DRAFT ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THE AWARD OF RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP

Title: Research Fellowship for Master student­ - HEALTH-UNORTEII; 2 vacancies

Reference: NORTE2030-FEDER-01786400_ BI_01_2025_CMEMS 

A call for applications is now open for the attribution of two (2) grants of research fellowship for Master student within the scope of the R&D project HEALTH-UNORTEII - Promotion of Health_UNorte: integrated approaches to prevent, monitor and treat cardiovascular, neurological, infectious diseases and cancer, of the Centre for Electromechanical Microsystems, operation code NORTE2030-FEDER-01786400, financed by Comissão de Coordenação e Desenvolvimento Regional do Norte, NORTE2030-2024-12, SACCCT - Integrated ICDT Projects, under the following conditions:

Scientific Area: Biomedical Engineering

Recipient category: Students enrolled in a master or integrated master

Requirement for granting the fellowship:

• The applicants may apply without prior registration in the course for which the fellowship is open. The requirement to enroll in a degree course or non-academic degree course will be verified on the date of contracting the fellowship;
• Only fellowships whose selected applicants present a valid proof of enrollment in a degree course or non-academic degree course will be contracted, according to the type of the fellowship, indicating, respectively, the academic year or its duration (star and term).

Profile:

The following are eligible to apply for this competition:

• Nationals or citizens of other member states of the European Union;
• Citizens of third countries;
• Stateless persons;
• Citizens with political refugee status

Candidate admissibility requirements:

1. Candidates must have, at the date of application, a Bachelor degree in Biomedical Engineering.
2. contracting requirements, such as indicating master enrolment in the area of Biomedical Engineering; proof of academic qualifications completed at the deadline for applications, including those resulting from academic degree recognition processes;
3. preferential factors: master students in Biomedical Engineering – Area of Specialization in Medical Electronics. Experience in CMOS technology project for biomedical sensors. Proficiency in Portuguese and English. Good teamwork skills. Motivation.

Admissibility requirements:

•  It is essential, under penalty of not being admitted to the competition, to attach the following documents to the application:
• The candidate's curriculum vitae;
• Certificates of the academic degrees obtained or, if applicable, the candidate's declaration of honor that he/she has completed the degrees required in the notice by the application deadline (not applicable to research initiation grants);
• For degrees obtained abroad, the record of recognition of the academic degrees and record of the conversion of the respective final classification to the Portuguese classification scale must be presented, or, alternatively, the candidate's declaration of honor (not applicable to research initiation grants);

Note: Other relevant requirements may be requested

Applicants eligibility: Applicants must comply with the eligibility conditions laid down in article 9 of the Research Grants Regulation of the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (2019).

Workplan and objectives to be achieved: 

The aim is to microfabricate nitinol structures, with the following tasks planned:

- Study of the potential medical applications of nitinol, including the possibility of manufacturing surgical wires and/or catheters.

- Definition of the medical requirements for the nitinol structures.

- Microfabrication of nitinol structures using microfabrication technologies.

- Mechanical, thermal, and electrical characterization of the microfabricated structures.

- Ex vivo testing and validation of the microfabricated structures.

The work plan aims at the consolidation of the scientific training of the grant holder in the context of the degree or diploma course. The work plan will be divided by the vacancies proposed.

Applicable legislation and regulations: Research Fellowship Holder Statutes, approved by Law nº 40/2004 of August 18, in its current version published by Decree-Law nº 123/2019 of august 28; Regulation of Scientific Research Fellowships of the University of Minho (RBIC), published in “Diário da República”, 2nd serie, nº 119, through dispatch nº 6524/2020 of 22-06-2020, ratified by ratification declaration nº 447/2021 of 22-06-2021 and Regulation of Research Studentships and Fellowships (RBI) of the Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P. - in force.

Host/Contracting institution and scientific supervision: The workplan will be carried out in the Center of Microeletromechanical Systems of Universidade do Minho, located in Campus Famalicão in Hub - Innovation and Technology, Famalicão, under the scientific supervision of the PhD researcher Sara Filomena Ribeiro Pimenta.

Fellowship duration: The grant will take place for a period of 6 months, with a provisional starting date on October of 2025. The fellowship grant may eventually be renewed up to the maximum duration allowed in the project and in the law in force for this type of research fellowship.

Amount of the research grant: The value stipend (Monthly Maintenance Allowance) is 1040,98€/per month, in accordance with the stipends values published by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT I.P.) in the country (Annex I – Monthly Stipends Values for the maintenance allowances of the FCT Regulation for Research Studentships and Fellowships) and Annex II of the Regulation of Scientific Research Fellowships of the University of Minho (RBIC), published in “Diário da República”, 2nd serie, nº 119, through dispatch nº 6524/2020 of 22-06-2020, ratified by ratification declaration nº 447/2021 of 22-06-2021, according to the applicable regulation.

