Multi-Year Funding Program for R&D Units 2023/2024

The deadline for submitting applications under the Multi-Year Funding Program for R&D Units, promoted by FCT, is April 17.

In this edition of Call 2023/2024), the FCT introduced some changes to the evaluation process compared to the previous exercise (2018/2018), which are set out inRegulation No. 1251-A/2023, published on November 21, 2023. The application process involved three distinct and sequential phases, which included the registration of Units on the Science and Technology Portal, the registration of Research teams, and the application of R&D Units.

Once the deadline for submitting applications has passed, the Unit Evaluation process begins, which also differs from the previous edition in a number of ways, with the aim of enhancing the qualitative, participatory, and collegial nature of this evaluation. These changes are reflected in the time units spend interacting with the evaluation panels, the participation of units in the different stages of the process, an increase in the number of readers per application, the introduction of a collegial evaluation model, a greater number of plenary meetings throughout the process, the introduction of a narrative CV format, and a new multidisciplinary evaluation model.

It should be noted that R&D units are periodically evaluated by panels of international evaluators, who assign a rating and funding for the following multi-year period. The evaluation will focus on the scientific and technological activities carried out by R&D units between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2023, and on the objectives, strategy, activity plan, and organization for the period 2025-2029.

The 312 R&D units currently funded by FCT for the period 2020-2024 are spread across various areas of knowledge and throughout the country. The R&D units funded can be consulted inthe Atlas of R&D Units, published by FCT.