CESAM had 15 proposals approved in the 7th edition of the Individual Scientific Employment Stimulus Competition (CEEC Individual), promoted by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). This outcome corresponds to a success rate of 21.9%, clearly above the national average (14.4%).
Of the approvals obtained, ten correspond to the category of Assistant Researcher and five to the category of Junior Researcher, distributed across seven scientific fields, ranging from Environmental Sciences to Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries. Particularly noteworthy is the awarding of two positions in the field of Health Sciences, both in the Junior Researcher category, including the first place ranking in this panel, achieved by Mariana de Oliveira Lobo Fernandes da Silva Simões. These two projects fall within the One Health approach.
Selected for the category of Assistant Researcher:
Ana Catarina Gomes Marcelo Bastos, Ana Luísa Patrício Silva, Cláudia Leopoldina de Brito e Veiga Rodrigues Mieiro, Cátia Venâncio, Cátia Isabel Assis Fidalgo, Diogo Nunes Cardoso, Hélder Alexandre Relvas Paulo, Paulo Jorge Sousa Dias Cartaxana, Felisa Rey, and Andreia do Carmo Martins Rodrigues.
In the category of Junior Researcher, the following were selected:
Ana Manuel Bastos Figueiredo, Ângela Augusta Soares de Almeida, Susana Cardoso Pereira Firmino Vaz, Mariana de Oliveira Lobo Fernandes da Silva Simões, and José Pedro Marques Queirós.
This outcome confirms the relevance of the research carried out at CESAM and strengthens its ability to attract and consolidate young scientific talent across different fields of knowledge, including domains that have not traditionally constituted the core of the centre’s scientific activity, such as Health Sciences.
Amadeu Soares, Director of CESAM, underscores the significance of this achievement, stating:
“This success demonstrates both the quality of our current researchers and the attractiveness of CESAM as a research centre, since among the 15 awarded positions, some correspond to researchers whose activity takes place in other centres, both national and international.”
He also leaves a message of encouragement to those who were not successful in this edition:
“Some of the researchers awarded now had not been successful in previous calls and applied again. Others, thanks to their CVs and research plans, submitted highly competitive proposals. Therefore, they should, whenever possible, apply again, whether through the CEEC or other funding programmes, not forgetting the opportunity offered by the University of Aveiro to those who secure an ERC grant.”