The MIT Portugal Program is pleased to announce the opening of the 2022 Call for MPP2030-FCT PhD Grants. The call was open between March 7, 2022 and April 11, 2022, by 5 pm (Lisbon time).

The MPP2030-FCT PhD Grants finance the carrying out of research activities leading to obtaining the academic Doctor degree within the framework of the strategic areas of MIT Portugal: Climate Science & Climate Change; Earth Systems: Oceans to Near Space; Digital Transformation in Manufacturing; Sustainable Cities; and/or in Data Science (applied to the previous areas).

*The MPP2030-FCT PhD Grants will lead to the academic Doctor degree in Portuguese Universities and do not result in an MIT degree*

This call is hosted under the MIT Portugal Partnership 2030 and the grants to be awarded are FCT PhD Scholarships. Therefore, these scholarships follow the Research Fellowship Holder Statute, in the FCT Regulation for Research Studentships and Fellowships.

Please note that you will need the below items for your application; it may help to gather them before you begin applying:

1. Your Ciência ID unique identifier (https://www.ciencia-id.pt/)
2. An identification document (ID card, passport)
3. Official university-issued proof of your degree completion 
4. Your curriculum vitae (CV/resume in English), created in CiênciaVitae, saved as a PDF
5. Your PhD work plan
6. A motivation letter
7. The contact information of your host/supervisor
8. Two signed recommendation letters ( you will have to list 2 references that will be contacted to submit a recommendation letter on your behalf.)

Who can apply?

All individuals who satisfy the requirements specified in the FCT Regulation for Research Studentships and Fellowships (RBI), in the Research Fellowship Holder Statute (EBI) and in the Notice of the Call may apply to the 2022 Call for PhD Studentships. Therefore, before you start to prepare your application, read these documents carefully. You may also wish to consult the list of FAQs.

Application Process

The application platform is hosted by the SlideRoom platform and can be directly accessed here: https://mitportugal.slideroom.com/#/permalink/program/65545/SsN3E8k0PI

To prepare and submit your application, you need to register for a SlideRoom account. When registering, please pay attention to the contact details you list, as they will be used to send you reminders, notifications, results and other communications about the Call for PhD Grants. To access the application form, please visit the above link and click on the button “Apply Now.” Login to your SlideRoom account or register to begin the application.

You can only register and submit a single application, under penalty of cancellation of all applications submitted.

The form is entered on the platform and it is always available to view and edit until the due date, OR before you submit the application. As soon as you submit your application, you will not be able to un-submit or make any changes.

Evaluation Process

Proposals will be evaluated by evaluation panels specifically set up for this call, involving experts of acknowledged experience and scientific merit. Applications will be graded using scores from 0 (0,00 minimum score) to 20 (20,00 maximum score), for each of the following three criteria:

A. Merit of the applicant;
B. Merit of the work plan;
C. Merit of the hosting conditions.

The relative weights of these criteria are 40%, 40%, 20% respectively. Applicants will be ranked according to the weighted average of the scores for each three criteria.

For more information about the Evaluation process consult the opening notice of the call.

The composition of the jury that will evaluate the applications will be announced shortly after the application submission period and before the start of their evaluation.

Review Panel

FAQs

Can I apply to this call, even if I did apply to FCT’s 2022 Call for PhD Grants?
Yes, you can apply to both as these are non-exclusive calls. Please remember that you need to be focusing on research areas related to MIT Portugal for this specific application.

Do I have to be enrolled in a doctoral program to apply for this scholarship?
No. Nonetheless, the applicant needs to guarantee (s)he meets the requirements to enroll in a PhD Program.

Can I apply if I am already in my 2nd year of doctorate?
Yes. As long as the thesis plan needs to be within the strategic areas of the MIT Portugal.

Does this scholarship guarantee that you can spend a season at MIT (Boston, USA)?
While this does increase the likelihood of being able to study for a period at MIT, it is not guaranteed that you will be selected for that particular Institute.

If I have such a scholarship, what obligations do I have to the MPP?
All MPP2030-FCT PhD Grant holders will have to participate in activities developed by MIT Portugal, as well as respond to the requests addressed to them by the Program (e.g., information requests) that aim for example at monitoring the student’s individual process.

Are the grants paid by the MIT Portugal Program?
The MPP2030-FCT PhD Grants are paid by the FCT. All grantees will sign a Grant contract with FCT. The MPP2030-FCT PhD Grants comply with the Research Fellowship Holder Statute, in the FCT Regulation for Research Studentships and Fellowships.

Can I apply only with the request for recognition of foreign academic degrees?
As stated in the call notice, for foreign degrees, it is essential, under penalty of not being admitted to the call, to attach the register of recognition of academic degrees awarded by foreign higher education institutions and register of the respective final classification conversion to the Portuguese classification scale, or, alternatively, the candidate’s declaration of honor on how he obtained the recognition of the foreign degree equivalent to a graduate or master’s degree until the end of the application period.

What if I need help?
Questions related to the application, application form or its filling in should be sent to MPP through the following email address [email protected], referring to “2022 Call for MPP2030-FCT PhD Grants” in the message subject. In case you have already started your application, you should also mention its reference, indicating it in the subject of the email: “2022 Call for MPP2030-FCT PhD Grants – YOUR NAME”. MPP guarantees answers only up to 4 working days before the application submission deadline. We recommend that, before contacting MPP, you should carefully read all the documents related to the Call, including the list of FAQs, available in this page.

Please note that it is essential, under penalty of not being admitted to the call, to attach all the required documentation until the end of the application period (5:00 pm – Lisbon time – on April 11, 2022).