The Doctoral Research Grant is intended for enrolled candidates or candidates who satisfy the necessary conditions to enroll in the PhD program in Political Science and International Relations: Security and Defense and who intend to develop research activities leading to the achievement of the doctoral degree in the Research Center of the Institute for Political Studies (CIEP), or in other associated host institutions.

To this competition, eligible candidates must be:

• National citizens or citizens of another European Union member states;
• Third Country Nationals;
• Stateless people;
• Citizens who are beneficiaries of the status of political refugees.

To apply for the PhD Research Grant, it is necessary to:

• To hold a BA or MA in Political Science, International Relations or in related areas;
• To live permanently and usually in Portugal, a requirement applicable to both national and foreigners;
• To not having benefited from a PhD or PhD scholarship in companies directly financed by FCT, regardless of its duration;
• To not hold a PhD degree.

It is essential, under penalty of not being admitted to this competition, to attach the following documents to the application:

• Elements of the identity card / citizen card / passport;
• Candidate’s curriculum vitae;
• Qualification certificates of the academic degrees held, specifying the final classification and, if possible, the classifications obtained in all subjects taken, or, alternatively, a declaration of honor by the candidate assuring the completion of the necessary degree until the end of the application deadline;
• Registration of recognition of academic degrees awarded by foreign higher education institutions or, alternatively, a declaration of honor by the candidate as how this recognition will be obtained until the end of the application deadline; preferably, this registration shall include a registration of the conversion of the final classification to the Portuguese classification scale (or, alternatively, there must be an indication of a credible source to the conversion of the classification that can be externally verifiable);
• Motivation letter;
• Two recommendation letters;
• PhD pre-project, with description of work plan (with up to 2.000 words);
• To write the application and all associated documents, including the motivation and recommendation letters, in Portuguese or English.

Regarding the aforementioned admissibility requirements, the following should be noted:

• In the case of academic degrees awarded by foreign higher education institutions, and in order to guarantee the application of the principle of equal treatment to candidates who hold foreign and national academic degrees, the recognition of these degrees and the conversion of the respective final classification is mandatory for the Portuguese classification scale, as mentioned above.
• The recognition of foreign academic degrees and diplomas as well as the conversion of the final classification to the Portuguese classification scale may be required in the Directorate-General for Higher Education. Regarding this matter, it is suggested to consult the DGES portal through the following address: http://www.dges.gov.pt.
• Only candidates who have completed the cycle of studies leading to the degree of bachelor or master will be admitted by the end of the application period. If they do not yet have the certificate of completion of the degree, a declaration of honor by the candidates will be accepted as they will complete the necessary qualifications for the purposes of the competition by the end of the application period. The attribution of the grant is always dependent on the presentation of proof of ownership of the academic qualifications required to receive the grant.

The payment of the grant will start after the candidate returns the duly signed grant contract, which must occur within a maximum period of 15 working days from the date of reception.

Grants awarded under this call will be financed by the FCT with funds from the State Budget and, when eligible, by funds from the European Social Fund to be made available under the Programa Demografia, Qualificações e Inclusão (PDQI), in accordance with the relevant regulatory provisions.

The grant recipient receives a monthly maintenance allowance in accordance with the table in Annex I of the RBI, the amounts of which can be found at http://www.fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/valores.

The grant may also include other components, in accordance with the established by the Article 18 of the RBI and with the amounts set on Annex II.

The grant holder benefits from personal accident insurance for research activities, supported by FCT.

The grant holder who is not covered by any social protection regime can ensure the exercise of the right to social security through adherence to the voluntary social insurance regime, under the terms of the Contributory Schemes of the Social Security System, with FCT assuring the costs resulting from contributions under the terms and with the limits provided for in article 10 of the EBI.

Payments due to the research fellow are made by bank transfer to the account identified by the fellow. The payment of the monthly maintenance allowance is made on the first business day of each month.

Payments for the registration, enrollment or tuition components are made by FCT directly to the national institution where the fellow is enrolled in the PhD.

To this competition, eligible candidates must be:

• National citizens or citizens of another European Union member states;
• Third Country Nationals;
• Stateless people;
• Citizens who are beneficiaries of the status of political refugees.

To apply for the PhD Research Grant, it is necessary to:

• To hold a BA or MA in Political Science, International Relations or in related areas;
• To live permanently and usually in Portugal, a requirement applicable to both national and foreigners;
• To not having benefited from a PhD or PhD scholarship in companies directly financed by FCT, regardless of its duration;
• To not hold a PhD degree.

It is essential, under penalty of not being admitted to this competition, to attach the following documents to the application:

• Elements of the identity card / citizen card / passport;
• Candidate’s curriculum vitae;
• Qualification certificates of the academic degrees held, specifying the final classification and, if possible, the classifications obtained in all subjects taken, or, alternatively, a declaration of honor by the candidate assuring the completion of the necessary degree until the end of the application deadline;
• Registration of recognition of academic degrees awarded by foreign higher education institutions or, alternatively, a declaration of honor by the candidate as how this recognition will be obtained until the end of the application deadline; preferably, this registration shall include a registration of the conversion of the final classification to the Portuguese classification scale (or, alternatively, there must be an indication of a credible source to the conversion of the classification that can be externally verifiable);
• Motivation letter;
• Two recommendation letters;
• PhD pre-project, with description of work plan (with up to 2.000 words);
• To write the application and all associated documents, including the motivation and recommendation letters, in Portuguese or English.

