BI Refª.UI0308/4FlexMarkets-1/2023

NOTICE

ANNOUNCEMENT CALL FOR THE AWARD OF A SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP (BI)

A call is now open for the award of 1 (one) scientific research fellowship (BI) for graduated students, under the multi-year funding of R&D Units 2020-2023, UI0308, Base Founding, with reference UIDB/00308/2020, of the Institute of Systems and Computer Engineering of Coimbra (INESC Coimbra),BI Refª.UI0308/4FlexMarkets-1/2023, with financial support from FCT/MCTES through national funds (PIDDAC), under the following conditions:

Scientific Area: Electrical and Computer Engineering

Admission requirements: Holders of a bachelor's degree in the field of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related fields, and registration in a master's, in the same field. Additionally, the following competences are required: fluency in English (written and oral). Basic knowledge of electrical energy systems and energy markets is preferred.

We emphasize that the academic degrees obtained in foreign countries require registration by a Portuguese Institution in accordance with Decree-Law No. 66/2018 of August 16  and Ordinance No. 33/2019 of January 25. The presentation of the certificate is mandatory for the signing of the contract. More information can be obtained at:  https://www.dges.gov.pt/pt/pagina/reconhecimento?plid=374.

Work plan and objectives to be achieved: Flexibility markets are expected to play an important role in the decarbonization of the electricity generation system. One of the main characteristics of flexibility is the ability to help to cope locally with the variability associated with renewable production and, consequently, to allow a better accommodation of large renewable shares in the system. Flexibility, defined in this context as “the modification of generation injection and/or consumption patterns in reaction to an external signal (price signal or activation)”, can be used by system operators, transmissions system and/or distribution system to adjust imbalances caused by fluctuations in renewable generation or demand and/or less accurate forecasts, thus contributing to the reliability of the electricity grid. Aggregators, seen as intermediary entities which gather demand-side flexibility to provide grid services to grid operators, can help launching and promoting such flexibility markets. The objective of this work is to i) analyze market models for energy transactions in Europe and the way entities, such as flexibility aggregators, can position themselves in these markets and ii) design algorithms that allow optimizing decision making by aggregators in a market environment. To achieve these objectives, an analysis of the various existing business models should be carried out as well as the identification of the main regulatory aspects and technical and functional requirements that may hinder the entry of aggregators.

The work plan is divided according to the following tasks:

1. Analysis of flexibility markets in Europe;

2. Study of the role of aggregators in these markets;

3. Identification of the main barriers to the participation of aggregators in flexibility markets;

4. Development of optimization models to help aggregators making decisions;

5. Final report and paper.

Applicable legislation and regulations: Statute of the Scientific Research Fellow, approved by Law No. 40/2004 of August 18, amended and republished by Decree-Law No. 202/2012 of August 27, by Decree-Law No. 89/2013 of July 9, by Decree-Law No. 233/2012 of October 29, and by Law No. 12/2013 of January 29, and amended by Decree-Law No. 123/2019 of August 28, in the drafting in force (https://www.fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/estatutobolseiro) and Regulation of Research Grants of FCT, I. P, in  force:  https://www.fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/regulamento.phtml.pt

Regime: The granting of the scholarship does not create or entitle a relationship of a legal-labor nature, it is carried out on an exclusive dedication basis and is attributed to the Scholarship Holder/the Scholarship Regulation of INESC COIMBRA, as provided for in the Bylaws of the Research Fellow and in the Research Grants Regulation of the Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P., both in their current wording.

Workplace: The work will be developed within the activities of the Institute of Systems and Computer Engineering of Coimbra (INESC Coimbra), under the scientific guidance of Doctor Ana Soares, PhD, Prof. Álvaro Gomes, PhD, and Prof. Pedro Moura, PhD, affiliated with ISR – UC. The workplace is at INESC Coimbra, Department of Electrical and Computer.

