Call for Exploratory Research Projects under the UT Austin Portugal Program 2025

The consolidation and reinforcement of the National System of Science and Technology (NSST) are key priorities of the national science and technology policy. These efforts aim to enhance national and international competitiveness in science and technology, foster innovation, and facilitate knowledge transfer. They also align with the global aspirations outlined in the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this context, promoting and strengthening scientific and technological institutions through the active participation of research teams in projects is particularly significant.

The 2025 Call for Exploratory Research Projects under the UT Austin Portugal Program has been designed to help teams of researchers from non-corporate entities of the NSST and The University of Texas at Austin (UTA) come together to conduct joint exploratory research activities in, at least, one of the four leading scientific areas of the UT Austin Portugal Program in Phase IV (2025-2030):

• Advanced Computing
• Clean Energy
• Nanotechnologies
• Space-Earth Technologies

Submitted proposals must configure groundbreaking, high-risk/high-reward projects with potential for further expansion and intersecting with work areas prioritized by Portuguese research and innovation agendas.  The proposals are expected to clearly frame the outcomes they should deliver and link them to long-term goals for full value realization.

A detailed description of these challenges and topics related to each scientific area is provided in the Terms of Reference for the 2025 Call for Exploratory Research Projects under the UT Austin Portugal Program .

The following non-business Portuguese entities of the R&I system are individual or co-promotion beneficiaries (supported entities): 

• Higher Education Institutions, their Institutes, and R&D units; 
• State, international or associated Laboratories with head offices in Portugal;
• Non-profit private institutions whose main objective is R&D activities, including Collaborative Laboratories (CoLab) and Centres for Technology and Innovation (CTI); 
• Other non-profit private and public institutions developing or participating in scientific research activities. 

This Call will only fund resources and activities attributable to research teams of eligible Portuguese beneficiaries. Under the UT Austin Portugal Program, UT Austin will grant funding to UT Austin Principal Investigators partnering with eligible Portuguese beneficiaries.

Applications must be presented to FCT, in English, from December 23, 2025, to February 10, 2026, at 17:00 Lisbon time, using a specific online form and submitted through myFCT platform.

The PI and members of the research team are responsible for submitting an updated version of their CV in English on the CIÊNCIAVITAE platform.

The Statement of Commitment for the Principal Contractor will be available on myFCT platform, for agreement by the head of the Principal Contractor or someone appointed by them, after the application submission deadline and until February 24, 2026 at 17:00 Lisbon time.

Applications are composed of the on-line form and the following documents, also submitted electronically:

• A 2-page CV of the UT Austin Principal Investigator and the other members of the UT Austin research team.
• A statement from the PI at UT Austin confirming that he/she will be the PI at the American counterpart and that he/she holds a tenure-track faculty appointment at the same university
  • In the case of proposals led by PIs at the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC), the statement must indicate that the PI is a full-time senior researcher with PI status; 
• A one-page document describing how the proposed project aligns with flagship projects at both national and EU levels.
• File with budget for the UT Austin team;
• File with the project timeline and main tasks (including national entities and the UT Austin team)
• Commitments of private non-academic organizations (if applicable).

The Statement of Commitment for the Principal Contractor will be available on myFCT platform, for agreement by the head of the Principal Contractor or someone appointed by them, after the application submission deadline and until February 24, 2026 at 17:00 Lisbon time.

The evaluation is conducted by a panel of independent experts affiliated with foreign institutions. 

The selection and ranking of projects are based on a Project Merit Indicator (MP) using the following criteria, which are described in greater detail in the Guide for Peer Reviewers and in the Terms of Reference for the 2025 Call for Exploratory Research Projects under the UT Austin Portugal Program:

     A. Scientific merit and novelty of the project from an international standpoint and alignment with the objectives of the UT Austin Portugal Program and the challenges of the scientific area where it falls under;

    B. Scientific merit of the PI and the research team;

    C. Feasibility of the work program (including its planning) and the expected indicators, as well as the budget adequacy.

    D. Potential social and economic impact of the research work and contribution towards relevant Portuguese research and innovation agendas.

The Merit of the Project (MP) is given by:

                MP= 0.4 A + 0.2 B + 0.2 C + 0.2 D

The budget allocation for this call is € 400,000 (four-hundred thousand euros), for eligible Portuguese institutions, for projects starting in 2026.

The maximum  funding per project is € 50,000 (fifty thousand euros).

The funding to be granted under this call is non-reimbursable. The projects will be fully financed by National funds through the FCT budget, applying the option of simplified costs in the form of a lump sum.

Regardless of the project’s approved funding amount, the initial advance payment is 75% of the approved funding. The remaining amount, up to the approved funding for each project, is paid upon project completion, through a final reimbursement payment method.

The indirect costs are a fixed rate of 25% of all the estimated direct eligible costs. The expenses for the adaptation of buildings and facilities are limited to a maximum of 10% of the project’s total eligible expenses.

The call is governed by this Announcement, by the Regulation for Projects Exclusively funded by National Funds, approved by Regulation no. 999/2016, of October 31, in its current wording, and by other applicable national and community legislation.

Applicants are advised to review all supporting documentation available on the call’s webpage prior to submission.

For matchmaking support, i.e., to help you find a suitable research partner at UT Austin, please contact the UT Austin Portugal office at UT (Marco Bravo: bravo@austin.utexas.edu).

For inquiries of a scientific nature, please contact the UT Austin Portugal office in Portugal at research@utaustinportugal.org.

For specific information related to the application submission and FCT’s applicable regulations, please contact concursoprojetos@fct.pt.

None of the information published on this webpage overrides the official Annoucement for Proposal Submissions.