FCT awards 1,507 Studentships for doctoral studies

The FCT has published the final results of Call the Award of Studentships Doctorates 2024. Of the 3,750 applications received, 1,507 new Studentships for doctorates were awarded, corresponding to an overall approval rate of 40%.

Among the results, the awarding of 1,056 Studentships General Application Line, with an approval rate of 34%, and 451 Studentships in the Specific Application Line in a Non-Academic Environment, with an approval rate of 75%. The specific line in a non-academic environment saw a significant increase in applications and Studentships (from 332 Studentships in 2023 to 451 funded this year), demonstrating the growing interest and importance of collaboration between academia and other sectors of society.

The investment associated with these Studentships €124 million (€87 million in the general application line and €37 million in Studentships a non-academic environment), supported by national and EU funds. The distribution of the number of Studentships panel was determined based on a ratio proportional to the number of applications submitted in each panel, in any of the application lines. In the general application line, 23% of Studentships in the area of Social Sciences, 21% in Engineering Sciences and Technologies, and 19% in the Humanities, with the remaining scientific areas represented by percentages below 13%. In the specific non-academic application line, approximately 46% of Studentships in the areas of Engineering Sciences and Exact Sciences, 36% in Natural Sciences and Life Sciences, and about 18% in Social Sciences and Humanities.

As in previous editions of Call, gender representation among candidates with funding priority shows a 56% female and 44% male participation. In terms of nationalities, candidates from 48 countries are proposed for funding, with Brazilian, Italian, Iranian, Spanish, and German nationalities standing out among foreign candidates. Around 82% of Studentships the research to be carried out entirely at Portuguese institutions, 16.5% involve national and foreign institutions, and 1.5% will be carried out exclusively at foreign institutions.

About half of the new scholarship recipients in non-academic settings plan to conduct research in companies, and more than 10% of the work plans in non-academic settings include research to be conducted in public administration entities and collaborative laboratories, followed by approximately 8% of work conducted in state laboratories. Among Studentships 451 new Studentships approved for funding in this area, there will also be research carried out in health units, associations, sports federations, technology and innovation centers, third sector entities, and others.

The evaluation process involved the collaboration of 479 evaluators, distributed across 36 panels, who analyzed, classified, and ranked the applications in each panel.

The final list of approved applications and the number of Studentships panel can be found on the FCT website under General Application Line and the Specific Application Line in a Non-Academic Environment, in the Call Documents section Call Results tab. With the announcement of the final results, the contracting of Studentships will now begin Studentships accordance with the FCT Studentships Regulations, encouraging the use of electronic means to speed up the process.

It is up to the successful candidate to indicate the start date of their Studentship. This date must fall between September 1, 2024, and August 1, 2025. If applicable, the corresponding retroactive payment will be made. Candidates whose final decision was unfavorable now have 15 working days to submit a complaint about the decision or, alternatively, 30 working days to lodge an appeal by filling out the form available in the application area of the myFCT portal, on the page displaying the Final Results of the respective application.

Key dates:

• Start date of the Studentship between September 1, 2024, and August 1, 2025
• Submission of documentation for Studentship contracting Studentship myFCT – until April 30, 2025
• Complaint Submission – until November 22, 2024 – 11:59 p.m.
• Appeal submission – until December 13, 2024 – 11:59 p.m.

For information on other funding opportunities for doctoral Studentships , within the scope of FCT collaboration protocols and partnerships with R&D units and other entities, we suggest regularly consulting the FCT website and the Euraxess portal.