[Commlist] Phd Scholarships | Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Lisbon

The School of Human Sciences at the Catholic University of Portugal 
welcomes applications for full-time PhDscholarships in the area of 
Communication Studies. The Scholarship offers a stipend of €13,255 per 
year plus tuition fee for three years for doctoral research projects 
starting in September 2021.
__
__ __

The scholarship holder’s work plan must be developed within the 
framework of one of the following research groups at the Research Center 
for Communication and Culture: a) Media Narratives and Cultural Memory, 
b) Digital Literacy and Cultural Change. The application deadline is 29 
June 2021.

For further information please see 
here:https://fch.lisboa.ucp.pt/asset/17181/file 
<https://fch.lisboa.ucp.pt/asset/17181/file>


__

Notice of Opening of Tender for the Award of Doctoral Research Scholarships
Universidade Católica Portuguesa (UCP hereafter) hereby opens a tender 
for the award of three research scholarships, hereafter referred to as 
Doctoral Research Scholarships, in the area of Communication Sciences, 
under the FCT Research Grant Regulations and the Research Grant Holder 
Statute (RBI and EBI respectively hereafter).
These scholarships are financed by the Centro de Estudos de Comunicação 
e Cultura (CECC) within the scope of FCT financing – reference number 
UIDB2021.1/00126/2020.

1. SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS
The tender shall be open from 16 to 29 June 2021, at 5pm (Lisbon time).
Applications and their respective supporting documentation, stipulated 
in the present Notice of the Opening of a Tender, must be submitted via 
email to (concursos.cecc /at/ fch.lisboa.ucp.pt).
Candidates may submit one application only. The submission of more than 
one application will result in the annulment of all applications.
False statements or plagiarism on the part of candidate are grounds for 
annulment of the application, without prejudice to any other punitive 
measures.

2. TYPE AND DURATION OF SCHOLARSHIPS
Doctoral Research Scholarships are intended to finance students’ PhD 
research as part of UCP’s doctoral program in Communication Studies of 
Universidade Católica Portuguesa (UIDB2021.1/00126/2020). The research 
leading to a PhD by the scholarship recipients must fall within the 
framework of CECC’s (UIDB2021.1/00126/2020) strategic activities plan 
and must be developed under the auspices of the Doctoral Degree Program 
in Culture Studies of UCP’s Faculdade de Ciências Humanas (FCH hereafter).
This is, as a rule, an annual scholarship, renewable up to a maximum of 
three years (36 months). The scholarship cannot be awarded for a period 
of less than three consecutive months.

3. SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
Doctoral Research Scholarships are awarded to candidates who are either 
enrolled or who meet the requirements to enrol in the Doctoral Program 
in Communication Studies at FCH/UCP and who seek to develop research 
leading to a doctoral degree at the Centro de Estudos de Comunicação e 
Cultura – CECC (UIDB2021.1/00126/2020).

4. ELIGIBILITY

4.1 Candidate eligibility requirements
The following are eligible to apply:
• Portuguese citizens or citizens of other European Union member states;
• Citizens from other states;
• Stateless persons;
• Citizens holding political refugee status.
In order to apply for a Doctoral Research Scholarship, applicants must:
• hold an undergraduate or Master’s degree in the fields of 
Communication Studies, Journalism, Digital Media or in other areas 
deemed relevant to both the program and the project development;
• reside in Portugal on a permanent and regular basis, whenever the work 
plan associated with the scholarship takes place partially or in 
totality in international institutions (mixed or abroad scholarships), a 
requirement applicable to both national and international candidates.
• not have previously been the recipient of a doctoral scholarship or an 
in-company doctoral degree financed by FCT, irrespective of its length.
• not hold a PhD degree.

