Call DOCTORATES 4 COVID-19 presents final results

FCT has announced the final results of Call DOCTORATES 4 COVID-19, after the prior hearing phase. Opened in collaboration with the Agency for Clinical Research and Biomedical Innovation (AICIB), the Call awards 50 Studentships doctoral research grants, corresponding to a total investment of 3.5 million euros. The selected candidates can now sign their contract from Studentship.

Created in the context of the pandemic situation caused by the new coronavirus, this Call aimed to fund doctoral research Studentships aimed at obtaining new knowledge, focusing on COVID-19 and the SARS-CoV-2 virus, as well as on future viral infections and epidemics, through a multidisciplinary approach, involving all scientific areas, from engineering to biomedical and social sciences.

The Call received 128 applications, and 110 applications were considered for evaluation. The 50 Studentships awarded correspond to a success rate of 45.5% of the applications evaluated. The results show that 70% of the selected applicants are women and 8% are of foreign nationality, with 17% of the work plans being carried out in articulation with foreign researchers and institutions.

The Studentships to be attributed are distributed among the following intervention areas:

• "Psychological impact and behavioral changes associated with the pandemic" (13 Studentships);
• "Development of new therapies and new therapeutic approaches, including life support and personal protective equipment to combat the disease" (12 Studentships);
• "Characterization of viral infection mechanisms" (9 Studentships);
• "Innovative approaches, including new methods and new technologies, for diagnosing the disease" (9 Studentships);
• "Prevention strategies and preparedness for new epidemics, including vaccines" (4 Studentships);
• "Epidemiology and risk factors for virus infection and severe disease" (4 Studentships);
•  "Characterization of host cellular and serologic immune response to virus infection, impact of age and comorbidities" (2 Studentships);
•  "Human-animal interaction, mechanisms of resistance and interspecies virus transmission, and the risk of pandemics" (1 Studentship).

The PhD programs that the grantees will attend are taught at the following universities: University of Porto (15 Studentships), University of Coimbra (9 Studentships), Universidade Nova de Lisboa (7 Studentships), University of Lisbon (7 Studentships), University of Minho (5 Studentships), University of Beira Interior (2 Studentships), University of Aveiro (2 Studentships), University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain (2 Studentships) and ISPA - University Institute of Psychological, Social and Life Sciences (1 Studentship).

The Call DOCTORATES 4 COVID-19 is part of a wide range of support, Calls and other initiatives, launched this year by FCT as part of the fight against Covid-19, including: the special support RESEARCH 4 COVID-19, with two editions; the special support Gender Research 4 Covid-19; the Call for R&D projects AI 4 COVID-19: Data Science and Artificial Intelligence in Public Administration; the Summer with Science support, in collaboration with the Directorate General of Higher Education (DGES); the Science 4 COVID-19 portal; the increased capacity of the RCTS - Science, Technology and Society Network, which supports the Internet connections of the education and research community; strengthening the capacity of the services that ensure distance learning and teleworking in the academic and scientific community (Colibri, NAU, Educast, Videocast); and the creation of a COVID-19 page on the FCT website, which gathers all the information that is being issued, directly or indirectly related to this pandemic situation.