Payment is made on the 23st of each month, through bank transfer to the Bank Identification Number of the fellow identified in the contratualization process.

Other components of the research grant: (define the other components of the research grants, in accordance with the nº 5 of the article 18º of the FCT Regulation for Research Studentships and Fellowships, nº 950/2019 of 16-12-2019 or article 21º of the Regulation of Research Fellowships of the University of Minho (RBIC), accordingly with the regulations applicable).

Other benefits: Reimbursement of Voluntary Social Security (Social Security contributions), corresponding to the 1st level of discounts (for research grants with a total duration 6 months or higher) and personal accident insurance.

Exclusivity regime: The grantee will perform the activities under exclusivity, as foreseen in article 5º of the Research Fellow Statutes and applicable regulations. 

Selection panel: The selection panel is composed by the following elements, 

President: Doctor José Higino Gomes Correia, Full Professor, Industrial Electronics Department of the University of Minho.

Effective members: Doctor Sara Filomena Ribeiro Pimenta, PhD researcher, Industrial Electronics Department of the University of Minho; Doctor Marino de Jesus Correia Maciel, PhD researcher, Industrial Electronics Department of the University of Minho.

Substitute members: Doctor Eliana Maria Fernandes Vieira, PhD researcher, Industrial Electronics Department of the University of Minho; Doctor José Artur Oliveira Rodrigues, PhD researcher, Industrial Electronics Department of the University of Minho.

The first effective member will substitute the President of the selection panel in case of impediment, being nominate the first substitute member or second effective member being unable to attend, and these will be replaced by the designated substitute members.

Criteria and procedures for applications assessment and selection: The applications assessment will focus on the candidate's Merit, following evaluation criteria, valued on a scale of 1 to 5 values (or another scale)[1]:

Applicant Merit - MC (100%):

1. Academic path (considering the classifications of academic degrees), with a weighting of 50%;
2. Personal curriculum (considering professional and scientific background, with emphasis on the area of ​​microtechnologies in silicon), with a weighting of 50%

The final classification of the applicant’s merit with the achieved through the following formula:

MC=(a*0,5)+(b*0,5)

If the selection panel does not feel able to decide using the method under MC, it may choose to conduct an Interview. In that case, the candidates classified in the first 4 positions, who obtain a minimum classification of 2 in the MC, will be admitted to the Interview phase, in which the Jury will evaluate the following sub-criteria:

Interview - ENT:              

E1- Interpersonal skills-20%.

E2- Demonstrated knowledge in the area of the competition-30%.

E3- Motivation -20%

E4- Language skills (Portuguese and English)-30%.

The final classification of the Interview with the achieved through the following formula:

ENT=(E1*0,2) + (E2*0,3) + (E3*0,2) + (E4*0,3)

The final classification (CF) of the Candidate Merit (MC) and Interview (ENT) will be obtained by applying the following formula: 

CF = (MC*0,5) + (ENT*0,5)

If none of the candidates demonstrate to have a suitable profile for the execution of the work plan, the Jury is entitled to close this call without selecting a candidate.

The academic degrees and diplomas documents, or their respective recognition when awarded by foreign higher education institutions are not mandatory in the application phase, being replaced by a declaration of honor of the candidate with the contents of academic results. The documents of academic qualification or respective recognition will be required in the contracting phase and must attest facts that occurred on a date prior to the application. In situations of divergence between the information contained in the declaration and the documentation submitted for contracting the grant, only the information contained in the latter will be consider. If the documents proving the ownership of the academic degree and diploma, or the respective recognition under the terms of Decree-Law No. 66/2018, of August 16, do not correspond to the classifications awarded in the evaluation of the academic path, which can change the candidate's ranking, the fellowship won’t be contracted.

Notes: Applicants with degrees obtained abroad must present proof of recognition of qualifications in Portugal and conversion of the final classification obtained in them to the Portuguese classification scale or declaration under the terms indicated in the previous point. Candidates who do not comply with one of these provisions, the selection panel will assign “0” in the grade of the graduation and/or master course. Candidates will be evaluated on the remaining parameters.

Disclosure of results: The evaluation results project, based in the selection panel minutes, will be send to the applicants by email, in accordance with article 12 of the FCT's RBI (FCT funding) | article 13 of UMinho's RBIC (other funding subject to UMinho regulations). 

If case of unfavourable results, the candidates have a period of 10 working days to comment, if desired, in a prior hearing to interested parties, pursuant to articles 121 and 122 of the Code of Administrative Procedure (DL nº 4 / 2015 of January 7th).

[The hearing of the interested parties, if excluded, should be justified accordingly with article 124º of CPA]

Complaint and appeal procedures: The final results of the evaluation will be published through an ordered list (alphabetically, by final grade obtained), posted in a visible and public place of the host unit, as well as by email to all applicants, enclosing for that purpose, the minutes of the jury deliberations.

