Deadline: March 1st, 2024, 17h00 (Lisbon time)

The first edition of the FCT-Tenure Call is now open to co-finance the hiring of up to 1 000 PhD researchers for permanent positions. The aim of this call is to promote the hiring of PhDs exclusively for permanent positions. The call will be aimed at institutions in the National Science and Technology System (SNCT), allowing applications to be submitted for support for the opening of international competitions for career positions. It will operate on a co-financing basis and will allow doctoral graduates to be integrated into research and teaching careers. The duration of the co-funding will be up to a maximum of 3 years for each position allocated to the teaching career and up to a maximum of 6 years for each position allocated to the research career, corresponding to two thirds of the salary costs of each position in the first 3 years for both careers, and one third in the second triennium in the case of hiring in the research career or equivalent.

The opening of the FCT-Tenure implies the end of the Institutional Scientific Employment Stimulus Competition (CEEC Institucional) as it is currently conceived. The regular opening of a significant number of FCT-Tenure positions will seek to replace the regular funding of senior researchers through fixed-term contracts (Individual Scientific Employment Stimulus Contests – CEEC Individuais) with career contracts under the Scientific Research Career Statute (ECIC), University Teaching Career Statute (ECDU) or Polytechnic Higher Education Teaching Staff Career Statute (ECPDESP) or equivalent open-ended contracts at institutions not covered by these statutes.

Recipients of this Call:

• Non-business entities in the Research and Development (R&D) system, namely Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), their Institutes and R&D Units;
• Associated Laboratories (AL);
• State or international laboratories based in Portugal;
• Private non-profit institutions whose main purpose is R&D activities;
• Collaborative Laboratories (CoLAB);
• Technological interface centers;
• Science and technology infrastructures.

The FCT will sign program contracts with the contracting institutions, funding the following:

• Up to a maximum of 3 years, for indefinite contracts for university and polytechnic teaching careers under the ECDU and ECPDESP;
• Up to a maximum of 6 years for indefinite contracts under the ECIC;
• Up to a maximum of 6 years for open-ended contracts equivalent to those under the ECIC in institutions eligible for this program that have their own scientific research careers covered by the private law regime.

Following the decision to fund the applications, the beneficiary institutions will have to select and recruit the doctoral graduates to be hired through international competitions, as explained in the corresponding career statute, and in accordance with the scientific and innovation strategy submitted for evaluation. The contracts eligible for funding correspond to contracts for which the tendering procedures began after July 31, 2023. The contracting institutions elected for co-financing will have to open their tender procedures by July 31, 2025.

Applications submitted to the FCT-Tenure program will be evaluated by international evaluation panels, appointed by decision of the FCT Board of Directors, the composition of which will be published on the FCT website prior to the prior hearing period.

The application period for the 1st edition of the call is from December 18, 2023, until 5:00 p.m. Lisbon time on March 1, 2024.

For more information, please click here.