FCT announces provisional results of the 1st edition of Call AP

On July 30, the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) announced the provisional results of the first edition of Call Research Stimulus for Doctorates in Public Administration Doutor-AP – 2024.

A total of 467 applications were received and analyzed, distributed across the following scientific areas: Engineering Sciences and Exact Sciences (58 applications), Natural Sciences and Life Sciences (152 applications), and Social Sciences and Humanities (257 applications), with 80 positions proposed for funding, corresponding to an overall approval rate of 17%.

The distribution of positions per panel was determined proportionally to the number of applications submitted in each panel: 10 positions in the Engineering and Exact Sciences panel, 26 in Natural Sciences and Life Sciences, and 44 in Social Sciences and Humanities.

The total investment planned for this Call around €4.95 million. It will be financed by funds from the State Budget and, where eligible, by revenue from the European Social Fund, through the Demography, Qualifications, and Inclusion Program (PDQI).

TheDoctor AP is a program that promotes research and scientific training in the public sector, supporting workers with doctoral projects relevant to the mission of their institutions. The support, with a maximum duration of six years, includes a subsidy proportional to the time dedicated to the project and the payment of tuition, enrollment, and registration fees.

The evaluation process took into account the merit of the candidate, the merit of the work plan, and the merit of the hosting conditions, involving the participation of 64 evaluators affiliated with national institutions, distributed across three evaluation panels.

Positions where the research is carried out entirely at Portuguese institutions account for 94% of the total, with the remaining 6% being of a mixed type, where part of the work is carried out at Portuguese institutions and part at foreign institutions.

Of the selected candidates, 97.5% are Portuguese nationals, 67.5% are women, and 32.5% are men.

Through this program, candidates affiliated with a total of 63 public administration institutions will benefit from funding, predominantly higher education institutions, local government institutions such as municipal councils, and health and hospital units.

The provisional results of this Call communicated to all applicants, who now have access to the comments justifying the classification assigned to their application. If they disagree with the proposed decision, they may submit a statement at a preliminary hearing of interested parties, by the deadline indicated on Call page, which will be analyzed by the respective evaluation panel. The final results of Call announced by FCT, expectedly in October 2025.

The contracting process begins on the date the final results are announced and consists of a tripartite contract between FCT, the beneficiary, and the respective public employer. Payment of the support provided for in the Doctor-AP Regulation (Article 9) will only occur after the tripartite contract has been signed by all parties involved.

For information on 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.