Skip to main content

FCT grants 1450 new Studentships for PhD research

FCT released today the provisional results of the Call for the attribution of Studentships for PhD Research 2021. The Call will award 1450 Studentships, having received 3381 applications. The approval rate was 49% of the total number of applications eligible for funding (with a score of 3,000 or higher). The total investment of this Call amounts to 109 million Euros.

The evaluation process of the applications in this year's Call involved the participation of 403 evaluators, distributed among 36 evaluation panels, who analyzed and classified the applications and proceeded with their seriation in the panel.

The number of Studentships to be attributed in each panel was set by deliberation of the FCT Board of Directors based on the methodology followed in the last three annual Calls , taking into consideration the demand registered for each area as well as the scientific policy guidelines for Portugal in the European context contained in the Report Higher Education, Research and Innovation in Portugal - Perspectives for 2030.

Analysis of the provisional results of the 2021 Call shows that women accounted for 56.9% of applicants who achieved funding priority and men for 43.1%.

The Studentships to be held entirely in Portugal correspond to 80.7% of the total, 16.8% of the Studentships will be mixed (part in Portugal and part abroad) and 2.5% will be held entirely abroad. Of the selected applicants, 78.5% are of Portuguese nationality. In total, candidates from 43 countries are proposed for funding, standing out among the foreign candidates, those of Brazilian (143 Studentships), Italian (37 Studentships), Iranian (24 Studentships), Spanish (15 Studentships) and Indian (9 Studentships) nationalities.

The FCT Doctoral Research Grants Studentships are Studentships of merit awarded in all scientific areas and are intended for the development of research work plans for obtaining the academic degree of doctor, through doctoral programs in Portuguese or foreign universities. The selection of candidates takes into account the merit of the candidate, the merit of the work plan and the merit of the host institution and advisors.

The provisional results of this Call have been communicated to all candidates, who now have access to the comments that justify the classification assigned to their application by the evaluation panel. In case of disagreement with the proposed decision, candidates may present arguments in a prior hearing of interested parties that will be analyzed by the evaluation panel.

The final results of Call will be announced by FCT during the month of October 2021, ensuring that the announcement is made within the legally established timeframe. The contracting process of Studentships will begin from the date of communication of the final results.

The Studentships approved will begin on the first day of the month to be indicated by the applicant in the contract, between September 1, 2021 and August 1, 2022. When applicable, there will be retroactive payment of Studentships.

This evaluation process took 4 months (83 working days) between the end of the applications and the communication of the provisional results. These 1450 new PhD Studentships are in addition to the 6788 Studentships that are currently running and funded by FCT.

The Call of Studentships of research for doctoral studies has an annual periodicity and integrates the great FCT structuring Calls , whose schedule is established until 2022 and published on the website.