PhD Research Scholarship in Tourism

Offer Description

CIDEHUS – Interdisciplinary Centre for History, Cultures and Societies of the University of Évora

Notice of Opening of the Competition for the award of a PhD Research Scholarship in Tourism – 1 position

Project Reference: BI_2026_CIDEHUS.UÉ_UID/00057/2025

04 August 2026

Description of the offer:

A call for tenders is open for the award of 1 (one) PhD Research Scholarship within the scope of the strategic project of the Interdisciplinary Centre for History, Cultures and Societies of the University of Évora (CIDEHUS.UÉ), with reference UID/00057/2025, under the multiannual funding of R&D Units, for the period 2025-2029, with the financial support of the Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P./MCTES through national funds (PIDDAC), for the PhD Programme in Tourism of the University of Évora, under the following conditions:

Scientific area: Tourism

Admission requirements for the candidate:

• Hold a master's degree, preferably in the field of Tourism, completed by the closing date of the application deadline. If, on that date, the certificate of completion is not yet available, a declaration of honour by the candidate stating that they have completed the master's degree will be accepted. In any case, the award of the scholarship is, in all cases, dependent on the presentation of proof of the master's degree required for its award;
• Never having obtained the academic degree of doctor;
• Not having benefited from a PhD research scholarship or a PhD-in-companies scholarship directly funded by FCT, regardless of its duration.
• Proficiency in Portuguese, spoken and written, appropriate to the performance of the duties. For candidates whose mother tongue is not Portuguese, this proficiency must be proven by submitting a proficiency certificate or demonstrated at the interview.
• Proficiency in English, corresponding to at least level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (or equivalent). This proficiency must be proven by submitting a proficiency certificate or demonstrated at the interview.
• Be enrolled in the PhD Programme in Tourism of the University of Évora or submit a declaration of honour stating that, if selected, they will enrol in this PhD programme by the date of signing the contract.

Eligibility of candidates: candidates who meet the eligibility conditions set out in article 9 of the FCT, I.P. Research Grant Regulations (Regulation No. 950/2019) are eligible.

Preferred competencies:

• Peer-reviewed scientific publications of international scope in the field of Tourism or related areas.
• Participation in research and knowledge transfer projects in the field of Tourism or related areas.
• Peer-reviewed scientific publications of national scope in the field of Tourism or related areas.

Research Work Plan: The candidate must submit a proposed Research Work Plan in the field of Tourism, the topic of which is aligned with the strategic project of CIDEHUS.UÉ and falls within one of the research areas of the research group ‘G3 - Tourism and Populations’. In the proposed plan, the candidate must set out, in a reasoned manner, the research to be developed within the scope of their PhD thesis, clearly identifying, explaining and justifying the theoretical framework of the research questions to be developed, as well as the empirical framework and the main methodologies to be used in developing the thesis research project. The Research Work Plan submitted, not exceeding 4,000 words and using the APA referencing system (7th edition), must have the following structure:

1. Title;
2. Abstract;
3. Keywords;
4. State of the art;
5. Detailed description (including the research questions, objectives and methodology)
6. Expected scientific and practical contributions;
7. Bibliographic references;

For the purposes of framing the proposal within the indicated field, the strategic project should be consulted on the official CIDEHUS.UÉ website https://cidehus.uevora.pt/investigacao/projeto-estrategico/ and the general research context of G3 at https://cidehus.uevora.pt/investigacao/grupos-de-investigacao/g3/

Activity Plan: The selected candidate undertakes to pursue the research work plan leading to the award of the degree of Doctor at the University of Évora, cumulatively complying with the following conditions:

1. Integrate their research activity into the activity of CIDEHUS.UÉ and the PhD Programme in Tourism of the University of Évora, in accordance with the guidance received from the Director of CIDEHUS.UÉ and the Director of the PhD Programme in Tourism. If they already have a formally constituted supervisory team in compliance with the defined requirements, they will follow its guidance; in other cases, they will follow the guidance of the aforementioned Directors until the formal appointment of the supervisory team.
2. Hold periodic meetings from the start of the scholarship. When there is a formally constituted supervisory team in compliance with the defined requirements, the meetings will be held with it. In other cases, they will be held with the Director of CIDEHUS.UÉ and the Director of the PhD Programme in Tourism, until the formal appointment of the supervisory team, after which they will be held with the team.
3. Actively participate in the scientific and pedagogical activities promoted by CIDEHUS.UÉ and the PhD Programme in Tourism of the University of Évora, collaborating in their organisation;
4. If they have not yet completed the curricular component of the PhD Programme in Tourism, attend and complete it successfully within one year;
5. If they have not yet presented and defended the thesis project proposal, present and defend it in a public session by the end of the 2nd semester of the PhD Programme in Tourism, based on the research work plan, under the terms of the regulations in force;

Develop or continue the research, in coordination with the supervisory team, after completing the curricular component and presenting and defending the thesis project proposal, under the terms of the regulations in force.

