Offer Description
The Academy of Sciences of Lisbon (ACL) is opening a Call for the award of 2 (two) research grants, hereinafter referred to as Doctoral ResearchGrants, in the scientific areas that correspond to the classes and sections of the ACL described in the Annex to this Call, under the conditions defined by the FCT Research Grant Regulation (RBI) and the Research Fellowship Statute (EBI). The scholarships will be funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), in the light of the Collaboration…
Agreement for Funding the Multi-annual Plan of Research Scholarships for PhD Students, signed between FCT and ACL.
1. APPLICATION SUBMISSION
The Call is open between June 1st, 2026 and 23:00 (Lisbon time) of September 15th, 2026. Applications and all support documents required for this Call must be submitted by email addressed to bolsas-acl-fct@acad-ciencias.pt.
Each candidate may submit only one application, under penalty of cancellation of all submitted applications.
The delivery of false statements or any acts of plagiarism by candidates will imply for the outright rejection of the application and consequent legal measures.
2. TYPE AND DURATION OF SCHOLARSHIPS
Research scholarships are intended to finance the development of research activities leading to obtaining the academic degree of doctor (PhD) in Portuguese universities.
The research activities leading to the academic degree of doctor will take place in the R&D Unit in which the scholarship holder is or will be enrolled, which will be the host institution of the scholarship holder, and the work must be framed within the activity plan and strategy of that R&D unit. The scholarship holder's work must also be carried out in collaboration with ACL under the terms of a scientific cooperation agreement to be established for this purpose, assigning to ACL the role of associated host institution.
The work plan will take place entirely in a national institution (in-country scholarship).
The duration of the scholarships is annual, renewable up to a maximum of four years (48 months), and scholarships cannot be awarded for a period of less than 3 consecutive months.
3. SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
Doctoral Research Grants are intended for registered candidates or candidates who meet the necessary conditions to enroll in a Doctoral Program and who intend to develop research activities leading to obtaining the academic degree of doctor in the R&D Unit that is or will be the host institution, in collaboration with ACL under the terms of a scientific cooperation agreement to be established for this purpose, assigning to ACL the role of associated host institution.
4. ADMISSIBILITY
4.1 Candidate Eligibility Requirements
Applicants to this Call should be:
- National citizens or citizens of other member states of the European Union;
- Citizens of third countries;
- Stateless persons;
- Citizens benefiting from political refugee status.
To apply for a PhD Research Grant, one must:
- Have obtained, by the date of submission of the application, the academic degree of master in one of the scientific areas that correspond to the classes and sections of the ACL described in the Annex to this Call or, alternatively, meet, at that date, the conditions foreseen in paragraphs b) or c) of number 1 of article 30 of Decree-Law no. 74/2006, of March 24, amended by Decree-Law no. 115/2013, of August 7, for access to a cycle of studies leading to the degree of doctor.
- Permanently and habitually reside in Portugal at the starting date of the scholarship and during its duration, a requirement applicable to both national and foreign citizens.
- Not having benefited from a doctoral or doctoral fellowship directly funded by FCT, regardless of its duration.
- Not holding a Doctor's degree.
4.2 Application Admissibility Requirements
It is indispensable, under penalty of non-admission to the competition, to attach to the application the following documents necessary for the evaluation of applications.
- a) Identification elements contained in the identity card/citizen card/passport;
- b) Curriculum vitae of the candidate;
- c) Eligibility certificates for the academic degrees obtained, specifying the final grade and, if possible, the grades obtained in all subjects taken, or, alternatively, a declaration of honor by the candidate stating how he/she concluded the bachelor's or master's degree up to the application submission date;
- d) When applicable, record of recognition of academic degrees awarded by foreign higher education institutions and record of the conversion of the respective final classification to the Portuguese classification scale, or, alternatively, declaration of honor of the candidate on how he obtained the recognition of the foreign degree equivalent to a bachelor's or master's degree with effect from the date of submission of the application;
- e) Letter of motivation in which the candidate expressly identifies the relevance of the ACL’s heritage collections, ACL’s documentary collections or ACL's mission and strategy for the development of its work plan;
- f) Plan of work to be developed, which should include an indication of the dominant scientific area, the title of the dissertation project and a summary of approximately 2000 words (including bibliographical references) about the research to be developed within the scope of the project.
- g) Two letters of recommendation from university professors or researchers in the scientific area in which the application is registered.
All documents associated with the application, including letters of motivation and recommendation, must be written in Portuguese or English.
All candidates who submit the documents and meet the admissibility requirements will be called for face-to-face or videoconference interviews.
