Call for Applications for PhD Research Grants

The University of Coimbra hereby opens this Call for Applications for 1 (one) research grants, hereinafter called PhD Research Grants, in the field of  Social Sciences, in compliance with the provisions of the FCT Regulations for Research Grants and Fellowships (RBI) and the Research Fellowship Holder Statute (EBI).

The scholarships will be financed by the Foundation for Science and Technology (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia) (FCT) under the Collaboration Agreement for Doctoral Research Grants for the European Campus of City-Universities (EC2U) Alliance, signed between FCT and the University of Coimbra.

1. SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS

The Call for Applications is open from June 20th, 2024 until 23h59 (Lisbon time) july 3th, 2024.

Applications and all the supporting documents described in this Call must be submitted by email to jmnp@uc.pt, with the following reference “Research Grant - EC2U | WP4”.

Each applicant can only submit one application, under penalty of cancellation of all the applications submitted.

Please note that false declarations or acts of plagiarism from the applicants will lead to the exclusion of the application notwithstanding the need to take other corrective or punitive disciplinary measures.

2. TYPE AND DURATION OF THE SCHOLARSHIPS

The PhD scholarships are intended to finance research activities carried out by the doctoral candidate that will lead to the attainment of the academic degree of doctor in Portuguese Universities.

The research activities leading to the attainment of the academic degree of doctor will take place at the University of Coimbra without prejudice to the work being carried out in collaboration with another partner University.

The research activities leading to the attainment of the academic degree of doctor of the selected applicants must be framed within the activity plan and strategy of      European Campus of City-Universities (EC2U) Alliance, and must be carried out within the following Doctoral Programmes:

• Social Sciences.

These scholarships will take place in the country, in Portugal, so the work plans will take place entirely in national institution.

The duration of scholarships is, as a rule, annual, renewable for a maximum of four years (48 months), and scholarships cannot be granted for a period of less than 3 consecutive months.

3. RECIPIENTS OF THE SCHOLARSHIPS

PhD scholarships are intended for candidates who are enrolled or who comply with the requirements to enroll in the Doctoral Programme listed under point 2 of the present call, who wish to carry out research activities as part of this degree in the indicated host institutions.

4. ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

4.1 Admission requirements for applicants

The following candidates may apply to this Call:

• National (Portuguese) citizens or citizens from other member states of the European Union;
• Third-country nationals;
• Stateless individuals;
• Citizens with political refugee status.

To apply for a PhD scholarship, applicants must comply with the following requirements:

• Have a master degree in the areas of Geography, or in areas considered related;
• Has not benefited previously from a PhD scholarship or a PhD Industry scholarship directly funded by FCT, regardless of its duration;
• Not having a doctorate degree.

4.2 Application requirements

The following documents are mandatory, under penalty of exclusion from the Call:

• Details of the identity card/citizen card/passport;

• Candidate's Curriculum Vitae (CV);

• Certificates of qualification of the academic degrees held, obligatorily specifying the final classification and, if possible, the classifications obtained in all subjects taken, or, alternatively, a declaration of honor from the candidate that he/she completed the bachelor's degree or master by the end of the application deadline;

• Record of recognition of academic degrees awarded by foreign higher education institutions and record of the conversion of the respective final classification to the Portuguese classification scale, or, alternatively, a declaration of honor from the candidate in obtaining the degree recognition foreigner equivalent to a bachelor's or master's degree by the end of the application period;

• Letter of interest;

• Letters of Recommendation (if applicable);

• Write the application and all documents associated with it, including letters of motivation and recommendation, in Portuguese or English.

Regarding the aforementioned admission requirements, the following should be noted:

In the case of academic degrees awarded by foreign higher education institutions, and to guarantee the principle of equal treatment among applicants with national and foreign academic degrees, the applicant must submit proof of recognition of such degrees and the conversion of the respective final average grade to the Portuguese grading scale.

The recognition of foreign academic degrees and diplomas and the conversion of the respective final average grade to the Portuguese grading scale, can be issued by a Portuguese public higher education institution, or by the Directorate-General for Higher Education (Direção Geral do Ensino Superior, DGES: only in the case of automatic recognition). Candidates should consult the DGES portal for more information at https://www.dges.gov.pt/en.

