Notice of Call for PhD Studentship Grants

FCT-PRISC-UFRJ – 2025

The research infrastructure PRISC - Portuguese Research Infrastructure of Scientific Collections, encompassing the University of Lisbon (ULisboa), the University of Porto (UPorto) and the University of Coimbra (UCoimbra), through their museums and botanic gardens, in collaboration with the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), through its National Museum (MN), opens an international call for 10 (ten) PhD studentship grants.

The studentships will be funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the Collaboration Protocol signed between the FCT and PRISC, complying with the provisions of the FCT Regulation for Research Studentships and Fellowships (RBI) https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/detalhe/regulamento/950-2019-127238533 and the Research Fellowship Holder Statute (EBI) https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/legislacao-consolidada/lei/2004-58216179.

The selected studentships holders will spend part of their study time at the National Museum of Rio de Janeiro, destroyed by a fire in September 2018 and intimately linked to the history of Portugal. This collaboration represents a contribution to the enhancement and understanding of science museums and holds special significance for both countries.

1. Scientific Areas

Applications will be accepted in the PRISC scientific areas, in particular:

Museology, namely in the fields of intersection between art and science, in particular the development of innovative forms of exhibition, education and science communication (up to two grants).

Geodiversity, paleodiversity and biodiversity, namely the history of the Earth and its past and present biodiversity, with a focus on promoting collections and associated data (up to four grants).

Scientific Collections Studies, from multiple perspectives (historical, taxonomic, anthropological, archaeological, sociological, communication, conservation, etc.) (up to four grants).

2. submission of application

The call is open between 00.00h of 22 may 2025 and 23.59h of 22 july 2025(Lisbon time).

Applications and the respective supporting documents determined in FCT RBI and in the present Call must be submitted electronically, in the following link https://sigarra.up.pt/reitoria/pt/cnt_cand_geral.concurso_show?pct_conc_id=439. Applications or any additional information submitted through other means will not be accepted.

All Call procedures, such as submissions, evaluation process, pre-hearings, disclosure of results, and complaints, will take place exclusively electronically.

Each candidate may submit only one application, with the risk of cancellation of all submitted applications otherwise.

Providing false statements or engaging in acts of plagiarism are grounds for cancellation of the application, without prejudice to the adoption of other punitive measures whenever necessary.

3. Grants Type and Duration

The grants are intended to finance research activities leading to the attainment of a doctoral degree. 

These research activities will be conducted at a university within the PRISC infrastructure – University of Lisbon, University of Coimbra, University of Porto – and at UFRJ in Rio de Janeiro, specifically at its National Museum.

The duration of the grants is typically one year, renewable for up to a maximum of four years. Grants are not awarded for periods shorter than three consecutive months or longer than 48 months. It is noted that the period at UFRJ/MN cannot be less than 12 months or more than 24 months.

4. Recipients

The grants are intended for individuals who are already enrolled or who meet the necessary conditions to enroll in a doctoral program leading to the attainment of a doctoral degree by a PRISC university, whishing to develop research activities considered essential to that degree.

5. Admissibility

5.1 Requirements for Candidate Eligibility

The following citizens may apply to this call:

• National citizens or citizens from other member-states of the European Union;
• Third-party states individuals;
• Stateless individuals;
• Citizens holding a political refugee status.

To apply for a Grant, the candidate needs:

• Hold a Masters in one of the areas described in point 1 (or related fields);
• Reside permanently and habitually in Portugal on the start date of the period of the work plan abroad, a requirement applicable to both national and foreign citizens; For foreign citizens, as residence permit is required to sign a contract with FCT, must hold the following documents:
• Have not previously benefitted from a PhD or a PhD in industry grant directly funded by FCT, regardless of its duration;
• Not holt a doctoral degree.

