Renewal and Extension of Postdoctoral Fellowships under Law No. 24/2018

(available only in Portuguese)

Following the publication of Law No. 24/2018, approved by the Portuguese Parliament on May 11 and published in the Official Gazette on June 8, the FCT has released guidelines for the renewal or extension of Studentship contracts Studentship doctoral fellows funded directly or indirectly by the Foundation.

Requirements for renewal and extension of Studentship contracts

The renewal or extension of Studentship contracts Studentship directly or indirectly by FCT may occur when, cumulatively, the following conditions are met:

. that the Studentship contract Studentship covered by the provisions of Article 23 of Law No. 57/2017, of July 19;

. that the Studentship contract Studentship ended or is about to end following the completion of the work plan or the expiry of the period for which the Studentship awarded.

Studentship contracts Studentship have been terminated, or are about to be terminated, for reasons other than those mentioned above, namely those that have been terminated due to: breach of scholarship obligations; false statements by the scholarship recipient; revocation by mutual agreement or change of circumstances.

To enjoy the right to renew or extend the Studentship contract, the scholarship recipient must apply for Call matches their profile and is in the same scientific area in which they work, except in cases provided for by law.

For the purposes of applying this law, the host institution is the contracting institution as defined for the application of the transitional provision of Decree-Law 57/2016.

1 – Renewal and extension of Studentship contracts Studentship funded by FCT

In the case of doctoral fellows with Studentships funded by FCT, the procedure may be initiated by the institution or by the fellow. In either case, the following information must be sent to FCT (Studentships):

. statement from the scholarship recipient expressing their agreement to the renewal or extension of their Studentship;

. statement from the scientific advisor assuming responsibility for the guidance;

. statement from the host institution confirming that it agrees to continue hosting the scholarship recipient;

. statement by the scholarship recipient regarding compliance with the full-time commitment requirement set forth in the Research Scholarship Statute (draft available here).

All statements must be current, dated, and signed.

Once the conditions set out in the previous points have been met, FCT will renew or extend the Studentship contract Studentship an additional period of 12 months. The renewal or extension of Studentship require the signing of a new contract and is communicated in writing by FCT to the scholarship holder.

The start date of the Studentship contract Studentship indicated by the scholarship recipient, provided that it is not earlier than June 9, 2018 (the date of entry into force of Law No. 24/2018, published on June 8).

2 – Renewal and extension of Studentship contracts Studentship funded by FCT

In the case of scholarship holders with a Studentship contract indirectly Studentship by FCT, renewals and extensions are carried out directly by the host institutions.

After completion of the competitive procedures under the transitional rule, the host institution may request reimbursement from FCT for the costs of renewing/extending the Studentships, by emailingInfoDL57-2016@fct.pt.

The reimbursement request to be sent to FCT must be accompanied by the following documents:

. List of scholarship recipients with Studentships whose eligibility under the transitional rule has been validated by FCT;

. Indication of the start date and duration of Studentship renewed/extended Studentship(s);

. Proof of the situation giving rise to the termination of Studentship(s);

Proof of expenses related to the renewal/extension of Studentship(s): copies of receipts and proof of payment.

For the payment of reimbursements due, an addendum will be made to the Program Agreement signed with the host institution under the Transitional Rule.

Conditions defined by Law No. 24/2018 for the termination of the renewal and extension of Studentship contracts Studentship or indirectly funded by FCT and for the return of amounts awarded

The renewal or extension of Studentship on the date of signature of the employment contract, provided that the scholarship holderis hiredunder the competitive procedure provided for their duties in Article 23 ofDecree-Law No. 57/2016, of August 29, as amended byLaw No. 57/2017, of July 19.

If this does not happen, the renewal or extension of the Studentship upon the occurrence of the first of the following events:

On the date of completion of the competitive selection process(publication of the final ranked list), when the scholarship recipient, having been a candidate for Call, has not been placed in an eligible position to be hired under the competitive selection process provided for in Article 23 ofDecree-Law No. 57/2016, of August 29, as amended byLaw No. 57/2017 of July 19.

. By Deadline submitting applications fora competitive procedure opened by the host institution of the scholarship holder, if that Call the profile and is in the same scientific area in which the scholarship holder performs their duties and the latter does not object.

Please note that FCT may request reimbursement of funds paid to scholarship recipients who do not apply for Call their profile and in their scientific area, opened by their host institution. Reimbursement is not necessary if the scholarship holder applies for a competitive procedure opened by an institution other than their own. In such cases, as provided for in Law No. 24/2018, the renewal or extension of Studentship on the date of submission of the scholarship holder's application for that other competitive procedure.

The scholarship holder whose Studentship contract Studentship subject to renewal or extension under Law No. 24/2018 hasa duty to inform the FCT of the facts that led to the interruption of that contract. Failure to comply with this obligation, for reasons attributable to the scholarship holder, may give rise to a request for reimbursement of the amount determined to have been unduly transferred in connection with the renewal or extension of Studentship.

news edited on June 29 to include draft statement from scholarship recipient