Renewal and Extension of Studentships under the provisions of Law No. 24/2018

Following the publication of Law No. 24/2018, approved by the Assembly of the Republic on May 11 and published in the Official Gazette on June 8, the FCT publishes the guidelines for operationalizing the renewal or extension of contracts for Studentship of doctoral scholarship holders financed directly or indirectly by the Foundation.

Requirements for renewal and extension of employment contracts Studentship

The renewal or extension of employment contracts Studentship financed directly or indirectly by the FCT may occur when, cumulatively, the following is verified:

. that the contract of Studentship is covered by the provisions of article 23 of Law no. 57/2017, of July 19;

. that the contract of Studentship has ceased or is about to cease following the completion of the work plan or due to the expiry of the period for which the Studentship was assigned.

The provisions of Law No. 24/2018 do not apply to contracts for Studentship that have ceased, or are about to cease, for reasons other than those mentioned above, in particular those that have ceased due to: failure to comply with the duties of a scholarship holder; provision of false statements by the scholarship holder; revocation by mutual agreement or change of circumstances.

To enjoy the right to renew or extend the contract, Studentship , it is mandatory that the scholarship beneficiary apply for Call that respects your profile and is in the same scientific area in which you work, except in cases provided for by law.

For the purposes of applying this law, the host institution is the contracting institution under the terms defined for the application of the transitional rule of DL 57/2016.

1 – Renewal and extension of contracts Studentship directly financed by FCT

In the case of PhD scholarship holders with Studentships directly financed by the FCT, the procedure can be initiated by the institution or by the scholarship holder. In any case, the following information must be sent to FCT ( Studentships @fct.pt ):

. declaration by the scholarship holder expressing his/her agreement with the renewal or extension of his/her scholarship Studentship ;

. declaration by the scientific advisor assuming responsibility for the supervision;

. declaration from the host institution proving that it accepts to continue hosting the scholarship holder;

. declaration by the scholarship holder regarding compliance with the exclusive dedication regime provided for in the Research Scholarship Statute (draft available here ).

All statements must be current and dated and signed.

Once the conditions set out in the previous points have been met, the FCT will proceed with the renewal or extension of the contract. Studentship for the additional period of 12 months. The renewal or extension of the Studentship does not require the signing of a new contract and is communicated in writing by the FCT to the scholarship holder.

The start date of the contract Studentship will be the one indicated by the scholarship holder, as long as this is not prior to June 9, 2018 (date of entry into force of Law No. 24/2018, published on June 8).

2 – Renewal and extension of contracts Studentship indirectly financed by FCT

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

After the completion of the competition procedures under the transitional rule, the host institution may request the FCT to reimburse the expenses for the renewal/extension of the Studentships , via email InfoDL57-2016@fct.pt .

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

. List of scholarship holders with Studentships renewed/extended whose eligibility under the transitional rule has been validated by the FCT;

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

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

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

For the payment of refunds due, an addendum will be made to the Program Contract 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 employment contracts Studentship directly or indirectly financed by the FCT and for the return of amounts allocated

. The renewal or extension of the Studentship ceases on the date of signing of the employment contract , provided that the scholarship holder is hired within the scope of the competitive procedure provided for for his/her functions in article 23 of Decree-Law No. 57/2016 , of August 29, as amended by Law No. 57/2017 , of July 19.

If this does not happen , the renewal or extension of the Studentship ceases when the first of the following events occurs:

. On the date of completion of the competitive procedure (publication of the final ordered list), when the scholarship holder, having been an opponent to the Call , has not been placed in an eligible position to be hired under the competitive procedure provided for in article 23 of Decree-Law no. 57/2016 , of August 29, as amended by Law no. 57/2017 , of July 19.

. At Deadline for submitting an application for a competitive procedure opened by the scholarship holder's host institution, if the scholarship holder Call respect the profile and be in the same scientific area in which the doctoral scholarship holder works and do not oppose him.

Please note that the FCT may request the refund of the amounts paid to the scholarship holder who does not apply for the Call with your profile and in your scientific area, opened by your host institution. Refund is not necessary if the scholarship holder applies for a public competition opened by an institution other than his/her own. In such cases, as provided for in Law No. 24/2018, the renewal or extension of the Studentship ceases on the date the scholarship holder submits his/her application for that other competitive procedure.

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

article edited on June 29 to include draft statement from scholarship holder