UBI-FE | 1 (one) call for a call for one research grant, hereinafter referred to as Doctoral Research Grant, in the area of Electrical Engineering, the R&D Unit Electromechatronic Systems Research Centre (CISE), Project UIDP/04131/2020.

Public Call for Doctoral Research Grant

The University of Beira Interior (UBI) hereby announces a call for one research grant, hereinafter referred to as Doctoral Research Grant, in the area of Electrical Engineering, under the FCT Research Grants Regulation (RBI) and the Research Fellowship Holder Statute (EBI).

The grant will be funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the framework of the Collaboration Protocol for the Funding of the Pluriannual Research Grant Plan for Doctoral Students, signed between FCT and the R&D Unit Electromechatronic Systems Research Centre (CISE), UID nº 04131.

1. 1. APPLICATIONS SUBMISSION

The call will be opened between 15 of March 2023 and 23h59m (Lisbon time) on 28 of March 2023.

Applications and supporting documents for the application set out in this call for applications must be submitted by email sent to cise@ubi.pt.

Each candidate may only submit one application, under penalty of cancellation of all applications submitted.

The provision of false declarations or the performance of acts of plagiarism by the candidates will result in the exclusion of the application, without prejudice to the adoption of other measures of a sanctioning nature.

1. 1. GRANT TYPE AND DURATION

The Doctoral Research Grant is intended to finance research activities leading to a doctoral degree at University of Beira Interior.

The research activities leading to the doctoral degree of the selected candidate will take place at the Electromechatronic Systems Research Centre (CISE), which will be the host institution of the grant, without prejudice to the works being carried out in collaboration between more than one institution.

The research activities leading to the doctoral degree of the selected candidate must be aligned with the activities plan and strategy of the Electromechatronic Systems Research Centre (CISE), and should be developed within the scope of the Doctoral Program of Electrical and Computer Engineering of the Faculty of Engineering of University of Beira Interior.

The work plan will be entirely carried out at the Electromechatronic Systems Research Centre (CISE).

The duration of the grant is annual, renewable up to a maximum of four years (48 months), and the grant cannot be awarded for a period of less than 3 consecutive months.

1. 1. GRANT RECIPIENTS

The Doctoral Research Grant is intended for registered candidates or candidates who satisfy the required conditions to enrol in one of the Doctoral Programs listed in point 2 of this Call, and intend to carry out research activities leading to the doctoral degree at the Electromechatronic Systems Research Centre (CISE).

1. 1. ADMISSIBILITY

1. 1. Admissibility Requirements of the Candidate

The following candidates may apply:

• • • National citizens or citizens of other European Union member states;
    • Citizens of third States;
    • Stateless persons;
    • Citizens who are beneficiaries of political refugee status.

To apply for the Doctoral Research Grant, the following requirements must be met:

• • • Hold a master’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering;
    • To be permanently and habitually resident in Portugal at the starting date of the work plan period abroad, if the proposed work plan includes a period in foreign institutions (mixed grants), a requirement applicable to both Portuguese and foreign citizens.
    • Not having benefited from a PhD grant or PhD in companies grant directly funded by FCT, regardless of its duration.
    • Not hold a PhD degree.

1. 1. Application Admissibility Requirements

It is indispensable, under penalty of not being admitted to the call, to attach the following documents to the application:

• • • Elements of the identity card/citizen card/passport;
    • Detailed Curriculum vitae of the candidate;
    • Certificates of academic qualifications, mandatorily specifying the final classification and, if possible, the classifications obtained in all the subjects taken, or, alternatively, a declaration of honour, by the candidate, of completion of the master's degree by the end of the application deadline;
    • Proof of recognition of academic degrees awarded by foreign higher education institutions and record of the conversion of the final classification to the Portuguese classification scale, or, alternatively, declaration of honour by the candidate that he obtained the recognition of the foreign degree equivalent to the master by the end of the application deadline;
    • Motivation letter;
    • Other documents attesting the candidate's competence in relevant areas.

