Third FCT Call for Researchers selects 229 new researchers

The results of the third FCT ResearcherCall , released at the end of January, reveal that 229 new PhDs will join the program to receive a five-year contract that will allow them to develop their research projects in Portuguese R&D centers. Launched in 2012 with the aim of hiring 1,000 exceptional scientists by 2016, the program has so far selected 597 researchers.

The FCT Researcher Program offers competitive remuneration in the form of an employment contract for a maximum period of five years and also allows researchers to receive funding to consolidate their career and establish leadership in their research areas. Candidates who have already held a doctorate for a number of years can choose one of three options: entry level, development level and consolidation level.

The 2014 Call attracted 152 applicants for the initial level (researchers with a PhD completed more than 3 years ago and less than 8 years ago); 69 applicants for the development level (PhDs with an exceptionally meritorious CV and experience as an independent researcher); 8 applicants for the consolidation level (for PhDs with experience as an independent researcher).

The FCT Investigator program opens its doors to "promising and talented"scientists from all scientific areas, of any nationality and age, to carry out research in a laboratory in Portugal of their choice. This Call selected 26 researchers from the field of Life and Health Sciences, 87 researchers from Exact Sciences and Engineering, 75 researchers from Natural and Environmental Sciences and 41 researchers from Social Sciences and Humanities.

The selection of researchers is carried out in two phases by panels of independent experts of recognized international merit in each scientific area, through a rigorous peer review system. The 2014 Call evaluated 1,398 applications in a two-stage process. In the 2015 Call , which is currently underway, around 1,370 applications went through the first phase of the evaluation process.

The FCT Researcher Program is centered on the researcher and their R&D project and focuses on scientific excellence in order to recruit the most creative and innovative doctoral researchers, who demonstrate a capacity for independence and leadership in their scientific field, taking into account criteria such as experience, professional career and research project. FCT researchers carry out their scientific research activities autonomously at the host institution of their choice by signing an employment contract, which is funded by the FCT.

The quality of FCT researchers is internationally recognized: several have been selected to receive the prestigious ERC Studentships from the European Research Council and many others have published their work in reputable scientific publications.