Research Grant (BI) - Semantic Communications for Long-Range and Capacity-Constrained Scenarios

Offer Description

Portuguese version: https://repositorio.inesctec.pt/editais/pt/AE2026-0282.pdf

CALL FOR GRANT APPLICATIONS (AE2026-0282)

INESC TEC is now accepting grant applications to award 1 Research Grant (BI) within the scope of the OCEAN_FCT funded by National Funds through FCT - Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P., project reference .

1. GRANT DESCRIPTION

Type of grant: Research Grant (BI)

General scientific area: ENGINEERING

Scientific subarea: Electrical engineering

Grant duration: 12 months, starting on 2027-01-01, with the possibility of being renewed for a maximum term of four years, in the cases of students enrolled in a PhD.

Scientific advisor: Rui Lopes Campos

Workplace: INESC TEC, Porto, Portugal

Maintenance stipend: 1359.64, according to the table of monthly maintenance stipend for FCT grants (https://www.fct.pt/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Tabela-de-Valores-SMM_atualizacao-2024.pdf), paid via bank transfer. Grant holders may be awarded potential supplements, according to a quarterly evaluation process (Articles 19, 21 and 22 of the Regulations for Grants of INESC TEC and Annex II), up to a maximum limit of 50 of the monthly maintenance stipend.

INESC TEC supports costs with registration, enrolment or tuition fees, during the grant duration, under the terms established in the internal document: "Payment of Tuition fees to grant holders" (https://www.inesctec.pt/pagamento-propinas-bolseirosEN)

The grant holder will benefit from health insurance, supported by INESC TEC.

2. OBJECTIVES:

Support researchers in the fields of knowledge described in this call, who intend to carry out research activities leading to the award of a doctoral degree. Part of the research activities must be carried out at INESC TEC, as applicable.;

3. BRIEF PRESENTATION OF THE WORK PROGRAMME AND TRAINING:

The proposed research focuses on the development of communication systems based on the semantic communications paradigm for long-range and/or capacity-constrained scenarios, exploring communication technologies characterized by significant limitations in bandwidth, data rate, or resource availability, such as HF, LoRaWAN, and underwater acoustic links. The goal is to develop mechanisms capable of transmitting information efficiently by prioritizing its semantic content and the information that is most relevant to the application, rather than reproducing the original data in full.

The research will explore techniques for the semantic representation, compression, transmission, and reconstruction of information, leveraging artificial intelligence models and generative AI techniques. The aim is to dynamically adapt the transmitted content to the characteristics of the communication channel, the available communication resources, and the application requirements, enabling the transmission of different types of information, such as text, images, audio, video, or sensor data, over highly capacity-constrained links.

The work will include, in particular:

• Semantic representation and compression of information, through the development and evaluation of mechanisms capable of identifying, selecting, and representing the information that is most relevant to the application;
• Semantic transmission over long-range and/or low-data-rate communication technologies, including the adaptation of transmission mechanisms to the characteristics of different communication media and technologies, particularly HF, LoRaWAN, and underwater acoustic communications;
• Information reconstruction and recovery at the receiver, exploring artificial intelligence models and generative AI techniques to recover the transmitted content and improve robustness against losses, errors, and channel limitations;
• Evaluation and validation through simulation and experimental platforms, as well as testing over real communication systems, considering different propagation environments, available capacities, and types of content, including activities carried out in collaboration with SINTEF Ocean in Trondheim, Norway.

The work will be carried out between INESC TEC in Porto, Portugal, and SINTEF Ocean in Trondheim, Norway. The expected outcome is to contribute to the development of a new generation of efficient, adaptive, and robust semantic communication systems for communication-constrained environments, including maritime and underwater scenarios, where conventional technologies face significant limitations in coverage, bandwidth, data rate, and availability.

4. REQUIRED PROFILE:

Admission requirements:

• Hold a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field, with valorization in Electrical Engineering or a related field, and have a scientific and professional CV that demonstrates a suitable profile for the activities to be carried out.

The awarding of the fellowship is dependent on the applicants' enrolment in study cycle or non-award courses of Higher Education Institutions.

Preference factors: The candidate's experience will be especially valued in one of the following research lines: semantic communications using generative artificial intelligence, and long-range radio networks.

Minimum requirements:

5. EVALUATION OF APPLICATIONS AND SELECTION PROCESS:

Selection criteria and corresponding valuation: the first phase comprises the Academic Evaluation (AC), based on the criteria referred to in Article 12 of the Regulations for Grants of INESC TEC, while the second phase comprehends the Individual Interview (EI). All factors are evaluated on a scale of 0 to 100, taking into account the applicants' merit, suitability and conformity with the preference factors. The weight of the AC factors are as follows: Academic Qualifications (FA, 50), Scientific Publications (PC, 20), Experience (EX, 20) and Motivation Letter (CM, 10). Candidates who score less than 50 points in the AC average will be considered excluded on absolute merit. The top five candidates approved on absolute merit will be qualified for the individual interview. The Final Grade (CF) is obtained by the weighted average of AC (80) and EI (20).

DISABILITY INCENTIVE

Candidates who present a degree of disability equal to or greater than 90% will benefit from an incentive (20) in the score of the CV Assessment. Candidates who present a degree of disability equal to or greater than 60% and less than 90% will also benefit from an incentive (10) in the score of the CV Assessment. Said score may, in these cases, exceed 100 points. Candidates must demonstrate the degree of disability during the application, namely through the submission of the Multi-Purpose Medical Certificate of Disability, issued in accordance with Decree-Law no. 202/96, of October 23 - currently in effect.

