Research Studentships directly funded by FCT
Exclusive Dedication Regime
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Research grant holders must carry out their activity in strict compliance with the agreed work plan, on an exclusive dedication basis. Thus, it is only possible to carry out any other paid function or activity if it falls within one of the exceptions provided for in paragraphs 3 or 4 of article 5 of the Research Fellow Statute, approved by Law no. 40/2004, of August 18, as amended. In any case, the exercise of the function or activity that is intended to be accumulated must never jeopardize the execution of the Studentship's work plan.
The accumulation of functions must always be previously requested and authorized by the FCT, as the Studentship's funding entity.
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Yes, you can receive remuneration arising from copyright or intellectual property rights, as this is one of the exceptions to the exclusive dedication regime enshrined in law. Thus, remuneration from copyright, such as royalties or others, from articles, books, works of art or similar, or remuneration from industrial property rights, arising from patents or trademarks, can be accumulated with your research Studentship .
However, you must submit your request at https://myfct.fct.pt/ by accessing the menu Financing → Requests → Create Requests, and submit the applicable documentation. You must specify a) the type of rights for which you wish to receive the remuneration, b) the framework that gave rise to them and c) indicate the periodicity of the remuneration (one-off or regular). If it is regular, indicate how often you expect to receive it. You should also attach a statement from all the supervisors on the situation in question, stating whether or not the receipt of remuneration for copyright jeopardizes the feasibility of the work program underlying the Studentship and indicating the period during which the work that gave rise to the receipt of these rights was carried out.
The supervisors' declaration is submitted by the supervisors directly on the myFCT platform after the grantee has requested it.
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No. The Research Fellow's Statute does not mention the maximum limit for remuneration deriving from copyright.
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What is compatible with the aforementioned regime is the receipt of remuneration for the publication of the work and not for the realization of the work, because only the publication of the work constitutes the author's right, and the realization of the work is not necessarily compatible with the exclusive dedication regime. So, if you want to start an activity that will generate creations protected by copyright, regardless of whether or not it will generate copyright or industrial property rights, you will always have to check whether or not it is compatible with the exclusive dedication regime.
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Yes. Activities such as workshops, summer schools, seminars, conferences, lectures, short-term training, etc. are compatible with the exclusive dedication regime. It should be noted that these are sporadic events, of short duration and not habitual, i.e. they are not repeated over long periods.
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You must submit your request at https://myfct.fct.pt/ by going to Financing → Requests → Create Requests, and submit the following documentation:
a) An opinion from all supervisors on the activity in question, stating whether or not it compromises the feasibility of the work program underlying the Studentship. The supervisors' declaration is submitted by the supervisors directly on the myFCT platform after the scholarship holder has requested it.
b) A statement from the organization that invited the collaboration, attesting to the terms of the collaboration, namely the period and number of hours per day. The declaration must be submitted by the scholarship holder in PDF format.
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Yes, as long as they are awarded in the context of carrying out the tasks underlying the work program funded by the Studentship. Please note that the amount to be received is limited to subsistence allowance/travel expenses, and cannot constitute a separate research Studentship .
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You must submit your request at https://myfct.fct.pt/ by going to Financing → Requests → Create Requests, and submit the following documentation:
a) A statement from all the supervisors, giving the context of the allowances/travel expenses. The supervisors' declaration is submitted by the supervisors directly on the myFCT platform after the grant holder has requested it.
b) Document from the institution funding the subsistence allowance. The declaration must be submitted by the scholarship holder in PDF format.
It should be borne in mind that the granting of subsistence allowances does not allow the grant holder to receive the supplementary training allowance for the same trip, as this would constitute double funding for the same purpose.
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Yes, within certain limits. The Research Fellow Statute only allows Studentship to be accumulated in cases of participation in bodies of the host institution itself or, in the case of bodies external to the host institution, only in advisory bodies. However, please note that when the law refers to participation in bodies, it means participation as a full member of the body. Thus, and by way of example, someone's functional assignment to a particular body, for example as an employee or worker, does not constitute participation in that body.
