Session: “25 years of FCT in Science: Scientific Employment and Scientific Careers”

The third scientific conference of the FCT's 25th anniversary celebrations will focus on the theme "Scientific Employment and Scientific Careers" (Program) and will take place on March 31, in the Auditorium of the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Coimbra. The session is free to attend but requires prior registration and will also be broadcast online.

The session will open with speeches by the Chair of the FCT Governing Board, Helena Pereira, and the Rector of the University of Coimbra, Amílcar Falcão. Various perspectives on scientific employment in Portugal and other countries will be discussed, and there will also be a panel discussion on the topic of scientific careers.

In 2018, FCT implemented the Scientific Employment Stimulus Program, with the aim of strengthening the National Science and Technology System (SNCT) and promoting employment opportunities for PhD holders. This program is implemented through the Scientific Employment Calls – Individual (CEEC Individual) and Scientific Employment Stimulus – Institutional (CEEC Institutional) Calls .

These Calls as instruments for financing the hiring of researchers and are defined by the Scientific Employment Regulations published in 2017 by the FCT, following the publication of Decree-Law No. 57/2016. They are intended for PhD researchers of any nationality, in all areas of knowledge, who wish to carry out their scientific research or technological development activities at institutions that are part of the SNCT.

With four editions completed, the Call CEEC Individual Call has awarded a total of 1,536 contracts to date, Call easier to integrate new PhD graduates on an ongoing and systematic basis, who identify in advance the host institution where they will carry out their research plan. The CEEC Institutional has already enabled the awarding of 717 contracts to PhD researchers and is aimed at institutions or networks composed of several entities, with a view to supporting Scientific Employment and Scientific Career Development plans by Higher Education Institutions, State Laboratories, and other scientific institutions, whether public or private.