A call is open for the allocation of 1 (one) research fellowship for MSc students or BSc degree holder enrolled in a non-academic degree course (BI), within the R&D project PAM4Wellness (reference POCI-01-0246-FEDER-181319), applied to Aviso nº 04/SIAC/2020 do Sistema de Apoio a Ações Coletivas - Transferência do Conhecimento Científico e Tecnológico – Programa Interface, financiado pelo Programa Portugal 2020 (PT 2020) through the Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (PO CI) and through the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER), taking place at the CICS-UBI: Health Sciences Research Center, University of Beira Interior (https://www.ubi.pt/entidade/CICS), Covilhã, Portugal, under the following conditions:

Scientific Area: Biological Sciences.

Objectives:

The project's main objective is to enhance the technical-scientific knowledge in the field of aromatic and medicinal plants (PAM), in business and R&D entities, through agile and effective transfer processes for companies, aiming at the economic and commercial valorization of the PAM's value chain - health and well-being.

The grant holder will be the point of contact between the parts of the project, will be responsible for the technical-scientific development of the project and will dedicate himself to the integration of several subtasks related to task A1 of the project entitled “Elaboration of Studies, Research and Diagnostics directly related to the development of the project”. In particular, the fellow will be responsible for researching scientific information and compiling the information in technical dossiers for each species of PAM. In parallel, the fellow will also be involved in holding “focus groups” with producers to characterize the industrial needs for the supply of raw material for each species of PAM; and in the characterization of the main production organization models and proposal of a model adapted to the PAM sector.

Work plan:

The scholarship's work plan comprises several tasks to respond to the strategic objectives defined for this project, namely, the valorization of the technical-scientific knowledge developed in the area of PAM, in a perspective of economic and commercial valorization of its value chain within the scope of specific application in the area of health and well-being, as well as the valorization of positive externalities in other sectors such as tourism, always considering the principle of sustainability of the sector and its applications. In this activity, operational procedures will be built for the qualification of plants and their most relevant extracts as a cosmetic ingredient, as well as technical and safety data sheets for regulatory support of the selected species. The "Focus Group" will be held in 3 events, one in the center (Coimbra), another in the north of Portugal (Braga) and another in Alentejo (Évora), in which the processing industry (preparation of extracts) and the production of cosmetics will be consulted with regard to their industrial needs for raw material supply and regulatory requirements, as well as quantitative product needs in order to transfer this information to the value chain (producers) and consolidate the processes of other project activities , namely those related to the economic valorization of technologies and products and their commercialization and Sustainability practices and circular economy. It will also be a survey of the existing organizational formats and their confrontation with the theoretical models of production organization. This survey of the existing situation will involve fieldwork, namely conducting interviews with producers and associations in the sector. A proposal for an organizational model adjusted to the PAM sector will then be prepared; at the same time, an analysis will be made of public support to production organizations and their adaptability to the proposed model.

Place of Work:

The work will be developed at the premises of CICS-UBI; Health Sciences Research Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal, under the scientific guidance of Professor Ana Palmeira de Oliveira and Professor Ana Paula Duarte.

Fellowship duration and conditions:

The fellowship is scheduled to start predictly in December 2022, with the duration of 10 months, up to the end of the project (June 30, 2023).

The activity is in regime of exclusive dedication in accordance with the RBIUBI.

The fellowship can be renewed, with a favorable opinion from the supervisor, for a total duration of 16 months if the funding entity authorizes the extension of the project's end date.

Receipt of applications:

Applications should be addressed to Doctor Ana Cristina Palmeira de Oliveira, Researcher Responsible for the Project, to email address apo@fcsaude.ubi.pt, with the subject “GRANT_PAM4WELLNESS_BSc3-b – Application”.

Documents for application:

The candidates should present:

. Motivation letter (cover letter explaining the interest in the position);

. Detailed Curriculum Vitae;

. Certificate of completion of the previous degree;

. Other documents considered relevant;

. Declaration of honour from the candidate stating, that he/she meets the conditions for being award the scholarship BI according to Article 6 of the RBIUBI.

Selection Committee:

Applications will be assessed by a panel as follows:

President: Doctor Ana Paula Duarte., Cathedratic Professor at University of Beira Interior

Effective members: Doctor Joana Rolo and Professor Rita Palmeira de Oliveira.

Publication/notification of results:

The final results of the evaluation process will be published in a sorted list, by the final classification obtained, and posted in a visible and public place of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Beira Interior. The candidate(s) will be notified of the decision by e-mail.