A Research Grant is open for the ORAiDEA project (ANI - 39985 - AAC 31/SI/2017), funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Managing Authority of the Competitiveness and Internationalisation Operational Programme and the Managing Authority of the Lisbon Regional Operational Programme.

1. Scientific field: Materials Engineering and related areas.

1. Admission requirements: Candidates must hold a Master's degree in Materials Engineering and related areas and be enrolled in a PhD or non-degree course. Priority will be given to the Materials Engineering area and to candidates with research experience in the specific scientific area of the work plan. The documents proving this situation should be presented, at the latest, until the contractualisation phase of the grant, and may be replaced by a declaration of honour.

Candidates who have obtained the degree abroad must have the degree recognised in Portugal, under the terms of Decree-Law no. 66/2018, of 16 August.

1. Workplan: The work plan to be developed consists of the following tasks:

• Task 1 - Development of Bio-glides with antibacterial activity, by sol-gel technique
• Task 2 - Physico-chemical characterization of the bio-glasses;
• Task 3 - Evaluation of the antibacterial activity of the bio-glasses and coatings obtained with them by the CoBlast® technique;
• Task 4 - Evaluation of bioactivity and degradation of bio-glasses and coatings obtained with them by CoBlast® technique;
• Task 5 - In vitro evaluation of the biocompatibility of bio-glasses and coatings obtained with them by the CoBlast® technique;

The work to be developed is integrated in the activities proposed for the ORAiDEA project, which aims to develop implants coated by microstructured and nanostructured films with antibacterial activity. In the scope of the work proposed for the research grant, several compositions of modified bio-glass with the insertion of Ag, Cu and Zn ions will be prepared and analysed regarding their physicochemical properties, bioactivity, antibacterial activity and biocompatibility. The deposition of bioglass on the substrates will be performed using the CoBlast® technique. The coatings will also be analysed taking into account, besides the properties mentioned above, the mechanical properties.

1. Applicable legislation and regulations: Law No. 40/2004, of August 18, amended and republished by Decree-Law No. 202/2012 of 27 August (Statute of the Scientific Research Fellow) and amended by Decree-Law No. 233/2012 of 29 October, by Law No. 12/2013 of January 29, Decree-Law No. 89/2013 of July 9 and Decree-Law No. 123/2019 of August 28; Regulation of Research Scholarships of the Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P. in force (https://www.fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/docs/RegulamentoBolsasFCT2019.pdf).

1. Workplace: The work will be carried out at the Materials Research Centre (CENIMAT/I3N), at the UCIBIO laboratories and at the cell culture laboratory of the Physics Department of the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of the New University of Lisbon, under the scientific supervision of João Paulo Miranda Ribeiro Borges.

1. Duration of the fellowship(s): The fellowship will last for 8 months, starting in early November 2022.

1. Monthly maintenance allowance amount: The amount of the scholarship corresponds to € 1144,64, according to the stock chart of the exchanges awarded directly by FCT, I.P. https://www.fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/docs/Tabela_de_Valores_SMM_2022.pdf, payment being made monthly by bank transfer.

1. Selection methods: The selection of candidates will be made by the jury, based on the analysis of the Curriculum Vitae and its suitability for the proposed tasks. The evaluation of the candidate will take into account the candidate's merit, considering the parameters of the academic training (40%), the curricular evaluation valuing the experience defined in the work plan (50%) and the interview (10%). If the jury chooses not to interview the candidates, the curricular evaluation will correspond to 60% of the candidates' evaluation.

1. Composition of the Selection Jury:

President of the Jury – João Paulo Borges

1st Effective Vowels – Isabel Sá Nogueira

2nd Effective Vowels – Jorge Carvalho Silva

1st Alternate Vowels – Maria Carmo Lança

2nd Alternate Vowels – Célia Reis Henriques

1. Notification of results: The final results of the evaluation will be notified, up to 90 days after the deadline for submission of applications, by e-mail, of the results proposed by the jury, having access to the minutes. After notification, applicants will have 10 working days to decide on the decision, at a prior hearing of interested parties, in accordance with the Code of Administrative Procedure. The final decision shall be taken after the previous hearing period, again notified to all applicants by e-mail.

1. Application deadline and form of submission of applications: The competition is open from 2022, 11 to 24 November.

Applications must be sent exclusively by e-mail, mandatorily indicated, in the subject of the e‐ail, of the reference " BI/ORAiDEA/19-2020", to cenimat.secretariado@fct.unl.pt within the deadline for their submission. The application must be instructed with the following documents:

a) Curriculum Vitae

b) Motivation letter

c) Certificate of qualifications

d) Other supporting documents considered relevant (in particular proof of enrolment in the academic course consistent with the details in point 2 of the Notice).

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