The Selection Jury is composed of the following members:

President of the Jury: Rui Lopes Campos
Full member: Hélder Martins Fontes
Full member: André Filipe Coelho
Substitute member: Vítor Grade Tavares

Release of results and prior hearing: the results of the selection process, as well as the terms and procedures for prior hearing, will be released to the applicants by email, under the terms referred to in Article 13 of the Regulations for Studentships and Fellowships of INESC TEC.

6. FORMALISATION OF APPLICATIONS:

Application Documents:

1. Motivation letter;
2. Curriculum Vitae (must include the list of previous fellowships, their type, beginning and end dates, funding entities and host institutions);
3. Certificate or diploma degree;
4. Proof of enrollment in a degree awarding study cycle or in a non degree awarding Higher Education program. - The proof of enrollment may be presented just during the grant hiring stage.
5. Signed declaration stating the infringement of the grant holder's duties (article 14, no. 4)
6. Documental evidence to support the country of residence, residence permit or other legally equivalent document, in cases where the applicant is a foreigner or non-resident in Portugal - valid until the beginning of the grant.
7. Other supporting documents relevant to the final assessment.

Failure to deliver the required documents within the 90-day period after the date of the notice of the conditional awarding of the grant implies its cancellation.

Application period: From 2026-10-01 to 2026-10-15

Submission of applications: the application will be formalised by submitting the form available in the Work With Us section of INESC TEC website.

7. BINDING LEGISLATION AND REGULATION

The hiring process shall comply with the current legislation regarding the Research Grant Holder Statute, approved by Law no. 40/2004 of August 18, in its current wording, as well as by the Regulations for Grants of INESC TEC and for FCT Grants Regulation in force.

For more information, please check the Regulations for Grants of INESC TEC and relevant annexes at www.inesctec.pt/bolsas

Where to apply

Website: https://www.inesctec.pt/en/opportunity/AE2026-0282

Requirements

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

Specific Requirements

Academic qualifications: • Hold a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field, with valorization in Electrical Engineering or a related field, and have a scientific and professional CV that demonstrates a suitable profile for the activities to be carried out. Minimum profile: -. Preference factors: The candidate's experience will be especially valued in one of the following research lines: semantic communications using generative artificial intelligence, and long-range radio networks.

• Research Field: Engineering » Electrical engineering
• Years of Research Experience: None

Additional Information

Benefits

Maintenance stipend: 1359.64 euros, according to the table of monthly maintenance stipend for FCT grants (https://www.fct.pt/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Tabela-de-Valores-SMM_atualizacao-2024.pdf), paid via bank transfer. Grant holders may be awarded potential supplements, according to a quarterly evaluation process (Articles 19, 21 and 22 of the Regulations for Grants of INESC TEC and Annex II), up to a maximum limit of 50% of the monthly maintenance stipend.

Costs attributable to INESC TEC may include registration, enrolment or tuition fee stipend, either directly or through reimbursement, during the grant duration.

The grant holder will benefit from health insurance, supported by INESC TEC.

Selection process

Selection criteria and corresponding valuation: the first phase comprises the Academic Evaluation (AC), based on the criteria referred to in Article 12 of the Regulations for Grants of INESC TEC, while the second phase comprehends the Individual Interview (EI). All factors are evaluated on a scale of 0 to 100, taking into account the applicants' merit, suitability and conformity with the preference factors. The weight of the AC factors are as follows: Academic Qualifications (FA, 50), Scientific Publications (PC, 20), Experience (EX, 20) and Motivation Letter (CM, 10). Candidates who score less than 50 points in the AC average will be considered excluded on absolute merit. The top five candidates approved on absolute merit will be qualified for the individual interview. The Final Grade (CF) is obtained by the weighted average of AC (80) and EI (20).

DISABILITY INCENTIVE

Candidates who present a degree of disability equal to or greater than 90% will benefit from an incentive (20) in the score of the CV Assessment. Candidates who present a degree of disability equal to or greater than 60% and less than 90% will also benefit from an incentive (10) in the score of the CV Assessment. Said score may, in these cases, exceed 100 points. Candidates must demonstrate the degree of disability during the application, namely through the submission of the Multi-Purpose Medical Certificate of Disability, issued in accordance with Decree-Law no. 202/96, of October 23 - currently in effect.

The Selection Jury is composed of the following members:

President of the Jury: Rui Lopes Campos
Full member: Hélder Martins Fontes
Full member: André Filipe Coelho
Substitute member: Vítor Grade Tavares

Release of results and prior hearing: the results of the selection process, as well as the terms and procedures for prior hearing, will be released to the applicants by email, under the terms referred to in Article 13 of the Regulations for Studentships and Fellowships of INESC TEC.

Website for additional job details: https://www.inesctec.pt/en/opportunity/AE2026-0282

Work Location(s)

• Number of offers available: 1
• Company/Institute: INESC TEC
• Country: Portugal
• City: Porto
• Postal Code: 4200-465
• Street: Campus da Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias

Contact

• City: Porto
• Website: http://www.inesctec.pt
• Street: Campus da FEUP - Rua Dr. Roberto Frias
• Postal Code: 4200-465 Porto