• Publish, with their supervisory team, throughout the PhD Programme, at least 2 scientific papers in journals indexed in SCOPUS and/or Web of Science (WoS) and submit, with proof, at least another 2 in journals indexed in SCOPUS and/or WoS;
• Participate, with their supervisory team, throughout the PhD Programme, in at least 3 scientific events, presenting a peer-reviewed communication.
• Submit the completed thesis by the end of the 6th semester of the PhD Programme.
• Submit, at the end of the scholarship, the Final Report, in accordance with the model set out in Annex II, on which the supervisory team will draw up the Final Evaluation Report on the Activity of the Scientific Research Fellow, in accordance with the draft set out in Annex III. Whenever the scholarship is to be renewed, the fellow must submit, for the purposes of the respective request, a detailed report on compliance with the activity plan, justifying, where applicable, any deviations. The supervisory team will issue an opinion, assessing compliance with the activities set out in the activity plan. Based on the report and the opinion of the supervisory team, the host institution will issue an opinion for the purposes of renewing the scholarship.

Scientific supervision of the fellow: When the fellow does not have a formally constituted supervisory team in compliance with the defined requirements at the start date of the scholarship, the Director of CIDEHUS.UÉ and the Director of the PhD in Tourism, or whoever they designate, will act as supervisors for all purposes, until the appointment of the supervisory team. The supervisory team will consist of one to three supervisors, with the requirement that, in any case, it includes at least one lecturer of the PhD Programme in Tourism who is an integrated member of CIDEHUS.UÉ.

Applicable legislation and regulations: The award of the Research Scholarship will be made through the signing of a contract between the University of Évora and the fellow, in accordance with the draft in Annex I, under the terms of the Research Fellow Statute (Law No. 40/2004 of 18 August, as amended), and considering the provisions of other applicable legislation and regulations, namely the Research Grant Regulations of the University of Évora (published by Order No. 8131/2024, of 22 July 2024), https://files.diariodarepublica.pt/2s/2024/07/140000000/0035300366.pdf, and the Research Grant Regulations of the Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P. (Regulation No. 950/2019, of 16 December, as currently in force).

Place of work: The work will be carried out in person at one of the buildings of the University of Évora, namely at CES and/or at the Palácio do Vimioso (CIDEHUS), Largo do Marquês de Marialva, No. 8, 7000-809 Évora, without prejudice to any travel required for carrying out the activities set out in the activity plan.

Duration of the scholarship: The scholarship will have a duration of 12 months, expected to start in 2026. The scholarship contract may be renewed up to a maximum of 36 months or until the end of the budget allocation of the funding project, always taking into account the maximum duration set out for each type of scholarship, in accordance with Article 14 of the Research Grant Award Regulations of the University of Évora in force. This competition will result in a reserve selection list that may be used for a maximum period of 3 months, if warranted.

Amount of the monthly maintenance allowance: The monthly amount of the scholarship is €1,359.64, in accordance with the table of amounts for scholarships awarded directly by FCT, I.P. in Portugal https://www.fct.pt/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Tabela-de-Valores-SMM-2026.pdf

The candidate may also be reimbursed for the amount corresponding to Voluntary Social Security (SSV), in case of enrolment. The monthly amount of the Scholarship will be paid monthly by bank transfer, by the contracting entity, in accordance with the contract template made available by FCT.

Payments of the scholarship components: Payments due to the fellow are made by bank transfer to the account identified by them. Payments for the components of registration, enrolment or tuition fees are deducted by the University of Évora and processed directly to the national institution managing the funding programme of the Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P. (FCT).

Exclusivity regime: The duties of the fellow are performed on an exclusive basis, under the terms set out in article 5 of the Research Fellow Statute and the Research Grant Regulations, currently in force.

