1 PhD Research Scholarship in Education (BolsaPhD_CeiED/COFAC/OP.Edu)

Universidade Lusófona hereby opens a competition to award 1 (one) research scholarship, hereinafter referred to as PhD Research Scholarship, in the fields of Education, under the terms of the Regulation for Research Scholarships of FCT (RBI) and the Research Fellowship Holder Statute (EBI).

The studentship will be funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) within the scope of the Funding Collaboration Protocol of the Multiannual Research Scholarship Plan for PhD Students, signed by FCT and the R&D Unit Interdisciplinary Research Centre for  Education and Development (CeiED/COFAC, Ref. 4114).

1. APPLICATION SUBMISSION

The call is open from 12 July and 5 pm (Lisbon time) of 25 August 2023.

The applications and the documents that support the applications as specified in the presente Notice of Open Call must be submitted by email, according to the open call reference > REF: Edital_BolsaPhD_CeiED/COFAC-4114-2020, to the following e-mail address: secretariado.ceied@ulusofona.pt

Each candidate is only allowed to submit one application, under penalty of all submitted applications being invalidated.

Any false statements provided by or acts of plagiarism engaged in by any candidate is grounds for invalidating the application, without prejudice to the adoption of further disciplinar measures.

                                                                                                                                           2. TYPE AND DURATION OF SCHOLARSHIP

The PhD Research Scholarship aims to fund the recipient’s research activities leading to the awarding of the  academic degree of PhD by Universidade Lusófona.

The research activities leading to the awarding of the academic degree of PhD shall take place at the  Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Education and Development (CeiED), which will be the recipient’s host institution, without prejudice to work being conducted in collaboration between more than one national or international institution.

The research activities of the selected scholarship recipient leading to the awarding of the academic degree of PhD must be integrated in the activity plan and strategy of the Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Education and Development (CeiED), with special focus on the Observatory for Education, Policies and Training and must be carried out within the scope of the following PhD Programme:

• PhD Programme in Education, of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Education and Administration, Universidade Lusófona

The work plan may be carried out fully or partially at Universidade Lusófona (in-country scholarship or mixed scholarship, respectively), involving one or more of the above-mentioned PhD programmes.

The duration of the scholarship is, as a rule, annual, renewable to the limit of four years (48 months); moreover, a scholarship cannot be granted for a period of less than 3 consecutive months.

In the case of a mixed scholarship, the period of the work plan taking place in a foreign institution must not exceed 24 months.

3. SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT

The PhD Research Scholarships are aimed at candidates enrolled or candidates that meet the necessary conditions to enrol in one of the PhD Programmes listed in paragraph 2 of the present Notice of Open Call and who desire to carry out research activities at the Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Education and Development (CeiED), leading to the awarding of the academic degree of PhD from Universidade Lusófona.

4. ELIGIBILITY

4.1 Requirements for Candidate Eligibility

The following may apply to the present competition:

• National citizens or citizens from other member states of the European Union;
• Citizens from third countries;
• Stateless people;
• Citizens benefiting from the statute of political refugee.
• To apply for the PhD Research Scholarship, candidates are also required:
• To hold a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in the fields of Education Sciences, Sociology, Public Policies or Anthropology in the following scientific fields and interests: education policies, social and educational inequalities; education and ecology/sustainability.
• To reside in Portugal permanently and habitually, if the work plan associated with the scholarship is partially carried out by foreign institutions (mixed scholarships), a requirement  applicable both to national and to foreign citizens;
• Not to have benefitted from a PhD scholarship or With Industry PhD directly funded by the FCT, regardless of its duration.

