The University of Coimbra opens a call for the assignment of a research initiation grant, with one position, within the scope of the project EI0430.

This call is governed by this Announcement, the Research Grants Regulation of the University of Coimbra (RBI-UC), supplemented by the Research Grants Regulation of the Foundation for Science and Technology (RBI-FCT), the Research Grant Holder Statute (EBI), the Rules for the Attribution and Management of Grants within the scope of R&D Projects, the Code of Administrative Procedure (CPA), all in their current wording, and other applicable national and EU legislation.

Procedure Reference: IT137-26-134

I - Legal admission requirements
I.I - Grant Recipients:
Graduates in the scientific area of Biomedical Sciences, enrolled in a non-degree granting course.[JB2.1]
    
I.II - The non-degree-granting course must be related to the type of activity of the grant. Non-degree-granting courses are those referred to in subparagraph e) of paragraph 3 of Article 4 of Decree-Law No. 74/2006, in its current wording, provided that, under subparagraph e) of Article 3 of RBI-FCT, they are developed in association or cooperation between the higher education institution and one or more R&D units.
   
I.III -  Ineligible candidates: Candidates who have previously received any research grants under the terms of the EBI are not eligible.

I.IV -  The following are eligible for the grant(s), provided they meet the requirements outlined above: 
a) Portuguese nationals or nationals of other EU Member States
b) Nationals of third countries
c) Stateless persons
d) Beneficiaries of political refugee status

    
II - Grant location: Mitochondrial Biomedicine and Theranostics Laboratory, Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra.,
    
III- Scientific supervision/coordination of the grant: Maria Manuela Monteiro Grazina
    
IV - Work Plan / Goals to be achieved: The scholarship holder will be expected to carry out the following activities for three months as part of the ongoing work of the Mitochondrial Bigenomics and Theragnostics Research Group (Metabolism, Ageing and Disease area, CIBB), located at the Mitochondrial Biomedicine and Theranostics Laboratory (LBioMiT):

1.    Research bibliographic material within the scope of the project to formalise the state of the art and methodological and scientific advances – writing a scientific article at the end;
2.    Active participation in LBioMiT activities;
3.    Production of an audiovisual animation addressing the risks associated with tobacco, pollution and alcohol for Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON). Based on scientific studies and distinguishing between different types of substances/emissions/smoke and tobacco (e.g. combustion tobacco is more harmful);
4.    Collaborate with the CIBB science communication office to disseminate information on the institution's social media channels and website (CIBB/CNC-UC/FMUC/UC);
5.    Actively collaborate in the promotion and organisation of an event/debate/round table with experts in the field, at national level – online and in person.
    
V - Initial grant duration: 6 months
    
V.I - Renewal Possibility: Non-renewable 
    
VI - Funding and financial conditions of the grant
VI.I - Monthly grant amount (paid by bank transfer at the end of each month): 651,12€
    
VI.II - Other financial components of the grant: N/A.    
    
VI.III - In addition to the above amounts, voluntary social security (SSV) is included when the grant has a duration of six months or more, corresponding to the first level, if the candidate opts for it, as well as mandatory personal accident insurance.
    
VI.IV - Funding: The grant(s) assigned under this call will be funded by own revenue.
    
VI.V - Information and publicity about the funding: N/A.
    
VII - Selection Methods: Evaluation of the academic record (AR) and Interview (I) 
    
VII.I - AR - The curriculum evaluation considers the candidates' academic and professional achievements based on the following weights and criteria:
- Criterion 1 - Absolute merit of curriculum vitae-
- Criterion 2 - Specific knowledge related to the work plan.
- Criterion 3 - Adequacy of the candidate's profile to the work plan to be developed.

VII.II- I – The interview evaluates the candidates' performance based on the following weights and criteria:
- Criterion 1 – Ability to express oneself and verbal fluency.

- Criterion 2 - Motivation and interest.
- Criterion 3 – Knowledge and profile appropriate to the functions to be developed.
- Criterion 4 – Interpersonal relationships.
- Criterion 5 - Ability to integrate into multidisciplinary teams; relevant previous experience; ability to solve a practical problem; availability; demonstrated ability to correlate creative design with scientific research and scientific communication; and social skills.  

VII.III- Criteria evaluation and final classification are determined on a scale of 0 to 100, calculated to two decimal places, using the following formulas:
- AR: criterion 1 * (25%) + criterion 2 * (50%) + criterion 3* (25%) = X
- I: criterion 1 * (20%) + criterion 2 * (20%) + criterion 3 * (20%)  + criterion 4 * (10%) + criterion 5* (30%) = X
- Final Classification (FC): AR * (55%) + I * (45%) = X

Candidates with knowledge in creative graphic design, highlighting visual narrative, composition and typography, with knowledge in graphic and brand design, creation of materials with high visual impact; Knowledge in design and multimedia, including digital content production and video editing; Knowledge about environmental factors and how they influence and impact human health, namely as risk factors.
        
VII.IV - All candidates who meet the admission requirements are subject to the academic record evaluation, carried out according to the criteria and weights defined in VII.I.
    
VII.V - Candidates who score below 50 in any selection method will be excluded, and subsequent methods, if any, will not apply to them. Candidates who are duly notified but fail to attend the interview (if applicable) or withdraw at any stage will also be excluded.
    
