Research 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, including Studentships. You must ensure that the publications resulting from the Studentship are deposited, with an embargo if necessary, in a repository on the RCAAP network. For further information, 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) Declaration from all supervisors that they are aware of the cancellation requested. The supervisors' declaration is submitted directly by the supervisors on the myFCT platform after the grantee has made the request.
b) A statement issued by the heads of the host institutions certifying that they are aware of the cancellation requested. The declaration must be submitted by the scholarship holder in PDF format.
Don't forget that, as with any other Studentship, in order for the case to be closed you must submit the documents listed in the answer to question 4 of this FAQ.
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No, reactivations only apply to suspensions of Studentships in cases where the law provides for this possibility.
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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 documentation:
a) Final activity report.
b) The opinion of all supervisors regarding the activities carried out. The supervisors' declaration is submitted by the supervisors directly on the myFCT platform after the grant holder has requested it.
c) Certificate of having obtained a doctorate (you have three years to present the certificate of having obtained a doctorate after the Studentship contract ends).
d) Social Security current account statement showing contributions to the Voluntary Social Security, if you have joined the Voluntary Social Security.
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You can suspend Studentship activities for the following reasons:
a) Parenthood, under the terms of the Labor Code;
b) Illness of the scholarship holder, justified by a medical certificate or declaration of illness issued by a hospital;
c) In the event of the transitional exercise of another remunerated function or activity, public or private, incompatible with the exclusive dedication regime provided for in article 5 of the Research Fellow Statute.
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See FAQ - parenthood.
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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 documentation:
a) Medical certificate or declaration 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 time foreseen for the suspension of the Studentship due to the performance of duties or activities:
a) A statement from the institution where the new duties will be carried out, proving their transitional nature and, where identifiable, the period during which they will take place. The declaration must be submitted by the scholarship holder in PDF format.
b) An opinion from all the supervisors stating that they are aware of the request to suspend the Studentship, as well as being aware of the incompatibility of the activity to be carried out with the exclusive dedication regime, and confirming that the scholarship holder is able to resume the Studentship at a later date without prejudice to the completeness of the work plan contracted with the FCT. The supervisors' declaration is submitted by the supervisors directly on the myFCT platform after the scholarship holder has requested it.
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No. During the suspension of the activities of your Studentship, whether due to parenthood, illness or the temporary exercise of functions incompatible with the punctual fulfillment of your work plan, the counting of the duration of the Studentship is also suspended and resumes after the end of the suspension.
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Yes. As soon as you are sure when you will resume fulfilling your work plan, you should submit your request at https://myfct.fct.pt/ by going to Financing → Requests → Create Requests.
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Studentship reactivation must be requested once 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 the cessation of the reasons that led to the suspension:
a) A statement from all supervisors explaining whether or not they consider it appropriate to reactivate 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 those responsible for the host institutions clarifying whether or not they are available to host the scholarship holder from the date of reactivation of the Studentship.
c) A sworn statement that you are carrying out your duties under an exclusive dedication regime.
d) Certificate of enrollment for the applicable school year, signed and stamped.
e) Any other documents that prove the cessation of the impediment that led to the suspension of his Studentship and that he deems convenient.
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This request must be submitted within 60 working days prior to the end of the current Studentship period you are benefiting from, preferably as early as possible within this 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) Opinions issued by all supervisors and the host entity/s on the monitoring of the work of the scholarship holder and the evaluation of their activities and on the advisability of renewing the Studentship. The supervisors' declaration is submitted by them directly on the myFCT platform after the scholarship holder has requested it
b) A sworn statement that you are carrying out your duties under an exclusive dedication regime.
c) Certificate of enrollment for the applicable school year, signed and stamped.
d) Social Security account statement proving the contributions made to the Voluntary Social Security in the Studentship period you are completing, if you have joined the 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 provided systems), and if you are not an invalidity or old age pensioner, you can join the Voluntary Social Security scheme while you are a research fellow.
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You should contact the Social Security office in your area of residence. In addition to your civil and tax identification document, you will also need to present, among other documents, the declaration proving your scholarship holder status issued by the FCT.
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Voluntary social insurance is not compulsory, so scholarship holders are free to decide if and when they want to join. When they join, they are also free to decide in which bracket they wish to make their contribution. Therefore, in the first instance, the grant holder is responsible for paying the SSV contributions. However, for all grantees who decide to join the SSV, the FCT always pays the contributions for the 1st tier. If the grantee opts for a higher tier, they will be responsible for paying the additional amount.