4.2 Application Eligibility Requirements
The following documents, without exception, must be included in the 
application, on penalty of exclusion from the tender:
• The details stated on the identity card, citizen’s card or passport;
• The candidate’s CV;
• Certificates for each academic qualification held, which must specify 
the final classification and, whenever possible, the marks received in 
each subject studied or, alternatively, a declaration upon honour that 
the candidate completed their undergraduate or Master’s degree studies 
prior to the application deadline;
• Records of the awarding of academic titles by international higher 
education institutions alongside a record of the conversion of the 
respective final classification to the scale applied in the Portuguese 
classification system or, alternatively, a declaration upon honour that 
the candidate completed the respective international equivalent to a 
Master’s degree prior to the application deadline;
• Letter of motivation;
• Preliminary PhD project within the scope of one of the following 
research groups at CECC: a) Media Narratives and Cultural Memory, b) 
Digital Literacy and Cultural Change (max. 2,000 words).

As regards the aforementioned eligibility requirements, the following 
should be noted:
• In the case of academic qualifications awarded by non-national higher 
education institutions, and in order to ensure the principle of equal 
treatment of candidates with national and non-national academic degrees, 
the recognition of all academic qualifications and the conversion of 
their final classification grades to the Portuguese classification scale 
is mandatory.
The recognition of non-national academic titles and diplomas as well as 
the conversion of final classifications to the Portuguese classification 
scale may be requested at any public higher education institution or 
from DGES – the General Directorate of Higher Education (only for cases 
of automatic recognition). On this matter, we would suggest consulting 
the DGES website at the following address: http://www.dges.gov.pt.
• Candidates will only be considered if they have completed the cycle of 
studies leading to an undergraduate or Master’s degree by the deadline 
of the tender. Should they not have the certificates testifying to 
attaining the necessary qualifications for the submission of their 
applications by the tender deadline, then a declaration upon honour 
shall be provisionally accepted. However, the awarding of the 
scholarship shall remain contingent on the submission of the 
certificates attesting to the attainment of the academic qualifications 
necessary for the awarding of the scholarship.

5. WORK PLANS AND SCIENTIFIC SUPERVISION OF SCHOLARSHIP HOLDERS
• The scholarship holder’s work plan must be developed within the 
framework of one of the following Centro de Estudos de Comunicação e 
Cultura (CECC) research groups: a) Media Narratives and Cultural Memory, 
b) Digital Literacy and Cultural Change.

6. ASSESSMENT CRITERIA AND METHODS
The assessment takes into account the academic merit and the potential 
of each candidate (as expressed in the letter of motivation, the 
preliminary PhD project and the interview).
Candidates deemed eligible are assessed on a scale of 1 to 20 in each of 
the following assessment criteria:
• Criterion A – Candidate merit, with a weighting of 55%;
o Sub-criterion A1 – Relevance and quality of academic training, with a 
weighting of 40%
o Sub-criterion A2 – Other relevant experience, with a weighting of 15%
• Criterion B – Candidate potential, with a weighting of 45%;
o Sub-criterion B1 – Letter of motivation, with a weighting of 10%
o Sub-criterion B2 – Preliminary PhD project, with a weighting of 20%
o Sub-criterion B3 – Interview, with a weighting of 15%

For the purposes of the scholarship awarding decision, candidates are 
ranked based on the weighted classification obtained in each of the two 
criteria (and the respective five sub-criteria), as set out in the 
following formula: 𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝑪𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 
=(𝟎.𝟓𝟓×𝑨)+(𝟎.𝟒𝟓×𝑩)
In the case of a tie, the ranking of candidates will be made based on 
the classifications awarded in each assessment sub-criterion, in the 
following order: sub-criterion A1, sub-criterion B2, sub-criterion B3, 
sub-criterion A2 and sub-criterion B1.
Important advice for candidates holding diplomas issued by non-national 
higher education institutions:
• Candidates holding diplomas issued by non-national higher education 
institutions may apply and be subject to the same assessment criteria as 
candidates holding diplomas issued by Portuguese institutions whenever 
their respective applications contain duly recognized academic title(s) 
as well as the conversion of the final classification to the Portuguese 
classification scale, in accordance with the terms of the applicable 
legislation.
• Candidates with non-national diplomas who fail to submit evidence of 
conversion of their final classification to the Portuguese 
classification scale are awarded the minimum classification (10 points) 
in sub-criterion A1.
• In all cases, scholarship contracts with candidates holding diplomas 
issued by non-national higher education institutions shall only be 
signed after submission of the evidence of recognition of their academic 
titles and the conversion of their final classification as detailed above.

