2024 Call for PhD Studentships – Specific Line of Application in a Non-academic Environment

The PhD Research Grants are intended for registered candidates or candidates who meet the necessary conditions to enroll in a cycle of studies leading to the academic degree of doctor, and who wish to develop research activities leading to the award of this degree.

All panel members, including the President of the Jury, are committed to respecting 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 of 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 where the arguments that led to the classifications attributed to each of the evaluation criteria are presented in a clear, coherent and consistent way, also explaining any bonuses awarded.

Minutes of the meetings of the evaluation panel 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 [if applicable];
• the methodology adopted by the panel for cases considered particular [if applicable];
• Final Evaluation Forms of each candidate;
• Provisional list of classification and ranking of candidates, in descending order of final classification, of all applications evaluated by the panel;
• Declarations of Conflict of Interest (CDI) of all panel members;
• Possible delegations of votes and powers due to justified absence [if applicable].

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Applications considered admissible will be scored from zero (0.00 minimum grade) to 20 (20.00 maximum grade) in each of the three evaluation criteria:

Criterion A – Merit of the Candidate (worth 40% of the final classification);

• Sub-criterion A1 - Final grade of the bachelor's degree (if the student has an integrated master's degree, he/she will have the final classification of the integrated master's grade here) (3%)
• Sub-criterion A2 - Master's final grade (7%)
• Sub-criterion A3 - Scientific publications (authorship and co-authorship) (20)%
• Sub-criterion A4 - Scientific communications (5%)
• Sub-criterion A5 - Participation in Research Projects (5%) Criterion B - Merit of the work plan (worth 50% of the final grade);
• Sub-criterion B1 - Letter of motivation (5%)
• Sub-criterion B2 - General evaluation of the Research Project (35%)
• Sub-criterion B3 – Impact on territorial development in the heritage and/or natural and/or economic components (10%)

Criterion C – Interview (worth 10% of the final grade);

• Sub-criterion C1 - Analysis and critical thinking (5%)
• Sub-criterion C2 - Motivation and availability (5%)

Candidates will be ranked according to the weighted average of the classification obtained in the three evaluation criteria, with the respective weighting in each criterion: criterion A - 40%, criterion B - 50% and criterion C - 10%.

For the purposes of deciding on the award of grants, candidates will be ranked according to the weighted average of the classification obtained in each of the sub-criteria, defined above, translated by the following formula:

ClassificationFin=(0.03xSub-criterion A1 +0.07xSub-criterion A2 + 0.20xSub-criterion A3 +0.05xSub-criterion A4 + 0.05x Sub-criterion A5) + (0.05xSub-criterion B1 + 0.35xSub-criterion B2 + 0.10xSub-criterion B3) +

+(0.05xSub-criterion C1 + 0.05xSub-criterion C2)

For tie-breaking purposes , the ranking of candidates will be based on the marks assigned to each of the evaluation criteria in the following order of precedence:

• Valuation of sub-criterion B3
• Valuation of Sub-criterion A3
• Valuation of sub-criterion C2.

The final classification resulting from the application of the weightings specified in this document 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.

Important notice for applicants with degrees 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 diplomas issued by Portuguese institutions, provided that they present, in their application, proof of recognition of academic degrees and conversion of the final classification to the Portuguese classification scale under the terms of the applicable legislation.
• Candidates with recognized foreign diplomas who do not present proof of conversion of the final classification to the Portuguese classification scale will be evaluated with the minimum classification (10 points) in sub-criteria A1 and A2.
• In any case, scholarship contracts with candidates with diplomas issued by foreign institutions will only be concluded upon presentation of proof of recognition of academic degrees and conversion of the final grade, as indicated above.

Applicants whose application is evaluated with a final grade lower than ten (10,000).

Applications must clearly focus on the region of influence of the Côa Park Foundation and contribute to its Heritage, Economic and Social development.

Disability allowance

Candidates who have a degree of disability equal to or greater than 90% will have a bonus of 20% in criterion A (Candidate's Merit).

Candidates who have a degree of disability equal to or greater than 60% and less than 90% will have a bonus of 10% in the same criterion.

The degree of disability must be  proven through the presentation, in application, of the Medical Certificate of Multipurpose Disability (AMIM), issued under the terms of Decree-Law No. 202/96, of 23 October, as amended.

RESULTS DISCLOSURE

The results of the evaluation are also communicated via e-mail to the e-mail address used by the candidate to send the application/indicated in the application.

DEADLINES AND PROCEDURES FOR PRIOR HEARINGS, COMPLAINTS AND APPEALS

After communication of the provisional list of the results of the evaluation, candidates with a draft decision unfavourable to the granting of the scholarship have a period of 10 working days to, if they wish, express their opinion at a prior hearing of interested parties, under the terms of articles 121 et seq. of the Code of Administrative Procedure.

The final decision will be issued after the analysis of the pronouncements presented at the preliminary 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 from the date of notification.

The comments that students submit at the prior hearing must be addressed to the Côa Park Foundation, through the email conselhodiretivo@arte-coa.pt, which is responsible for responding, in its own channel.