4.2 Requirements for Application Eligibility

It is indispensable to include the following documents in the application, under penalty of not being admitted to the Call:

• Application form;
• Elements of the identity card/citizen card/passport;
• Curriculum vitae of the candidate, following one of the models adopted by the FCT or other national agency (CIENCIAVITAE, Currículo Lattes, ORCID); all the indicators of scientific production considered relevant (papers, communications, book chapters, books, patents, etc.), mentioned on the CV must be accessible through the internet, and to this end candidates must indicate an active site where the jury can have access to them;
• Certificates or diplomas of the academic degrees held, specifying the final score and, if possible, the scores obtained in all the curricular units taken, or, alternatively, a sworn statement by the candidate that he/she will have been awarded the degree of bachelor or master by the closing date for applications;
• Registration of recognition of academic degrees awarded by foreign higher education institutions and registration of the conversion of their respective final score to the Portuguese rating scale, or, alternatively, a sworn statement by the candidate that he/she will have obtained the recognition of the foreign degree equivalent to that of bachelor or master by the closing date for applications;
• Motivation letter;
• The application form and all the documents associated with in, including the letters os motivation and recommendation, must be written in Portuguese or in English;
• Plan of the activities to undertaken, with the indication of the places where they will be carried out, the expected contribution to the strategic plan of CeiED and of OP.Edu with the following mandatory elements: title; abstract; keywords; literature review; research problem, questions and objectives; work plan; detailed chronogram and execution indicators; integration in and relevance to the project of CeiED and OP.Edu; references (maximum: ten pages).
• Sworn statement signed by the candidate that he/she will fulfil his/her function as scholarship holder under an exclusivity regime, pursuant to the terms laid down in Article 5 of the Statute of the Research Scholarship Holder.

Regarding the above-mentioned admissibility requirements, the following should be noted:

In the case of academic degrees awarded by foreign higher education institutions, and in order to ensure the application of the principle of equal treatment to candidates holding foreign and national academic degrees, the recognition of these degrees and the conversion of the respective final classification to the Portuguese classification scale is mandatory.

The recognition of foreign academic degrees and diplomas as well as the conversion of the final classification to the Portuguese classification scale can be requested at any public higher education institution, or at the Directorate-General for Higher Education (DGES, only in the case of automatic recognition). In this regard, it is suggested to consult the DGES portal at the following address: http://www.dges.gov.pt.

Only candidates who have completed the study cycle leading to a Bachelor's or Master's degree by the application deadline will be admitted. In case they do not yet have the degree completion certificate, a declaration of honor from the candidates that they have completed the required qualifications for the purpose of the competition will be accepted until the application deadline. The award of the scholarship is always dependent on the presentation of proof of the academic qualifications required for the award of the scholarship.

5. WORK PLAN

Doctoral research scholarships are intended to finance the research activities leading to a PhD degree at Lusófona University, within the scope of the PhD program identified in point 2 of this Call. The work plan is part of the proposal submitted by the candidates and must be aligned with the objectives and strategic lines of UI&D in its articulation with the Observatory (Op-Edu), under scientific guidance that includes one of its integrated doctoral members.

6. EVALUATION CRITERIA AND BONUS

6.1. EVALUATION CRITERIA

The applications considered admissible will be graded from 1.000 (minimum) to 5.000 (maximum) in each of the three evaluation criteria:

A. Merit of the Candidate;

B. Merit of the Work Plan;

C. Merit of the Contribution to the Strategic Development of CeiED and OP.Edu.

D. Interview

For the purpose of the decision on awarding the scholarship, candidates will be sorted according to the weighted average of the score obtained on each of the three criteria, with the weight of

40% for Merit of the Candidate (A),

30% for Merit of the Work Plan (B)

15% for Merit of Contribution to the Strategic Development of CeiED and OP.Edu (C),

And 15% for interview (D) translated into the following formula:

Final Classification = (0,4 ×𝐴)+(0,3×𝐵)+(0,15×𝐶)+(0.15xD)

For the purpose of tie-breaking, candidates will be sorted on the basis of the scores given to each of the evaluation criteria by the following order of precedence: criterion A (Merit of the Candidate), criterion B (Merit of the Work Plan), criterion C (Merit of C.Strategic Development of CeiED and OP.Edu) and criterion D (interview).

