Regulations for the Awarding of Studentships to Mitigate the Impact of COVID-19

Following on from the information previously provided, the FCT hereby announces that the Regulation on the Award of Studentships to Mitigate the Impact of COVID-19 on Research Activities (Regulation No. 560-A/2021) has been published in the Official Gazette, applicable to Studentships funded by FCT (Studentships between FCT and research fellows), which can be consulted here. 

Research fellows whose work plans have been severely affected by the suspension of in-person activities due to COVID-19 may submit a reasoned request for the award of Studentship to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19. This request may be submitted until July 1, 2021, to bolsasexcecionais@fct.pt.

It should be noted that, for scholarship holders whose Studentship has a duration shorter than the maximum allowed by the applicable Regulation (Regulation No. 950/2019), it is still possible to request a change in the duration of Studentship, up to the maximum provided for in the Regulation, based on duly justified unforeseeable circumstances. The Regulation on the Award of Studentships to Mitigate the Impact of COVID-19 provides for the possibility of awarding Studentships beyond the maximum duration previously possible.

With regard to Studentships funded by the FCT (Studentships contracted with the FCT), namely Studentships activity takes place within the scope of projects, research units, and research infrastructures, as a funding institution and not as a contracting entity, the FCT allows, within the scope of monitoring the implementation of these support instruments, the introduction of adjustments to work plans, as well as financial reprogramming (reallocation between expenditure items, without increasing the funding granted) and temporal reprogramming, under the conditions and limits established in the specific regulations or opening notices, which will allow for possible extensions to the completion deadline for these Studentships, in line with the objectives and tasks of the approved projects and research units, provided that the beneficiaries of the support so wish and communicate this.