VII.VI - All candidates who score above 50 in the AR will proceed to the next method, i.e., the interview. 
    
VII.VII - Tie-breaking criteria: In the event of a tie in the rankings, candidates will be ordered in descending order as follows:
a) Based on the score obtained in the first method applied;
b) Based on the score of their academic qualifications.
    
VII.VIII - All provisional and final jury decisions must be justified, recorded in minutes, and published on https://apply.uc.pt/.
    
VII.IX - Jury Composition:
    
President: Maria Manueloa Monteiro Grazina
Effective Members: Sara Varela Amaral and Paulo Jorge Gouveia Simões da Silva Oliveira 
Alternate Members: João Manuel da Fonseca Gomes de Lemos and Jorge António Monteiro Carvalho Pratas Leitão

VII.X - Selection reserve list: N/A.
    
VIII- Application Submission
Candidates must access and register on the electronic platform https://apply.uc.pt/ to submit their application, selecting the procedure to which they wish to apply.
Documents uploaded for the application must be in portable document format (PDF).
Applications are submitted by completing the sections available in the electronic platform "Apply UC" under "My Application."
    
VIII.I- Mandatory documents to attach when applying:
-   Curriculum Vitae, duly updated, dated, and signed; 
-   Copy of academic degree certificates. 
a)    If the possession of a degree is a requirement for the grant, candidates holding a degree obtained abroad must, by the end of the application period, provide proof of recognition or evidence that it has been requested, as per Decree-Law No. 66/2018 of August 16. Failure to present degree recognition at the time of contract signing, as per the RBI-UC, will result in exclusion.
b)    If duly justified, documents proving the possession of academic degrees and diplomas, or their recognition, may be waived at the application stage and replaced by a candidate's sworn statement. However, until the grant agreement stage, the respective proofs must be submitted under penalty of exclusion.
c)    Proof of enrollment in a degree or non-degree course may be waived at the application stage and replaced by a sworn statement from the candidate. However, the required proof must be submitted by the grant agreement stage under penalty of exclusion. 
- Whenever possible, documentation proving prior grant benefits should also be attached to the application.
    
-  Any other elements the candidate considers relevant.
-  Motivation Letter.
-   References.
    
VIII.III - All application documents must be submitted in Portuguese and/or English. When the originals are in another language, a translation into one of these languages must be provided.
    
VIII.IV - Applications that are not properly completed or do not meet the admission criteria defined in the applicable legislation and this notice will not be accepted.
    
VIII.V - No documents required for the application may be submitted after the application deadline.
    
VIII.VI - Without prejudice to the penal provisions of the law, false statements made by candidates or grant holders regarding relevant matters for the grant award or renewal, or for the evaluation of its progress, will result in its cancellation.
     
IX – Application deadline: 23/03/2026 to 06/04/2026     
    
X - Activity Regime: The grant does not create or constitute a legal-labor relationship. It is carried out under an exclusive dedication regime, and the grantee is awarded the Research Grantee Status, as stipulated in the EBI and the RBI-UC.
    
XI - Notification of Candidates: All notifications will be made through the electronic platform Apply UC, under the terms of subparagraph c) of paragraph 1 and subparagraph b) of paragraph 2 of Article 112 of the CPA and Article 22 of the RBI-UC. The notifications will take effect after being made, as provided in Article 113 of the CPA.
    
XII - Under Articles 121 and 122 of the CPA and Article 22 of the RBI-UC, candidates may, if they wish, submit comments regarding the jury's decisions within 10 business days, through the "Audiência dos Interessados" option in the platform's procedure section.
    
XIII - Candidates may also submit a complaint within 15 business days or an appeal to the UC's highest-ranking official within 30 business days, both following the respective notification, under Articles 191 and 192 of the CPA.
    
XIV - Selected candidates must declare in writing, within five business days of notification, their acceptance of the grant and confirm that they meet the requirements to accept the proposed start date of the grant contract. Unless a justifiable reason is provided, failure to provide this declaration within the stipulated time will be considered a renunciation of the grant. In case of renunciation or withdrawal by the selected candidate, the next candidate on the final classification list will be notified.
    
XV - The full competition process can be consulted by candidates, subject to prior scheduling, by sending an email to the Human Resources Management Service at: sgrh@uc.pt.
    
XVI - In compliance with subparagraph h) of Article 9 of the Constitution, the University of Coimbra, as an employer, actively promotes a policy of equal opportunities between men and women in terms of employment access and career progression, ensuring that any form of discrimination is strictly avoided. It encourages underrepresented minorities in each area to apply.
Accordingly, no one may be privileged, benefited, disadvantaged, or deprived of any right or exempted from any duty on the grounds of ancestry, age, sexual orientation, gender, marital status, family status, economic situation, education, social origin or condition, genetic heritage, reduced work capacity, disability, chronic illness, nationality, ethnic origin or race, place of origin, language, religion, political or ideological beliefs, or trade union membership.
The University of Coimbra also promotes measures to facilitate the balance between professional, family, and personal life, recognizing the efforts of its employees and fostering motivation.
    
XVII- The grantee must submit annual activity reports for each renewal and at the end of the grant contract, as stipulated in Article 7 of the RBI-UC, subject to an opinion issued by the respective supervisor(s). The report models, performance evaluation criteria, and the grant contract model are those approved under the University of Coimbra's Research Grant Regulations.