Call for PhD Studentships 2017

The Foundation for Science and Technology has released the results of the Call for PhD Studentships associated with the 2017 Call for Individual Applications. 900 PhD Studentships were awarded, in addition to the more than 500 Studentships awarded in the FCT PhD Programs. This means that 1441 PhD Studentships will be awarded in 2017. Not since 2011 has FCT funded such a high number of PhD Studentships in a single year (see the evolution of the number of Studentships awarded between 2006 and 2017). 

In the 2017 Call , 2,760 applications were submitted, of which 2,453 were considered assessable. There was a success rate of 37%; in 2016, the equivalent rate was 33%, and in 2015 18%.

The scholarship holders now selected can set the start date of their work plan between September 1, 2017 and August 31, 2018. The results will thus be known before the start of the academic year, so that PhD students can better plan their research.

Research Studentships are a grant awarded to researchers to carry out scientific and technological activities on an exclusive basis. The process of awarding Studentships included several stages between the application and the announcement of the results. After submission, and once their admissibility had been verified, the applications were assessed separately by two researchers recognized in the respective scientific field, using external experts whenever necessary.

Following the individual assessment of all the applications, 305 researchers, distributed in 37 scientific panels, met in person to agree on the assessments in the context of their disciplinary area and rank the candidates. Depending on the funding available, FCT proposed funding for the best-placed candidates in each panel. All applicants have since been informed of the proposed decision and have access to the panel's comments justifying the ranking given to their application. After notification, and in the event of disagreement with the proposed ranking, applicants have up to 10 days to present their arguments to the panel at a prior hearing of interested parties, which will be duly analyzed.