2. Requirements for Application Eligibility

The following documents are mandatory; their absence equals non admission:

• Copy of identification document and, whenever applicable, copy of proof of residence permit or other legally equivalent document;
• Candidate’s updated Curriculum vitae, either in CIENCIAVITAE or LATTES platform; candidates whose CV does not contain any curriculum information, presenting only CIENCIA ID name and identification will be considered ineligible.
• Academic degree certificates, clearly specifying the final grade and, if possible, the grades obtained in all subjects taken; candidates who have concluded their Masters’ degree but are waiting for the certificate should submit a declaration of honour signed by the candidate stating the master's degree was completed by the end of the Call deadline.
• Documents proving the Portuguese recognition of academic degrees awarded by foreign institutions, as well as conversion of grades to the Portuguese scale may be dispensed with during the application stage, provided they are replaced by a declaration of honor signed by the candidate stating how recognition of the foreign Masters’ degree was obtained, including grade converted to the Portuguese scale. Note that applicants with foreign diplomas who do not present proof of conversion of the final grade to the Portuguese grading scale will be assigned the minimum grade (10 out of 20) for criterion B, sub-criterion B1 (point 7.1).
• Motivation letter with a detailed and justified explanation of the research topic.
• Two separate recommendation letters.
• Research Work Plan to be developed containing the following sections: Title, Abstract, State of the Art, Objectives, Detailed Description and Bibliographical References, with a maximum of 3000 words. The Plan must be accompanied by a Timeline, indicating the schedule of proposed tasks, as well as the main goals (milestones) to be achieved. Supervising team should also be identified.
• Acceptance letter(s) from supervisor(s), both from the PRISC University and from UFRJ-MN: the letters (joint or separate) should indicate the candidate’s name, the project’s title, the host institution granting the doctoral degree;
• The application and all documents submitted, including letters of motivation and recommendation, must be written in Portuguese or English.

In summary, please note that:

• In the case of academic degrees awarded by foreign universities, and in order to ensure the application of the principle of equal treatment to candidates holding foreign and national degreees, it is mandatory to recognize these degrees and convert their respective final grades to the Portuguese grading scale during contract stage.
• The recognition of foreign academic degrees and diplomas, as well as the conversion of the final grade to the Portuguese grading scale, can be requested at any public higher education institution or at the Direção-Geral do Ensino Superior (DGES, only for cases of automatic recognition). Regarding this matter, it is suggested to consult the DGES portal at http://www.dges.gov.pt. The grant of the scholarship is subject to the presentation, during contract stage, of the proof of conversion to the Portuguese grading scale.
• Only candidates who have completed a program leading to a Master’s degree by the end of this Call deadline will be admitted. If candidates do not yet have the corresponding certificate or diploma, a declaration of honour confirming they have completed the necessary habilitations for this Call will be accepted. The award of the Grant is subject to the presentation, during contract phase, of adequate proof of academic qualifications.

6. Work Plan and Scientific Supervision

All research will be developed under the supervision of a scientific supervisor designated by the host entity under the terms established in art. 5º-A of the EBI and, obligatorily, of a member of the MN-UFRJ, holder of a PhD.

The research work will be partially carried out at the MN-UFRJ, for a period that can be no less than 12 months and no more than 24 months.

7. Evaluation and Compensation Criteria 

7.1 Evaluation

The evaluation process assesses the merit, CV and motivation of the candidates, as well as their performance in a possible interview, carried out in English or Portuguese, by videoconference.

All admissible applications will be graded from 0 to 5 (zero to five), in each of the three following evaluation criteria:

• Criterion A – Merit of the Research Plan (60%):

Sub-criterion A1 – Motivation Letter (20%)

Sub-criterion A2 – General evaluation of the Work Plan (80%)

• Criterion B – Merit of the Candidate (40%):

Sub-criterion B1 – Detailed analysis of the CV in terms of adequation to work plan, scientific publications and communications (60%)

Sub-criterion B2 –Research or professional activities and experience, as well as outreach/dissemination activities (40%)

The intermediate score (CI) is calculated through the following formula:

Intermediate Score (CI) = (𝟎, 6 × 𝑨) + (𝟎, 4 × 𝑩)

• Criterion C – Interview (videoconference), in English or Portuguese, for candidates with Intermediate Score (CI) equal to, or over, 3.50.

Final grades result from the application of the following formula:

Final Score = (0, 7 x CI ) + (𝟎, 3 × C)

In the event of a tie in the final classification, the order of candidates will be determined by the grades obtained in each of the evaluation criteria, according to the following order of importance: criterion A, criterion B, and criterion C.

Candidates scored with a final grade lower than 3.00 are not eligible for studentship granting.

