CALL FOR ONE RESEARCH GRANT UNDER THE PROJECT “RESOLVE: Rational Design of Multivalent Glycocode-Inspired Nanovaccines for Gastric Cancer Immunotherapy” (PTDC/MED-OUT/2512/2021).

A call is open to award one research grant for master graduates, to develop R&D activities within the scope of the project, “RESOLVE: Rational Design of Multivalent Glycocode-Inspired Nanovaccines for Gastric Cancer Immunotherapy” (PTDC/MED-OUT/2512/2021) funded by the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT).

1. Scientific Area

Health Sciences

2. Admission requirements

Obligatory

1. MSc in Oncology, Biochemistry, Biotechnology or related areas;
2. Prior experience in proteomics and glycoproteomics;
3. Hands-on experience in mass spectrometry;
4. Experience working in a hospital-based laboratory close to clinical settings;
5. The candidate should be enrolled in Ph.D. or a non-degree Conferring Course.

Preferential

1. Expertise in cell culture and other molecular biology techniques relevant to the position;
2. Experience developing glycoengineered cell models using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology.

If the qualification has been conferred by a foreign higher education institution, it must comply with the provisions of article 25 of Decree-Law No. 66/2018, of August 16th, and any formalities established therein must be fulfilled by the date of the hiring act.

3. Applicable legislation and regulations

Law no. 40/2004, of August 18^th, in the current wording (Scientific Research Fellow Statute) and Regulation of Research Grants from FCT, in force https://www.fct.pt/apoios/bolsas /regulation.phtml.pt .

4. Workplace

The work will be developed at the Portuguese Institute of Oncology of Porto Francisco Gentil, EPE (IPO-Porto), under the scientific guidance of Dr. Alexandre Ferreira.

5. Duration of the scholarship

The grant will 9 months, starting on April 1^st 2024, on an exclusive basis. This grant cannot be awarded for periods shorter than three consecutive months according to FCT's regulation of advanced training of human resources.

6. Monthly value of the grant:

The monthly value of the grant will be set according to the reference values of Research Grants awarded by the FCT, concerning PhD students, BSC or MSc enrolled in courses that do not lead to academic degree certification, which can be consulted at: https://www.fct.pt/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Tabela-de-Valores-SMM_atu….

Payment will be made by IPO-Porto by bank transfer. In addition to this subsidy, the scholarship holders will be covered by a personal accident insurance and voluntary social insurance.

7. Selection Methods

The admitted applications will be evaluated considering the candidates' academic or professional qualifications, professional career, relevance of the experience and training and the type of duties carried out in accordance with the profile described above.

The jury will analyze the application documents according to following criteria:

A. Curriculum evaluation (80%)

1. Research experience in the areas and methods indicated above (70%).

2. Research projects in which the candidate was involved (5%);

3. Scientific publications (published or submitted) and respective impact factor (5%).

B. Motivation letter (20%):

1. Interest and motivation in the research areas relevant to the position (20%);

After assessing all submitted applications, the jury will draft meeting minutes detailing the recruitment, evaluation, and selection process, including a ranked list of approved candidates and the jury's ultimate decision. The final decision of the jury will be endorsed by the Head of the Institution, who holds authority over the hiring process.

8. Jury elements

President- Dr. José Alexandre Ferreira

1st effective member- Prof. Dr. Lúcio Lara Santos

2nd effective member- Dr. Andreia Peixoto

1st supplementary member - Dr. Luís Carlos Lima

2nd supplementary member – Prof. Dr. Carlos Palmeira

9. Form of advertising/notification of results

The results of the evaluation will be announced via the email indicated by the candidates in their Curriculum Vitae/Letter of Motivation.

Candidates have a period of 10 working days, counting from the day immediately following the notification, to express their opinion, if desired, in a prior hearing with interested parties, under the terms of article 121 et seq. of the Administrative Procedure Code (CPA) .

10. Form of submission of applications and application deadline: the call is open from March 14th to March 27th 2024 (until 23:59, local time). Applications must be formalized, obligatorily, by email send to jose.a.ferreira@ipoporto.min-saude.pt and candidaturas.ci-ipop@ipoporto.min-saude.pt and the email subject must be “Application for a research grant - RESOLVE Project", accompanied by the following documents:

1. Motivation letter;
2. Candidate's Curriculum Vitae;
3. Certificate(s) of academic qualifications and evidence of relevant training;
4. Declaration on honor that the applicant fulfills the requirement set out in article 6 of the Research Grants Regulation from FCT, IP (model below).

 Proofs must be attached directly to the application, without the use of links to external platforms/drives. To guarantee the reading of all documents, the preferred recording format is the Portable Document Format (.pdf). Files must be named with the candidate's first and last name and must not exceed, as a whole, 5 MB. These can be compressed in .zip format.

For further information about the project and the work to be developed, contact Dr. Alexandre Ferreira (jose.a.ferreira@ipoporto.min-saude-pt)

Declaration on honor

I, (identification of the candidate), bearer of the Citizen's Card / Visa / Residence Card no. ____, valid until ____, declare under honor commitment to meet the conditions set forth in the n.ºs 4 and 5 of article 6.º from the Regulation of Research Grants from FCT,IP (Regulation No. 950 / 2019 of 16 December).

Porto, ___/___/_____

__________________________________

(Candidate holder's signature)