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Renewal and Extension of Postdoctoral Fellowships under law n.º 24/2018

(available only in English)

Following the publication of Law No. 24/2018, approved by Parliament on May 11 and published in the Official Gazette on June 8, FCT releases the indications for the operationalization of the renewal or extension of contracts of Studentship of doctoral grantees funded directly or indirectly by the Foundation.

Requirements for renewal and extension of contracts Studentship

The renewal or extension of contracts of Studentship directly or indirectly funded by FCT may occur when, cumulatively, it is verified:

. that the contract of Studentship is covered by the provisions of Article 23 of Law No. 57/2017, of July 19;

. that the Studentship contract has terminated or is about to terminate as a result of the completion of the work plan or by expiration of the term for which the Studentship was awarded.

Contracts of Studentship that have terminated, or are about to terminate, for reasons other than those mentioned above, namely those that have terminated due to: failure to comply with the duties of a grantee; provision of false statements by the grantee; revocation by mutual agreement or a change in circumstances, are not covered by the provisions of Law 24/2018.

To enjoy the right to renew or extend the contract of Studentship, it is mandatory that the grantee apply to Call that respects his/her profile and that is in the same scientific area in which he/she works, except in the cases foreseen by law.

For the purpose of applying this law, the host institution is the contracting institution under the terms defined for the application of the transitional rule of DL 57/2016.

1 - Renewal and extension of contracts of Studentship directly funded by FCT

In the case of doctoral fellows with Studentships directly funded by FCT, the procedure can be initiated by the institution or by the fellow. In any case, the following information should be sent to FCT (Studentships@fct.pt):

. statement of the grantee in which is expressed his/her agreement with the renewal or extension of his/her Studentship;

. declaration of the scientific advisor assuming responsibility for the orientation;

. statement from the host institution proving that it accepts to continue hosting the grantee;

. declaration of the grant holder regarding the compliance with the exclusive dedication regime foreseen in the Research Grant Holder Statute (draft available here).

All statements must be current and dated and signed.

If the conditions set forth in the previous points are met, FCT will proceed to renew or extend the contract of Studentship for an additional period of 12 months. The renewal or extension of Studentship does not require the signing of a new contract and is communicated in writing by FCT to the grant recipient.

The start date of the contract of Studentship will be the date indicated by the grantee, provided that it is not prior to June 9, 2018 (date of entry into force of Law No. 24/2018, published on June 8).

2 - Renewal and extension of contracts of Studentship indirectly funded by FCT

In the case of grant recipients with Studentship contracts indirectly funded by FCT, renewals and extensions are carried out directly by the host institutions.

After conclusion of the competition procedures under the transitional rule, the host institution may request FCT to reimburse the expenses with the renewal/extension of Studentships, through the email InfoDL57-2016@fct.pt.

The request for reimbursement to be sent to FCT must be accompanied by the following documents:

. List of grant recipients with renewed/extended Studentships whose eligibility under the transitional rule has been validated by FCT;

. Indication of the start date and duration of the renewed/extended Studentship(s);

. Proof of the situation giving rise to the termination of Studentship(s);

. Proof of expenses for renewal/extension of Studentship(s): copies of receipts and proof of payment.

For the payment of the reimbursements due, an addendum will be made to the Program Contract signed with the host Institution under the Transitional Rule.

 

Conditions defined by Law no. 24/2018 for the termination of renewal and extension of contracts of Studentship directly or indirectly funded by FCT and for the return of amounts awarded

. The renewal or extension of Studentship ceases on the date the employment contract is signed, provided that the grantee is hired under the competitive bidding procedure provided for his or her duties in Article 23 of Decree-Law No. 57/2016, of August 29, as amended by Law No. 57/2017, of July 19.

If this is not the case, the renewal or extension of Studentship ceases when the first of the following events occurs:

. On the date of completion of the competition procedure (publication of the final ordered list), when the grantee, having been opposed to Call, has not been in a position eligible to be hired under the competition procedure provided for in article 23 of Decree-Law no. 57/2016, of 29 August, as amended by Law no. 57/2017, of 19 July.

. On Deadline for the presentation of an application to a competitive procedure opened by the grantee's host institution, if this Call respects the profile and is in the same scientific area in which the PhD grantee is working and the grantee does not oppose it.

Note that FCT may request reimbursement of the amounts paid to a grant recipient who does not apply to Call with his profile and in his scientific area, opened by his host institution. Refund is not necessary if the grant recipient applies to a competitive application process opened by an institution other than his/her own. In such cases, as provided in Law no. 24/2018, the renewal or extension of Studentship ceases on the date of the submission of an application by the grantee to that other competitive procedure.

The grant recipient whose Studentship contract is subject to renewal or extension under Law no. 24/2018 has the duty to inform FCT about the facts that cause the interruption of that contract. Failure to comply with this duty, for reasons attributable to the grant recipient, may give rise to a request for restitution of the amount found to have been unduly transferred under the renewal or extension of Studentship.

news edited on june 29 to include draft grantee statement