Portuguese version: https://repositorio.inesctec.pt/editais/pt/AE2026-0291.pdf

CALL FOR GRANT APPLICATIONS (AE2026-0291)

INESC TEC is now accepting grant applications to award 1 Research Grant (BI) within the scope of the OCEAN_FCT funded by National Funds through FCT - Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P., project reference .

1. GRANT DESCRIPTION

Type of grant: Research Grant (BI)

General scientific area: ENGINEERING

Scientific subarea: Electrical engineering

Grant duration: 12 months, starting on 2027-01-01 , with the possibility of being renewed for a maximum term of four years, in the cases of students enrolled in a PhD.

Scientific advisor: Eduardo Silva

Workplace: INESC TEC, Porto, Portugal

Maintenance stipend: 1359.64, according to the table of monthly maintenance stipend for FCT grants (https://www.fct.pt/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Tabela-de-Valores-SMM_atu…), paid via bank transfer. Grant holders may be awarded potential supplements, according to a quarterly evaluation process (Articles 19, 21 and 22 of the Regulations for Grants of INESC TEC and Annex II), up to a maximum limit of 50 of the monthly maintenance stipend.

INESC TEC supports costs with registration, enrolment or tuition fees, during the grant duration, under the terms established in the internal document: "Payment of Tuition fees to grant holders" (https://www.inesctec.pt/pagamento-propinas-bolseirosEN)

The grant holder will benefit from health insurance, supported by INESC TEC.

2. OBJECTIVES:

Support researchers in the fields of knowledge described in this call, who intend to carry out research activities leading to the award of a doctoral degree. Part of the research activities must be carried out at INESC TEC, as applicable.

3. BRIEF PRESENTATION OF THE WORK PROGRAMME AND TRAINING:

Long-range underwater navigation based on seabed morphology and infrastructure geometry in unstructured environments ;
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The doctoral research will focus on the development of advanced methodologies for long-range and long-endurance autonomous underwater navigation, exploiting seabed morphology, infrastructure geometry, and other natural or artificial elements of the environment as references for localisation. ;
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The research will aim to reduce reliance on external positioning infrastructure and limit the accumulation of error inherent in inertial navigation over extended missions, particularly in GPS-denied scenarios and environments with limited availability of artificial references. The objective is to develop solutions capable of maintaining high levels of navigation accuracy and consistency over long trajectories by exploiting environmental information acquired throughout the mission. ;
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The work will consider the integration of navigation sensors with acoustic and, where appropriate, optical sensors, enabling persistent environmental features to be identified and reused, such as seabed morphological variations, offshore structures, cables, pipelines, foundations, harbour infrastructure, and other relevant geometries. These references will be exploited to provide periodic corrections to the position estimate and reduce the growth of uncertainty over time. ;
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A central component of the research will be the development of methods capable of operating over missions covering large spatial extents, where navigation accuracy depends on the ability to recognise previously observed references, associate observations with existing maps or maps constructed during the mission, and consistently manage accumulated uncertainty. ;
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The objectives of the work include: ;
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Developing methods for representing the underwater environment that are suitable for long-range navigation, using bathymetric maps, three-dimensional representations, point clouds, and geometric or semantic descriptors. ;
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Investigating robust methodologies for the detection, extraction, and association of environmental features, capable of operating under varying viewpoints, resolutions, and acquisition conditions. ;
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Developing terrain- and infrastructure-based localisation algorithms that relate observations acquired by the vehicle to maps available beforehand or constructed during the mission itself. ;
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Studying strategies for periodic correction of navigation error through the recognition of previously observed areas, matching of persistent features, and identification of suitable environmental references. ;
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Developing sensor-fusion and state-estimation methodologies, with particular emphasis on the propagation and management of uncertainty during long-duration missions. ;
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Investigating criteria for selecting the most informative environmental references, prioritising observations that maximise the reduction of navigation uncertainty over long trajectories. ;
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Exploring, where relevant, information obtained from other robotic systems or mobile infrastructures as an additional source of navigation correction or validation, without assuming permanently multi-robotic operation. ;
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Evaluating the performance of the developed methodologies in long-range missions, considering accumulated positioning accuracy, robustness, navigation-solution availability, computational requirements, and real-time operation. ;
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Implementing and experimentally validating the developed solutions through a progressive evaluation process involving simulation, trials in controlled environments, and field campaigns using underwater robotic platforms. ;
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The work is expected to contribute to the development of underwater systems capable of undertaking increasingly long and autonomous missions by using the environment itself as a source of information for controlling navigation error and reducing reliance on external positioning infrastructure.