The approved scholarships will start on the 1st (one) day of the month to be indicated by the candidate in the contract, and the start of the scholarship cannot occur before September 1, 2024 or after August 1, 2025.

SCHOLARSHIP AWARD REQUIREMENTS

The following documents must be submitted for the purposes of contracting the scholarship:

1. Copy of civil, tax and, when applicable, social security identification document(s)1;
2. Document proving permanent and habitual residence in Portugal, if applicable, valid on the start date of the scholarship. Whenever the scholarship takes place in whole or in part in foreign institutions, all candidates, regardless of their nationality, will have to present proof that they are permanently and habitually resident in Portugal;
3. Copy of the certificates of qualifications of the academic degrees held;
4. Presentation of the record of recognition of foreign academic degrees and conversion of the respective final grades to the Portuguese classification scale, if applicable;
5. Work plan;
6. Document proving enrollment and enrollment in the 3rd cycle of studies of the training offer of the higher education institution where the candidate is admitted to a doctorate;
7. Declaration of the supervisor(s) assuming responsibility for the supervision of the work plan, under the terms of article 5-A of the Research Grant Holder Statute (draft of the declaration to be made available by FCT);
8. Document proving the acceptance of the candidate by the institution where the research activities will take place, ensuring the necessary conditions for its proper development, as well as the fulfilment of the duties provided for in article 13 of the Research Grant Holder Statute (draft of the declaration to be made available by FCT);
9. Up-to-date document proving compliance with the exclusive dedication regime (draft of the declaration to be made available by FCT);

The provision of these documents may be replaced, at the option of the applicant, by the presentation in person at the financing entity, which will keep the elements contained therein that are relevant to the validity and performance of the contract, including the civil, tax and social security identification numbers, as well as the validity of the respective documents.

Statement from the Côa Park Foundation proving the number of months in which the grantee will develop his/her work plan there.

The granting of the scholarship is also dependent on:

• Compliance with the requirements set out in this Notice of Initiation;
• 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 FCT;
• FCT's budget availability.

Failure to submit any of the documents necessary to complete the scholarship contracting process, within 6 months from the date of communication of the decision to grant the grant, implies the expiry of said grant and the closure of the process.

FINANCING

The payment of the scholarships will begin after the return by the candidates, of the scholarship contract duly signed, which must occur within a maximum period of 15 working days from the date of its receipt.

The scholarships awarded under this call will be funded by FCT with funds from the State Budget and, when eligible, with funds from the European Social Fund, through the Demography, Qualifications and Inclusion Programme (PDQI), in accordance with the regulatory provisions established for this purpose.

BAG COMPONENTS

The grantee is granted a monthly maintenance allowance, the amount of which varies according to whether he/she carries out his/her activity in the country or abroad, under the terms of 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 its Annex II.

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

All grantees who are not covered by any social protection scheme can ensure the exercise of the right to social security by joining the voluntary social insurance scheme, under the terms of the Code of Contributory Schemes of the Social Security Welfare System, FCT ensuring the costs resulting from contributions under the terms and within the limits provided for in article 10 of the EBI.

PAYMENTS OF THE COMPONENTS OF THE SCHOLARSHIP

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 for the enrolment, enrolment or tuition fees are made by FCT directly to the national institution where the scholarship holder is enrolled or enrolled in the PhD.

SCHOLARSHIP RENEWAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

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

1. opinions issued by the supervisor(s) and the host entity(ies) on the monitoring of the scholarship holder's work and the evaluation of their activities;
2. updated document proving compliance with the exclusive dedication regime;
3. Document proving the renewal of the registration in the cycle of studies leading to the PhD degree.

INFORMATION AND PUBLICITY OF THE FUNDING GRANTED

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, when applicable, from the European Social Fund, through the Demography, Qualifications and Inclusion Programme (PDQI) must be expressed. For this purpose, the FCT, ESF and EU insignia must be inscribed on the documents referring to these actions, in accordance with the graphic rules of the Community funding programme.

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

In all grants, and in particular in the case of actions supported by Community funding, namely from 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 grantees to collaborate and provide the requested information, which includes carrying out surveys and evaluation studies in this area.  even though the scholarship has already ceased.

NON-DISCRIMINATION AND EQUAL ACCESS POLICY

FCT promotes a policy of non-discrimination and equal access, so that no candidate can be privileged, benefited, harmed or deprived of any right or exempt from any duty on the grounds, namely, of ancestry, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, family situation, economic situation, education, social origin or condition, genetic heritage, reduced working capacity, disability, chronic illness, nationality, ethnic origin or race, territory of origin, language, religion, political or ideological beliefs and trade union membership.

APPLICABLE LAWS AND REGULATIONS

The Call is governed by this Call for Proposals, by the FCT Research Fellowship Regulations, approved by Regulation No. 950/2019, published in Series II of the Official Gazette of 16 December 2019, by the Research Grant Holder Statute approved by Law No. 40/2004, of 18 August, as amended, and by other applicable national and community legislation.

It is recommended to read all documents supporting the application.

CONTACT POINTS

Information about the competition should be requested through the e-mail address: museugeral@arte-coa.pt