The application and all related documents, including the motivation letter, shall be written in Portuguese or in 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 ensure the application of the principle of equal treatment to candidates who hold foreign and national academic degrees, it is compulsory the recognition of these degrees and the conversion of the final classification to the Portuguese classification scale.

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 any public higher education institution, or at Direção-Geral do Ensino Superior (DGES, just for automatic recognition). For more information about this subject, please check http://www.dges.gov.pt.

• • • Only applicants who have completed the studies cycle leading to a Master’s degree by the end of the application period will be admitted. If they do not yet have the course certificate, a declaration of honour from the candidates will be accepted, until the end of the application period, stating that they have achieved the qualifications required for the purposes of the Call. The awarding of the grant will depend on the presentation, in the contracting phase, of proof of the academic qualifications required.

1. 1. WORK PLAN AND SCIENTIFIC SUPERVISION OF THE GRANT

The research activities to conduct in the framework of the work plan comprise the development of solutions for electric vehicles charging. The scientific supervision will be assumed by a doctorate integrated member from the Electromechatronic Systems Research Centre (CISE).

1. 1. EVALUATION CRITERIA

The evaluation will take into account the merit of the candidate, his suitability and an interview.

Admissible applications will be scored on a scale of 0 to 20, assigned to each of the following evaluation criteria:

• • • Critério A - Academic training, weighting 40%;
    • Critério B – Suitability of the candidate, weighting 50%;
    • Critério C – In-person Interview, weighting 10%.

For the purpose of the decision on awarding of grants, applicants will be ranked according to the weighted average of the classification obtained in each of the three criteria, obtained according to the following formula:

Final Classification = (40% x A) + (50% x B) + (10% x C)

For tie-breaking purposes, candidates will be ranked according to the scores assigned to each of the evaluation criteria in the following order of precedence: criterion B, criterion A, and criterion C.

Candidates will be selected according to their position in the general ranking of the final classification. The jury reserves the right not to award the Research Grant depending on the result of the evaluation of the applications and their suitability to the research objectives of CISE.

Important notice for applicants 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, as long as they submit, in their application, a proof of recognition of academic degrees and conversion of final classification for the Portuguese classification scale in terms of the applicable legislation.
    • Applicants with foreign degrees who do not show proof of conversion of the final classification to the Portuguese classification scale will be evaluated with the minimum classification (10 points on a scale of 0 to 20) in criterion A.
    • In any case, grant contracts with candidates holding 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 stated above.

Candidates whose application is evaluated with a final classification of less than 10 points are not eligible for grant awarding.

1. 1. EVALUATION

The candidates’ evaluation panel consists of the following elements:

• • • Doctor António João Marques Cardoso, CISE, UBI (Panel Coordinator);
    • Doctor Davide Sérgio Baptista da Fonseca, CISE, UBI;
    • Doctor Fernando José Figueiredo Bento, CISE, UBI;
    • Doctor Alexandre Borges de Miranda, CISE, UBI (Alternate);
    • Doctor Khaled Laadjal, CISE, UBI (Alternate).

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

All panel members, including the coordinator, commit to respect a set of responsibilities essential to the evaluation process, such as the duties of impartiality, the declaration of any potential situation of 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, in which the arguments that led to the ratings attributed to each of the evaluation criteria will be presented in a clear, coherent and consistent manner.

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

Minutes and annexes must include the following information:

• • • Name and affiliation of all members of the evaluation panel;
    • Identification of all excluded applications and respective reasons;
    • Methodology adopted by the panel for particular cases;
    • Final evaluation report for each applicant;
    • Provisional list of classification and ranking of applicants, in descending order of the final classification, of all applications evaluated by the panel;
    • CDI statements from all panel members;
    • Possible delegations of votes and competences due to justified absence.
  • DISCLOSURE OF RESULTS

The results of the evaluation are communicated by e-mail to the e-mail address used by the candidate to send the application.

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

After the communication of the provisional list of results, applicants 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 communicated after the analysis of the pronunciations presented at the prior hearing of interested parties. From the final decision, a complaint can 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 file a complaint should address their complaint to the member of the Board of Directors of the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) with delegated authority. Candidates who choose to file an appeal should address their appeal to the FCT Board of Directors.

