CEEC Institutional: FCT approves 400 researcher contracts

(available only in Portuguese)

The FCT announced today the results of the 1st Call for support for the development of scientific employment plans and scientific career development by academic and scientific institutions with public co-financing through the FCT. 

A total of 58 scientific employment plans were approved, including a total of 400 contracts for PhD researchers and career reinforcement at universities, polytechnics, and other institutions, to be implemented in the coming months directly through the institutions. According to the jury's decision, the number of positions allocated to each institution took into account the final classification of the proposal submitted and the relative size of the institutions.

The approved plans include 221 contracts in the field of research, financed by FCT up to 100%, and academia, co-financed by FCT up to 50%, and employment contracts for researchers in various categories, fully financed by FCT, resulting in the following distribution of new contracts:

• Junior researchers: 16%
• Assistant researchers: 20%
• Principal investigators: 8%
• Coordinating researchers: 1%
• Career Researchers: 13%
• Career teachers: 42% 

The applications were evaluated by an international panel coordinated by two former rectors and presidents of CRUP, António Rendas and António Cunha, and also included Professors Melita Kovacevic, from the University of Zagreb, Pilar Aranda, from the University of Granada, Ruaidhri Neavyn, from the Higher Education Authority of Ireland, William Wakeham, from Imperial College, London, and Yvon Englert from the Free University of Brussels.

The competitive selection process took place within the scope of the Scientific Employment Stimulus Program. Based on the respective terms of reference, institutional practices for promoting scientific employment and their future strategies were evaluated, particularly those of institutions or networks between institutions.