Studentships directly funded by FCT
General Questions
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Find information about Open Access at https://www.fct.pt/sobre/politicas-e-estrategias/politica-de-acesso-aberto/
Compliance with FCT's open access policy applies to scientific results generated under all its funding programs, including Studentships. You must ensure that publications resulting from Studentship are deposited in an RCAAP network repository, even if subject to an embargo if necessary. For further clarification, please send your questions to politica-fct@rcaap.pt.
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You must submit your request at https://myfct.fct.pt/ by accessing the menu Financing → Requests → Create Requests, and submit the following documentation, justifying the reasons for the cancellation and indicating the date from which you wish the cancellation to take effect:
a) Statement from all supervisors confirming that they are aware of the requested cancellation. The supervisors' statement is submitted by them directly on the myFCT platform after the scholarship recipient has made their request.
b) Statement issued by the heads of the host institutions certifying that they are aware of the requested cancellation. The statement must be submitted by the scholarship recipient in PDF format.
Please also remember that, as with any other Studentship, in order for the process to be completed, you must submit the documents listed in the answer to question 4 of these FAQs.
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No, reactivations only apply to suspensions of Studentships cases where the law provides for this possibility.
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You must submit your application at https://myfct.fct.pt/ by accessing the menu Financing → Applications → Create Applications and submit the following documentation:
a) Final activity report.
b) Opinion of all supervisors regarding the activities carried out. The supervisors' statement is submitted by them directly on the myFCT platform after the scholarship holder has made their request.
c) Certificate of Doctorate (you have three years to submit the certificate proving you have obtained your doctorate, after the end of the Studentship contract).
d) Social Security current account statement showing contributions to Voluntary Social Security, if you have joined Voluntary Social Security.
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You may suspend Studentship activities Studentship the following reasons:
a) Parental leave, under the terms of the regime provided for in the Labor Code;
b) Illness of the scholarship recipient, justified by a medical certificate or statement of illness issued by a hospital;
c) In the event of temporary performance of another remunerated function or activity, public or private, incompatible with the full-time regime provided for in Article 5 of the Research Fellow Statute.
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See FAQ – parenting.
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You must submit your application at https://myfct.fct.pt/ by accessing the menu Financing → Applications → Create Applications and submit the following documentation:
a) Medical certificate or statement of illness issued by a hospital.
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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 expected duration of the suspension of Studentship the performance of duties or activities:
a) Statement from the institution where you will perform your new duties, confirming their temporary nature and, where identifiable, the period during which they will be performed. The statement must be submitted by the scholarship recipient in PDF format.
b) Opinion of all supervisors attesting that they are aware of the request for suspension of Studentship, as well as being aware of the incompatibility of the activity to be carried out with the full-time regime, and confirming that the scholarship holder has the possibility of resuming the Studentship at a later date Studentship prejudice to the completion of the work plan contracted with the FCT. The supervisors' statement is submitted by them directly on the myFCT platform after the scholarship holder has made their request.
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No. During the suspension of your Studentship activities, whether due to parenthood, illness, or temporary performance of duties incompatible with the timely fulfillment of your work plan, the counting of the duration of the Studentship also suspended, resuming after the end of the suspension.
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Yes. Once you are sure when you will resume compliance with your work plan, you should submit your request at https://myfct.fct.pt/ by accessing the menu Financing → Requests → Create Requests.
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Reactivation of Studentship be requested when the circumstances that led to its suspension have ended.
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You must submit your request at https://myfct.fct.pt/ by accessing the menu Financing → Requests → Create Requests, and submit the following documentation, indicating that the reasons for the suspension no longer apply:
a) Statement from all supervisors clarifying whether or not they consider it appropriate to reactivate the Studentship. The supervisors' statement is submitted by the supervisors themselves directly on the myFCT platform after the scholarship holder has made their request.
b) Statement from those responsible for the host institutions clarifying whether or not they are available to host the scholarship recipient from the date of reactivation of the Studentship.
c) Declaration under oath of commitment to perform duties on a full-time basis.
d) Certificate of enrollment for the applicable academic year, signed and stamped.
e) Any other documents proving the cessation of the impediment that led to the suspension of your Studentship that you deem appropriate.
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This request must be submitted within 60 working days prior to the end of the current Studentship period Studentship which you are benefiting, preferably as early as possible within this period.
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You must submit your application at https://myfct.fct.pt/ by accessing the menu Financing → Applications → Create Applications, and submit the following documentation:
a) Opinions issued by all supervisors and the host entity/entities on the monitoring of the scholarship holder's work and the evaluation of their activities, and on the advisability of renewing the Studentship. The supervisors' statement is submitted by them directly on the myFCT platform after the scholarship holder has made their request.
b) Declaration under oath of commitment to perform duties on a full-time basis.
c) Certificate of enrollment for the applicable academic year, signed and stamped.
d) Social Security account statement proving contributions made to Voluntary Social Security during the Studentship period Studentship are completing, if you have joined Voluntary Social Security.
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If you do not benefit from any other compulsory social protection scheme (whether under the social security system or other legally established systems), and if you are not a disability or old-age pensioner, you can join the Voluntary Social Security Scheme while benefiting from research grant status.
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You should contact the Social Security service in your area of residence. In addition to your civil and tax identification documents, you will also need to present, among other documents, the statement proving your scholarship status issued by the FCT.
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Voluntary social security is not compulsory, so scholarship holders are free to decide if and when they want to join. When joining, they are also free to decide at what level they wish to make their contribution. Therefore, in the first instance, the scholarship holder is responsible for paying contributions to the SSV. However, for all scholarship holders who decide to join the SSV, the FCT always covers the contributions for the first level. If the scholarship holder opts for a higher level, they will be responsible for paying the additional amount.
