Call for Applications for Research Grant for PhDs

NOVA Information Management School (NOVA IMS)

Organisation/Company NOVA Information Management School (NOVA IMS) Department Recursos Humanos Research Field Computer science Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Positions Postdoc Positions Country Portugal Application Deadline 9 Apr :00 (Europe/Lisbon) Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Call for Applications for Research Grant for PhDs

The Instituto Superior de Estatística e Gestão da Informação of the Universidade Nova de Lisboa - NOVA Information Management School (NOVA IMS) is calling for applications for 1 Research Grant in the area of Machine Learning for doctoral candidates under the Research Grant Regulations of the Universidade NOVA de Lisboa and the Research Grant Holder Statute (EBI).

• Profile of recipients

The following are eligible to apply for this call:

• Nationals or citizens of other member states of the European Union;
• Third-country nationals;
• Stateless persons;
• Citizens with political refugee status.

To apply for the PhD Research Grant, the candidate must have:

• PhD in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, or related areas;
• Experience in research and development in Machine Learning and Deep Learning;
• Skills in implementing and evaluating AI models, including frameworks such as PyTorch and Hugging Face Transformers;
• Ability to publish scientific articles in high-impact journals.

Work plan and targets

• Development of research into Machine Learning and/or Deep Learning;
• Exploration and validation of Large Scale Language Models (LLMs);
• Support in writing scientific projects for competitive calls;
• Publication of research results, contributing to the dissemination of knowledge in the field of AI.

Applicable legislation and regulations

The Call is governed by this Notice of Opening, by the NOVA University Lisbon Research Grant Regulations, approved by Order no.9484/2023, published in the II Series of the Diário da República on September 14, 2023, by the Research Grant Holder Statute approved by Law no. 40/2004, of August 18, as amended, and by other applicable national and EU legislation.

Host Institution

Type and Duration of Research Grant

The doctoral research grant is intended to finance the research activities carried out by the grant holder as part of the Digital4Business - Masters Program focused on the practical application of Advanced Digital Skills within European Companies project. The grant will last for 12 months, possibly renewable until the end of the project.

Financial conditions

The grant amount is €2,200.00, according to the table of monthly maintenance allowances in the NOVA University Lisbon Research Grant Regulations. Monthly payments will be made by bank transfer. All scholarship holders who are not covered by any social protection scheme can ensure that they exercise their right to social security by joining the voluntary social insurance scheme under the terms of the Code of Contributory Schemes of the Social Security System, with NOVA IMS guaranteeing the costs resulting from the contributions under the terms and with the limits set out in article 10 of the EBI.

Candidate Admissibility Requirements

The following documents must be attached to your application, failing which you will not be admitted to the call:

• 1 (one) Letter of Motivation;
• 1 (one) Letter of Recommendation;
• Certificates of academic qualifications held;
• Registration of the recognition of academic degrees awarded by foreign higher education institutions and registration of the conversion of the respective final classification to the Portuguese classification scale.

With regard to the aforementioned admissibility requirements, the following should be noted:

• In the case of academic degrees awarded by foreign higher education institutions, and in order to guarantee the application of the principle of equal treatment for candidates who hold foreign and national academic degrees, it is mandatory to recognize these degrees and convert the respective final classification to the Portuguese classification scale. The recognition of foreign academic degrees and diplomas and the conversion of the final classification to the Portuguese classification scale can be requested at any public higher education institution or the Directorate-General for Higher Education (DGES, only in the case of automatic recognition). In this regard, it is suggested that you consult the DGES portal at the following address:

If these degrees have not yet been recognized and their final classification converted to the Portuguese classification scale, proof of the request for recognition made to the DGES will be accepted.

• Only candidates who have completed the study cycle leading to the PhD degree by the application deadline will be admitted. If they do not yet have their degree certificate, a sworn statement/affidavit will be accepted from the candidates that they have completed the qualifications required for the purposes of the call by the application deadline. The design of the scholarship is always dependent on the presentation of proof of the academic qualifications required for the scholarship to be awarded.

Candidates who do not submit the required application forms will be excluded from the competition.

