The Polytechnic of Leiria is now opening applications for one (1) Scientific Initiation Research Fellowship (BII. 184957), within the project “IoMUxV - Internet of Manned and Unmanned x Vehicles”, ref. projeto interno IoMUxV/I&D+i/IPLeiria/2026, financed by IPLeiria in the following terms:

. SCIENTIFIC AREA: Computer Engineer.

. RECIPIENTS: Students enrolled on a Computer Engineering degree course, or Electrical Engineering degree course, or a related field. [registration is not mandatory during the application phase]. 

. DURATION: 6 months months, eventually renewable until the end of the project or the maximum duration for this research fellowship type. The fellowship is due to start in April 2026.

. WORK PLAN: The objectives of this Research Initiation Grant include reviewing work related to the control, acquisition and provision (screens and dashboards) of data from unmanned aerial, land and water vehicles, as well as the subsequent definition and implementation of a common interface for the control, acquisition and provision of data, regardless of the type of unmanned vehicle. This also includes the production of technical documentation.

Deliverables: The grant holder is expected to present, as the main deliverable, the preliminary implementation of a common interface for the control, acquisition and provision of data from unmanned vehicles. They must also submit a technical document containing the related work, the functional and non-functional requirements, the specification of the common interface and the corresponding critical analysis.

. WORKPLACE AND SCIENTIFIC SUPERVISION: The work will be developed at the Research Unit CIIC - Computer Science and Communication Research Centre, at the ESTG – School of Technology and Management, of the Polytechnic of Leiria, under the supervision of PhD António Manuel de Jesus Pereira, Nuno Alexandre Ribeiro da Costa, Nuno Carlos Sousa Rodrigues and Luís Alexandre Lopes Frazão.

. GRANT FINANTIAL COMPONENTS: Monthly maintenance stipend of € 651,12, according to the FCT Regulation for Studentships and Fellowships (https://www.fct.pt/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Tabela_valores_SMM_2025.pdf), plus, if applicable, the monthly Voluntary Social Insurance, according to the conditions defined in the Research Fellowship Holder statute, as well as the Personal Accident Insurance, during the research fellowship period.

. PAYMENT: The maintenance stipend will be monthly processed, through bank transfer, to the account identified by the research fellow.

. ACTIVITY SCHEME: Exclusivity, according to the applicable legislation.

. EVALUATION PANEL: The jury responsible for the applications evaluation will be constituted by PhD Professors: Nuno Alexandre Ribeiro da Costa (president), Nuno Carlos Sousa Rodrigues and Luís Alexandre Lopes Frazão (effective members); David Ferreira Safadinho and Luís Filipe Jesus Correia (substitute members).

. APPLICATION DEADLINE: 18th of march of 2026 to 31st of march of 2026.

. SELECTION METHOD AND EVALUATION CRITERIA: Evaluation will be based on the curricular analysis and will focus on the candidate’s merit according to the following: 

. Adequacy of the field of study of the academic qualification (HA)

. Number of ECTS credits earned in the degree programme (ECTS)

. Average grade in the course units completed (UC)

. Experience and general knowledge (ECG)

. Specific knowledge in the project area (CE).

With the final grade:

(NF) = [HA*0.20 + ECTS*0.20 + UC*0.20 + ECG*0.20 + CE*0.20]

If the jury deliberates on a reasoned basis, the top three candidates in the curriculum analysis will be invited for an interview. In this situation, the final score will be calculated as follows:

(NFE) = [NF*0,50 + ENT*0,50]

Observation: If the candidate(s) with foreign qualifications(s) do not present, during the application phase, the recognition of the degree or foreign diploma and the classification conversion to the Portuguese scale, the jury defines the conversion only for the application purposes based on the rules of the legal regime applicable to the recognition of foreign degrees and diplomas or, when not possible, applies the minimal classification of 10 points. 

Note that foreign academic degrees need to be registered by a Portuguese institution, in accordance with  Decree-law no. 66/2018, dated August 16th, and  Ordinance no. 33/2019, dated January 25th. The presentation of the certificate is mandatory for signing the contract. More information can be obtained at: https://www.dges.gov.pt/pt/pagina/reconhecimento?plid=374

. ELIGIBILITY OF CANDIDATES: Without prejudice to the applicable rules to each type of research fellowship, the following candidates are eligible:

a) National citizens or citizens of other member states of the European Union;

b) Third-party states citizens;

c) Stateless persons;

d) Beneficiaries of political refugee status.

. SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS: Applications must be submitted at the following link:       

1 Bolsa de Iniciação à Investigação (BII 184957) - IoMUxV - CIIC | Politécnico de Leiria

Applications must be accompanied by the following documents: _____________________________________

- Document(s) proving the ownership of the academic degree(s) and/or required application diploma(s), preferably with the final average and curricular units’ classification. Candidates with foreign qualifications must prove their academic degree and foreign diploma in the terms of the Decree-law no. 66/2018, dated August 16th. These documents can be dismissed during the application phase, by submitting a declaration of honour available in the application form, which can only attest to facts that occurred prior to the application, with the verification of this condition occurring only in the contract signing phase;

- (optional during the application phase) Document proving the enrolment and registration in the study cycle or non-awarding degree course, as stated in the application announcement;

- Updated candidate Curriculum Vitae;

- Document(s) supporting other evaluation parameter(s) indicated in the announcement;

- Other certifications and/or other documents considered relevant by the candidate.

. RESULTS | DISCLOSURE AND COMPLAINTS: The jury will send to the candidates, by e-mail, the provisional results of the evaluation (presented in the form of the minutes resulting from the evaluation process) within 90 working days after the application deadline. After this disclosure, candidates have 10 working days to pronounce, if they wish, in the appropriate form available in the institutional webpage, under the terms of the administrative procedure code (CPA). The final decision will be taken within a maximum period of 60 working days after the conclusion of the previous hearing of interested parties, of which a complaint can be filed within 15 working days, after notification, to the highest executive body of the Polytechnic of Leiria. Within the scope of the research fellowship award procedure, if the final ordering list, duly approved, contains a number of approved candidates higher than the number of research fellowships to be filled, an internal recruitment reserve is always created, which can be used when there is need for occupation due to withdrawal of the scholarship holder, under the terms of the CPA, to be used during the eligibility of the project.

. APPLICABLE LEGISLATION AND REGULATION: Research Fellowship Holder statute, approved by Law no. 40/2004, dated August 18th, in its current wording; Leiria Polytechnic Scientific Research Scholarship Regulations no. 152/2021, of 22nd February.

Leiria, 17th of march of 2026.

The Vice-President of the Polytechnic of Leiria, 

Pedro António Amado de Assunção