Regarding the aforementioned admissibility requirements, the following should be noted:

• In the case of academic degrees awarded by foreign higher education institutions, and in order to guarantee the application of the principle of equal treatment to candidates who hold foreign and national academic degrees, the recognition of these degrees and the conversion of the respective final classification is mandatory for the Portuguese classification scale, as mentioned above.
• The recognition of foreign academic degrees and diplomas as well as the conversion of the final classification to the Portuguese classification scale may be required in the Directorate-General for Higher Education. Regarding this matter, it is suggested to consult the DGES portal through the following address: http://www.dges.gov.pt.
• Only candidates who have completed the cycle of studies leading to the degree of bachelor or master will be admitted by the end of the application period. If they do not yet have the certificate of completion of the degree, a declaration of honor by the candidates will be accepted as they will complete the necessary qualifications for the purposes of the competition by the end of the application period. The attribution of the grant is always dependent on the presentation of proof of ownership of the academic qualifications required to receive the grant.

The evaluation takes into account the candidate's merit and the candidate's potential.  

Admissible application will be scored on a scale of 0 to 5,0 points and the selection process will consist of two phases, the first one being eliminatory of part of applications:

• Phase A – Merit and potential of the candidate, weighing 70%:
  • Sub-criterion A1 – Academic qualifications, weighing 30%

The score of this sub-criterion is calculated according to the final classifications stated on the degree certificates presented by the candidate with the application (BA+MA/Integrated MA, or just BA, or just MA), according to the table available at https://iep.lisboa.ucp.pt/scholarship-calls.

• • Sub-criterion A2 – Other relevant aspects of CV (especially scientific publications), with a classification from 0 to 5,0 points, weighing 20%
  • Sub-criterion A3 – Motivation letter, with a classification from 0 to 5,0 points, weighing 10%
  • Sub-criterion A4 – PhD pre-project, with a classification from 0 to 5,0 points, weighing 30%
  • Sub-criterion A5 – Experience and suitability of supervisor’s CV, with a classification from 0 to 5,0 points, weighing 10%

• Phase B – Interview, to which only the five candidates with the higher classification on Phase A will be selected, with a classification from 0 to 5,0 points, weighing 30% (it may be done remotely, in a videoconference format)
  • Sub-criterion B1 – Ability to express orally fluently in Portuguese and English, with a classification from 0 to 5,0 points, weighing 20%
  • Sub-criterion B2 – Concrete experience in the university context and of research, and of participation, organisation and promotion of scientific activities, with a classification from 0 to 5,0 points, weighing 20%
  • Sub-criterion B3 – Knowledge of the reality of the national scientific system and in particular of CIEP’s area of expertise of Political Science and International Relations, with a classification from 0 to 5,0 points, weighing 30%
  • Sub-criterion B4 – Future research plans and how these can be linked to CIEP’s context, strategy and priorities, with a classification from 0 to 5,0 points, weighing 30%

For the purpose of deciding on the attribution of grants, applicants will be ranked according to the weighted average of the classification obtained in each of the two phases, translated by the following formula and considering that Phase B only applies to the candidates selected for interview:

Final Classification=(0,7×A)+(0,3×B)

For tie-breaking purposes, the final ranking of candidates will be made based on the classifications assigned to each of the evaluation sub-criteria in the following order of precedence: sub-criterion A1, sub-criterion A4, sub-criterion A2, sub-criterion A3, sub-criterion A5.

Important warning to candidates with diplomas issued by foreign higher education institutions:

• Candidates with diplomas issued by foreign higher education institutions can apply and will be evaluated using 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 indication of the conversion of the final classification for the Portuguese classification scale under the terms of the applicable legislation.
• Candidates with foreign degrees and who do not show proof of conversion of the final classification to the Portuguese classification scale will be assessed with the minimum classification established by sub-criterion A1.
• In any case, research grant 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 classification, as indicated above

Candidates whose application is evaluated with a final classification inferior to 4,0 points will not be eligible to receive the grant.

The candidates' evaluation panel consists of the following elements:

• Lívia Franco, CIEP-UCP (panel coordinator)
• Mónica Dias, CIEP-UCP
• Francisco Proença Garcia, CIEP-UCP
• William Hasselberger, CIEP-UCP [substitute member]
• João Pereira Coutinho, CIEP-UCP [substitute member]
• André Azevedo Alves, CIEP-UCP [substitute member]

The evaluation panel will assess applications according to the evaluation criteria contained in this call, considering the elements of evaluation.

All panel members, including the coordinator, make a commitment to respect a set of responsibilities essential to the evaluation process, such as the duties of impartiality, the declaration of any potential conflict of interest situations 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.

If any member of the panel or its coordinator is the supervisor of any candidate with an application submitted to this competition, he/she must declare a conflict of interest and shall not evaluate the application, nor be present at any meeting that concerns this application. This excuse must be reflected in minutes.