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You must submit your request at https://myfct.fct.pt/ by going to the menu Financing → Requests → Create Requests, and submit the following information and documentation:
a. Explanation of the body you wish to join, the institution it belongs to, the expected start date and, where possible, the expected end date for such participation.
b. A statement from all supervisors clarifying whether or not this participation jeopardizes the feasibility of the work plan underlying the Studentship. The supervisors' declaration is submitted by the supervisors directly on the myFCT platform after the scholarship holder has requested it.
c. A document issued by the host institution if you intend to participate in the institution's bodies, proving that you have been appointed to the position/function and attesting to the terms of this collaboration, namely the length of time it will take place, whether or not it will be remunerated and in what form.
d. A document issued by the institution with which you will be collaborating, if you intend to participate in the bodies of an institution other than the host institution, proving that you have been appointed to the position/function, the nature of the body in question and attesting to the terms of this collaboration, namely the length of time it will take place, whether or not it will be remunerated and in what form.
e. A statement from the heads of all host institutions authorizing said participation.
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You can, provided that the Calls, exams or assessments in which you carry out the activity mentioned are external to your host institution. You can also take part in committees that issue opinions, but only if these opinions have been requested by national or international bodies.
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You must submit your request at https://myfct.fct.pt/ by accessing the menu Financing → Requests → Create Requests, and provide the following information and documentation:
a) Identification of the jury or evaluation committee in which you have been invited to participate and indicating, if applicable, that your participation is intended to issue an opinion requested by a national or international body, mentioning the identification of the body.
b) An opinion from all the supervisors on the activity in question, stating whether or not it compromises the feasibility of the work program underlying the Studentship. The supervisors' declaration is submitted by the supervisors directly on the myFCT platform after the scholarship holder has requested it.
c) A statement from the entity that invited the collaboration, attesting to the terms of the collaboration, namely the period and number of hours per day that the activity will be carried out.
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Yes, when the following limits are met:
a) Does not imply the exclusive responsibility of the scholarship holder for courses or curricular units;
b) No more than four hours per week.
c) Does not exceed an average of three hours per week per semester.
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You must submit your request at https://myfct.fct.pt/ by going to the menu Financing → Requests → Create Requests, and submit the following information and documentation:
a) Indication of the institution where the teaching service will take place, with the respective workload (number of hours per week and on average per semester), as well as the start and end date of the teaching activity.
b) A statement issued by the organization where you intend to teach, attesting to the number of effective hours you will teach per week in each semester, the number of hours on average per semester and whether or not teaching implies exclusive responsibility for the curricular units.
c) An opinion from all supervisors acknowledging the accumulation of Studentship with teaching activity, clarifying whether or not it jeopardizes the feasibility of the work plan. The supervisors' declaration is submitted by the supervisors directly on the myFCT platform after the scholarship holder has requested it.
d) A statement from the heads of the host institutions authorizing the teaching activity.
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Yes, in accordance with Decree-Law no. 65/2024, and after authorization from the FCT, scholarship holders may carry out teaching work in primary and/or secondary schools.
However, the following limits must be observed:
a) The maximum workload is an average of 6 hours per week (per week of the school year).
b) Not exceed a total of 150 hours per academic year.
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You must submit your request at https://myfct.fct.pt/ by going to Financing → Requests → Create Requests and submitting the following documents:
a) A statement issued by the organization where you intend to teach, attesting to the average number of hours per week you will be teaching during the academic year, as well as the total number of teaching hours during the academic year.
b) An opinion from all supervisors acknowledging the accumulation of Studentship with teaching activity, clarifying whether or not it jeopardizes the feasibility of the work plan. The supervisors' declaration is submitted by the supervisors directly on the myFCT platform after the scholarship holder has requested it.
c) A statement from the heads of the host institutions authorizing the teaching activity. The declaration must be submitted by the scholarship holder in PDF format.
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Teaching activities are considered to be all those that teachers are particularly responsible for carrying out, under the terms of their respective career statutes, including preparing and teaching classes, accompanying/guiding students, among others.
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Yes, the accumulation of Studentships with participation in scientific research projects is generally permitted, even if the project takes place at another research institution. However, please note that it is not possible to accumulate your Studentship contracted with the FCT with another Studentship awarded within the scope of the project, and that the accumulation of the Studentship with any paid activity must always be included in one of the exceptions to the exclusive dedication regime. Participation in the project must never jeopardize the punctual execution (i.e. point by point and within the given time) of your work plan.