4. REQUIRED PROFILE:

Admission requirements:
Hold a Master’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering, or any other field that the jury considers aligned with the call.
The awarding of the fellowship is dependent on the applicants' enrolment in study cycle or non-award courses of Higher Education Institutions.

Preference factors:
The candidate's experience will be especially valued in one of the following research lines: experience in underwater robotics.

Minimum requirements:
Hold a Master’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering, or any other field that the jury considers aligned with the call, and have a scientific and professional CV that demonstrates a suitable profile for the activities to be carried out.
Not have previously been awarded a doctoral grant or a doctoral grant in companies directly funded by FCT, regardless of its duration.
Reside permanently and habitually in Portugal at the start date of the period of the work plan to be carried out abroad. This requirement applies to both Portuguese and foreign citizens.
Not hold a doctoral degree.

5. EVALUATION OF APPLICATIONS AND SELECTION PROCESS:

Selection criteria and corresponding valuation: the first phase comprises the Academic Evaluation (AC), based on the criteria referred to in Article 12 of the Regulations for Grants of INESC TEC, while the second phase comprehends the Individual Interview (EI).
All factors are evaluated on a scale of 0 to 100, taking into account the applicants' merit, suitability and conformity with the preference factors.
The weight of the AC factors are as follows: Academic Qualifications (FA, 50), Scientific Publications (PC, 20), Experience (EX, 20) and Motivation Letter (CM, 10).
Candidates who score less than 50 points in the AC average will be considered excluded on absolute merit. The top five candidates approved on absolute merit will be qualified for the individual interview. The Final Grade (CF) is obtained by the weighted average of AC (80) and EI (20).

DISABILITY INCENTIVE

Candidates who present a degree of disability equal to or greater than 90% will benefit from an incentive (20) in the score of the CV Assessment.
Candidates who present a degree of disability equal to or greater than 60% and less than 90% will also benefit from an incentive (10) in the score of the CV Assessment.
Said score may, in these cases, exceed 100 points.
Candidates must demonstrate the degree of disability during the application, namely through the submission of the Multi-Purpose Medical Certificate of Disability, issued in accordance with Decree-Law no. 202/96, of October 23 - currently in effect.

The Selection Jury is composed of the following members:
President of the Jury: Eduardo Silva
Full member: Hugo Miguel Silva
Full member: Sara Costa Freitas
Substitute member: André Dias

Release of results and prior hearing: the results of the selection process, as well as the terms and procedures for prior hearing, will be released to the applicants by email, under the terms referred to in Article 13 of the Regulations for Studentships and Fellowships of INESC TEC.

6. FORMALISATION OF APPLICATIONS:

Application Documents:
1. Motivation letter;
2. Curriculum Vitae (must include the list of previous fellowships, their type, beginning and end dates, funding entities and host institutions);
3. Certificate or diploma degree;
4. Proof of enrollment in a degree awarding study cycle or in a non degree awarding Higher Education program.
- The proof of enrollment may be presented just during the grant hiring stage.
5. Signed declaration stating the infringement of the grant holder's duties (article 14, no. 4)
6. Documental evidence to support the country of residence, residence permit or other legally equivalent document, in cases where the applicant is a foreigner or non-resident in Portugal - valid until the beginning of the grant.
7. Other supporting documents relevant to the final assessment.

Failure to deliver the required documents within the 90-day period after the date of the notice of the conditional awarding of the grant implies its cancellation.

Application period: From 2026-10-01 to 2026-10-15

Submission of applications: the application will be formalised by submitting the form available in the Work With Us section of INESC TEC website.

7. BINDING LEGISLATION AND REGULATION

The hiring process shall comply with the current legislation regarding the Research Grant Holder Statute, approved by Law no. 40/2004 of August 18, in its current wording, as well as by the Regulations for Grants of INESC TEC and for https://files.dre.pt/2s/2019/12/241000000/0009100105.pdfFCT Grants Regulation in force.

For more information, please check the Regulations for Grants of INESC TEC and relevant annexes at www.inesctec.pt/bolsas