All requests for automatic recognition or level made to the UC are exempt from payment of fees in the case of candidates for competitive procedures (from the UC) for the recruitment of Researchers and, as well, for the award of Research Grants, which may be be selected and hired and need to obtain recognition of academic degrees or higher education diplomas awarded by foreign higher education institutions, in accordance with Decree-Law no. 66/2018, of 16 August, as requirement for hiring.

If the applicant has the nationality of one of the Member States of the European Union, the fees provided for Level Recognition or Specific Recognition, Doctorate, will be reduced by half.

Only applicants who have completed the cycle of studies leading to a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree until the application deadline will be admitted. Applicants who have not yet received their degree certificate/diploma must submit a declaration of honour stating that they will conclude the Bachelor’s or Master's degree by the end of the application period. Granting the scholarship will depend on the presentation of proof of the academic qualifications required at the contracting stage.

5. WORK PLAN AND SCIENTIFIC SUPERVISION OF THE SCHOLARSHIPS

The work plan must contribute to the mission of the Virtual Institute for Good Health and Well-being (GLADE) and to the development of the activities of WP4 – Lifelong well-being and healthy aging through the development of a research project and a thesis PhD on “Access to diagnosis and post-diagnostic support for dementias in rural Portugal and Spain: A geographic and social approach”. This thesis aims to explore the access to diagnosis and post-diagnostic support for various types of dementias in rural Portugal and Spain. The research will seek to understand the inequalities in access to diagnosis based on the distribution of general and specialist practitioners, healthcare structures, and the socio-economic characteristics of rural populations. By integrating a geographical perspective, the study will analyse how territorial disparities influence the recognition and management of dementia, as well as the care pathways of people with dementia after diagnosis. This research will help identify barriers and enablers to improve access to diagnosis and post-diagnostic support in rural areas. The main objectives will be to:

1 – Evaluate access to diagnosis of various types of dementia in rural Portugal and Spain;

2 – Analyse the geographical and social factors influencing the recognition and support of dementia;

3 – Propose recommendations to improve accessibility to diagnostic and post-diagnostic services in rural areas.

 The tasks will be as follows:

1 – Conduct an exhaustive review of existing literature on access to diagnosis and post-diagnostic support for dementias, focusing on studies conducted in rural areas, both nationally and internationally.

2 – Identify and map the distribution of general practitioners, specialists, Memory Centres, and other diagnostic and support structures for dementia in Portugal and Spain.

3 – Carry out detailed case studies in several rural regions, including qualitative surveys with healthcare professionals, people with dementia and their families, and territorial actors such as municipal and associative bodies to collect data on diagnostic pathways, encountered obstacles, and post-diagnostic support practices.

4 – Integrate the results of the case studies to develop an overall picture of the accessibility to diagnosis and post-diagnostic support for dementias in rural Portugal and Spain.

5 – Formulate practical recommendations to improve access to diagnosis and post-diagnostic support, and present the research findings through scientific publications and conferences.

The theme of the thesis constitutes a contribution to the mission of the Virtual Institute for Good Health and Well-being (GLADE) and to the development of the Alliance's activities, promoting interaction between working packages and partner institutions. These interactions will take the form of mobility actions for the selected doctoral student.

6. EVALUATION CRITERIA AND BONUSES

6.1 Evaluation Criteria

The evaluation takes into account the candidate’s merit.

The ideal candidate for this PhD position should have an in-depth knowledge of the Portuguese and Spanish context, particularly rural areas. It is essential that they have previously worked on the theme of ageing and have proven experience with qualitative methodologies. The candidate should demonstrate the ability to conduct field surveys, analyse qualitative data, and collaborate with various territorial actors, including healthcare professionals, municipal bodies, and local associations. Good scientific writing and presentation skills will also be required.

Applications considered admissible will be scored on a scale of 1 to 100 in each of the following evaluation criteria:

• Criterion A – Curricular Assessment, with a weight of 60%;
  • Sub-criterion A1 – Merit of the curriculum vitae, with a weight of 40%;
  • Sub-criterion A2 – Profile of the candidate for the scholarship work plan, with a weight of 50%;
  • Sub-criterion A3 – additional characteristics related to the motivation implicit in the motivation letter, with a weight of 10%;
• Criterion B – Interview, with a weight of 20%;
  • Sub-criterion B1 – Communication capacity in Portuguese, English, and Spanish, with a weight of 60%;
  • Sub-criterion B2 – Motivation and interest in the work to be carried out, with a weight of 40%.