In any of the assessment criteria, marks will be awarded to three decimal places. The values resulting from the application of any formulas specified in this guide will be rounded to the third decimal place, using the following rule: when the fourth decimal place is equal to or greater than 5 (five), it will be rounded up; when the fourth decimal place is less than 5 (five), the value of the third decimal place will be maintained.

Candidates whose application is evaluated with a final mark of less than 3.000 are not eligible for the scholarship.

6.1.1 Criterion A - Merit of the Applicant

The merit of the applicant, criterion A, with a weighting of 40%, is assessed in three sub-criteria:

A.1. Academic record (reflecting degree classifications), with a weighting of 50% of the candidate's merit;

A.2. Personal Curriculum (reflecting the scientific and professional background, and academic, when applicable), with a weighting of 40% of the candidate's merit;

A.3. Motivation letter, with a weighting of 10% of the candidate's merit.

The classification of criterion A will be obtained by applying the following formula:

𝐶𝑟𝑖𝑡é𝑟𝑖𝑜 𝐴 = (𝐴1 × 0.5) + (𝐴2 × 0.4) + (𝐴3×0.1).

The score to be awarded in each of the sub-criteria will be made according to the FCT Evaluation Guide (pages 7, 8, 9 and 10) for the award of doctoral scholarships (available at https://www.fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/concursos/docs/Bolsas_2019_GuiaoAvaliacao_PT.pdf)

6.1.2 Criterion B - Merit of the Work Plan

The Merit of the Work Plan, a criterion with a weighting of 30%, is assessed on the basis of three parameters:

B1 - Substantiated relevance and innovation of the object of study;

B2 - Scientific quality of the state of the art and methodology of the work plan;

B3 - Feasibility of the work plan.

In the evaluation of parameter B1, the clear definition of the research objectives and questions, the potential contribution of the research project to knowledge and the advancement of science and technology should be valued.

In the assessment of parameter B2, the state of the art presented and the proposed research methodology should be valued, taking into account its clarity, consistency and coherence, according to internationally accepted standards.

In the assessment of parameter B3, the adequacy of the methodologies to the tasks and objectives set out in the work plan and their deadlines should be valued. If applicable, the analysis of the risks inherent to the various phases that constitute it will also be assessed, possibly with the preliminary identification of the most critical points and the corresponding contingency measures to be adopted.

The presentation of the timeline should also be valued in the assessment of this criterion, as well as any other attached documents related to the work plan (schemes, formulas or figures, for example).

6.1.3 Criterion C - Merit of the Contribution to the Strategic Development of CeiED and OP.Edu

The evaluation of this Criterion should be based on the demonstration made by the candidate, in the motivation letter and in the presentation of the work plan, of how the project fits into the strategic objectives of CeiED and in the generation of new knowledge, within the scope of OP.Edu - Observatory of Education and Training Policies.

“CeiED is a R&D Unit established at Lusofona University with the focus both on Human Development and Social Justice that to be reached through research in the fields of Education, Memory Studies, and Territorial Studies. These two main aims are linked to the concept of Public (and Open) Science applied to teaching and learning and social work”.

“The creation of the Observatory aims to gather resources and congregate interests of researchers integrating both research centers, CES and CeiED, in order to promote the fundamental and applied research in the area of education, science and training policies.”

View at  http://www.ceied.ulusofona.pt/pt/investigacao/

https://www.ceied.ulusofona.pt/en/observatory/

https://www.opedu.pt/

6.1.4 Criterion D. Interview

The Interview, criterion with a weighting of 15%, is assessed on the basis of three parameters:

D1 . Knowledge of the proposed work topic;

D2. Knowledge of the methodology of scientific work;

D3 . Knowledge of the strategic development objectives of CeiED and the mission of OP.Edu.

