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Research Fellowship for PhD Student (area of International Studies or similar)

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Reference: CEI_BI_01_2025

Application deadline: 09-12-2025 to 23-12-2025

Duration: 12 meses (eventualmente renovável)

Starts: January 2026

Summary

The Centre for International Studies (CEI-Iscte) at Iscte – Knwoledge and Innovation is accepting applications for 1 (one) Research Fellowship for a doctoral Student, in the area of International Studies or similar, aligned with the CEI-Iscte strategic plan, under the FCT ‘Regulamento de Bolsas de Investigação’ (RBI) and the ‘Estatuto do Bolseiro de Investigação’ (EBI).

The grant will be funded by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) under the framework of the Pluriannual funding of R&D units with reference UID/3122/2025, and contractualised with the Main Management Institution Associação ISCTE Conhecimento e Inovação – Centro de Valorização e Transferência de Tecnologias (Iscte – Knowledge and Innovation).

You can see the full notice here.

Submission of applications

The call is open from 9 to 23 December 2025 (11.59 p.m. Lisbon time).

Applications and supporting documents must be submitted to Iscte – Knowledge and Innovation Recruitment platform: https://recrutamento.conhecimentoinovacao.iscte-iul.pt/jobs.

Each candidate may submit only one application, under penalty of cancellation of all applications submitted.

False statements or plagiarism submitted by the candidates will lead to the cancellation of the application, without prejudice to the adoption of other sanctioning measures.

Contact email for questions regarding this call is: recruitment.cei@iscte-iul.pt.

Other details

TYPE AND DURATION OF THE GRANT

In accordance with numbers 1 and 2 of Article 6 of the FCT Research Grant Regulation, the Research Grant (BI) is intended for the conduction of R&D activities by students enrolled in a doctoral programme, aimed at consolidating their scientific training through the development of research and that leads to the award of the respective academic degree, integrated or not in R&D projects, or for the conduct of R&D activities by master students who are enrolled in courses that do not confer an academic degree integrated in the educational project of Iscte.

The grant will have a duration of 12 months, starting in January 2025. The grant contract may be renewed up to the maximum period provided for in section c of the n. 4 of Article 6 or until the end of the programme contract for Pluriannual Funding of R&D Units with reference UID/3122/2025.

 

WORK PLAN AND SCIENTIFIC ORIENTATION OF THE FELLOWSHIP

Development of scientific research and support to the implementation of the CEI-Iscte strategic project, across its research groups: Global Politics and Security; Democracy, Activism, and Citizenship; and Sustainable Societies.

The activities include: strengthening the external dissemination of the strategic project, organising events associated with the project, including seminars and conferences; supporting the management of academic programmes directed at CEI-Iscte’s PhD students enrolled in teaching programmes managed by CEI-Iscte; and supporting research projects with national and international funding.

The work will be carried out under the supervision of Professor Ana Mónica Fonseca, director of the Centre for International Studies of Iscte – University Institute of Lisbon, with the Iscte – Knowledge and Innovation as the managing institution.

 

ADMISSIBILITY

 Requirements for Admissibility of the candidates

The following are eligible to apply to this call for proposals:

  • National citizens or citizens from other Member States of the European Union;
  • Non-EU citizens;
  • Stateless persons;
  • Citizens benefiting from the status of political refugee.

To apply for a PhD Research Fellowship, it is necessary:

  • Hold a degree or master’s degree in the areas of International Studies, Social Sciences, and related fields;
  • Be enrolled in a doctoral programme or in a course integrated within Iscte’s educational project;
  • Experience in supporting the management of academic programmes;
  • Experience in supporting the management of academic projects with national or international funds;
  • Proven experience in organising academic events;
  • Excellent written and oral expression skills, including English;
  • Solid computer skills;
  • Do not hold a PhD degree.

 

Requirements for Admissibility of the application

The following documents must be annexed to the application, otherwise, admission to the competition will be refused:

  • Curriculum Vitae of the candidate;
  • Certificates of the academic degrees held, specifying the final classification and, if possible, the classifications obtained in all the courses taken, or, alternatively, a declaration of honour from the candidate stating that he/she has concluded the Bachelor or Master’s degree by the end of the application deadline; More information: https://www.dges.gov.pt/pt/pagina/reconhecimento?plid=374
  • Motivation Letter, with plan for collaboration with CEI-Iscte;
  • Proof of enrolment in a doctoral programme or in non-degree courses included in Iscte’s educational project;
  • Other documents considered relevant (optional)
  • Letters of recommendation (optional, maximum 2).

