Provisional results of Call 4 COVID-19 Call

The FCT has announced the provisional results of Call DOCTORATES 4 COVID-19 Studentships Call , launched in collaboration with the Agency for Clinical Research and Biomedical Innovation (AICIB) in the context of the pandemic caused by the new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus-CoV-2 and under which 50 Studentships will be funded, corresponding to an investment of €3.5 million.

This Call to fund PhD Studentships geared towards obtaining new knowledge, focused on COVID-19 and the SARS-CoV-2 virus, but with a multidisciplinary approach, involving all scientific areas from engineering to biomedical and social sciences, with complementarity and comprehensiveness, and thus contribute to obtaining new knowledge that will enable more effective ways of dealing with this and other future pandemics to be consolidated.

This research strategy, focusing on COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-19, is aligned with the international strategy, particularly that of the European Union, to promote research focused on this problem, thereby contributing to the integration of national projects into international efforts and networks.

The Call 128 applications, of which 110 were evaluated. The 50 Studentships be awarded correspond to a success rate of 45.5% of the applications evaluated. The provisional results of the evaluation show that 70% of the selected candidates are women and 8% are foreign nationals, with 17% of the work plans carried out in conjunction with foreign researchers and institutions.

The Studentships be awarded are distributed across the following areas of intervention in this Call:
– 13 Studentships “Psychological impact and behavioral changes associated with the pandemic”;
– 12 Studentships “Development of new therapies and new therapeutic approaches, including life support and personal protective equipment to combat the disease”;
– 9 Studentships “Characterization of viral infection mechanisms”;
– 5 Studentships “Innovative approaches, including new methods and new technologies, for the diagnosis of the disease”;
– 4 Studentships “Prevention and preparedness strategies for new epidemics, including vaccines”;
– 4 Studentships “Epidemiology and risk factors for infection and severe disease caused by the virus”;
– 2 Studentships “Characterization of the host’s cellular and serological immune response to infection by the virus, impact of age and comorbidities”;
– 1 Studentships “Human-animal interaction, mechanisms of resistance and interspecies transmission of the virus, and the risk of pandemics.”

The doctoral programs to be attended by scholarship recipients are from different universities: University of Porto (15 Studentships), University of Coimbra (9 Studentships), New University of Lisbon (7 Studentships), University of Lisbon (7 Studentships), University of Minho (5 Studentships), University of Beira Interior (2 Studentships), University of Aveiro (2 Studentships), University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain (2 Studentships), and ISPA – University Institute of Psychological, Social, and Life Sciences (1 Studentship).

Applications were evaluated by a scientific panel using a peer review system, with three evaluation criteria: merit of the candidate, merit of the work plan, and merit of the hosting conditions. Seventeen experts from the scientific community participated in this evaluation panel, seven of whom were women.

FCT doctoral Studentships are competitively awarded grants to support advanced training in all areas of knowledge for the purpose of obtaining a doctoral degree. These Studentships doctoral students to devote themselves exclusively to their research, thereby contributing to the scientific and technological development of the country. The promotion of research leading to a doctoral degree is one of the pillars of the FCT's activities. By funding this type of advanced training, it contributes to skills development, knowledge enhancement, and the strengthening and rejuvenation of the national scientific system.

TheDOCTORATES 4 COVID-19 Call is part of a broad set of support measures, Calls other initiatives launched this year by FCT in the fight against COVID-19, including: special support RESEARCH 4 COVID-19, with two editions; special support for Gender Research 4 Covid-19; the Call R&D projects AI 4 COVID-19: Data Science and Artificial Intelligence in Public Administration; support for Summer with Science, in collaboration with the Directorate-General for Higher Education (DGES); the Science 4 COVID-19 portal; increasing the capacity of RCTS – Science, Technology, and Society Network, which supports internet connections for the teaching and research community; o strengthening the capacity of services that ensure distance learning and teleworking in the academic and scientific community (Colibri, NAU, Educast, Videocast); and the creation of a COVID-19 page on the FCT website, which brings together all the information that is being issued, directly or indirectly related to this pandemic situation.