FCT awarded 1,553 Studentships for doctoral studies

The Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) has published the final results of Call the Award of Studentships for Doctorates 2025. The Call 4,169 applications, of which 4,117 were accepted for evaluation. Atotal of 1,553 newPhD Studentships were awarded, corresponding to an overall approval rate of 37%.

With the announcement of the final results, the contracting of Studentships now begins Studentships accordance with the FCT Studentships Regulations and the provisions of Notice of the Call. In this edition, for the first time, the contracting process for the vast majority of Studentships 99.2%) will be handled by the contracting institutions—institutions that were associated with the applications for their validation. This model follows the trends of similar European institutions. This allows for greater proximity between institutions and their doctoral students, making interactions more fluid and strengthening their relationship in a spirit of mutual trust.

Of the 1,553 Studentships , 1,003 are in the General Application Line, with an approval rate of 29%, and 550 in the Specific Application Line in a Non-Academic Environment, with an approval rate of 75%. The specific line in a non-academic environment continues to show a significant growth trend, both in terms of applications and Studentships , rising from 451 Studentships in 2024 to 550 this year. This development demonstrates a growing interest in and importance of collaboration between academia and other sectors of society.

The investment associated with this Call Studentships €133 million, with €85.8 million allocated to the general application line and €47.2 million to Studentships non-academic environments. The funding is supported by funds from the State Budget and, where eligible, by revenue from the European Social Fund through the Demography, Qualifications, and Inclusion Program (PDQI).

The distribution of the number of Studentships panel was determined on a basis proportional to the number of applications approved for evaluation in each panel, in any of the application categories.

In the general application category, 25% of Studentships in the field of Social Sciences, 21% in Engineering and Technology, 18% in Humanities and Arts, 15% in Natural and Agricultural Sciences, 12% in Medical and Health Sciences, and 9% in Exact Sciences. In the specific application line in a non-academic environment, 38% of Studentships within the areas of Engineering and Technology Sciences, 21% in the areas of Medical and Health Sciences, 17% in Natural and Agricultural Sciences, 13% in Social Sciences, 6% in Humanities and Arts, and 5% in Exact Sciences.

The gender representation among candidates with a final funding decision shows a female participation of 57% and male participation of 43%. With regard to nationalities, candidates from 46 countries are proposed for funding, with a predominance of Brazilian, Italian, and Iranian nationalities.

Approximately 83% of Studentships for conducting research entirely at Portuguese institutions, while 16% involve both national and foreign institutions. Approximately 1% of Studentships conducted exclusively at foreign institutions.

With regard to work plans, around half of the new Studentships in a non-academic environment involve research development in companies, 10% in Collaborative Laboratories, 10% in Public Administration Entities, and approximately 7% in State Laboratories. The remaining work plans involve research in various types of non-academic entities, such as: Technology and Innovation Centers, Third Sector Entities, Interface Centers, Technology Centers, Health Units, Sports Associations and Federations, among others.

The evaluation process involved the collaboration of 537 evaluators, distributed across 38 panels, who analyzed, classified, and ranked the applications in each panel.

The final list of approved applications and the list of the number of Studentships panel can be found on the FCT pages relating to the General Application Line and the Specific Application Line in a Non-Academic Environment, in the Call Documents section, under the Results tab.

The start date of each Studentship set by the candidate. This date must fall between September 1, 2025, and August 1, 2026. Where applicable, the corresponding retroactive payment will be made. Applicants 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, both 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, 2025, and August 1, 2026
• Deadline for signing the Studentship contract Studentship the contracting institution (FCT or Portuguese academic institution) – by May 13, 2026
• Complaint Submission – until December 5, 2025 – 11:59 p.m.
• Appeal submission – until December 30, 2025 – 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, or other funding alternatives for advanced training, such as the Doutor-AP initiative, aimed at strengthening internal skills in public administration, we suggest regularly consulting the FCT website and the Euraxess portal.