Third FCT Call selects 229 new researchers

The results of Call third FCTCall , announced at the end of January, reveal that 229 new PhD graduates 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 goal of hiring 1,000 exceptional scientists by 2016, the program has selected 597 researchers to date.

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 careers and establish leadership in their areas of research. Candidates who have held a PhD for several years can choose one of three categories: initial level, development level, and consolidation level.

The Call selected 152 candidates for the initial level (researchers who completed their PhD more than 3 years ago and less than 8 years ago); 69 candidates for the development level (PhDs with an exceptional curriculum and experience as independent researchers); 8 candidates for the consolidation level (for PhDs with experience as independent researchers).

The FCT Researcher program thus opens its doors to "promising and talented"scientists from all scientific fields, of any nationality and age, to conduct research in a laboratory of their choice in Portugal. This Call 26 researchers in the field of Life and Health Sciences, 87 researchers in Exact Sciences and Engineering, 75 researchers in Natural and Environmental Sciences, and 41 researchers in 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 Call evaluated 1,398 applications in a two-phase process. In Call , currently underway, approximately 1,370 applications have passed the first phase of the evaluation process.

The FCT Researcher Program focuses on researchers and their R&D projects and is committed to scientific excellence in recruiting the most creative and innovative PhD researchers who demonstrate independence and leadership in their scientific field, considering criteria such as experience, professional background, and research project for selection. FCT researchers independently carry out scientific research activities at the host institution of their choice through an employment contract, which is funded by FCT.

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