Application Deadline

The call is open from March 26, 2025 to 8:00 PM (Lisbon time) on April 9, 2025. Applications and supporting documents must be submitted by e-mail to indicating the reference IMS_BOLSA_DIGITAL4BUSINESS_2025_01 in the subject line. Each candidate may submit only one (1) application, failing which all applications submitted will be canceled. If candidates make false declarations or commit acts of plagiarism, their candidacy will be canceled without prejudice to the adoption of other sanctioning measures.

Evaluation Criteria

The assessment takes into account the merit of the candidate. Applications considered admissible will be scored on a scale of 0 to 100 in each of the following evaluation criteria:

Criterion A - Evaluation of the curriculum and other documents submitted, with a weight of 100%;

• A1 - Academic performance and its relevance to the areas or project, with a weight of 50%;
  • A2 - Professional experience and its relevance to the areas or project, with a weight of 50%.

If the Selection Panel deems it necessary, an interview may be held with the candidates ranked in the top three positions, according to the order resulting from the above criteria. In this case, the final score will include the curriculum evaluation (as described above), valued at 60%, and the interview, valued at 40%. The grant will not be awarded if no candidate has a suitable profile (overall assessment of less than 50%).

Important notice for applicants with diplomas issued by foreign higher education institutions:

• Candidates with diplomas issued by foreign higher education institutions may apply and will be assessed using the same criteria as candidates with diplomas issued by Portuguese institutions, provided that they submit proof of recognition of the academic degrees and conversion of the final classification to the Portuguese classification scale in accordance with the applicable legislation;
• Candidates with recognized foreign master's degrees but who do not provide proof of the conversion of the final classification to the Portuguese classification scale will be evaluated with the minimum classification (0 points) in criterion (A1);
• In any case, scholarship contracts with candidates with diplomas issued by foreign institutions will only be concluded upon presentation of proof of recognition of the academic degrees and conversion of the final classification, as indicated above;
• Candidates whose application is evaluated with a final score of less than (50) points are not eligible for a scholarship.

Composition of the Selection Panel

The panel assessing the candidates is made up of the following members:

• President:
  • Professor Mauro Castelli, NOVA IMS, Nova University of Lisbon;
• Members:
  • Professor Roberto Henriques, NOVA IMS, Nova University of Lisbon;
  • Professor Carina Albuquerque, NOVA IMS, Nova University of Lisbon.

The selection panel will assess the applications per the evaluation criteria set out in this Call for Applications, weighing up the assessment elements. All panel members, including the coordinator, undertake to respect a set of responsibilities essential to the evaluation process, such as the duties of impartiality, declaration of any potential conflict of interest situations and confidentiality. At all times during the assessment process, confidentiality is fully protected and ensured in order to guarantee the independence of all opinions produced.

Announcement of Results

The assessment results will be communicated via e-mail to the e-mail address used by the candidate to submit the application.

Time limits and procedures for prior hearings, complaints, and appeals

Following communication of the provisional list of assessment results, candidates have a period of 10 working days in which to make their views known at a prior hearing of interested parties, under the terms of articles 121 et seq. of the Code of Administrative Procedure. The final decision will be handed down after analysis of the opinions presented at the prior hearing of interested parties. A complaint may be lodged against the final decision within 15 working days, or alternatively, an appeal may be lodged within 30 working days, both counted from the date of notification. Candidates who choose to submit a complaint must address their opinion to the members of the Selection Panel with delegated powers. Candidates who choose to appeal must address their appeal to the Selection Panel.

Non-Discrimination and Equal Access Policy

The Instituto Superior de Estatística e Gestão da Informação da Universidade Nova de Lisboa - NOVA Information Management School (NOVA IMS) promotes a policy of non-discrimination and equal access, so that no candidate may be privileged, benefited, disadvantaged or deprived of any right or exempted from any duty on the grounds of, in particular, ancestry, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, family situation, economic situation, education, social origin or condition, genetic heritage, reduced working capacity, disability, chronic illness, nationality, ethnic origin or race, territory of origin, language, religion, political or ideological convictions and trade union membership.