Duration of the scholarships: The scholarship will last for 9 months, on an exclusive basis, in accordance with FCT’s advanced human resources training regulation and the INESC COIMBRA Research Scholarship Regulation, and is scheduled to start in June 2023.

Monthly maintenance allowance amount: Theamount of the scholarships is in accordance with the table of values of the scholarships awarded directly by FCT, I.P. in the country (https://www.fct.pt/financiamento/programas-de-financiamento/bolsas/) and corresponds to 930,98 € The form of payment will be by bank transfer, for the account to be designated by the Research Fellow. The voluntary social insurance, corresponding to the first tier, is added to this amount if the applicant chooses to subscribe to it, as well as personal accident insurance. The value of the scholarship will not increase over the entire period of its duration.

Selection methods: The selection methods to be used will be as follows: (i) curricular evaluation, with a valuation of 50% for academic qualifications and 50% for the degree of satisfaction of the requirements related to knowledge and experience, and (II) interview, with a valuation of 50%, to the candidates placed, at least, in the top three positions according to the order resulting from the previous criteria (the number of candidates can be higher if the jury decides for that).

Composition of the Selection Jury:

President: Doctor Ana Soares

Members:

Professor Doutor Álvaro Gomes

Professor Doutor Pedro Moura

Substitute members: Professor Doutor Carlos Alberto Henggeler Antunes

Candidates’ eligibility: Without prejudice to the applicable rules for each scholarship type, the following are eligible for fellowship:

1. National citizens or citizens of other Member States of the European Union;
2. Third-party state citizens;
3. Stateless persons;
4. Beneficiaries of political refugee status.

Required documents and application formalization: The application must be formalized by sending, by e-mail, the following documents:

•  Letter of motivation, where the applicant must mention whether he is available to start the fellowship on the scheduled date;
• Document(s) with proof of the ownership of the academic degree and/or diploma(s) required in the call, preferably with indication of the final average and the classifications obtained per curricular unit. Applicants with foreign qualifications must prove their academic degree and foreign diploma under Decree-Law No. 66/2018 of August 16.  These documents may be exempted, during the application stage, by the declaration of honor contained in the application form, which can only attest to facts that occurred on a date prior to the application, with this condition being only verified in the contractualization phase of the fellowship;
• (Optional in the application phase) Document proving the enrollment and registration in the study cycle or non-awarding degree course, as stated in the application notice. This registration may be made at a time after the application, provided that it is complete until the contractualization of the fellowship;
• Updated curriculum vitae of the candidate, with the description of qualifications;
• Proof(s) of another evaluation parameter(s) indicated in the application notice;
• Other certifications and/or other documents considered relevant by the applicant

Applicants with academic degrees obtained abroad will be required to present a Certificate of Recognition in accordance with applicable law. This document is mandatory only in the contractualization phase.

Form of publicization / notification of results: The final evaluation results will be published, through a list ordered by the obtained final grade, published in a visible and public place of the Institute of Systems and Computer Engineering of Coimbra (INESC Coimbra), and the approved candidates will be notified by email.

After the announcement of the results, candidates are considered automatically notified to, if they wish to do so, comment on the results on a preliminary hearing period within 10 days after that date.

Application deadline: The call is open from the 15th to the 26th of May 2023.

Submission of applications:  Applications must be sent by e-mail toicolaco@inescc.pt (mentioning the referenceBI Refª.UI0308/4FlexMarkets-1/2023)

Additional information: In the absence of Applicants complying with the admission requirements (valuation of less than 50%) the fellowship will not be granted.

In case of resignation or withdrawal of the selected candidate, the next candidate with the highest evaluation score will be notified immediately.

Once the selection process is completed, the fellowship contract will be drawn up in accordance with the draft contract provided by the FCT.

After the contracted period, the fellowship holder and supervisor must prepare the final report in accordance with the respective assessment criteria that were established.

Publication link Notice in PT and EN, on the INESC Coimbra website:

https://www.uc.pt/en/org/inescc/res_reports_docs/Edital_Bolsa_BI_4Flex_PT_EN