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Grantees who have informed the FCT that they have joined the SSV and who have no outstanding SSV amounts with the FCT, will receive the equivalent of the contribution to the 1st bracket every month. To do this, go to https://myfct.fct.pt/ and go to Financing → Requests → Create Requests, and present the statement issued by Social Security proving that you have joined the SSV.
At the end of each Studentship period, along with the documents required for its renewal, the FCT must be sent the current account statement obtained from Social Security or taken 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 grantee. If any adjustments need to be made, these will be made and the advance resumed as soon as the accounts are settled.
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The Practical Guide can be found on the Social Security website at:
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To obtain a statement proving your status as a research grant holder, go to https://myfct.fct.pt/ and go to the Funding menu → click on the Studentship reference → obtain statement.
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The declaration can be used for various purposes (e.g. joining the Voluntary Social Security scheme, young tenants, bank loans...)
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The one-off allowance for participation in scientific meetings of €750.00 is awarded automatically with the first monthly maintenance allowance.
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Whenever the grant holder needs to carry out research work in a country other than that of the host organization, they may benefit from one of the following supports:
a) Supplementary training allowance, if the trip is for training activities. The duration of this allowance may not exceed six months and only scholarship holders with in-country or mixed Studentships are entitled to this allowance;
b) Scholarship holders of a mixed type or abroad will receive the amount applicable to Studentships abroad during this period;
c) In any of these cases, they may also receive a one-off travel allowance and, if the research work lasts at least six consecutive months, a one-off installation allowance.
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This subsidy can 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 interpolated) in host institutions that are not included in the Studentship process or to carry out fieldwork. To apply for this type of funding, go to https://myfct.fct.pt/ and go to Funding → Applications → Create Applications, and submit the following documentation:
a) The supervisor's opinion on the relevance of the additional training and the actual start and end date of the training. The supervisor's declaration is submitted by the supervisor directly on the myFCT platform after the grant holder has requested it.
b)A letter of invitation from the institution, issued by one of the heads of the institution, expressly stating the start and end date of the period of further training.
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No. According to the Regulations for Research Studentships , the FCT is only responsible for paying training costs/fees/registration or enrolment fees to the institution that will award you the degree.
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No.
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No.
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You must do this no later than 60 days before the start date of the training.
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The single travel allowance is €300.00 for journeys within Europe and €600.00 for journeys outside Europe. The single installation allowance is €1,000.00, regardless of whether it is inside or outside Europe.
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You must submit your application to the FCT, preferably at least 60 days before the start date of the work abroad. You must submit your request at https://myfct.fct.pt/ by accessing the menu Funding → Requests → Create Requests, indicating the start date and duration of the period(s) in which you intend to stay abroad and an opinion from all the supervisors justifying the relevance of the trip abroad, by reference to the Studentship work plan. The supervisors' declaration is submitted by the supervisors directly on the myFCT platform after the scholarship holder has requested it
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If your degree-granting institution is Portuguese, the FCT pays the university directly for registration, tuition and fees, at the pre-established rates. If the institution awarding the degree is foreign, the FCT transfers the tuition fees/training costs directly to the scholarship holder so that they can pay the institution awarding the degree, and they are responsible for proving to the FCT that they have made this payment.
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As a rule, proof of payment of tuition fees must be in the form of an original paper document, dated and stamped by the institution to which the tuition fees were paid, and must be sent by post to the FCT's address. Currently, exceptionally, the FCT accepts the same documents in digital format, under the terms of Article 16A(1) of Decree-Law 10-A/2020, as amended, and the document must be submitted at https://myfct.fct.pt/ by accessing the menu Funding → Requests → Create Requests.
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The amount of tuition/registration/training costs paid by the FCT to Portuguese universities corresponds to a total of €2,750.00, regardless of the amounts applied by the 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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You can find relevant information about residence visas in Portugal on the website of the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA): https://aima.gov.pt/pt/estudar.
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No. You can only pay for Studentship components by bank transfer to accounts with IBANs from Portuguese institutions (IBANs starting with PT50).
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You must present the supporting document issued by the bank indicating the IBAN and proving ownership of the account at https://myfct.fct.pt/ by accessing the menu Financing → Requests → Create Requests.
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Funding for research 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 for publicizing the funding awarded must be strictly observed in all the work and/or creations carried out within the scope of the research Studentship from which you benefit.
Thus, all scientific publications and creations, including theses, published articles and books, reports, presentation posters, etc., must state that they have received financial support from the FCT and, if applicable, the EU. For this purpose, mention must be made of financial support from the FCT as well as from the relevant Ministry. Whenever applicable, the funding program and the ESF with the insignia of the European Union must also be mentioned.
All the 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 going to the Funding menu → click on the Studentship reference → Funding → Financial Data