Evaluation criteria:

The evaluation takes into account the merit of the candidate, the merit of the research work plan proposed by them and the interview. Applications considered admissible will be scored on a scale of 0 to 20 in each of the following evaluation criteria:

Criterion A - Merit of the Candidate, resulting from the weighting of the following sub-criteria:

• Sub-criterion A1 - Academic background, which includes the field of study and academic grades, weighted at 40%. The average of the final grades obtained in the bachelor's and master's degrees will be calculated. If the master's degree grade is qualitative, only the bachelor's degree grade will be considered.
• Sub-criterion A2 - Curriculum Vitae (CV), weighted at 60%. The CV must present, in an organised manner and duly identified by sections, the academic qualifications; further training; research experience, including participation in R&D projects, identifying the projects and the roles performed; professional experience in other areas; scientific publications and other technical-scientific output, where applicable; presentations, awards, scholarships and other activities relevant to the field of the competition. The CV must be accompanied by certificates, declarations or other means of documentary proof, or active links to digital sources that unequivocally identify the candidate's involvement, so that the information can be considered for scoring purposes.

Criterion B – Merit of the Research Work Plan, evaluated according to its scientific quality, considering the elements and requirements defined in this notice.

Criterion C – Interview, evaluated according to the candidate's ability to present and defend the Research Work Plan, their motivation for developing the PhD project and their proficiency in English and, in the case of candidates whose mother tongue is not Portuguese, in Portuguese. The interview will be held in person.

For the purposes of the decision on the award of the scholarship, candidates will be ranked according to the weighted average of the grade obtained in the three criteria, expressed by the following formula:

Final Classification: (30% x A) + (35% x B) + (35% x C)

For tie-breaking purposes, the ranking of candidates will be carried out based on the grades awarded in each of the evaluation criteria, in the following order of precedence: criterion B (Merit of the Research Work Plan), criterion A (Merit of the Candidate) and criterion C (Interview).

PhD research scholarships will not be awarded to applications evaluated with a final grade lower than 12 points, on a scale of 0 to 20.

Composition of the Selection Jury:

The candidate evaluation panel is composed of the following members:

Chair of the jury - Doctor Maria do Rosário Pereira da Silva Borges, University of Évora

Full members:

• 1st Member - Doctor Joana Inês Silva de Lima, University of Évora
• 2nd Member - Doctor Maria Filomena Ferreira Mendes, University of Évora
• 3rd Member - Doctor Ana Isabel Barros Pimentel Rodrigues, Polytechnic Institute of Beja
• 4th Member - Doctor Mariana Sousa e Silva Cabral de Carvalho, Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra

Alternate members:

• 1st Alternate - Doctor Maria Noémi Nunes Vieira Marujo, University of Évora
• 2nd Alternate - Doctor Sónia Alexandra Rupio Bombico, University of Évora
• 3rd Alternate - Doctor Mónica Belchior Morais de Brito, University of Évora
• 4th Alternate - Doctor Áurea Lucília de Oliveira Rodrigues, University of Évora
• 5th Alternate - Doctor Susana Maria Peixoto Godinho Lima, Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra

Advertising/notification of results: The final results of the evaluation will be publicised through an ordered list, by final grade obtained, posted in a visible and public place at CIDEHUS, with the approved candidate being notified by email. Under the right of prior hearing of interested parties, the Final Classification project will be announced by any written means to all interested parties. After communication of the provisional list of evaluation results, candidates have a period of 10 working days to state their views, if they so wish, in the prior hearing of interested parties. Based on the final ranking list, a reserve selection list will be drawn up, to be used for the possible recruitment of new fellows within the scope of this project, up to the duration limit of the scholarship, which may be used in the event of withdrawal by the candidate ranked first, failure to submit the mandatory documentation, or in the event that the fellow cancels their scholarship early. If none of the candidates demonstrates the profile required to carry out the research work plan, the jury reserves the right not to award the scholarship under this competition.

Application deadline and manner of submitting applications: The competition is open during the period from 5 August to 4 September 2026.

Admissibility requirements for the application:

The application must be formalised, mandatorily, by sending the following documents, all of which must be written in Portuguese and/or English, in digital format (PDF):

