FCT assigns unique identifiers for public funding

The Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) has developed an initiative to register and disseminate unique identifiers (DOI – Digital Object Identifier) for national public funding.

With the aim of promoting the reuse and interconnection of data on funding awarded, this action is part of the SciPROJ infrastructure, the national database that aggregates records of national and international funding supporting science and technology activities carried out in Portugal.

Funding awarded by the FCT to R&D projects, R&D units, scientific employment, and advanced Studentships will be covered.

Objectives

This project aims to assign unique, internationally recognized identifiers to funding managed by FCT. This will allow funding to be unequivocally associated with the scientific results it produces, as well as with the researchers and institutions that execute that funding.

The aim is for funding DOIs to be widely known and used by funding recipients, as well as efficiently integrated into various science management systems.

All this is to enable the potential of DOIs to be maximized and to promote transparency and open access to information on scientific activity in an agile and effective manner.

Stages of the initiative to date 

Phase 0 took place during 2023 and was dedicated to preparing the procedures. Then, in phase 1—called the pilot project, from October to December 2023—6,000 FCT funding records were selected. The guiding principle behind this selection was to ensure that DOIs were assigned to funding with a start date of 2019 or later.

Phase 2 began in January 2024. Once the elements to be improved have been verified and the structure/rules for sustainability for assigning DOIs have been created, the most recent funding (which is being contracted by the FCT) will be registered, as well as older funding, but with the potential to produce outputs where it is possible to integrate the unique funding identifier.

Who is part of the initiative 

The project brings together thePTCRISteams and the Financing Information Systems Area (ASIF) of the FCCN unit, as well as the FCT departments responsible for the financing covered.

Learn more 

Anyone who would like to know more can contactidentificadores.ptcris@fct.pt.