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FCT foresees a budget of 50 M € per year (subject to FCT budget availability) for the funding of R&D units.
Funds to be allocated to R&D units comprise two parts:
The core funding is indexed to the dimension of the unit, to an adjustment factor corresponding to its laboratory intensity and to the grade obtained by the R&D unit in the evaluation process.
Core Funding Matrix
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Laboratory Intensity
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Dimension
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Grade
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| Exceptional (100%) | Excellent (75%) | Very Good (50%) | Good(10%) | ||
| High (100%) | Large (100%) | 400.000€ | 300.000€ | 200.000€ | 40.000€ |
| Medium (50%) | 200.000€ | 150.000€ | 100.000€ | 20.000€ | |
| Small (25%) | 100.000€ | 75.000€ | 50.000€ | 10.000€ | |
| Medium (75%) | Large (100%) | 300.000€ | 225.000€ | 150.000€ | 30.000€ |
| Medium (50%) | 150.000€ | 112.500€ | 75.000€ | 15.000€ | |
| Small (25%) | 75.000€ | 56.250€ | 37.500€ | 7.500€ | |
| Low/null (50%) | Large (100%) | 200.000€ | 150.000€ | 100.000€ | 20.000€ |
| Medium (50%) | 100.000€ | 75.000€ | 50.000€ | 10.000€ | |
| Small (25%) | 50.000€ | 37.500€ | 25.000€ | 5.000€ | |
(By order of the Secretary of State for Science, 5 July, 2013)
The core funding depends on the unit dimension with 100%, 50% and 25% weightings.
The core funding depends on the laboratory intensity with 100%, 75% and 50% weightings.
A R&D unit characterised as multi/interdisciplinary is required to identify at least two scientific areas within different scientific domains (these are: Life and Health Sciences, Natural and Environmental Sciences, Exact Sciences and Engineering, Social Sciences and the Humanities).
All R&D units considered to be single-disciplinary should identify one main scientific area and up to three secondary scientific areas.
This choice has implications on the evaluation. Thus, a single-discipline R&D unit is usually evaluated by a single panel and an interdisciplinary unit is evaluated by more than one panel.
A researcher has to fulfill at least three criteria to be considered an integrated member of a R&D unit:
In all cases a single indicator will be accepted, as long as it relates to a publication in a top 10% international peer-review journal in the area of research.
Article 73 (1) of Estatuto da Carreira Docente Universitária and Article 49 of Estatuto de Carreira de Investigação Científica determine that services provided in other public functions is equivalent to actual service, thus suspending other established obligations, such as the obligation to present four scientific output indicators or equivalents, produced in the last five years.
The integration of foreign members is allowed as long as both the following integrated member criteria are fulfilled: he/she is a researcher with a PhD degree and has a professional contract or link to a Portuguese University.
It is not allowed, under any circumstances, for researchers with full-time contracts with foreign institutions to be proposed as integrated members.
A researcher cannot be an integrated member in more than
one R&D unit. Only Post-doctoral fellows are allowed to be members of
two R&D units simultaneously, as long as their total dedication time
to the workplan does not exceed 100%.
However, researchers can be integrated members of an R&D unit and
also collaborate with other units.
Any scientific paper has only one effective publication date, regardless of the format of publication. In the case of online journals, the official publication date coincides with the date that the paper goes online. Print journals, on the other hand, often make papers available online before print. In these cases, the date of publication in print is considered to be the effective publication date.
We suggest one of the following sites to find information on the rankings of scientific journals:
To PhDs awarded before 31/12/2009 four scientific output indicators from 2008 to 2012 should be listed.
To PhDs awarded after 31/12/2009 two scientific output indicators between 2010- 2013 should be listed.
The CVs that have been submitted by the application deadline are taken as reference for the evaluation process.
Integrated members may choose either format. Any changes made after the application has been locked will not be considered.
Yes. The researcher should be identified as an integrated member of the team belonging to a new unit being submitted for evaluation.
In the tables for the unit’s outputs, only outputs from 2008 to 2012 should be listed, since this is the period under evaluation. However, if there are relevant results from 2013, these may be included in the fields referring to the unit or the research group's Main Achievements. Scientific outputs from 2013 may also be described in the integrated members’ CVs.
