FCT will be represented at Qualifica from March 16 to 19

This year, the FCT will once again be present at Qualifica - Education, Training, Youth and Employment Fair, from March 16 to 19, 2017 at EXPONOR (Porto), at the invitation of the Human Capital Operational Program (PO CH).

Four national researchers and their teams were invited to collaborate with FCT on Qualifica. During their careers, these researchers have had FCT Studentships , partly funded by the European Operational Programs, and have subsequently been selected for Studentships to support research at international institutions, namely the European Research Council (ERC), which is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2017, and the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (USA), which supports research in the field of neurobiology. These researchers will present to visitors to the event the research projects they and their teams are working on.

The researchers invited by the FCT are:

Nuno Santos (March 16)
2009 ERC Starting Grant winner
Project: Detecting and characterizing other Earths in the Universe
Institution: Institute of Astrophysics, University of Porto

Neide Vieira (March 17)
Winner of the NARSAD Young Investigator Grant from the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (USA) in 2016
Project: Dissecting SNX27 Role in the Brain: Implications for Cognition
Institution: Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS) - University of Minho

Helena Machado (March 18)
2015 ERC Consolidator Grant winner
Project: EXCHANGE- Forensic geneticists and the transnational sharing of genetic information in the European Union: relations between science and social control, citizenship and democracy
Institution: Center for Social Studies (CES) of the University of Coimbra

José Bessa (March 19)
2016 ERC Starting Grant winner
Project: The role of mutations in "non-coding DNA" in the development of pancreatic diseases
Institution: I3S - Institute for Research and Innovation in Health, University of Porto

FCT's participation will be part of the Human Capital Space, promoted by PO CH, under the slogan "Build Your Way". This space will bring together other partners in the areas of education, training and employment supported under Portugal 2020, such as ANESPO, ANQEP, Centro 2020, DGE, DGES, DGESTE, IEFP, Norte 2020 and the European Commission Representation in Portugal. In 2016, Qualifica welcomed around 30,000 visitors.