For each application, a final evaluation form will be produced by the panel, in which the arguments that led to the ratings attributed to each of the evaluation criteria and sub-criteria will be presented in a clear, coherent, and consistent manner.

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

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 respective grounds
• Methodology adopted by the panel for cases considered more specific
• Final Evaluation Forms for each candidate
• Provisional list of classification and ranking of candidates, in descending order, of all applications evaluated by the panel
• CDI statements from all panel members
• Any delegations of votes and powers due to justified absence [if applicable].

Results of the evaluation are communicated via e-mail to the e-mail address used by the applicant to send the application.

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

The final decision will be rendered after the analysis of the pronunciations presented at the previous hearing of interested parties. The final decision may be filed within 15 working days, or, alternatively, an appeal may be filed within 30 working days, both counted from the respective notification. Candidates who choose to submit a complaint must address it to the member of FCT Board of Directors with delegated competence. Candidates who choose to submit an appeal must address it to FCT Board of Directors.

The Research Center of the Institute for Political Studies of Universidade Católica Portuguesa (CIEP-UCP) opens a call for the award of 1 (one) research grant, hereinafter referred to as PhD Research Grant, in the field of International Relations, under the FCT Research Fellowship Regulation (RBI) and the Research Fellowship Statute (EBI).

The scholarship will be funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT- Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia) under the Collaboration Protocol for Financing the Multiannual Plan for Research Grants for Doctoral Students, signed between FCT and the R&D Unit Research Center of the Institute for Political Studies (CIEP), UIDB/04597/2020.

Research scholarship contracts are signed directly with FCT.

The following documents must be sent, when the grant is awarded, for the purposes of contracting:

1. Copy of the civil, tax and, where applicable, social security identification document (s)[1];
2. Copy of the certificates of qualifications of the academic degrees held;
3. Presentation of the registration record for the recognition of foreign academic degrees and conversion of the respective final classifications to the Portuguese classification scale, if applicable;
4. Work plan;
5. Document proving enrollment in the PhD program in Political Science and International Relations: Security and Defense at Universidade Católica Portuguesa;
6. Statement by the supervisor(s) assuming responsibility for supervising the work plan, pursuant to article 5-A of the Research Fellow's Statute (draft declaration to be made available by FCT);
7. Document proving the candidate's acceptance by the institution where the research activities will take place, guaranteeing the necessary conditions for its good development, as well as the fulfillment of the duties provided for in article 13 of the Research Fellow's Statute (draft declaration to be made available by FCT) ;
8. Updated document proving compliance with the exclusive dedication regime (draft declaration to be made available by FCT).

The attribution of the research grant is still dependent on:

• compliance with the requirements set out in this Opening Notice
• the result of the scientific evaluation
• the absence of unjustified non-compliance with the fellow's duties under a previous scholarship contract financed, directly or indirectly, by FCT
• FCT's budget availability

Failure to deliver any of the documents required to complete the scholarship contracting process, within 6 months from the date of communication of the grant's conditional grant decision, implies the expiration of the said grant and the termination of the process.

The payment of the grant will start after the candidate returns the duly signed grant contract, which must occur within a maximum period of 15 working days from the date of reception.

Grants awarded under this call will be financed by the FCT with funds from the State Budget and, when eligible, by funds from the European Social Fund to be made available under the Programa Demografia, Qualificações e Inclusão (PDQI), in accordance with the relevant regulatory provisions.

The renewal of the scholarship always depends on the submission of a request by the fellow, 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 by the host organization (s) on the monitoring of the grantee's work and the evaluation of his activities;  
2. updated document proving compliance with the exclusive dedication regime;  
3. document proving renewal of enrollment in the cycle of studies leading to the degree of doctor.

In all R&D activities directly or indirectly financed by the grant, namely, in all communications, publications and scientific creations, as well as theses, carried out with the support provided for in the scholarship, the mention of financial support from FCT and the Fund must be expressed European Social Fund through Programa Demografia, Qualificações e Inclusão (PDQI). For this purpose, the insignia of FCT, MCTES, FSE, EU (according to the graphic rules of each operational program) must be inscribed in the documents referring to these actions. The dissemination of results of research funded under the RBI must comply with the rules for open access to data, publications and other research results in force at the FCT.

In all grants, and in particular in the case of actions supported by community funds, namely FSE, follow-up and control actions may be executed by national and community organisms in accordance with applicable legislation in this matter, with supported fellows being obliged to collaborate and to provide requested information, which includes inquiries and evaluation studies in this area, even after the termination of the grant.

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 due to, namely, ancestry, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, family status,  economic status, education, origin or social status, genetic heritage, reduced work capacity, disability, chronic illness, nationality, ethnic or race origin, territory of origin, language, religion, political or ideological beliefs and union affiliation.

This competition is governed by this opening notice, by the FCT Research Scholarship Regulation (RBI), approved by Regulation No. 950/2019, published in the II Series of the DR of December 16, 2019, by the Research Fellowship Statute (EBI), approved by Law No. 40/2004, of August 18, in the current wording, and by other applicable national and community legislation.