Important notice for applicants with degrees issued by non-Portuguese higher education institutions:

• Candidates with diplomas issued by foreign higher education institutions will be evaluated using the same criteria as candidates with diplomas issued by Portuguese institutions, provided they submit, with their application, proof of the recognition of academic degrees or a request for automatic recognition of degrees and the conversion of the final grade to the Portuguese grading scale in accordance with applicable legislation.
• Candidates with foreign diplomas who fail to submit proof of conversion of the final grade to the Portuguese grading scale will be assigned the minimum grade (10 out of 20) for criterion B, sub-criterion B1 (point 7.1).
• In any case, grant contracts with candidates holding degrees issued by foreign institutions will only made upon presentation of proof of academic degree recognition and conversion of the final grade, as indicated above.
  
  2. Disability Bonus

Candidates who declare a disability degree equal to or greater than 90% will receive a 10% bonus in criterion A – Merit of the Candidate. Candidates who declare a disability degree equal to or greater than 60% and less than 90% will have a 5% bonus in this criterion. The degree of disability must be duly proven by submitting, in the application, the document ‘Atestado de Incapacidade Multiuso’, issued under the terms of Decree-Law no. 202/96, of October 23, in its current version.

8. Evaluation Panel

The evaluation panel comprises the following members:

Effective Members:

Marta Lourenço, Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência, PRISC/Universidade de Lisboa (coordenadora do painel)

Andrea Costa, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro

Catarina Shreck Reis, Museu da Ciência, PRISC/Universidade de Coimbra

Maria João Fonseca, Museu de História Natural e da Ciência, PRISC/Universidade do Porto

Alternate Members:

Alexander Kellner, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro

Juliana Sayão, Museu Nacional; Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro

Márcia Couri, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro

Maria Teresa Girão da Cruz, Jardim Botânico, PRISC/Universidade de Coimbra

Paulo Passos, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro

Vera Huszar, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro

Maria Judite Alves, Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência, PRISC/Universidade de Lisboa

Nuno Ferrand de Almeida, Museu de História Natural e da Ciência, PRISC/Universidade do Porto

Paulo Trincão, Museu da Ciência, PRISC/Universidade de Coimbra

The panel will evaluate all applications according to the evaluation criteria mentioned in this Call.

During the evaluation process, all panel members, including its coordinator, commit to adhering to a set of responsibilities, such as the duty of impartiality, declaring any potential conflicts of interest, and maintaining confidentiality. At all stages of the evaluation process, confidentiality is absolutely protected and ensured to guarantee the independence of the applications’ evaluations.

For each application, the panel will produce an evaluation form that clearly, coherently, and consistently presents the arguments that lead to the scores assigned to each of the evaluation criteria and sub-criteria, and where any compensations are described.

Panel meetings must produce minutes for which each panel member is responsible. The minutes and annexes must contain the following information:

• Name and affiliation of all panel members;
• List of excluded applications and justifications;
• Final evaluation form for each candidate;
• Provisional score, ranked from the higher to the lower;
• Declarations of Conflict of Interest (CDI) of the panel members.

Candidates have access to the panel minutes.

9. Dissemination of Results

Evaluation results are communicated to the email address provided by the candidates. Official results are published on the University of Porto website.

10. Deadlines and Procedures for Preliminary Hearing, Claims and Appeals

Once the provisional ranked list of evaluation results has been communicated, candidates with unfavorable provisional decisions may dispute them during the preliminary hearing phase, which takes place within 10 working days, according to articles no. 121 and following, of the Código do Procedimento Administrativo.

The final decision will be disclosed after the analysis of the candidate’s arguments, presented in the preliminary hearing. Final decision can be claimed within 15 working days or, alternatively, appealed within 30 working days, both counted from the date of the respective notification of the final results.

Candidates who choose to present a complaint must address their arguments to the member of the FCT Board of Directors (Conselho Diretivo) with delegated competence. Candidates who prefer to present an appeal must address their arguments to the FCT Board of Directors.

11. Grant Starting Date

The approved grants will commence on the 1st of the month indicated by the candidates during contract phase. Candidates have a period of 6 months to submit the documents necessary for contract.

12. Requirements for Grant Award

All grant contracts are signed directly with FCT.

