DoctorAP Program

A program run by the Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P., which aims to strengthen the scientific capacity of the Portuguese Public Administration and strengthen its links with the Academy.

The Doctor AP Program is a new FCT funding instrument designed to promote the scientific capacity of Portuguese Public Administration entities through advanced training and qualification of their human resources, by supporting the allocation of protected time to carry out research work plans leading to a doctoral degree by employees of these entities.

The program is an essential pillar for promoting a more resilient, innovative and capable public sector to face current and emerging challenges in all sectors of society. Professionals from various areas of public administration, such as health, education, culture, justice and central and local administration, among many others, will be able to benefit from this program.

Recipients

Final beneficiaries are natural persons who, cumulatively, prove in the contract that:

Have an employment relationship with any Central, Regional or Local Public Administration body, or with any company in the State's business sector or the local authority's business sector, and are in full time employment with any of these entities;
Have a legal employment relationship of an indefinite nature with any of the entities referred to in the previous paragraph, with the exception of cases in which the employment relationship necessary for the acquisition of a title or access to professional categories is obligatory, under the terms of the law, through fixed-term contracts;
Proof that they have signed a working time reduction agreement with their employer, which grants them a percentage of no less than 20% reduction in their working time, to be applied for at least 1 year in the first three-year period of support granted by the FCT.
They do not hold a doctorate or any other legally equivalent degree.