A tender is hereby open for the award of 2 (two) Starting Research Grant, with public notice Edital 23/2026/BII/AgendasPRR, for development of scientific and technological research activities, under the scheme «Agendas Mobilizadoras para a Inovação Empresarial», namely BLOCKCHAIN.PT - Agenda Descentralizar Portugal com Blockchain project, at the Instituto de Telecomunicações (IT) Research Unit, at the University of Aveiro, Portugal, with the following conditions:

1. Scientific Area: Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Engineering Sciences, Communication Sciences and Technologies.

2. Funding: funded by the PRR - Recovery and Resilience Plan and by the NextGenerationEU, through the scheme «Agendas para a Inovação Empresarial». 

3. Admission Requirements: candidates must be Students enrolled in a Bachelor's degree in the Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Engineering Sciences, Communication Sciences and Technologies scientific field. 

The proof of enrolment must be made available until the contract is awarded, and the candidate may attach a declaration of honor to confirm that they meet the admission requirements for enrollment in that course.

If the qualification has been conferred by a foreign higher education institution it must be recognized by a Portuguese higher education institution, under the terms of the provisions of article 25 of Decree-Law no. 66/2018, of August 16th, which approves the legal regime of recognition of academic degrees and diplomas of Higher Education, attributed by foreign higher education institutions, and of paragraph e) of no. 2 of article 4 of Decree-Law no. 60/2018, of August 3rd, and any formalities established therein must be fulfilled by the date of the hiring act.

4. Eligibility:  Applicants are eligible if they comply with paragraph a) of no.1 of article 2, of the Research Fellow Statute in the wording given by Decree-Law no. 123/2019, of August 28th, and also the provisions of article 10 of the Scientific Research Grant Regulations of the University of Aveiro. (The Starting Research Grant cannot be awarded to those who have already benefited from research grants awarded under the Research Fellow Statute)

5. Work Plan: Identify and validate the most suitable business model for the commercialisation and growth of the products developed within the scope of the project (micro-credentials in the blockchain field). In a first phase, a comparative analysis of established business models in the sector will be conducted, namely models based on advertising, freemium, and licensing, assessing their viability and suitability to the product context. In a second phase, emerging models supported by blockchain technology will be explored, with particular focus on the application of token economics to training products — a mechanism that aligns the incentives of the different stakeholders, namely users, content producers, and investors — creating an economically sustainable ecosystem. The work will culminate in the definition of a clear business strategy to serve as the foundation for the scale-up process and the creation of long-term value.

6. Legislation and regulations: Research Fellow Statute, as amended by Decree-Law No. 123/2019, of August 28th; Scientific Research Grant Regulation of the University of Aveiro, Regulation No. 292/2020, published in Diário da República No. 61, Series II, of March 26th; Decree-Law No. 66/2018, of August 16th (Legal regime of recognition of academic degrees and diplomas of higher education awarded by foreign higher education institutions).

7. Place of work: the work will take place at Department of Electronics, Telecommunications, and Informatics (DETI) of the University of Aveiro, under the scientific supervision of Professor Paulo Bartolomeu.

8. Duration of the grant(s): the grant duration will be 3 (three) months, with an expected starting date on the 1st April 2026. The fellowship may be renewed up to the maximum limit of approved funding, during the project implementation period, and without exceeding the duration limits defined for the type of fellowship in article 10 of Regulation no. 292/2020, of February 28th, published in Diário da República, no. 61, Series II, of March 26th (Scientific Research Grant Regulation of the University of Aveiro).

9. Monthly allowance: The monthly allowance corresponds to €651,12 according to the table of values of monthly maintenance allowance set out in Appendix III of the Scientific Research Regulation of the University of Aveiro, subject to any updates that may occur if applicable. The payment will be made by bank transfer. The fellow may also be reimbursed for the amount corresponding to the Voluntary Social Security, in case of adherence.

10. Selection method: the selection methods to be used include Curricular Evaluation. The sub criteria to be assessed under Curricular Evaluation (with a weight of 0 - 20 points) are: 

- Curriculum vitae/Academic evaluation (70%);

- Suitability of the candidate's profile to the project based on relevant work experience in the tasks described in the work plan (30%).

The jury reserves the right to not assign the Research grant if none candidates reach the minimum score of 10 points in a scale of 0 to 20 points.

11. Members of the Jury: President: Professor Paulo Bartolomeu; Permanent members: Professor Joaquim José de Castro Ferreira and Professor Valter Filipe Miranda Castelão da Silva; Substitute members: Doctor João Miguel Pereira de Almeida and Professor Pedro Alexandre de Sousa Gonçalves

12. Period for submission of applications: the call is open from 12th April 2026 to 26th April 2026. Only applications received witin the deadline will be admitted. Applications must be submitted by e-mail to recr-agendasprr@ua.pt with identification of the public notice reference in the email subject.

Applications should include the following mandatory documents: certificate(s) of qualifications, curriculum vitae, declaration of honor, application form, Q21. The candidate should also indicate the e-mail address to be notified for all purposes within the scope of this procedure. 

Failure to comply with the deadline for submission of the application, as well as the incorrect formalization of the application, result in the exclusion of the application.

13. Publication/notification of results: the results of the evaluation will be published within 60 working days after the final date of submission of the application, whereas the candidates will be notified by email. For the purposes of prior hearing of interested parties, the deadline of 10 working days after notification is set, as provided for in the Code of Administrative Procedure. At the end of the period for hearing the interested parties, and in the absence of any response from them, the list of candidates will become final. Candidates may lodge a complaint against the final decision within 10 working days after notification of the final decision, by appealing to the Rector.

14. Tender duration: The final ranking list of candidates will be valid for 12 months for the purpose of constituting a reserve list for selection. 

The models of the grant contract and of the final report to be prepared by the grant holder and the supervisor are available at Research fellows - sgrh - Universidade de Aveiro (ua.pt)

University of Aveiro, 12th April 2026

Professor Paulo Bartolomeu

PT version: https://www.ua.pt/pt/noticias/0/96003