The application and all associated documents, including letters of motivation and recommendation, may be written in Portuguese or English.

 

EVALUATION CRITERIA

The selection methods to be used will be as follows:

  1. Curriculum evaluation – 30%.
  2. Proven previous work experience (minimum of 1 year) in an academic environment as indicated in point 4.1 of this notice – 40%.
  3. Evaluation of writing skills and motivation letter – 20%.
  4. Proficiency in English and knowledge of language(s) – 10%.

If the jury considers it necessary, the best classified candidates may, in a second phase, be invited for an interview. In this second phase, the final classification will be obtained by weighting 60% of the classification from the first phase and 40% from the interview. If the jury considers that an interview is not necessary to complement the assessment of the candidates, the assessment of criteria A., B., C. and D. will have a final weighting of 100 per cent.

 

EVALUATION PANEL

The evaluation panel of the applications is composed of the following elements:

  • President of the Jury – Doctor Ana Mónica Fonseca, Assistant Professor at Iscte – University Institute of Lisbon (Iscte)
  • Full member – Doctor Giulia Daniele, Assistant Professor at Iscte;
  • Full member – Doctor Pedro Seabra, Assistant Professor at Iscte;
  • Substitute Member – Doctor Ana Lúcia Sá, Assistant Professor at Iscte.

The evaluation panel shall evaluate the applications in accordance with the evaluation criteria set out in this Notice of Call for Proposals, weighting the assessment elements.

 

DISSEMINATION OF RESULTS

The results of the evaluation will be communicated via e-mail to the e-mail address used by the applicant to send the application/indicated in the application.

 

DEADLINES AND PROCEDURES FOR HEARINGS

After communication of the provisional list of the results of the evaluation, the candidates have a period of 10 working days to make their comments during a prior hearing of interested parties, under the terms of Article 121 and following the Administrative Procedure Code.

The final decision will be issued after the analysis of the statements presented during the prior hearing of interested parties.

 

FELLOWSHIP COMPONENTS

The fellowship holder shall receive a monthly maintenance allowance, in accordance with the table in Annex I of the RBI (https://www.fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/valores), of 1 309,64€. The grant may also include other components, under the terms set out in Article 18 of the RBI and in the amounts set out in Annex II. Payments to the fellowship holder are made by bank transfer to the account identified by the person concerned.

All grant recipients shall be covered by personal accident insurance for research activities, supported by FCT.

All grant recipients who are not covered by any social protection scheme may exercise their right to social security by joining the voluntary social insurance scheme, under the terms of the Social Security Contributions Code, with Iscte paying the costs resulting from the contributions under the terms and within the limits set forth in article 10 of the EBI.

 

APPLICABLE LAWS AND REGULATIONS

The call is governed by this Opening Notice, by the FCT Research Fellowships’ Regulation, approved by Regulation no. 950/2019, published in the II Series of the DR of 16 December 2019, by the Research Fellowship Holder Statute approved by Law no. 40/2004, of 18 August, as amended, and by all other applicable national and EU legislation (available: https://www.fct.pt/financiamento/programas-de-financiamento/bolsas/; https://files.diariodarepublica.pt/2s/2019/12/241000000/0009100105.pdf; https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/legislacao-consolidada/lei/2004-58216179)

 

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE GRANTING OF FELLOWSHIP

The research fellowship contract is signed directly with Iscte -Knowledge and Innovation (Associação Iscte Conhecimento e Inovação – Centro de Valorização de Transferência e Tecnologias). The following documents must be submitted for contractualisation purposes:

  1. Copy of the civil, tax and, when applicable, social security identification document(s) (the provision of these documents may be substituted, at the option of the applicant, by presentation in person at Iscte, which will keep the elements contained therein that are relevant to the validity and execution of the contract, including civil, tax and social security identification numbers, as well as the validity of the respective documents);
  2. Copy of the qualification certificates of the academic degrees held;
  3. Presentation of the foreign academic degree recognition register and conversion of the respective final classifications to the Portuguese classification scale, if applicable
  4. Document proving enrolment and registration in the Doctoral Programme as indicated in the present Notice
  5. Document proving compliance with the regime of exclusive dedication (draft statement will be made available).

The award of the grant is also subject to

  • fulfilment of the requirements set out in this Announcement of the Call
  • the result of the evaluation
  • The non-existence of unjustified breach of duties by the grant recipient under a previous grant contract funded directly or indirectly by FCT;

Failure to submit any of the documents by the contractualization process within 6 months of the date of communication of the decision to award a conditional grant will result in the expiration of the grant and the termination of the process.