7. ASSESSMENT
The candidate assessment panel is composed of the following members:
• Nelson Ribeiro, CECC, UCP (Chair)
• Carla Ganito, CECC, UCP
• Catarina Burnay, CECC, UCP
• Alexandra Lopes, CECC, UCP (stand-in)
• Patrícia Dias, CECC, UCP (stand-in)

The assessment panel shall evaluate each application in accordance with 
the assessment criteria set out in the present Notice of Tender Opening, 
taking into consideration the respective assessment elements.
Every panel member, including the Chair, shall commit to respecting a 
set of core responsibilities in this assessment process, such as the 
duties of impartiality, the disclosure of any potential conflicts of 
interest, and confidentiality. In every stage of the assessment process, 
confidentiality is entirely protected and ensured so as to guarantee the 
independence of all determinations issued.
For each candidate, the panel shall produce a final assessment file that 
clearly, coherently and consistently sets out the arguments leading to 
the classifications awarded across each of the assessment criteria and 
sub-criteria.
The assessment panel meetings shall be recorded in minutes that must be 
signed off by every serving member.
The minutes and their annexes must include the following information:
• Name and affiliation of all assessment panel members;
• Identification of all excluded applications alongside the respective 
reasons;
• Methodology adopted by the panel for any special cases;
• Final Assessment Files for each of the applications accepted;
• Provisional list with the classification and ranking of candidates, in 
descending order of final classifications, for all applications assessed 
by the panel;
• COI Statements from every panel member;
• Any cases of vote or assignment of roles by proxy on grounds of the 
justified absence of panel members.

8. PUBLICATION OF RESULTS
The assessment results shall be released via e-mail, and sent to the 
address disclosed by the candidate on their scholarship application.

9. DEADLINES AND PROCEDURES FOR PRIOR AUDIENCES, COMPLAINTS AND APPEALS
Following the release of the provisional assessment results list, 
candidates have a period of ten working days in which, should they wish 
it, they may express their response at a prior audience of interested 
parties under the terms of Articles 121 and subsequent of the Code of 
Administrative Procedures.
The final decision shall be issued following analysis of the responses 
submitted under the auspices of the prior audience of interested 
parties. The final decision may be subject to a complaint within a 
period of 15 working days or, alternatively, of an appeal within a 
period of thirty working days, with both durations beginning on the date 
of the initial notification. Candidates who opt to submit a complaint or 
an appeal should address this to the Rector’s Office (Reitoria) of 
Universidade Católica Portuguesa.

10. SCHOLARSHIP AWARD REQUIREMENTS
The research scholarship contracts are signed directly with Universidade 
Católica Portuguesa.

The following documentation must be submitted should a scholarship be 
awarded, for the purposes of signing the respective contract:
a) Copy of each civil and fiscal identification document and, whenever 
applicable, of social security1;
b) Copy of certificates for each of the academic degrees held;
c) Submission of records of non-national academic qualifications and 
conversion of the respective final classifications to the Portuguese 
classification scale whenever applicable;
d) Document attesting to enrolment and registration for the Doctoral 
Degree Program in Communication Sciences at FCH/UCP;
e) Declaration from supervisor(s) expressing their acceptance of 
responsibility for the supervision of the work plan under the terms of 
Article 5-A of the Research Grant Statute (term of declaration to be 
provided by FCT);
f) Document attesting to the acceptance of the candidate by the 
institution hosting the respective research, guaranteeing the conditions 
necessary for their efficient development, as well as complying with the 
obligations stipulated under Article 13 of the Research Grant Statute;
g) An updated document demonstrating compliance with the exclusive 
dedication regime.
The awarding of the scholarship is also contingent on:
• compliance with the requirements stipulated by the present Tender 
Notification;
• the results of the scientific evaluation;
• the non-existence of any unjustified non-compliance with the duties of 
scholarship holders within the framework of any prior awarding of a 
financial grant contract, whether directly or indirectly, by FCT;
• CECC’s budgetary capacity.
Failure to submit any of the documentation necessary to comply with the 
scholarship contractual process within a period of six months beginning 
on the date of communication of the conditional award of the scholarship 
shall result in the annulment of the aforementioned award and the 
closure of the respective file.

