Portugal: Foundation for Science and Technology awards 1,553 doctoral research grants for €133m

The Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia - FCT) has awarded 1,553 doctoral research grants for €133 million, it announced on 27/11/2025. Funding is provided by the state budget and the revenue from the European Social Fund through the Demography, Qualifications and Inclusion Programme when eligible.

The grants are part of the 2025 Doctoral Research Grant Competition, which received 4,169 applications, of which 4,117 were admitted for evaluation. The overall approval rate was 37%.

The foundation stated that, for the first time, the contracting process for the vast majority of grants (99.2%) will be ensured by the contracting institutions (ones which partnered with the applications for their validation).

"This model follows the trends of its European counterparts. This allows for greater proximity between the institutions and their doctoral students, making interactions more fluid and strengthening their relationship based on mutual trust."

Of the 1,553 grants, 1,003 are in the General Application Line and 550 in the Specific…