Yes, the scientific output of integrated members that are moving to other units may be included in the tables referring to 2008-2012 general indicators, as part of the activities of the unit within that period.
The productivity outputs for the research groups should include the outputs of the team that makes up the research group(integrated members or collaborators) that will be evaluated for 2015/2020.
In the section referring to the 2008-2012 period, it is possible to include aggregated information for units that are currently funded by FCT and that will be part of a new R&D unit as a result of a merger. Example: Scientific output indicators.
No. Only scientific outputs of the registered unit should be included. Scientific output of 2008-2012 of researchers transferring to a different unit may only be reported in the scientific output table of the unit that researchers come from. However, these researchers’ scientific outputs, included in their CVs, will be considered in evaluation of the proposed research plan for 2015-2020.
Thematic lines correspond to scientific programmes or other types of organisation of the scientific activity that is to be developed by the research groups. Organisation along thematic lines is non-compulsory; it is up to the Coordinator to choose the type of organisation that best represents the strategic objectives of the unit.
Yes, a research group may collaborate in more than one thematic line and it is not compulsory that all research groups be part of a thematic line.
Yes, research groups must have at least 3 researchers that are integrated members. The application form requires the indication of 3 key CVs for each research group.
National research projects (including FCT projects) as well as international projects should be included in section 5.1 – General Indicators 2008/2012, under the item Research Contracts with national or international bodies.
Research contracts or terms of acceptance of projects signed by the parts involved for 2008-2012 can be accounted for or referenced in these sections. Section 5 also includes the year.
No. This type of FCT support should not be included in this section.
No. For units applying for funding, the overall budget should be the same as the funding requested to FCT, according to Article 13 (1b) of the Regulation.
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Grade
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Description
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Exceptional |
R&D Unit recognized as an international reference for its scientific and technological output and exceptional contributions to its area of research. |
| Excellent | R&D Unit distinguished by the high quality and international merit of its scientific and technological output and with significant contributions to its area of research. |
| Very Good | R&D Unit recognised as having high quality and national merit and with significant contributions of international relevance in its area of research. |
| Good | R&D Unit with quality at the national level, reduced internationalisation and some contributions to its area of research. |
| Fair | R&D Unit without significant contributions to its area of research. |
| Poor | R&D Unit without contributions to its area of research and with other weaknesses. |
The evaluation panels of both single-discipline and multi/interdisciplinary R&D Units will take into account the keywords indicated in the research groups section of the application form as well as the scientific areas selected in the thematic lines section. Thematic lines chosen may include scientific areas that haven't been stated in the registration, within the same scientific domain(s).
FCT will inform of the evaluation results of phase 1 up to 15 working days after the consensus evaluation reports are received.
FCT will inform of the evaluation results of phase 2 within 30 working days after the final reports of the evaluation panels as well as, whenever applicable, the funding proposals, and the respective expert opinions are received.
The coordinator of the R&D unit can lodge an appeal to the evaluation proposal in 2 periods:
Upon notice of the evaluation panel’s decision, the coordinator of R&D unit has up to 10 days to give an opinion on pertinent points.
Upon notice of the decision, the coordinator of the R&D unit has up to 15 days to submit a complaints claim.
FCT estimates that the evaluation results will be reported by the end of 2014 and become effective from January 2015 (notwithstanding the funding of strategic project 2013/2014).
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2007
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2013
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| Funding |
Pluriannual funding allocated according to the number of FTEs of the
R&D unit, replaced by funding of a strategic project in
2011. Programmatic funding allocated to all units with the status of Associate Laboratory, replaced by funding of a strategic project in 2011. |
Core funding* indexed to the dimension of the unit, to an adjustment
factor corresponding to its laboratory intensity and grade awarded by
evaluation panels Strategic funding* to be allocated to all units rated as “Very Good” or higher. |
| Evaluation | One phase with site visits to R&D units. |
Two phases, with site visits/interviews with the Unit
directors. RebuttalRebuttal: R&D units selected to 2nd stage of the evaluation are allowed to submit comments which will be taken into account by the evaluation panel of the 2nd stage. |
| Mid-term review | Non-existent | Three years after completion of the periodic evaluation process notwithstanding evaluations occurring in exceptional circumstances. |
| Rating | 5 rating levels from Poor to Excellent | 6 rating levels from Poor to Exceptional |
* subject to FCT budget availability