11. FINANCING
The disbursement of the scholarship shall begin after the candidate has 
returned the duly signed research scholarship contract, which must take 
place within a maximum period of 15 working days beginning on the date 
of its receipt.
Scholarships awarded under the auspices of the current tender shall be 
financed by CECC with funding from FCT.

12. SCHOLARSHIP COMPONENTS
Scholarship holders are awarded a monthly maintenance stipend in 
accordance with the terms of the table in RBI Annex I.
All scholarship holders who are not otherwise covered by any social 
protection regime may take up the right to social security by 
registering with the social security voluntary regime, under the terms 
of the Contributory Regimes Code for the Social Security Welfare System, 
with CECC meeting any costs resulting from the respective contributions, 
in accordance with the terms and limits stipulated in Article 10 of the EBI.

13. SCHOLARSHIP COMPONENT PAYMENTS
Disbursements to scholarship holders are made via bank transfer to the 
account number they have provided.

14. TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR THE RENEWAL OF SCHOLARSHIPS
Scholarship renewal is invariably contingent on the submission of a 
request by the scholarship holder within sixty working days prior to the 
date of renewal, accompanied by the following documents:
a) opinions issued by the candidate’s supervisor(s) and by their host 
institution(s) resulting from the monitoring of the scholarship holder’s 
work and assessing their activity;
b) an updated document demonstrating compliance with the exclusive 
dedication regime;
c) a document demonstrating renewal of enrolment in the PhD study cycle.

15. INFORMATION AND DISSEMINATION OF THE SCHOLARSHIP
In all R&D activities, whether directly or indirectly financed by the 
scholarship, namely conference participations, publications and any 
scientific output, as well as the resulting theses, carried out with 
scholarship-related support, scholarship holders must explicitly mention 
the financial support received from CECC and FCT. To this end, any 
relevant documents must include references to the acronyms of FCT and CECC.
The dissemination of research results financed under the auspices of the 
RBI must follow all the norms for open access to data, publications and 
other research results in effect at FCT.

16. NON-DISCRIMINATION AND EQUAL ACCESS POLICY
UCP promotes a policy of non-discrimination and equal access. 
Accordingly, no candidate may be favoured, advantaged, disadvantaged or 
deprived of any right or exempted from any duty, namely as a result of 
their parentage, age, gender, sexual orientation, civil status, family 
situation, economic situation, education, social origin or condition, 
genetic heritage, reduced working capacity, disability, chronic illness, 
nationality, ethnic or racial background, territory of origin, language, 
religion, political or ideological beliefs and trade union membership.

17. APPLICABLE LEGISLATION AND REGULATIONS
The Tender falls under the auspices of the regulations of the current 
Notice of Tender Opening, the Regulations for FCT Research Grants, as 
approved by Regulation no. 950/2019, published in the 2nd Series of 
Diário da República on 16 December 2019, the Research Grant Holder 
Statute approved by Law no. 40/2004, of 18 August, in accordance with 
the version in effect, as well as any further applicable national and EU 
legislation.


---------------
The COMMLIST
---------------
This mailing list is a free service offered by Nico Carpentier. Please use it responsibly and wisely.
--
To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit http://commlist.org/
--
Before sending a posting request, please always read the guidelines at http://commlist.org/
--
To contact the mailing list manager:
Email: (nico.carpentier /at/ vub.ac.be)
URL: http://nicocarpentier.net
---------------