Third Call Investigator FCT selects 229 new researchers

The results of the third Call Investigator FCT, released at the end of January, reveal that 229 new doctorate holders will join the program to receive a five-year contract that will allow them to develop their research projects in Portuguese R&D centers. Launched in 2012 with the aim of hiring a thousand exceptional scientists by 2016, the program has so far selected 597 researchers.

The FCT Researcher Program offers competitive remuneration, in the form of an employment contract, for a maximum period of five years and allows researchers to also receive funding to consolidate their career and establish leadership in their research areas. Applicants with a doctorate already some years ago can choose one of three modalities: initial level, development level and consolidation level.

The 2014 Call cleared 152 Applicants for the initial level (researchers with PhD completed more than 3 years and less than 8 years); 69 Applicants for the development level (PhD graduates with a CV of outstanding merit and experience as an independent researcher); 8 Applicants for the consolidation level (for PhD graduates with experience as an independent researcher).

The FCT Investigator Program thus opens the doors to "promising and talented" scientistsscientists from all scientific areas, of any nationality and age, to do research in a laboratory in Portugal of their choice. This Call selected 26 researchers from Life and Health Sciences, 87 researchers from Exact Sciences and Engineering, 75 researchers from Natural Sciences and Environment, and 41 researchers from Social Sciences and Humanities.

The selection of researchers is carried out in two stages, by panels of independent experts of recognized international merit in each scientific area, through a rigorous peer review system. The 2014 Call evaluated 1,398 applications in a two-stage process. In the 2015 Call , currently underway, approximately 1 370 applications went through the first phase of the evaluation process.

The FCT Researcher Program is centered on the researcher and his or her R&D project and focuses on scientific excellence for the recruitment of the most creative and innovative Ph.D. researchers, who demonstrate capacity for independence and leadership in their scientific area, considering for the selection criteria such as experience, professional background and research project. FCT researchers carry out their scientific research activities autonomously at the host institution of their choice by signing an employment contract, which is financed by FCT.

The quality of FCT researchers is internationally recognized: several have been selected to receive the prestigious ERC Studentships , of the European Research Council and many others have published their work in renowned scientific publications.