5. WORK PLANS AND SCIENTIFIC ORIENTATION OF THE SCHOLARSHIPS
At the application stage, the work plans are of a pre-project nature, and must contain an indication of the dominant scientific area, the title of the dissertation project and a summary of approximately 2000 words (including bibliographical references) about the research to be carried out within the scope of the project.
The detailed definition of the work program and respective schedule will be the responsibility of the host institution in which the grantee is or will be enrolled, which must ensure that the grantee's work program is included in its activity plan and research strategy, as well as designate the scientific supervisor of the dissertation. Since the scholarship holder's work plans must be carried out in collaboration with the ACL, through a scientific cooperation agreement to be established for this purpose, the ACL will designate a scientific co-supervisor for the work plan for each candidate.
6. EVALUATION CRITERIA AND BONUSES
6.1 Evaluation Criteria
Applications considered admissible will be scored on a scale of 0 to 20 in each of the following evaluation criteria:
- Criterion A – Classification of a master's degree (or a bachelor’s degree, in the case of candidates under the conditions set out in paragraphs b) or c) of number 1 of article 30 of Decree-Law no. 74/2006, of March 24), with the 25% weight;
- Criterion B – Overall curricular merit, with emphasis on scientific publications, with a weight of 30%;
- Criterion C – Work plan and its suitability to ACL's mission, with a weight of 25%;
- Criterion D – Interview, with a weight of 20%.
For the purpose of deciding on granting scholarships, candidates will be ordered according to the weighted average of the classification obtained in each of the four criteria, translated by the following formula: final classification = (25% × A) + (30% × B) + (25% × C) + (20% × D).
For tie-breaking purposes, the ranking of candidates will be based on the ratings assigned to each of the evaluation criteria in the following order of precedence: criterion B, criterion C, criterion A, criterion D.
Important notice for applicants with diplomas 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 for the Portuguese rating 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 a classification of 14 points in criterion A.
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 classification, as indicated above.
7. EVALUATION
The evaluation panel consists of the following elements:
- José Francisco Rodrigues, full professor at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon and President of the Academy of Sciences of Lisbon (panel coordinator),
- José Luís Cardoso, research professor at the Institute of Social Sciences of the University of Lisbon and Vice-President of the Academy of Sciences of Lisbon (panel coordinator),
- Isabel Sá-Correia, retired full professor fellow at Higher Technical Institute of the University of Lisbon and General Secretary of the Academy of Sciences of Lisbon (effective),
- Maria Salomé Soares Pais, retired full professor at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon (alternate),
- Pedro Pita Barros, full professor at Nova School of Business and Economics (alternate).
The evaluation panel will assess the applications in accordance with the evaluation criteria contained in this Call weighing the assessment elements. All panel members, including the coordinator, undertake to respect a set of responsibilities essential to the evaluation process, such as the duties of impartiality, declaration of any potential conflict of interest and confidentiality.
8. COMMUNICATION OF RESULTS
The evaluation results are communicated to the e-mail addresses that candidates indicate in the application forms.
9. DEADLINES AND PROCEDURES FOR PREVIOUS HEARING, COMPLAINT AND APPEAL
After communication of the provisional list of evaluation results, candidates have a period of 10 working days to, if they wish, comment at a prior hearing of interested parties, under the terms of articles 121 and following of the Portuguese Code of Administrative Procedure.
The final decision will be issued after analyzing the pronouncements presented in the prior 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 counting from the respective notification. Candidates who choose to submit a complaint must direct their request to the member of the FCT Board of Directors with delegated competence. Candidates who choose to present an appeal must address the same to the FCT Board of Directors.
10. SCHOLARSHIP GRANT REQUIREMENTS
Research grant contracts are signed directly with FCT.
The following documents must be sent, at the time of granting the scholarship, for the purposes of contracting:
- a) Copy of the civil, tax and, where applicable, social security identification document(s);
- b) Copy of the qualification certificates of the academic degrees held;
- c) Presentation of the registration of recognition of foreign academic degrees and conversion of the respective final classifications to the Portuguese classification scale, if applicable;
- d) Work plan;
- e) Document proving enrollment in a Doctoral Program in one of the scientific areas identified at the end of the present Call;
- f) Statement by the supervisor(s) assuming responsibility for supervising the work plan, under the terms of article 5-A of the Research Fellowship Statute (draft statement to be made available by FCT);
- g) Document proving acceptance of the candidate by the institution where the research activities will take place, guaranteeing the necessary conditions for their proper development, as well as the fulfillment of the duties foreseen in article 13 of the Research Fellowship Statute (draft of the declaration to be made available by FCT);
- h) Updated document proving compliance with the regime of exclusive dedication (draft of declaration to be made available by FCT);
The granting of the scholarship is still dependent on:
- compliance with the requirements set out in this Call;
- the outcome of the evaluation process;
- the non-existence of unjustified non-compliance with the duties of the scholarship holder under a previous scholarship contract financed, directly or indirectly, by the FCT;
- FCT budget availability.