The selected candidate must inform its willingness to accept the grant, in writing. In case of rejection, the fellowship will be awarded to the next candidate in the ordered list of applicants.

The final decision can be contested within 15 working days, by sending to the President of the jury the corresponding claim. Interested parties may also submit an optional hierarchical appeal, addressed to the Pro-Rector with delegated competences in this area.

Constitution of a selection reserve list: The applicants ranked in the next positions on the ordered list will be included in a selection reserve list, which can be used until October 31st, 2025.

Application deadline and submission:  The call of applications will be accepted for a minimum period of 10 working days after the publication of the notice on the European Scientific Mobility Portal Euraxess.

Applications must be formalized by sending an application letter with the following documents: curriculum vitae; qualifications certificate or declaration of the applicant; motivation letter; statement proving that meets the conditions for the grant typology, according to the application requirements; other documents important to the evaluation process).

Applications must be sent by email to secretaria@cmems.uminho.pt, indicating the reference of the call for applications in Subject. Applications submitted by other means will not be accepted.

Fellowship contractualization: The fellowship will be attributed by signing a fellowship contract between the University of Minho and the fellow, accordingly with the contract minute (annex IV of the Regulation of Research Fellowships of the University of Minho (RBIC), published in Diário da República, 2nd Série, nº 119, through dispatch nº 6524/2020 of 22-06-2020, ratified by ratification declaration nº 447/2021 of 22-06-2021, as indicated in 2.4 of the FCT document: “Rules for Granting and Management of Grants within the scope of R&D projects, including infrastructure projects, the multi-annual financing program for R&D units and other FCT financing instruments (Version 2021)”.

The contract may only be concluded after all the documentation required is collected, which must take place within a maximum period of 6 months [including evidences of the academic degrees or diplomas and enrolment in degree courses or non-conferring courses, depending on the type of scholarship].

Once all the documentation has been received, the contracting entity has a period of 60 working days to conclude the scholarship contract (in the case of scholarship contracts under UMinho's RBIC, the deadline is 15 working days, under the terms of nº2 of Article 15º). Once received, the fellow must return the contract duly signed within 15 working days.

The activities under the fellowship contract can only began after proper authorization by the contracting entity. 

Term and cancellation of fellowship contracts: Without prejudice to the other causes provided the fellowship regulations (FCT and UMinho) and in the Statute of the Research Fellow, the fellowship ends with the completion of the work plan, as well as with the expiration date for which it was granted or renewed.

At the end of the fellowship, the grantee is obliged to present a Final Report of the work carried out, in accordance with the objectives and evaluation criteria defined with the scientific advisor, within 30 days after the end of the scholarship.

The final report must be prepared in accordance with Annex I of the Scientific Research Fellowships Regulation of the University of Minho (RBIC), published in Diário da República, 2nd Série, nº 119, through dispatch nº 6524/2020 of 22-06-2020, ratified by ratification declaration nº 447/2021 of 22-06-2021.

Note: The information above required should be submitted in the Euraxess Portal, in the fields reserved for those purposes.

Declaration of Honor

Academic qualifications

I, (full name), candidate for the vacancy for the award of a (type of scholarship), within the scope of the project (name or reference of the project), published on the Euraxess portal, with the reference (ref. notice), declare on my honor that I have completed the academic degree of (academic degree), qualifying for the type of scholarship in the competition, namely the course (designation), by the (University conferring the degree), on the date XX/XX/XXXX, with a final average of XXXXX values on the YY scale.

As it is not possible for me to present proof of qualifications until the end of the competition, I declare that I undertake to present the aforementioned certificate at the conclusion of the scholarship contract, in the event that I am selected for the vacancy in the competition.

As this is true, I hereby date and sign this declaration. 

(Place), (date).

__________________________

(full name)

 NOTE: The declaration may only attest to facts that occurred prior to the application.

 In the event of a discrepancy between the information contained in the declaration and the documentation submitted for the purpose of contracting the scholarship, only the information contained in the latter will be taken into account.

Declaration of Honor

I, (full name), bearer of identification document number (XXXX), candidate for a research grant (type of grant), within the scope of the project (name or reference of the project), published on the Euraxess portal, with the reference (ref. call for proposals), declare on my honor that (I have not received any research grants to date / I have received the following research grants) under the Research Grant Holder Statute.

As this is true, I hereby date and sign this declaration. 

(Place), (date). 

__________________________

(full name)

[1] If a second evaluation method is fixed – Interview, it may not have a weighting higher than 40%, according to nº 1 of article 12º of UMinho regulation;

The jury shall define whether all candidates are interviewed or identify the criterion to be applied to a set of candidates to be interview and its valuation (for instance, selection of candidates ranked between the 1s and 4th position in the evaluation list of APCC).