1. Application letter, formalising the application to the competition and containing the identification of the candidate.
2. Motivation letter, in which the candidate sets out the reasons for the application and their interest in developing their research within the context of CIDEHUS.UÉ, framing their Research Work Plan within their career objectives.
3. Document proving the civil identification of the candidate (Citizen Card, Identity Card or equivalent identification document) and their respective taxpayer identification number (NIF).
4. Curriculum Vitae, prepared in accordance with the provisions of Sub-criterion A2 and accompanied by the respective supporting documents, including, where applicable, language proficiency certificates. Unproven information will not be considered for evaluation purposes.
5. Certificates of qualification for academic degrees obtained at Portuguese higher education institutions, indicating the degree obtained, the final grade and, if possible, the grades obtained in all curricular units completed. The document proving the master’s degree may be replaced, in the cases provided for in the admission requirements, by a declaration of honour, under the terms defined therein. In the case of academic degrees and higher education diplomas awarded by foreign higher education institutions, they must be accompanied by the respective certificates of registration of recognition and grade conversion. Failure to submit these documents will result in a score of “0” (zero) in sub-criterion A1 - Academic background.
6. Research Work Plan, in accordance with what is indicated in this notice;
7. Proof of enrolment in the PhD Programme in Tourism of the University of Évora or, if not yet enrolled, a declaration of honour stating that, if selected, they will enrol in the said programme by the date of signing the contract.
8. Other supporting documents considered relevant by the candidate.

The following documents, if not submitted with the application, must be provided by the date of signing the scholarship contract, being indispensable for its execution:

1. Proof of enrolment in the PhD Programme in Tourism of the University of Évora.

Additional information for candidates with degrees and diplomas issued by foreign higher education institutions:

• Candidates with diplomas issued by foreign higher education institutions may apply and will be evaluated using the same criteria as candidates with diplomas issued by Portuguese institutions, provided that they submit, with their application, proof of recognition of the academic degrees and conversion of the final grade to the Portuguese grading scale, under the terms of the applicable legislation. In order to ensure the application of the principle of equal treatment for candidates holding foreign and national academic degrees, recognition of these degrees and conversion of the respective final grade to the Portuguese grading scale is mandatory.
• Recognition of foreign academic degrees and diplomas, as well as conversion of the final grade to the Portuguese grading scale, may be requested at any public higher education institution, or at the Directorate-General for Higher Education (DGES) (only in the case of automatic recognition). For further information on this matter, it is suggested that the DGES portal be consulted at the following address: https://www.dges.gov.pt/pt/pagina/reconhecimento?plid=374
• Candidates with recognised foreign academic degrees who do not submit proof of the conversion of their respective final grades to the Portuguese grading scale will be evaluated with the minimum grade of 10 points in Sub-criterion A1, in relation to the degrees submitted.
• In any case, scholarship contracts with candidates holding diplomas issued by foreign institutions will only be concluded upon presentation of proof of recognition of the academic degrees and conversion of the final grade, as indicated above.

The making of false statements or acts of plagiarism by candidates is grounds for cancellation of the application, without prejudice to the adoption of other sanctioning measures.

Method of submitting the application: The application may only be submitted by email to the address cidehus@uevora.pt, addressed to the Chair of the Jury, Doctor Maria do Rosário Borges. The “Subject” field of the email message must contain the reference:

‘Tourism - PhD Scholarship Application UID/00057/2025’.

Applications sent to any other email address, submitted as blank or corrupted files, or presented by any other means will not be considered valid. The documents forming part of the application must be sent as individual PDF files, identified with the candidate’s name and the designation of the respective document. Example: ‘FirstName_LastName_CV’, ‘FirstName_LastName_WorkPlan’, ‘FirstName_LastName_MotivationLetter’.

Only applications received during the opening period of the competition will be considered. Each candidate must submit a single application, under penalty of having all submitted applications cancelled. The absence of any of the documents required under this notice constitutes grounds for exclusion, under the terms of article 10 of the FCT, I.P. Research Grant Regulations (Regulation No. 950/2019).

Deadline for complaints and appeals: After the final decision and notification to the candidates, they have a period of 10 working days to state their views to the Chair of the Jury, or to lodge an appeal with the highest executive body of the funding entity within 30 working days.

ANNEX I, ANNEX II, ANNEX III:

https://www.uevora.pt/investigar/Oportunidades-de-Investigacao/concursos-bolsas-id

Where to apply

E-mail: cidehus@uevora.pt

Requirements

• Research Field: Other
• Education Level: Master Degree or equivalent

Additional Information

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available: 1

Company/Institute: UEvora

Country: Portugal

City: Évora

Postal Code: 7000-803

Street: Largo dos Colegiais, 2

Geofield

Contact

State/Province: Alentejo

City: Évora

Website: https://www.uevora.pt/investigar/Oportunidades-de-Investigacao/concursos-bolsas-id

Street: Largo dos Colegais, nº. 2

Postal Code: 7000-803

E-Mail: cidehus@uevora.pt