950 PhD Scholarships awarded on the 2018 Call

(English version available soon)

The Foundation for Science and Technology today announced the results of the 2018 Call for PhD Studentships , under which 950 Studentships will be awarded in all scientific areas, from among 2,540 individual applications evaluated.

The Studentships now awarded are intended for the development of research and development work plans associated with obtaining a doctoral degree, starting on September 1, 2018 through Doctoral Programs at Portuguese or foreign Universities.

The applications were analyzed by 36 discipline-based scientific panels, taking into account three criteria: i) the absolute merit of the candidate; ii) the merit of the work plan; and iii) the merit of the hosting conditions. The cut-off lines for each panel were defined by an international scientific coordination team, as set out in the Notice of the Call (see details in the respective minutes, which include the number of Studentships awarded per panel). The overall approval rate was around 37% (i.e. similar to the approval rate in 2017).

As of today, applicants have access to the comments justifying the classification given to their application and have up to 10 working days to present any arguments to the evaluation panel during the prior hearing of interested parties. 

Analysis of the results now released shows that:

• 78% of the Studentships awarded refer to work plans carried out entirely in Portugal;
• 18% refer to mixed Studentships , with work plans to be carried out partly abroad; and
• 4% refer to work plans carried out entirely abroad.

Women accounted for 56% of the successful candidates and men 44%. Of the selected candidates, 91% are Portuguese nationals, while 28 Studentships were awarded to candidates of Brazilian nationality, 20 Studentships to candidates of Italian nationality and 10 Studentships to candidates of Spanish nationality. In all, Studentships were awarded to candidates from 22 countries, including Portugal.

In addition to the Studentships awarded in this Call for individual applications, in 2018 FCT is also supporting more than 550 Studentships awarded under Doctoral Programs and international partnerships. In total, more than 1,520 PhD Studentships will be awarded this year, representing an increase of more than 14% on the total number of Studentships supported in 2017, as summarized in the table below.

The next Call for PhD Studentships will be announced at the end of 2018. As with the last two Calls, the application period will take place during the first quarter of 2019, so that the results will be available by summer 2019.

See more information in the annex.