Call 4 COVID-19 presents its final results

The FCT announced the final results of Call DOCTORATES 4 COVID-19 Call , following the preliminary hearing phase. Opened in collaboration with the Agency for Clinical Research and Biomedical Innovation (AICIB), the Call 50 PhD Studentships , corresponding to a total investment of €3.5 million. The selected candidates can now sign their Studentship contract.

Created in the context of the pandemic caused by the new coronavirus, this Call to fund PhD Studentships geared towards obtaining new knowledge, focusing on COVID-19 and the SARS-CoV-2 virus, as well as future viral infections and epidemics, through a multidisciplinary approach involving all scientific areas, from engineering to biomedical and social sciences.

The Call 128 applications, of which 110 were considered for evaluation. The 50 Studentships correspond to a success rate of 45.5% of the applications evaluated. The results show that 70% of the selected candidates are women and 8% are foreign nationals, with 17% of the work plans carried out in collaboration with foreign researchers and institutions.

The Studentships be awarded are distributed across the following areas of intervention:

• “Psychological impact and behavioral changes associated with the pandemic” (13 Studentships);
• “Development of new therapies and new therapeutic approaches, including life support equipment and personal protective equipment to combat the disease” (12 Studentships);
• “Characterization of viral infection mechanisms” (9 Studentships);
• “Innovative approaches, including new methods and new technologies, for the diagnosis of the disease” (9 Studentships);
• “Prevention and preparedness strategies for new epidemics, including vaccines” (4 Studentships);
• “Epidemiology and risk factors for infection and severe disease caused by the virus” (4 Studentships);
•  “Characterization of the host’s cellular and serological immune response to virus infection, impact of age and comorbidities” (2 Studentships);
•  “Human-animal interaction, mechanisms of resistance and interspecies transmission of the virus, and the risk of pandemics” (1 Studentship).

The doctoral programs that the scholarship recipients will attend are offered at the following universities: University of Porto (15 Studentships), University of Coimbra (9 Studentships), New University of Lisbon (7 Studentships), University of Lisbon (7 Studentships), University of Minho (5 Studentships), University of Beira Interior (2 Studentships), University of Aveiro (2 Studentships), University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain (2 Studentships), and ISPA – University Institute of Psychological, Social and Life Sciences (1 Studentship).

TheDOCTORATES 4 COVID-19 Call is part of a broad set of support measures, Calls other initiatives launched this year by FCT in the fight against COVID-19, including: special support RESEARCH 4 COVID-19, with two editions; special support for Gender Research 4 Covid-19; the Call R&D projects AI 4 COVID-19: Data Science and Artificial Intelligence in Public Administration; support for Summer with Science, in collaboration with the Directorate-General for Higher Education (DGES); the Science 4 COVID-19 portal; increasing the capacity of RCTS – Science, Technology, and Society Network, which supports internet connections for the teaching and research community; o strengthening the capacity of services that ensure distance learning and teleworking in the academic and scientific community (Colibri, NAU, Educast, Videocast); and the creation of a COVID-19 page on the FCT website, which brings together all the information that is being issued, directly or indirectly related to this pandemic situation.