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You must submit your request at https://myfct.fct.pt/ by going to the menu Financing → Requests → Create Requests, and submit the following information and documentation:
a) Identification of the project in which you intend to participate, its institutional context and, preferably, the link between the activities to be carried out and your current work plan.
b) A statement from all supervisors clarifying: whether or not this participation jeopardizes the feasibility of the work plan underlying the Studentship; whether the participation is continuous or one-off; whether the participation is remunerated or financed and in what way; whether the host institutions are involved in the project. The supervisors' declaration is submitted directly by the supervisors themselves on the myFCT platform after the scholarship holder has requested it
c) A statement from the heads of the host institutions authorizing the grantee's participation in the identified IC&DT project. The declaration must be submitted by the grant holder in PDF format.
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Any accumulation of funding to support mobility periods must always be requested in advance from the FCT.
In any case, you cannot accumulate, in the same period, the supplementary training allowance, or the change to the monthly maintenance allowance for working in an institution in a country other than the host institution, or any other of the allowances provided for in article 18 of the RBI relating to the same mobility/period.
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You must submit your request at https://myfct.fct.pt/ by going to Financing → Requests → Create Requests, and submit the following documentation:
a) A statement from all supervisors on the relationship between the mobility/mission/funding to be carried out/received and the fulfillment of the Studentship work plan funded by FCT and indicating the beginning and end of the period to be funded (day, month and year). The supervisors' declaration is submitted by the supervisors directly on the myFCT platform after the scholarship holder has requested it.
b) Regulations for the Studentship to be accumulated, also mentioning the type of expenses covered and the period of the funding to be awarded. If the funding to be accumulated relates to the Erasmus program, you can choose to send us the Erasmus guide, indicating the pages relating to the funding requested. You can download the guide at https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/pt-pt/document/erasmus-programme-guide-2024-version-1.
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The following rules apply to expenses or income related to participation in R&D projects by grant holders directly funded by FCT:
a) Participation must have been authorized in advance (see question 19);
b) If participation in the project takes place on behalf of the grantee's connection to the host institution, the expenses incurred (accommodation, travel, conferences) must be financed by the institution, in accordance with Article 19 of the Research Studentships Regulations, paragraphs 1 and 2. For public institutions, this payment must comply with the daily allowance system regulated at national level by Decree-Law 106/98 (for national territory) and Decree-Law 192/95 (for international travel);
c) If the grant holder's participation takes place within the framework of their connection to an entity other than the Host Institution, subsistence allowances cannot be covered unless it can be demonstrated that this is legally possible under the regime of the entity paying the subsistence allowances;
d)Whenever travel, subsistence or other expenses are actually borne by the institution or paid to the grantee, the grantee cannot benefit from the corresponding support under the FCT Studentship for the same mission, namely additional training allowance, change in the amount due to activity in a different country, or travel/installation allowances.
e) It is the responsibility of the entity financing said expenditure to comply with the applicable procedural legality.
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You must submit your request at https://myfct.fct.pt/ by going to the menu Financing → Requests → Create Requests, and submit the following information and documentation:
a) Indication of the start date of the new activity and, where possible, the expected completion date, the nature of the link under which you will be providing this activity and, where possible, identification of the institution that will benefit from it, whether or not it is a paid position or activity and whether or not it is permanent.
b) A statement from all supervisors indicating that they are aware of the activity and whether or not it is permanent, whether or not it is compatible with the punctual fulfillment (i.e. point by point and within the given time) of the work plan, and whether the activity is related (and in what way) to the research carried out in the context of the Studentship. The supervisors' declaration is submitted by the supervisors themselves directly on the myFCT platform after the scholarship holder has requested it.
c) A statement from the organization with which you intend to collaborate, with a brief description of the activity to be carried out, period, working hours and type of relationship to be formed.
d) All the documents that in their opinion may contribute to clarifying the facts, with relevance to the decision, and that are included in their application.
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No. The Research Grant Holder Statute states that the conclusion of an employment contract with the host institution is cause for termination of the Studentship contract, with the cancellation of the respective status.
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The amount of the Studentship may be increased by the host institution under the terms of Article 13(4) of the Research Fellow Statute. The same institution may also fund travel and subsistence allowances, provided that this support is not granted in the form of a Studentship.
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Since it is up to the FCT to certify that the increase will not imply a violation of the exclusivity regime or a change to the Studentship's work plan, the grant holder must submit their request at https://myfct.fct.pt/ by accessing the menu Funding → Requests → Create Requests, and submit the following documentation:
- An opinion from the host institution funding the bonus specifying that it is not directly funded by the FCT and that it does not result from any type of payment for any type of function performed or to be performed by the grant holder.