FCT publishes Notice of the Call for the Evaluation of R&D Units 2023-2024

UPDATE SEPTEMBER 15, 2023:
The FCT Board of Directors informs that the start of the evaluation process for R&D Units 2023-2024 will be postponed by two months. However, it is expected that this postponement will have no impact on the deadlines initially announced for the completion of the process.

As part of the multiannual funding program for R&D units, FCT published today (June 30) the Notice of the Call for the 2023-2024 evaluation process. R&D Units must register on the FCT Science and Technology Portal between September 14 and October 10, 2023, and the application submission period will run from October 11, 2023 to January 15, 2024, until 5pm (Lisbon time). The Registration and Application Guides will be made available as soon as possible.

R&D Units are periodically evaluated by panels of international evaluators, who assign a rating and funding for the following multi-year period. The evaluation will focus on the scientific and technological activities carried out by the R&D units between January 1, 2018 and August 31, 2023 and on the objectives, strategy, activity plan and organization for the period 2025-2029.

The 312 R&D Units funded by the FCT are spread across different areas of knowledge and throughout Portugal. R&D Units can be entities integrated into different universities or polytechnics, form partnerships between universities or have an independent status and operate autonomously. The funded R&D units can be consulted in the Atlas of R&D Units published by the FCT.

FCT's Regulation for the Evaluation and Multiannual Financing of Research and Development Units, Regulation No. 404/2022, of April 27, 2022, is being amended to allow for the adoption of simplified costs and thus reduce the administrative burden on R&D institutions.