Important notice for applicants with diplomas issued by foreign higher education institutions:

• Candidates with diplomas issued by foreign higher education institutions may apply and will be evaluated with the same criteria as candidates with certificates issued by Portuguese institutions, provided that they submit, in the application, proof of the recognition of the academic degrees and of the conversion of the final classification to the Portuguese classification scale under the terms of the applicable legislation.
• Candidates with recognized foreign degrees who do not provide proof of the conversion of the final classification to the Portuguese classification scale will be evaluated with a minimum score of 1 point in criterion A1.
• In any case, scholarship contracts with candidates with diplomas issued by foreign institutions will only be concluded upon submission of proof of recognition of academic degrees and conversion of the final classification, as indicated above.

6.2. Bonus

Applicants with a proven degree of disability equal to or greater than 90% will have a 20% bonus in Criterion A - Applicant Merit. Similarly, applicants with a proven degree of disability equal to or greater than 60% and less than 90% will have a 10% bonus in this criterion.

7. EVALUATION

The evaluation panel of the candidates is composed of the following elements:

- António Teodoro, Director of CeiED, Universidade Lusófona -CUL

- Teresa Lopo, Codirector of OP.Edu, Universidade Lusófona -CUL

- Cristina Sin, Permanent Member of OP.Edu and Integrated Researcher of CeiED, Universidade Lusófona -CUP.

- Alternate members

- Inês Vieira - Permanent Member of OP.Edu and Director of CeiED´s Public Science Forum, Universidade Lusófona -CUL

- Orlanda Tavares - Permanent Member of OP.Edu and Integrated Researcher at CeiED, Universidade Lusófona -CUP

The evaluation panel assesses the applications according to the evaluation criteria contained in this Call for Proposals, weighing the elements of appreciation.

All panel members, including the coordinator, commit to a set of responsibilities essential to the evaluation process, such as the duties of impartiality, declaration of any potential conflict 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, which clearly, coherently and consistently presents the arguments that led to the ratings assigned to each of the evaluation criteria and sub-criteria, also explaining any bonuses assigned.

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

The minutes and their annexes must include the following information:

● Name and affiliation of all members of the evaluation panel;

● Identification of all excluded applications and their reasons;

● Methodology adopted by the panel for cases considered particular;

● Final Evaluation Sheets for each applicant;

● Provisional list of classification and ranking of candidates, in descending order of the final ranking, of all applications evaluated by the panel;

● CDI statements of all panel members;

● Any delegations of vote and powers due to justified absence.

8. DISSEMINATION OF RESULTS

The results of the evaluation will be communicated via e-mail to the e-mail address indicated in the application.

9. DEADLINES AND PROCEDURES FOR PRIOR HEARING, COMPLAINT AND APPEAL

After communication of the provisional list of evaluation results, candidates have a period of 10 working days to, if they wish, express their opinion at a prior hearing of interested parties, in accordance with articles 121 and following of the Code of Administrative Procedure.

The final decision will be issued after the analysis of the statements presented at the prior hearing of interested parties. A complaint may be lodged against the final decision within 15 working days, or, alternatively, an appeal may be lodged within 30 working days, both counted from the respective notification. Candidates who choose to submit a complaint must address their complaint to a member of the FCT Board of Directors with delegated competence. Candidates who choose to appeal should address their appeal to the FCT Board of Directors.

10. GRANT AWARD REQUIREMENTS

Research grant contracts are concluded directly with the FCT.

The following documents must be sent, at the time of the possible award of the scholarship, for the purpose of its contractualization:

a) Copy of the civil, fiscal and, when applicable, social security identification document(s);

b) Copy of the certificates of qualifications of the academic degrees held;

c) Presentation of the recognition record of foreign academic degrees and conversion of the respective final classifications to the Portuguese classification scale, if applicable;

d) Document proving enrolment and registration in the Doctoral Program in Education of Lusófona University;

e) Declaration of the supervisor(s) assuming responsibility for the supervision of the work plan, under the terms of article 5-A of the Research Fellow Statute (draft declaration to be made available by FCT);

f) Document proving acceptance of the candidate by the institution where the research activities will take place, guaranteeing the necessary conditions for their proper development, as well as compliance with the duties provided for in Article 13 of the Research Fellow Statute (draft declaration to be made available by FCT);

g) Updated document proving compliance with the exclusive dedication regime (draft declaration to be made available by FCT).

