FCT announces the final results of the 1st edition of the AP Doctoral Competition.

The Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) published, on October 31st, the final results of the 1st edition of the Research Incentive Competition for PhDs in Public Administration Doctor-AP – 2024 .

Of the 467 applications received, 80 research grants were proposed, through the implementation of Scientific Research and Technological Development (R&D) work plans, with a view to obtaining a doctoral degree. The beneficiaries are distributed among a total of 63 public entities, predominantly higher education institutions, local government institutions and entities, as well as health sector institutions.

The AP Doctorate program promotes scientific research and training in the public sector, supporting employees with doctoral projects relevant to the mission of their institutions.

The funding includes the allocation of a grant to support the allocation of protected time, between 20% and 50%, for the implementation of research work plans. This grant is indexed to the current value of a doctoral scholarship and also covers the costs of registration, enrollment, and tuition fees for each academic year. Its duration will correspond to the time during which the reduction in working time occurs, and, regarding the assumption of training costs, to the academic years in which the doctoral researcher is enrolled, up to a maximum of six years.

The total investment foreseen in this tender is approximately 4.95 million euros and will be financed by funds from the State Budget and, where eligible, by revenue from the European Social Fund, through the Demography, Qualifications and Inclusion Programme (PDQI).

The evaluation process took into account the merit of the candidate, the merit of the work plan, and the merit of the hosting conditions. It involved the participation of 64 evaluators affiliated with national institutions, distributed across three evaluation panels .

Candidates who received an unfavorable final decision now have 15 working days to file a complaint against the decision (until November 21, 2025 – at 11:59 pm), or, alternatively, 30 working days to appeal (until December 16, 2025 – at 11:59 pm), by completing the form available in the applications area of ​​the myFCT portal, on the page for the publication of the Final Results of the respective application.

More information is available on the competition page , including statistical data , the list of beneficiaries of the grants awarded, as well as the distribution of the 80 grants across the three evaluation panels.