FCT has announced the results of the award of an additional 1,600 Studentships D Studentships

The Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) has released the provisional results of the applications for the 2026 Doctoral Studentships Competition. Of the 4,461 applications submitted, 4,423 were accepted for evaluation, following validation by the respective contracting institutions and after accounting for withdrawals. The funding proposal includes 1,600 Studentships , 50 more than in the previous edition. The overall approval rate is 36%.

The total projected investment amounts to approximately 145 million euros, an increase of 12 million compared to the previous edition, funded by appropriations from the State Budget and, where eligible, by revenues from the European Social Fund through the Demography, Skills, and Inclusion Program (PDQI).

Of Studentships 1,600 Studentships , Studentships ,000 Studentships from the general application track for academic settings and 600 Studentships the specific application track for non-academic settings. The track for conducting doctoral projects in a non-academic setting aims to foster close collaboration between academia and other entities, such as companies, public administration agencies, organizations in the social, health, and cultural sectors, and bridging institutions, among others.

The distribution of Studentships each panel was determined based on a proportional allocation relative to the number of applications submitted to each panel, regardless of the application categories. Compared to the 2025 call for applications, 9.1% more Studentships were awarded Studentships specific category for non-academic settings, an increase in line with the approximately 13.5% growth in the number of applications submitted for this type of Studentships.

The evaluation process involved 573 evaluators, divided into 38 panels, who were responsible for analyzing, classifying, and ranking the applications. Of these panels, 33 evaluated applications in the general category, related to research activities in an academic setting, and five evaluated applications in a non-academic setting.

Studentships the research will be conducted entirely at Portuguese institutions account for 83% of the total; 16% of Studentships mixed (partly at Portuguese institutions and partly at foreign institutions); and 1% will be conducted entirely at foreign institutions.

Of the selected candidates, 78% are Portuguese nationals; among the foreign candidates, those of Brazilian, Italian, Iranian, Pakistani, Chinese, Spanish, and German nationality stand out. In total, candidates from 63 countries have been nominated for funding, reflecting an increase in the diversity of the candidates’ countries of origin for this call for proposals.

Women account for 55% of the applicants nominated for funding, and men for 45%, a trend that is consistent with previous editions of the competition.

In the general application track, 26% of Studentships in the Social Sciences, 20% in Engineering and Technology, and 19% in the Humanities, with the remaining scientific fields represented by percentages below 12%. In the specific application track for non-academic settings, 43% of Studentships within the fields of Engineering and Technology, 18% within Medical and Health Sciences, 10% within Natural Sciences, and 9% within Social Sciences, with the remaining scientific fields accounting for less than 8% each.

The provisional results of this competition have been communicated to all candidates, who now have access to the comments explaining the score assigned to their application. If they disagree with the proposed decision, they may file an appeal during the preliminary hearing for interested parties, by the deadline indicated on the page for each competition entry, and their appeal will be reviewed by the respective evaluation panel.

The final results of the contest will be announced by early November 2026.

As in the previous edition, the Studentships awarded by the contracting institutions of the National Science and Technology System (SCTN) that approved the applications.

Studentships will begin on the first day of the month specified by the applicant at the time of contract signing, between September 1, 2026, and August 1, 2027. If the contract is signed after the start date of the research work funded by Studentship, retroactive payment of Studentships will be made.