The award of the scholarship is also dependent on:

● compliance with the requirements set out in this Call for Proposals;

● the result of the scientific evaluation;

● the absence of unjustified non-compliance with the duties of the scholarship holder under a previous scholarship contract financed directly or indirectly by the FCT;

● the availability of the FCT budget.

Failure to submit any of the documents required to complete the contractualization process of the scholarship, within 6 months from the date of communication of the decision of conditional award of the scholarship, implies the expiration of said award and the closure of the process.

11. FINANCING

The payment of grants will begin after the return of the duly signed grant contract by the applicants, which must occur within a maximum of 15 working days from the date of receipt.

Scholarships awarded under 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 regulations established for this purpose.

12. COMPONENTS OF THE GRANT

Fellows are awarded a monthly maintenance allowance in accordance with the table in Annex I of the RBI.

The grant may also include other components, under the terms set out in Article 18 of the RBI and for the amounts set out in Annex II.

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

All fellows who are not covered by any social protection scheme may ensure the exercise of their right to social security by joining the voluntary social insurance scheme, under the terms of the Code of Contributory Schemes of the Social Security System, with the FCT ensuring the costs resulting from the contributions under the terms and with the limits provided for in Article 10 of the RBI.

13. PAYMENTS OF THE SCHOLARSHIP COMPONENTS

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

Payments of the registration, enrollment, or tuition fees components are made by FCT directly to the national institution where the grantee is enrolled or enrolled in the doctoral program.

14. TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR RENEWAL OF THE SCHOLARSHIP

The renewal of the scholarship always depends on a request submitted by the grantee, within 60 working days prior to the renewal start date, accompanied by the following documents:

a) opinions issued by the supervisor(s) and the host entity(ies) on the monitoring of the grantee's work and the evaluation of his/her activities;

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

c) document proving the renewal of the registration in the cycle of studies leading to the doctoral degree.

15. INFORMATION AND PUBLICITY OF THE FUNDING AWARDED

In all R&D activities directly or indirectly funded by the grant, namely in all communications, publications and scientific creations, as well as theses, carried out with the support provided for in the grant, the mention of financial support from FCT and the European Social Fund, through, namely, the Demography, Qualifications and Inclusion Program (PDQI), must be expressed. For this purpose, the insignia of the FCT, MCTES, ESF and EU must be inscribed in the documents referring to these actions, according to the graphic standards of the Community support program.

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

In all scholarships, and in particular in the case of actions supported by Community funding, namely the ESF, monitoring and control actions may be carried out by national and Community bodies in accordance with the applicable legislation in this matter, and there is an obligation on the part of the supported scholarship holders to collaborate and provide the requested information, which covers the carrying out of surveys and evaluation studies in this area, even if the scholarship has already ended.

16. NON-DISCRIMINATION AND EQUAL ACCESS POLICY

FCT promotes a non-discrimination and equal access policy. Therefore, no applicant may be favored, given advantage, harmed, or deprived of any right or exempt from any duty by virtue of, namely, ascendency, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, family situation, financial situation, education, social condition or background, genetic heritage, diminished work capacity, disability, chronic illness, nationality, ethnic or racial background, territory of origin, language, religions, political or ideological beliefs, or trade union membership.

17.  APPLICABLE LEGISLATION AND REGULATION

The Call is ruled by the present Notice of Open Call, by the Research Scholarship Regulation of FCT, approved by Regulation 950/2019, published in the 2 Series of the Portuguese Official Gazette of 16 December 2019, by the Research Scholarship Holder Statute approved by Law 40/2004, of 18 August, as amended, and by any other applicable national and community legislation.