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Scholarship holders who have notified FCT of their enrollment in the SSV and who have no outstanding SSV amounts with FCT receive the equivalent of the contribution for the first bracket every month. To do so, go to https://myfct.fct.pt/, access the menu Financing → Requests → Create Requests, and submit the declaration of eligibility issued by Social Security proving your membership of the SSV.
At the end of each Studentship period, together with the documents required for renewal, you must send the FCT a current account statement obtained from Social Security or downloaded from Segurança Social Direta, so that the SSV payments made by the scholarship holder can be validated in the system. If the situation is regularized, the amounts will continue to be transferred monthly from the FCT to the scholarship holder. If any adjustments are necessary, these will be made and the advance payment resumed as soon as the accounts are regularized.
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On the Social Security website, you can consult the Practical Guide at:
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To obtain the statement proving your status as a research fellow, go to https://myfct.fct.pt/, access the Funding menu → click on the Studentship reference Studentship obtain statement.
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The declaration can be used for various purposes (e.g., enrollment in Voluntary Social Security, youth rental, bank loan, etc.).
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The one-time subsidy for participation in scientific meetings, in the amount of €750.00, is automatically awarded in the first monthly maintenance subsidy.
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Whenever the scholarship holder needs to carry out research work in a country other than that of the host institution, he or she may benefit from one of the following forms of support:
a) Supplementary training allowance, if the travel is for training purposes. The duration of this allowance may not exceed six months, and only scholarship holders with Studentships the country or mixed Studentships are eligible for this allowance;
b) Mixed-type or foreign scholarship recipients will receive, during this period, the amount applicable to Studentships ;
c) In any of these cases, you may also be eligible for a one-time travel allowance and, if the research work lasts for at least six consecutive months, a one-time installation allowance.
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This grant may be awarded to scholarship holders who wish to carry out their activities abroad, or in Portugal for a maximum period of 6 months (consecutive or non-consecutive) at host institutions that are not included in the Studentship process Studentship to carry out fieldwork. To apply for this type of funding, go tohttps://myfct.fct.pt/, access the menu Funding → Requests → Create Requests, and submit the following documentation:
a) Advisor's opinion on the relevance of the complementary training and with the actual indication of its start and end dates. The advisor's statement is submitted directly by the advisor on the myFCT platform after the scholarship recipient has submitted their request.
b) Letter of invitation from the institution, issued by one of its representatives, clearly stating the start and end dates of the supplementary training period.
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No. According to the Studentships Regulations, FCT is only responsible for paying training costs/tuition fees/registration or enrollment fees to the institution that will award the degree.
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No.
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No.
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You must do so no later than 60 days before the start date of the training.
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The single travel allowance is €300.00 for travel within Europe and €600.00 for travel outside Europe. The single installation allowance is €1,000.00, regardless of whether it is within or outside Europe.
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You must submit your application to FCT, preferably at least 60 days before the start date of your work abroad. You should submit your application at https://myfct.fct.pt/ by accessing the menu Funding → Applications → Create Applications, indicating the start date and duration of the period(s) you intend to stay abroad and the opinion of all supervisors justifying the relevance of the trip abroad, with reference to the Studentship work plan. The supervisors' statements are submitted by the supervisors themselves directly on the myFCT platform after the scholarship holder has made their request.
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If your degree-awarding institution is Portuguese, FCT will pay the university directly for the registration, enrollment, and tuition fees, based on pre-established amounts. If the institution awarding the degree is foreign, FCT transfers the tuition fees/training costs directly to the scholarship recipient so that they can pay the institution awarding the degree, and they are responsible for proving to FCT that they have made the payment.
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As a rule, proof of payment of tuition fees must be provided in the form of an original document, on paper, dated and stamped by the institution to which the tuition fees were paid, and must be sent by post to the FCT address. Currently, on an exceptional basis, the FCT accepts the same documents in digital format, pursuant to paragraph 1 of Article 16.A of Decree-Law No. 10-A/2020, as currently worded, and the document must be submitted at https://myfct.fct.pt/ by accessing the menu Financing → Requests → Create Requests.
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The amount of tuition/enrollment/registration/training costs paid by FCT to Portuguese universities corresponds to a total of €2,750.00, regardless of the amounts charged by different higher education institutions.
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The FCT pays up to a maximum of €8,000.00 in tuition fees per year abroad.
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Relevant information about residence visas in Portugal is available on this page of the Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA): https://aima.gov.pt/pt/estudar.
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No. It is only possible to pay for the components of Studentship bank transfer to accounts with IBANs from Portuguese institutions (IBANs beginning with PT50).
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You must submit the supporting document issued by the bank indicating the IBAN and proving account ownership at https://myfct.fct.pt/ by accessing the menu Financing → Requests → Create Requests.
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The funding Studentships awarded by the FCT comes from the State Budget and the EU budget through the European Social Fund (ESF). In this context, the rules on publicity for the funding granted must be strictly observed in all work and/or creations carried out under the Studentship which you benefit.
Therefore, all scientific publications and creations, including theses, published articles and books, reports, presentation posters, etc., must mention the financial support provided by the FCT and, where applicable, the EU. To this end, mention of financial support from the FCT and the relevant ministry must be made. Where applicable, the funding program and the ESF must also be mentioned, with the insignia of the European Union.
All information about the logos, as well as access to download them, can be found on the FCT website at https://www.fct.pt/media/media-e-identidade-de-marca/ as well as in your area at https://myfct.fct.pt/ by accessing the Funding menu → clicking on the Studentship reference Studentship Funding → Financial Data.