Applications for the “Doutor AP” Program open on November 25

Applications for the “Doutor AP” Program, a new FCT funding instrument, will open on November 25, 2024, and close at 5:00 p.m. on February 24, 2025 (Mainland Portugal time). With an estimated annual budget of one million euros, "Doutor AP" aims to strengthen the scientific capacity of the Portuguese Public Administration and strengthen its links with academia.

The main objective of this program is to promote applied scientific research in the context of Public Administration by granting protected time for research projects. It will enable employees to obtain a doctoral degree, with work plans aligned with the research and development strategies of the entities where they work.

Professionals from various areas of public administration, such as health, education, culture, justice, and central and local government, among many others, may benefit from this program. This edition provides for the allocation of up to 80 grants for workers employed in the public sector. Grant agreements will have a maximum duration of six years.

The funding granted by FCT will take the form of a Protected Time Grant, corresponding to a percentage of a national Studentship , proportional to the reduction in working hours. Each doctoral student supported shall benefit from at least one year of protected time, at a percentage never less than 20% reduction in their working hours, in the first three years of support to be granted by FCT. It also translates into a Training Grant, which covers registration, enrollment, and tuition fees for the doctoral program, up to a maximum of €2,750.00 per academic year.

For more information, please referto the Call page.