studentships doctoral studies in a non-academic environment involve a commitment to co-supervise the implementation of the work plan at the respective non-academic host institutions. This funding instrument does not involve any costs for the entities participating in the program, whether academic or non-academic.

The Notice of the Call 2024 edition of Call Studentships will be published by FCT on March 1, 2024, with the application submission period running from March 18 to April 18.