Failure to deliver any of the documents required to complete the scholarship contracting process, within a period of 6 months from the date of communication of the decision to conditionally grant the scholarship, implies the forfeiture of the grant and the closure of the process.
11. FUNDING
The payment of scholarships will begin after the candidates return the scholarship contract duly signed, which must occur within a maximum period of 15 working days from the date of receipt.
The grants awarded within the scope of this competition will be financed by FCT with funds from the State Budget and, when eligible, with funds from the European Social Fund, to be made available under PORTUGAL2020, through, namely, the North Regional Operational Program (NORTE 2020), Central Regional Operational Program (Centro 2020) and the Alentejo Regional Operational Program (Alentejo 2020), or others that may be approved, in accordance with the regulatory provisions established for this purpose.
12. GRANT COMPONENTS
Scholarship holders are awarded a monthly maintenance subsidy in accordance with the table in Appendix I of the RBI.
The scholarship may also include other components, under the terms set out in article 18 of the RBI and for the amounts provided for in its Annex II.
All scholarship holders benefit from personal accident insurance for research activities, supported by FCT.
All scholarship holders who are not covered by any social protection regime can ensure the exercise of the right to social security by joining the voluntary social security regime, under the terms of the Code of Contributory Regimes of the Social Security System, FCT ensuring the charges resulting from contributions under the terms and within the limits laid down in Article 10 of the EBI.
13. PAYMENTS OF THE GRANT COMPONENTS
Payments due to the scholarship holder are made by bank transfer to the account identified by the scholarship holder. Payment of the monthly maintenance allowance is made on the first working day of each month.
Payments for registration, enrollment or tuition fees are made by FCT directly to the national institution where the scholarship holder is enrolled or enrolled in the PhD.
14. SCHOLARSHIP RENEWAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Renewal of the scholarship always depends on the request submitted by the scholarship holder, within 60 working days prior to the start date of the renewal, accompanied by the following documents:
- a) opinions issued by the supervisor/s and by the host entity/s on the follow-up of the scholarship holder's work and the evaluation of his/her activities;
- b) updated document proving compliance with the regime of exclusive dedication;
- c) document proving renewal of enrollment in the cycle of studies leading to a doctoral degree.
15. INFORMATION AND PUBLICITY OF 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, mention must be made of financial support from FCT and the Fund Social Security, namely through the North Regional Operational Program (NORTE 2020), the Center Regional Operational Program (Centro 2020) and the Alentejo Regional Operational Program (Alentejo 2020). For this purpose, the FCT, MCTES, FSE and EU insignia must be inscribed in the documents referring to these actions, in accordance with the graphic standards of each operational program.
The dissemination of research results financed 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 scholarships, and in particular in the case of actions supported by community funding, namely the ESF, follow-up and control actions may be carried out by national and community bodies in accordance with the applicable legislation in this matter, with the supported scholarship holders being obliged to collaboration and provision of the requested information, which includes carrying out surveys and evaluation studies in this area, eventhough the grant has already ended.
16. NON-DISCRIMINATION AND EQUAL ACCESS POLICY
FCT and ACL promote a policy of non-discrimination and equal access, whereby 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 situation, economic situation, education, origin or social condition, genetic heritage, reduced work capacity, disability, chronic illness, nationality, ethnic origin or race, territory of origin, language, religion, political or ideology and trade union affiliation.
17. APPLICABLE LEGISLATION AND REGULATIONS
The Call is governed by this Opening Notice, by the FCT Research Fellowship Regulation, approved by Regulation No. n.º 40/2004, of August 18, in the current wording, and by other applicable national and community legislation.
ANNEX
Scientific Areas referred to in this Opening Notice, corresponding to the Classes and Sections of the Academy of Sciences of Lisbon.
Class of Sciences:
- 1st section — Mathematics;
- 2nd section — Physics;
- 3rd section — Chemistry;
- 4th section — Earth and Space Sciences;
- 5th section — Biological Sciences;
- 6th section — Medical and Health Sciences;
- 7th section — Engineering Sciences;
- 8th section — Information Sciences and Technologies;
- 9th section — Technologies, Knowledge and Society;
Class of Letters:
- 1st section — Literature and Literary Studies;
- 2nd section — Philology and Linguistics;
- 3rd section — Philosophy, Psychology and Educational Sciences;
- 4th section — History;
- 5th section — Law;
- 6th section — Economics and Finance;
- 7th section — Social and Political Sciences;
- 8th section — Geography and Spatial Planning;
- 9th section — Communication and Arts.
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