CEEC Institutional: FCT approves 400 research contracts

(available only in Portuguese)

FCT released today the results of the 1st Public Call to support the development of scientific employment plans and development of scientific careers by academic and scientific institutions with public co-funding through 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 assigned to each institution took into account the final classification of the submitted proposal and the relative size of the institutions.

The approved plans include 221 contracts within the scope of Research careers, funded by the FCT at up to 100%, and Academic, co-funded by the FCT at up to 50%, and employment contracts for researchers in various categories, fully funded by the FCT, resulting in the following distribution of new contracts:

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

The evaluation of the applications was carried out based on 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, Yvon Englert , from the Free University of Brussels.

The competitive procedure 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 valued, in particular those of institutions or networks between institutions.