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

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

The amount of the advance went from 15% to 30% of the project's funding. FCT has transferred around €80 million to the proposing research institutions, through national funds and European funds from Portugal 2020.

The change in the amount of the advance was the result of a joint effort by the FCT and the PT2020 Operational Programs to facilitate the start and execution of projects. The change in the payment standard provides greater liquidity for the investment needed for research, and contributes to simplifying the process of submitting and analyzing expenditure in which the FCT is engaged, as payment requests will now have larger financial volumes but the minimum number of documents in the sample will remain the same - in other words, the number of documents needed to validate expenditure will be reduced.

As planned, the 1,600 or so projects approved in the Call must finance the contract of a PhD researcher. As the projects begin to be implemented, the first Calls in this area are being launched.