RESTART Programme FCT

Overview and Objectives

The RESTART Programme a funding instrument, whose first Call in 2023, created with the aim of promoting gender equality and equal opportunities through the competitive funding of individual R&D projects in all scientific fields, when carried out by researchers who have recently taken parental leave, including for adoption. In line with public policies in this area, RESTART also covers, with specific eligibility conditions, cases of shared parental leave, which promote equality in caregiving and the sharing of family responsibilities and leave durations.

Details of the second edition of this program (launched in March 2024) can be found here.

With the creation of this program, the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), in line with its commitment to promoting the advancement of scientific and technological knowledge, based on high international standards of quality and competitiveness, aims to promote gender equality in R&D activities and careers, which is inseparable from equal opportunities for the entire national scientific community.

Although Portugal is one of the countries in the world that has made the most progress in terms of gender parity indicators in scientific research, there are still significant inequalities that need to be addressed. In the careers of researchers, and with a greater incidence among female researchers in the early stages of their careers, parenthood creates additional challenges, with impacts ranging from scientific production to team and project management, to fundraising, which can influence career horizons and research planning.

Contributing to enabling a competitive return to research activities in new circumstances, RESTART will support researchers in pursuing and developing an original and innovative research idea, with the possibility of associating other human and/or material resources, according to the funding available and the expected execution time.

RESTART is also aligned with the concerns and recommendations of various international organizations, namely the Council of the European Union and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which aim to promote a better work-life balance for those engaged in R&D activities.

Recipients and Eligibility

National, foreign, and stateless researchers who cumulatively meet the following requirements by the deadline for submission of applications may apply, with the commitment of the host institution:

hold a doctoral degree;
be an integrated member with a doctorate degree of an R&D unit, or have a contractual relationship with a State Laboratory;
have benefited from parental leave, including for adoption, lasting 120 days or more (in the case of shared parental leave, including for adoption, the applicant must demonstrate that they have taken, exclusively or shared, at least 72 days of leave) between February 16, 2023, inclusive, and the start date of the application submission period for this Call, inclusive. The minimum number of days required for each type of leave (120 or 72 days) must be reached between February 16, 2023, and the opening date of the submission period for this Call, inclusive, regardless of its start or end date.

In the case of researchers holding a Studentship contract, they may submit as proof of parental leave a statement of suspension of research activities funded by Studentship respective Studentship by the contracting institution, for a period equivalent to that referred to in iii). For Studentships contracting institution is, or has been, the FCT, and in order to simplify the application process, the submission of this statement may be replaced by simply indicating the reference of the respective Studentship.

To ensure that no potential candidate is excluded from the RESTART Programme eligibility requirements RESTART Programme the number of days counted, please send any questions you may have to restart@fct.pt. In this email, if you wish, you can also request a telephone/video conference with a member of the FCT team.