APPLICATIONS ARE CURRENTLY CLOSED

Admitted candidates receive a tuition waiver and a monthly stipend paid directly by FCT for a period no longer than 48 (forty eight) months. The attribution of a scholarship is dependent on the receipt of the required documentation and the availability of the funding institution.

Within the terms of the Framework-Agreement signed by FCT and the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, the Directive Board approves candidates selected by virtue of merit following the procedure outlined in the application for funding. Scholarship contracts are concluded directly between each selected candidate and FCT.

Hence, within the terms of the ‘Regime of Research Scholarship Holders’, enacted by Law no. 40/2004 of August 18, as it currently stands, together with the Regulation of Scholarships by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, it is now open the public tender for the selection of candidates to individual scholarships to attend the PhD Programme.

1. NUMBER OF DOCTORAL SCHOLARSHIPS (BD) AVAILABLE

There are five scholarships available to candidates who fulfill the criteria laid down in Article 30 (1) of Decree-Law n. 74/2006, of March 24. The duration of the scholarship is annual and extendible to a maximum of four years. A scholarship cannot be assigned for a period shorter than three consecutive months.

2. ADDRESSES

The following may apply to this tender:

1. Portuguese nationals or nationals of other EU countries;
2. Non-EU citizens who hold a valid title of residency or who enjoy long-term
3. residency status within the terms of Law n. 23/2007, of July 4;
4. Citizens of countries with which Portugal has a reciprocity agreement.
5. Citizens of third States.

3. HOST INSTITUTIONS

The host institutions are Universidade Católica Portuguesa, through the Católica Global School of Law of the Escola de Lisboa da Faculdade de Direito, and the Católica Research Centre for the Future of Law.

4. ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Only candidates who satisfy all of the following requirements will be considered for admission:

a) A basic Law degree (LL.B., licenciatura, J.D., or equivalent) or, exceptionally, in a neighbouring discipline if the candidate’s purported research falls at the intersection of law and the discipline in question;

b) A master’s degree in Law;

c) Proficiency in English mainly certified by a TOEFL score of 600 on the paper-based test or 100 on the internet-based test, or an IELTS score of 7.0, obtained within two years prior to the application, or Cambridge’s Certificate of Proficiency in English with a minimum grade of A;

d) Completion of at least one scholarly text, which may be a master’s thesis or a text of comparable scope.

Applications should include the following:

1) Official detailed transcripts (in either English or Portuguese) issued by the higher education institution where the candidate has obtained academic degrees.

2) A curriculum vitae.

3) A personal statement of no more than 1000 words explaining the candidate’s motives to attend the Programme, written in English.

4) A preliminary and non-binding research proposal of no more than 3000 words, written in English.

5) Two letters of recommendation.

6) An example of scholarly writing, which may be a master’s thesis or a similar text.

7) A completed application form.

8) Photocopied or digital version of the applicant’s identification document.

9) Three photos.

10) Proof of payment of the application fee.

Candidates with academic degrees obtained in a non-Portuguese university do not need to submit the registration of the recognition of their degrees during the application stage, when celebrating the funding contract (Decree-Law no. 66/2018), they must submit the registration and the conversion of the obtained final grades in the Portuguese scale, issued by the  Direção-Geral do Ensino Superior or by a Portuguese university which, according to the legislation in focre, has such competence.

In addition to filling the application form, in order to formalize the application to a doctoral fellowship candidates should address a letter to the Director of the Global Ph.D. Programme stating their knowledge and acceptance of the norms and terms of the Regulation of Scholarships by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, namely where it refers to the delivery of required documentation.

Candidates who at the time of the application do not hold the academic degree required for its acceptance may state in the application form that they expect to receive the degree at a date no later than December 31, 2019. No scholarship will be awarded to a candidate whose application does not fulfill these requirements.

6. APPLICATION PERIOD

The tender will open from November 20th to December 20th 2019 , but early bird applications are already being accepted. The selection process is expected to be concluded by the beginning of February 2020.

7. SELECTION AND EVALUATION PROCEDURE

The evaluation and selection of applications will be carried out by a Committee of three academics who hold the title of ‘Doctor’.

The selection of candidates will be processed through two phases, being invited for an interview those who obtain, in the first phase, a minimum of 10 points.

The Committee will determine the merit of the candidates and submit to the Directive Board of the Programme a ranking of the candidates according to the following criteria:

First Phase:

-  Academic performance of the applicant, namely class ranking as an undergraduate and as a masters student, prizes received, works published, participation in research projects: 0 to 5 grade points;

-  Intellectual, ethical, and social qualities of the candidate as they result from the two letters of recommendation submitted, so long as the Committee has no reason to doubt the latter’s credibility: 0 to 5 grade points;

-  Quality of the scholarly piece submitted by the applicant: 0 to 5 grade points.

Second Phase:

-  Interview to evaluate the candidate’s motivation, intellectual maturity, seriousness of purpose, collegiality, and other attributes relevant to succeed as a doctoral student and, more generally, as an academic; the Committee also decides whether the candidate is prepared to undertake the responsibilities of a full-time doctoral candidate: 0 to 5 grade points.

Candidates who do not fulfil the formal requirements to be admitted to the Global PhD Programme in Law will not be admitted to the second phase.

8. ADDRESS TO WHERE THE APPLICATION SHOULD BE SENT

The letter formalizing the application should be sent to Directive Board of the Global Ph.D. Programme in Law, Católica Global School of Law, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Palma de Cima — 1649-023 Lisboa, Portugal or to the email address doutoramentosdireito@fd.lisboa.ucp.pt, within the aforementioned deadline.

9. DISCLOSURE OF RESULTS

The results of the evaluation procedure shall be disclosed to the candidates through the webpage of Católica Global School of Law:

https://catolicalaw.fd.lisboa.ucp.pt/

Candidates whose applications were rejected have 10 weekdays upon the date of disclosure to express their views, if they so desire, in a preliminary hearing within the terms set by the Code of Administrative Procedure. The final decision may be appealed to the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within 15 days of its reception.

10. FUNDING

Scholarships awarded under this call are sponsored by Portuguese public funds from the ‘Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior (FCT/MCTES)’ (the Portuguese Government annual budget), and, if eligible, by funds from ‘Fundo Social Europeu’, through the ‘Programas Operacionais do Período de Programação 2014-2020’, namely the ‘Programa Operacional Temático do Capital Humano’ and the ‘Programa Operacional Regional do Norte, Centro ou do Alentejo’, according to the provisions of the specific regulation applicable.

11. NON DISCRIMINATION POLICY

The FCT promotes a policy of non-discrimination and equal access, and therefore no candidate can be favoured, benefited, hampered or deprived of any right or exempt of any duty on grounds of, among others, her or his ancestry, origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, family situation, level of instruction, social origin or condition, genetics, reduced working capacity, disability, chronic disease, nationality, ethnic or racial origin, place of original, language, religion, political or ideological belief, or trade union affiliation.

Any issue not covered by the present call shall be governed by the Regulation of Scholarships by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, which is available at http://www.fct.pt/apoios/bolsas/regulamento.phtml