The following documents are mandatory for the contract:

1. Copy of the documents of personal identification, tax number and, if applicable, social security;[1]
2. Document proving permanent residence in Portugal, if applicable, valid at the grant starting date (both for national and foreign citizens);
3. Copy of the academic degree certificates;
4. Presentation of the registration of recognition of foreign academic degrees and conversion of the respective final grade to the Portuguese grading scale;
5. Work Plan;
6. Document proving acceptance and enrolment in the 3rd degree cycle in the higher education institution which will grant the PhD;
7. Supervisor(s) statement assuming responsibility for supervision of the work plan, as established in Article no. 5-A of the Statute for Research Fellowships (template is provided by FCT).
8. Institutional document supporting the candidate, issued by the institution(s) where the work plan will be developed, guaranteeing the necessary conditions to its success, as well as the fulfillment of the duties established in Article no. 13 of the Research Fellowship Holder Statute (template is provided by FCT).
9. Document proving the exclusivity dedication regime (template is provided by FCT).

Grants awarding granting is moreover dependent on:

• The fulfilment of all requirements listed in this Call;
• The results of the scientific evaluation;
• The absence of unjustified non-compliance of the studentship holder during previous directly or indirectly FCT-funded fellowships;
• FCT available budget.

The lack of any of the documents necessary to complete the contracting procedure implies the expiration of the grant awarding and termination of the process; candidates have up to 6 months after the provisional granting to present all the listed documents.

13. Funding

The payment of grants will commence after the candidates return the duly signed contract, which should occur within a maximum period of 15 working days from the date of its receipt. Grants awarded under this Call will be funded by FCT (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) with funds from the State Budget, in accordance with the regulatory provisions established for this purpose.

14. Grant Allowance

The grant holder is awarded a monthly maintenance subsidy, the amount of which varies depending on whether activities are carried in Portugal or abroad, in accordance with the table in Annex I of the RBI of the FCT.

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

All grant holders benefit from personal accident insurance for research activities, supported by FCT.

All grant holders who are not covered by any social protection regime can use the right to social security through the voluntary social security regime, under the terms of the Contributory Scheme of the Social Security System. FCT will assume the charges resulting from contributions under the terms and within the limits set out in Article 10 of the EBI.

15. Payments

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

Payments for registration, enrollment or tuition fees are made by FCT directly to the national institution where the studentship holder is enrolled.

16. Terms and Conditions of Grant Renewal

The renewal of the grant depends on the holder’s submission, within 60 working days prior to the renewal starting date, of the following documents:

1. Declarations issued by the supervisor(s) and by the host institution(s) attesting the work plan development and the evaluation of corresponding activities;
2. Updated document proving compliance with the exclusive dedication regime;
3. Declaration demonstrating the enrolment renewal in the study cycle leading to the doctoral degree.
4. Information and Publicity

In all R&D activities directly or indirectly financed by the grant, namely in all communications, publications and scientific productions, as well as the thesis, must include reference to FCT. For this purpose, the FCT insignia must be inscribed in the documents referring to these actions.

The disclosure of research results financed under the RBI must comply with the open access guidelines, publications and research results in force at the FCT.

In all grants, follow-up and monitoring actions may be carried out by national bodies in accordance with the applicable legislation. The supported studentship holders are obliged to collaborate and provide the requested information, which includes carrying out surveys and studies of evaluation in this area, even after the studentship ended.

18. Non-discrimination and Equal Access Policy

FCT promotes a policy of non-discrimination and equal access, whereby no applicant may be privileged, benefited, damaged or deprived of any right or exempt from any duty. This includes ancestry, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, family situation, economic situation, education, origin or social condition, genetic heritage, reduced work capacity, disability, chronic disease, nationality, ethnic origin or race, territory of origin, language, religion, political or ideological convictions and trade union affiliation.

19. Applicable Legislation and Regulation 

The present Call is governed by this Notice; the FCT Regulation of Research Fellowships, approved by 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 August, in the current version, and by other applicable national and European legislation.

20. Contact Point

Information about the Call can be requested through the email address: recrutamentorh@sp.up.pt.

[1] The presentation of these documents may optionally be replaced by in-person presentation in the funding agency, which will keep the elements needed for the validation and execution of the contract, including the numbers of personal identification, taxation and social security, as well as respective expiry dates.