In order to decide the granting of a PhD scholarship, applicants will be ranked according to the weighted average of the score obtained in each of the two criteria, according to the following formula:

Final classification = ( 0.6 ×A+ 0.4 ×B

For tiebreaking purposes, the final ranking list will be based on the scores assigned to each of the evaluation criteria in the following order: criterion A, criterion B).

Important note for candidates holding a degree issued by foreign higher education institutions:

• In the case of academic degrees awarded by foreign higher education institutions, and to guarantee the principle of equal treatment among applicants with national and foreign academic degrees, the applicants must submit proof of recognition of such degrees and the conversion of the respective final average grade to the Portuguese grading scale under the terms of the applicable legislation.
• Applicants with recognized foreign academic degrees who do not submit a proof of conversion of the final average grade to the Portuguese grading scale will be evaluated with the minimum grade of 10 (ten) points in criterion A.
• In any case, scholarship contracts with applicants whose diplomas have been issued by foreign institutions will only be concluded upon presentation of proof of recognition of academic degrees and conversion of the final average grade, as indicated above.

Applicants whose application is scored with a final grade lower than 45 points are not eligible for scholarship award.

7. EVALUATION

The evaluation panel is composed of the following members:

• Ana Paula Santana Rodrigues, University of Coimbra; 
• Jorge Miguel Nunes Padeiro, University of Coimbra;
• Ricardo Jorge Meireles Almendra, University of Coimbra;
• Paulo Nuno Maia de Sousa Nossa, University of Coimbra - alternate;
• Adélia de Jesus Nobre Nunes, University of Coimbra - alternate.

The evaluation panel will assess applications based on the evaluation criteria described in this Call for Applications, considering the components of evaluation.

All panel members, including the coordinator, will make a commitment to respect the responsibilities of the evaluation process, such as the duties of impartiality, the declaration of any potential conflicts of interest, and confidentiality. At all times during the evaluation process, confidentiality is fully protected and ensured in order to guarantee the independence of all opinions produced.

For each application, a final evaluation form will be produced by the panel, in which the arguments that led to the scores attributed to each of the evaluation criteria and sub-criteria will be presented in a clear, coherent and consistent manner.

Minutes of the meetings of the evaluation panel will be taken under the responsibility of all its members.

The minutes and their attachments must include the following information:

• Name and affiliation of all members of the evaluation panel;
• Identification of all excluded applications and respective reasons;
• Methodology employed by the panel for particular cases;
• Final Evaluation Sheets for each application;
• Provisional list of the scoring and ranking of the candidates, in descending order of the final grade, of all applications evaluated by the panel;
• Conflict of Interest (COI) statements from all members of the panel;
• Delegations of voting and decision powers by reason of justified absence.

8. DISCLOSURE OF THE RESULTS

Evaluation results will be communicated by email to the address provided by the candidates in the application form.

9. DEADLINES AND PROCEDURES FOR PRELIMINARY HEARING, COMPLAINTS AND APPEALS

Once the provisional ranked list of the evaluation results has been communicated, applicants may request a preliminary hearing with the interested parties, under the terms of Articles no. 121 and following of the Code of Administrative Procedures (CPA).

The final decision will be announced after the analysis of applicants’ arguments presented in the preliminary hearing. Following the final decision, the applicant can file a formal complaint within 15 working days or, alternatively, file an appeal within 30 working days, counting after the communication of the final results.

Applicants who choose to file a complaint should address their request to the member of the FCT Board of the Directors with the delegated competence. Applicants who choose to file an appeal must address their request to the FCT Board of Directors.

10. REQUIREMENTS TO AWARD THE SCHOLARSHIPS

The research scholarship contracts are signed directly with FCT.

The following documents are mandatory, upon conditional awarding of the scholarship for the purposes of contract preparation:

a) Copy of the document(s) of personal identification, tax number and, if applicable, social security;[1]

b) Copy of the academic degree certificates held by the applicant;

c) Recognition of the academic degrees obtained abroad and conversion of the final grade to the

Portuguese grading scale, if applicable;

d) Document proving acceptance and enrolment in the Doctoral Programme identified in the present Call for Applications;

e) Statement from the supervisor(s) declaring their acceptance to coordinate and supervise the work plan, as established in Article no. 5-A of the Statute for Research Fellowships (template will be made available by FCT);

f) Institutional document supporting the applicant, issued by the institution where the work plan will be carried out, guaranteeing the necessary conditions to its successful development, as well as the fulfilment of the duties established in Article no. 13 of the Research Fellowship Holder Statute (template will be made available by FCT);

g) Updated document proving the exclusive dedication regime (template will be made available by FCT);

h) Work Plan.