1. 1. GRANT AWARDING REQUIREMENTS

Research grant contracts are celebrated directly with FCT.

The following documents must be sent, at the time the grant is awarded, for the purposes of its contractualization:

1. Copy of the identification document, tax document and, when applicable, social security identification document ¹;
2. Copy of the certificates of the academic degrees held;
3. Presentation of the recognition of foreign academic degrees and conversion of the respective final classification to the Portuguese classification scale, if applicable;
4. Work plan;
5. Document proving the registration and enrolment in the Doctoral Program identified in this Call;
6. Declaration of the supervisor(s) assuming the responsibility for supervising the work plan, according to Article no. 5-A of the Research Fellowship Holder Statute (template 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 their successful development, as well as the fulfilment of the duties provided for in article 13 the Research Fellowship Holder Statute (template to be made available by FCT);

1 The availability of these documents can be replaced, at the candidate’s option, by presentation in person at the funding entity, which will keep the elements contained therein that are relevant to the validity and execution of the contract, including the civil, fiscal and social security identification numbers and the validity of the respective documents.

1. Updated document proving compliance with the exclusive dedication regime (template to be made available by FCT);

The award of the grant is also dependent on:

• • • the fulfilment of all the requirements listed in this Call;
    • the results of the evaluation;
    • the absence of unjustified non-compliance of the grantee’s duties during previous directly or indirectly FCT funded fellowships;
    • FCT’s budget availability.

Failure to deliver any of the documents necessary to complete the grant contracting process, within 6 months from the date of communication of conditional grant decision, implies the expiration of the referred grant and the end of the process.

1. 1. FUNDING

The payment of the grant will start after the return, by the candidates, of the duly signed grant contract, which should occur within a maximum period of 15 working days from the date of receipt.

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

1. 1. GRANT COMPONENTS

The grant holder will receive a monthly maintenance allowance in accordance with the table provided 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 provided for in Annex II.

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

All grant holders who are not covered by any social protection regime can ensure the right to social security, through the voluntary social insurance regime, under the terms of the Contributory Schemes of the Social Security System. FCT will ensure the charges resulting from contributions under the terms and within the limits provided for article 10 of the EBI.

1. 1. PAYMENT OF GRANT COMPONENTS

Payments due to the grant holder are made by bank transfer to the account indicated by the holder. The monthly maintenance allowance is paid on the first business day of each month.

Registration, enrolment or tuition fees’ components are paid by FCT directly to the national institution where the grant holder is enrolled in the doctoral program.

1. 1. TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR THE GRANT RENEWAL

The renewal of the grant will depend on an application submitted by the holder, within 60 working days prior to the renewal starting date, with the following documents:

1. statements issued by the supervisor(s) and by the host institution on the monitoring of the grant holder's work and the evaluation of his activities;
2. updated document proving compliance with the exclusive dedication regime;
3. document proving the renewal of enrollment in the cycle of studies leading to the doctoral degree.

1. 1. INFORMATION AND PUBLICITY OF THE GRANTED FUNDING

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 by the grant, the mention of financial support from FCT and the Social European Fund must be expressed through, under Demography, Qualifications and Inclusion Program (PDQI). For this purpose, the FCT, MCTES, ESF and EU insignia shall be included in the documents referring to these actions, according to the graphic norms of each operational program.

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

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 applicable legislation in this matter, with grants recipients being obliged to collaborate and provide the requested information, which includes surveys and evaluation studies in this area, even after the end of the grant.

1. 1. NON-DISCRIMINATION AND EQUAL ACCESS POLICY

FCT promotes a policy of non-discrimination and equal access, in which no candidate shall be privileged, benefited, prejudiced or deprived of any right or exempt from any duty because of ancestry, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, family situation, economic situation, 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 affiliation union.

1. 1. APPLICABLE LEGISLATION AND REGULATION

The Call is governed by this Opening Notice, by the FCT Research Grant Regulations, approved by Regulation No. 950/2019, published in the II Series of the DR of December 16, 2019, by the Research Grant Holder Statute approved by the Law 40/2004, of August 18, as amended, and by all other applicable national and EU legislation.