FCT strengthens the FCT-Tenure program and launches the 7th edition of the Call for Individual Scientific Employment

The Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) will add 100 positions to the 1st edition of the FCT-Tenure program, FCT's first funding instrument to support the hiring of researchers exclusively in career positions. The current edition of this program will now award 1,100 positions, without prejudice to the number of positions to be opened in the 2nd edition of the program.

The FCT-Tenure program, the provisional results of which will be released by August 14, 2024, will allow doctoral graduates to join both research and teaching careers, with the two careers having in mind the scientific research activities they have in common, promoting strategic autonomy and the rejuvenation of the staff of the institutions of the National Science and Technology System.

At the same time, FCT published on July 31 the Notice of the Call of the 7th edition of the Call to Stimulate Individual Scientific Employment, the application period for which will run from September 30 to November 29, 2024. The Call, under which 400 Scientific Employment contracts will be funded, supports the hiring of early career researchers, for a period of 3 years, in positions in the junior and assistant categories.

In this way, and in line with international best practice, the FCT is reinforcing incentives to hire researchers for permanent positions, discouraging long-term fixed-term contracts and increasing the number of positions available to the community in the short term.

In addition to these positions, there are 120 places allocated under the CEEC Institutional Associate Laboratory Call , which is currently being contracted, and the ERC-Careers talent attraction and retention program. The last quarter of 2024 will also see the launch of the first edition of the FCT Call support the hiring of PhD researchers in non-academic entities.

With these measures, FCT reinforces its commitment to the growth of Research & Innovation in Portugal through sustainable scientific employment policies, as well as by valuing the multiplicity of scientific backgrounds and profiles of national researchers.