Call R&D Projects 2017: FCT is paying 30% advances

The projects approved under the 2017 Call R&D Projects in all scientific fields are in the final stages of contracting. To date, 85% of the terms of acceptance for approved projects have been validated by the FCT. 

The advance payment increased from 15% to 30% of the total project funding. The FCT transferred approximately €80 million to the proposing research institutions, through national funds and European funds from Portugal 2020.

The change in the advance payment amount was the result of a joint effort by FCT and the PT2020 Operational Programs to facilitate the start and execution of projects. The change in the payment rules provides greater liquidity for the investment required for research and contributes to the simplification of the process of submitting and analyzing expenses, which the FCT is committed to, as payment requests will now have larger financial volumes but the minimum number of sample documents remains the same—that is, the number of documents required for expense validation is reduced.

As planned, the approximately 1,600 projects approved in Call finance the contract of a PhD researcher. With the start of project implementation, the first Calls area are being launched.