The granting of the scholarship is still dependent on:

• The fulfilment of all the requirements listed in this Call for Applications;

• The results of the scientific evaluation;

• The absence of unjustified non-compliance of the fellowship holder during previous directly or

indirectly funded FCT fellowships;

• The FCT's available budget.

The lack of any of the necessary documents to complete the contracting procedure implies the expiration of the scholarship granting and conclusion of the process; applicants have up to 6 months after the disclosure of the provisional granting to present all of the documents listed.

11. FUNDING

Scholarship payment will start after the signed contract is returned to FCT, which should happen within 15 working days after its delivery.

The scholarships granted in this call will be financed by FCT with funds from the State Budget and, when eligible, with funds from the European Social Fund, through the Demography, Qualifications and Inclusion Program (PDQI), in accordance with the regulatory provisions established for this purpose.

12. SCHOLARSHIP COMPONENTS

A monthly maintenance allowance is granted to the fellows in accordance with the table in Annex I of the RBI.

The scholarship may also include additional allowances, according to RBI’s Article no. 18 and the values indicated in its Annex II.

All the scholarship holders have a personal accident insurance related to the research activities, which FCT will support.

All scholarship holders who are not beneficiaries of any social protection regime have the right to register for social security through the voluntary social insurance regime, under the terms of the Contributory Scheme of the Social Security System. FCT will ensure the charges resulting from contributions under the terms and the limits provided in Article no. 10 of the EBI.

13. PAYMENT OF THE SCHOLARSHIP

Payments due to the scholarship holder are made by bank transfer to the bank account indicated. The monthly maintenance allowance is paid on the first working day of each month.

Registration, enrolment and tuition fees are paid directly by FCT to the national institution where the scholarship holder has enrolled or is registered in a 3rd Cycle of Studies/PhD Programme.

14. TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF PhD SCHOLARSHIP RENEWAL

The renewal of the scholarship always depends upon the applicant’s request, within 60 working days prior to the renewal start date, which must include the following documents:

a) Declaration(s) issued by the supervisor(s) and by the host institution(s) attesting the work plan development and the evaluation of the respective activities;

b) Updated document proving compliance with the exclusive dedication regime;

c) Declaration proving enrolment renewal in the study cycle leading to the doctoral degree.

15. INFORMATION AND PUBLICITY OF THE GRANTED FUNDING

In all R&D activities directly or indirectly financed by the scholarship, namely, in all communications, publications and scientific creations, as well as theses, carried out with the support provided for in the scholarship, the mention of financial support from FCT and the Fund must be expressed. European Social Security, through, in particular, the Demography, Qualifications and Inclusion Program (PDQI). For this purpose, the insignia of the FCT, MCTES, FSE and the EU must be included in the documents relating to these actions, in accordance with the graphic standards of the community support program.

The dissemination of research results funded under the RBI must comply with the open access standards for data, publications and other research results in force in the FCT.

In all scholarships, and in particular in the case of actions supported by community financing, namely from the FSE, monitoring and control actions may be carried out by national and community bodies in accordance with applicable legislation in this matter, with the supported scholarship holders being obliged to collaboration and provision of the requested information, which includes carrying out surveys and evaluation studies in this area, even if the grant has already ended.

16. NON-DISCRIMINATION AND EQUAL ACCESS POLICY

FCT promotes a policy of non-discrimination and equal access, thus no applicant may be privileged, benefited, damaged or deprived of any right or exempted from any duty, due to ancestry, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, family status, economic status, education, origin or social condition, genetic heritage, reduced work capacity, disability, chronic disease, nationality, ethnicity or race, territory of origin, language, religion, political or ideological beliefs or trade union affiliation.

17. APPLICABLE LEGISLATION AND REGULATIONS

The present call is governed by the FCT Regulations for Research Fellowships approved by the Regulation no. 950/2019 (published in the Series II of the DR, of 16th December), by the Research Fellowship Holder Statute (approved by Law no. 40/2004, of 18th of August, in its current version), and by other applicable national and European legislation.