Research Studentships directly funded by FCT

Yes. All scholarship holders have the right to suspend their Studentship activities due to parenthood, under the terms of the Labor Code.

Yes, if you have signed your Studentship contract with the FCT, you can continue to receive your Studentship during the suspension of activities due to parenthood, as long as you do not request this payment from Social Security or another welfare institution from which you benefit.

Studentship activities can be suspended for 120 or 150 consecutive days.

If you opt for the 120-day period, the monthly maintenance allowance will be maintained at 100%; if you opt for the 150-day period, the amount you receive will be equivalent to 80% of the monthly maintenance allowance.

Yes. Fathers can choose to share initial parental leave, in which each takes exclusively, but not simultaneously, one period of 30 consecutive days or two periods of 15 consecutive days, after the mother's compulsory six weeks. In this case, the leave period of 120 or 150 days, depending on the option, and the respective support are increased by 30 days.

Thus, the 120-day leave will last for 150 days, receiving 100% of the monthly maintenance allowance, while the initial parental leave of 150 days will last for 180 days, receiving the equivalent of 83% of the monthly maintenance allowance.

In the event that the father takes at least one period of 60 consecutive days, or two periods of 30 consecutive days out of the total of 180 of the initial parental leave, in addition to the father's exclusive parental leave, the amount to be received is equivalent to 90% of the Monthly Maintenance Allowance.

You must submit your request at https://myfct.fct.pt/ by going to the menu Financing → Requests → Create Requests, and submit the following documentation, indicating the period and conditions under which you wish to take parental leave:

a. A copy of the official document proving the birth of your child (birth certificate, photocopy of a civil identification document or a statement from the doctor at the health establishment or service proving the date of birth);

b. A statement issued by Social Security proving that you do not receive the initial parental allowance from them;

c. A sworn statement to the effect that you have not applied, and will not apply, to the Social Security system or any other entity for support/subsidies applicable to this condition.

If you choose to take initial shared parental leave, this is added:

d. A joint declaration of sharing, duly signed by both parents and stating the periods during which each will benefit from the leave;

e. A statement issued by the other parent's employer or by the social protection system, proving the period in which they will be taking initial shared parental leave.

Under the father's exclusive parental leave, he can suspend the activities funded by Studentship for the following periods:

• 28 days of compulsory leave, consecutive or interpolated, of at least 7 days, of which 7 must be taken consecutively immediately after the birth and the remaining 21 within 42 days of the birth;
• 7 days of optional leave, consecutive or interpolated, provided that they are taken at the same time as the mother's initial parental leave.

During the suspension of activities due to the father's exclusive initial parental leave, the monthly maintenance allowance is paid in full.

You must submit your request at https://myfct.fct.pt/ by accessing the menu Financing → Requests → Create Requests, and submit the following documentation, indicating the period in which you will suspend the activities financed by Studentship due to the father's exclusive initial parental leave:

a. A copy of the official document proving the birth of your child (birth certificate or photocopy of a civil identification document);

b. A statement issued by Social Security proving that you do not receive the father's exclusive initial parental allowance;

c. A sworn statement to the effect that you have not applied, and will not apply, to the Social Security system or any other entity for support/subsidies applicable to this condition.

Yes. You have the right to suspend the activities financed by the Studentship for the time recommended by the doctor, with the payment of 100% of the Studentship's monthly maintenance allowance being maintained.

Days off work due to medical risk do not count and are not deducted from the days of initial parental leave to which you are entitled.

You must submit your request at https://myfct.fct.pt/ by going to Financing → Requests → Create Requests, and submit the following documentation:

a. Medical certification indicating the period of impediment to the development of research work due to clinical risk in pregnancy;

b. A statement issued by Social Security proving that you do not receive a clinical risk allowance from them;

c. A sworn statement to the effect that you have not applied, and will not apply, to the Social Security system or any other entity for support/subsidies applicable to this condition.